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Bosch combi drill vs SDS

Updated: 22 October 2026

You have a Bosch GSB and a mark on a concrete lintel, and the hammer symbol makes the job look possible. The decision is the mechanism, not the newton-metre number. Use the GSB for screws, wood, metal and ordinary plug holes inside the diameter Bosch states. Change to an SDS-plus rotary hammer for concrete, engineering brick, or a long run of harder holes. Listings are on the [Bosch professional cordless combi drill comparison](/hub/drilling-and-accessories/bosch-professional-cordless-combi-drill). This page does not invent a GBH price. Collar numbers stay on the [how to use](/hub/drilling-and-accessories/bosch-professional-cordless-combi-drill/sub/bosch-professional-cordless-combi-drill-how-to-use) page.

You have a Bosch GSB and a mark on a concrete lintel, and the hammer symbol makes the job look possible. The decision is the mechanism, not the newton-metre number.

Our top picks

Bosch Professional Bosch GSB 18V-110 C in L-BOXX

Best overall

Bosch Professional Bosch GSB 18V-110 C in L-BOXX
9.4/10about £186.00
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Bosch Professional Bosch 12V set: GSB 12V-15 and GDR 12V-105

Alternative

Bosch Professional Bosch 12V set: GSB 12V-15 and GDR 12V-105
8.8/10about £239.99
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Bosch Professional Bosch GSB 18V-65 body in an L-BOXX

Best value

Bosch Professional Bosch GSB 18V-65 body in an L-BOXX
8.4/10about £84.99
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On this page
  1. 1.Two different hammers
  2. 2.What these Bosch combis are rated for
  3. 3.Brick plugs versus lintels
  4. 4.Noise and dust while you decide

Two different hammers

A combi’s hammer is a pair of ridged discs that rattle the chuck. It is not a piston. An SDS rotary hammer strikes with a piston and states blow energy in joules. The GBH 2-21 is an example only: SDS-plus, 2 joules, concrete stated up to 21 mm. It is not in this set, and this page does not price it. A GSB holds a round shank. An SDS-plus bit locks into the nose so the piston can strike it. Do not put an SDS bit in the GSB chuck. KickBack Control on the 110 C and the 65 does not add joules.

What these Bosch combis are rated for

Amazon leaves masonry diameter empty, so use Bosch’s UK pages. The GSB 12V-15 is stated at 10 mm in masonry, with 30 Nm hard and 15 Nm soft. The GSB 18V-25 manual is in the same 10 mm class. The GSB 18V-65’s amazon chuck cell of 175 mm is the head length, not a jaw. Torque cells disagree at 55 Nm and 65 Nm. The GSB 18V-110 C is stated to 16 mm in masonry. Amazon adds 82 mm in wood and 13 mm in metal. That 16 mm line is a plug-hole class, not the 21 mm concrete line on the GBH 2-21 example.
Bosch Professional Bosch GSB 18V-110 C in L-BOXX

Testsieger

Bosch Professional Bosch GSB 18V-110 C in L-BOXX
9.4/10about £186.00
View offer

Brick plugs versus lintels

A hammer combi and a carbide bit suit ordinary brick. SDS-plus is the better tool when the brick is very hard, when holes are around 10 mm and larger in that material, or when you have many holes. Match the bit to the plug packet. A 6 mm plug needs a 6 mm hole. A concrete lintel, or a run of fixings in engineering brick, makes the same combi the slow tool. One UK reviewer who owns a 110 C keeps an SDS for the heavy hammering. Which GSB to keep for ordinary plugs is the best picks page.

Noise and dust while you decide

The GSB 18V-25 manual tells you to wear ear protectors and quotes 86 dB(A) for impact drilling. Put defenders on before the first hole. Under the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005, an employer assesses daily exposure at 2.5 m/s² and 5 m/s². A householder is not in that duty, and should still not treat a hot combi as the tool for a lintel. Stop when you cannot tell brick from concrete, when the fixing is structural, or when the bit will not progress. Once a combi is enough, the buying guide is which GSB to buy. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Common questions

Can this combi drill concrete?
It can scratch a small hole and then labour. Bosch rates these GSBs to 10 mm or 16 mm in masonry, using a ratchet hammer. Concrete lintels and engineering brick are where an SDS-plus tool, which states energy in joules, is the better machine.
What size plug hole is fair for a GSB?
Match the bit to the plug packet. A typical 6 mm plug in ordinary brick is inside the stated masonry line of every GSB in this set. Holes around 10 mm and above in very hard brick, or a long run of them, are the point Homebuilding points toward SDS-plus. Do not open the hole out because the screw looks large.
Why does an SDS need different bits?
The piston strikes the end of an SDS-plus bit, which locks into the nose with slots. A GSB spins a round shank in a keyless chuck and rattles it with ridged discs. The bits are not interchangeable. Putting an SDS bit in the combi chuck does not create a piston, and a round bit does not lock in an SDS nose.
Is the 110 C’s hammer the same as a GBH?
No. The 110 C is still a combi, stated to 16 mm in masonry, with vibration declared around 15.5 m/s² for impact drilling. A GBH 2-21, used here only as an example and not as a product in this set, is SDS-plus with 2 joules and concrete stated to 21 mm. KickBack Control does not close that gap.
My combi is loud and slow in engineering brick. Is it faulty?
Often it is the wrong tool. Ordinary brick should move with a sharp masonry bit and the hammer symbol. Engineering brick and concrete that barely mark are the SDS job. A chuck that drops the bit or will not release it is a separate fault, described in reviews of the cardboard 110 C, and that one is a return.
Can I put an SDS bit in the keyless chuck?
You should not. The shank is the wrong shape for a GSB chuck, and the combi has no piston to strike it. Buy a round-shank masonry bit in the diameter on the plug packet, and keep SDS-plus bits for a rotary hammer. If the hole is beyond the combi’s stated diameter, change the machine rather than the shank.

Related pages

Bosch Professional 12V or 18V drill

Bosch professional cordless combi drill

Best Bosch Professional cordless combi for the job

Bosch Professional cordless combi drill buying guide

How to use a Bosch Professional cordless combi drill

Sources

Public UK and manufacturer sources, last checked on 19 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures for this set.

  1. Bosch Professional GB: GSB 18V-110 C (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. Bosch Professional GB: GSB 18V-65 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. Bosch Professional: GSB 18V-25 manual (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. Bosch Professional GB: GSB 12V-15 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. AMPShare UK (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005, regulation 4 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, regulation 4 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. HSE RR1182: noise and vibration of power tools (retrieved 19 October 2026)