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Bosch Professional SDS drill buying guide

Updated: 22 October 2026

You already want a blue Bosch Professional hammer, and the listing is still talking about watts, volts and stars. Those numbers do not tell you whether a 6 mm plug hole in a concrete lintel is in range, or whether the box contains a battery. This guide puts the decision in order: impact energy, whether the tool chisels, which shank fits, then the supply and the box. The eight amazon.co.uk listings in the [Bosch professional SDS drill comparison](/hub/drilling-and-accessories/bosch-professional-sds-drill) run from about £116.95 to about £253.21. That order was set on 19 October 2026 from those listings and Bosch UK pages. There was no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You already want a blue Bosch Professional hammer, and the listing is still talking about watts, volts and stars.

Our top picks

Bosch Bosch Professional GBH 18V-18

Best overall

Bosch Bosch Professional GBH 18V-18
7.5/10about £122.95
View offer
Bosch Bosch Professional GBH 2-21 (230 V)

Rank 2

Bosch Bosch Professional GBH 2-21 (230 V)
9.4/10about £120.15
View offer
Bosch Bosch Professional GBH 2-28

Alternative

Bosch Bosch Professional GBH 2-28
7.6/10about £253.21
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Start with joules, not watts
  2. 2.Check the mode and the holder
  3. 3.Then choose the supply and the box
  4. 4.What this set does not include

Start with joules, not watts

Impact energy, in joules, is the figure Bosch publishes to EPTA 05/2016. The GBH 18V-18 (0 611 927 000) and the GBH 18V-18 X (0 611 927 100) sit at 1.5 J, about 4–18 mm in concrete. The GBH 18V-22 is 1.9 J. The GBH 18V-22 X and the corded GBH 2-21 are 2.0 J, with a concrete diameter described around 22 mm. The GBH 2-28 is 3.2 J and about 4–28 mm, and it is still SDS-plus. Several cordless rows leave joules blank. Use the Bosch order number, not the chuck size beside it. Declared hammer-drilling vibration, K of 1.5 m/s², runs from about 18.7 m/s² on the GBH 18V-18 to about 11 m/s² on the GBH 2-28. The Health and Safety Executive action value is 2.5 m/s² A(8).

Check the mode and the holder

The GBH 2-21 listings state hammer drilling, drilling and chiselling. Bosch’s pages for the GBH 18V-22 and GBH 18V-22 X also describe chiselling. The GBH 18V-18 manual describes hammer drilling and non-impact drilling or screwdriving, and it does not publish a chisel function. The GBH 18V-18 X does not promise one either. Standard SDS-plus bits click in. SDS-max bits do not fit any hammer here. ONECHUCK, on the X models, also clamps cylindrical and hex shanks, limited to 10 mm straight shanks on the GBH 18V-18 X. It does not raise the 1.5 J. The GBH 18V-22 X is about £176.95 in a carton or about £232.73 with an L-BOXX, against about £180.99 for the GBH 18V-22 with an L-BOXX and a plain SDS-plus holder. You pay for the extra shank, not a larger hole.
Bosch Bosch Professional GBH 18V-18

Testsieger

Bosch Bosch Professional GBH 18V-18
7.5/10about £122.95
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Then choose the supply and the box

The 230 V GBH 2-21, order 06112A6071, is about £120.15 with a case and 6, 8 and 10 mm bits, and the title and the table both say 230 V. You can plug it into a UK socket with an RCD on the day it arrives. The title-110 V twin, order 06112A6061, is about £134.99 and will not plug into a BS 1363 socket. Its amazon table also says 220 V, so confirm that listing before you pay. The corded GBH 2-28 is about £253.21 with an L-BOXX. Every cordless row omits the battery and the charger. The GBH 18V-18 is about £122.95 and the GBH 18V-18 X is about £116.95, next to the complete 230 V kit and not the same purchase. Bosch says these 18 V hammers run on Professional packs from 2008 and on AMPShare packs. A line of up to 50 holes on the GBH 18V-18 states no diameter or depth. Which supply wins is the corded versus cordless page.

What this set does not include

The corded GBH 2-26 is 2.7 J, between the GBH 2-21 and the GBH 2-28. The cordless GBH 18V-26 is 2.6 J. Neither is among these eight ASINs. If the concrete is past the 18V-22 and you do not want a lead, read those models next. Bosch’s 2 kg class line on the GBH 2-28 clashes with a listed weight of 3.24 kg. Leave amazon figures that fight the Bosch page: 14 A and 220 V on the 110 V listing, the 50 mm chuck, and watts printed on an 18 V tool. SDS-max will not fit these noses. Who each listing is for is on the best GBH SDS drill page.

Common questions

How many joules do I need for plug holes versus chasing?
Plug holes around 6–10 mm in brick and block sit inside the 1.5 J GBH 18V-18, about 4–18 mm in concrete. Chasing and denser 10 mm work is the 1.9–2.0 J step, including the GBH 2-21. The 3.2 J GBH 2-28 is the tool here for harder concrete and longer chiselling.
Does every GBH chisel?
No. The GBH 2-21 listings state a chisel mode, and Bosch describes chiselling on the GBH 18V-22 and GBH 18V-22 X. The GBH 18V-18 and GBH 18V-18 X do not have a published chisel mode.
What is ONECHUCK for?
ONECHUCK, on the X models, takes SDS-plus bits and also clamps cylindrical and hex shanks. Bosch limits those straight shanks to 10 mm on the GBH 18V-18 X. It does not accept SDS-max, and it does not add a chisel mode to the 1.5 J compact hammer.
Why is a cordless listing cheaper than the GBH 2-28?
The GBH 18V-18 X is about £116.95 because it is a 1.5 J body with no battery. The GBH 2-28 is about £253.21 because it is a 3.2 J corded hammer with an L-BOXX. A pack you still have to buy does not close that gap.
Which Amazon numbers should I ignore?
Ignore 50 mm and 80 Nm on the GBH 18V-18, and both 35 Nm and 5 Nm on the GBH 18V-18 X. Ignore 220 V and 14 A on the listing whose title says 110 V. Ignore 850 W on an 18 V GBH 18V-22. Use the Bosch order number when the amazon row leaves impact energy blank.
Does the GBH 2-26 belong in this buy even though it is not listed?
It belongs in the wider Bosch range, at 2.7 J, between the GBH 2-21 and the GBH 2-28. It is not one of these eight listings, and neither is the 2.6 J GBH 18V-26. If those joules are the job, leave this table.

Related pages

How to use a Bosch professional SDS drill

Bosch professional SDS drill on 110 V

Bosch professional SDS drill

Best Bosch GBH SDS drill for the job in front of you

Corded vs cordless Bosch SDS drill, with the battery

Sources

Public UK sources from the research digest, last checked on 19 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures in the display file.

  1. Bosch UK, GBH 2-21, 0 611 2A6 071 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. Bosch UK, GBH 2-28, 0 611 267 571 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. Bosch UK, GBH 18V-18, 0 611 927 000 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. Bosch UK, GBH 18V-22 and GBH 18V-22 X (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. HSE, hand-arm vibration regulations (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. HSE, construction dust sheet CN3 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, regulation 4 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. HSE, electrical systems on construction sites (retrieved 19 October 2026)