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Bosch GWS 7-125 vs GWS 12-125

Updated: 22 October 2026

You are on mains power, you want a 125 mm Bosch, and the basket has shrunk to two corded tools: a 720 W GWS 7-125 with a huge UK review file, and a heavier GWS 12-125 with a keyless guard and a thin one. Same disc diameter does not mean the same fatigue or the same margin when the wheel loads up. This page is Bosch GWS 7-125 vs GWS 12-125 for a 230 V or 240 V supply. The 110 V GWS 12-125 is a voltage variant, mentioned only where the order numbers split. Cordless is a different fork on [corded or cordless](/hub/tools/bosch-angle-grinder-125/sub/bosch-angle-grinder-125-corded-or-cordless). Prices are on the [Bosch angle grinder 125 comparison](/hub/tools/bosch-angle-grinder-125). Listings were read on amazon.co.uk for 19 October 2026. Products Compared did not run a bench test. Links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are on mains power, you want a 125 mm Bosch, and the basket has shrunk to two corded tools: a 720 W GWS 7-125 with a huge UK review file, and a heavier GWS 12-125 with a keyless guard and a thin one.

Our top picks

Bosch Professional Bosch Professional GWS 7-125

Best overall

Bosch Professional Bosch Professional GWS 7-125
9.2/10about £71.98
View offer
Bosch Professional Bosch Professional GWS 12-125 (240 V)

Alternative

Bosch Professional Bosch Professional GWS 12-125 (240 V)
5.4/10about £106.74
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Power and weight on the two listings
  2. 2.Guard and what changes between jobs
  3. 3.What the amazon reviews can and cannot say
  4. 4.Which one to buy, and when

Power and weight on the two listings

The GWS 7-125 (ASIN B018YPAKS4, model 0601388108) is £71.98. Amazon states 720 W, a fixed 11,000 rpm, 230 V, and 2 kg. There is no speed-control row. Bosch’s UK page for that order number describes a slim grip around 176 mm, a flat head, and a manufacturer weight near 1.9 kg. Use the amazon figure when you compare shelves in this set, and treat 1.9 kg as the maker’s number, not a second weighing we did. The 240 V GWS 12-125 (B0D2RXDDWH, model 06013A6170) is £106.74. Amazon prints 1,250 W and 2.4 kg, voltage 220–240 V, origin stated as China. It does not print no-load speed on this ASIN, so do not invent an rpm gap from the wattage. Bosch’s UK page for the GWS 12-125 describes a 1,200 W motor and a maker weight near 2.2 kg, plus the keyless guard. The 50 W difference between 1,200 W on the manufacturer page and 1,250 W on this amazon table is a listing mismatch to be aware of, not a tuning feature. In the hand, that is roughly 0.4 kg more on the amazon figures, and a motor class that is there so the wheel is less likely to bog when you lean into thicker steel. A short cut through thin box section will not show you £35 of difference. A long grind on a weld, or a cut where the 720 W tool has already slowed and heated, is where the larger motor earns the shelf. Neither listing includes a disc. Both expect you to bring a 125 mm wheel rated for the speed of the tool you are actually holding.

Guard and what changes between jobs

Day to day, the guard is the difference you will feel before the motor does. Reviews of the GWS 7-125 describe a guard that needs a screw to reposition. That is fine when you set it once and cut. It is fiddly when you roll the tool to a new angle every few minutes and you are undoing a screw with the plug out, as you should. The shape those reviews praise is the slim grip and a head that sits flat enough for awkward work. Restart protection is stated on the listing. Variable speed is not. The 240 V GWS 12-125 lists a keyless protection guard and a plastic clip-on cutting guard in the box, with the usual flange, nut, spanner and handle. UK reviews of this family talk about a lever rather than a screwdriver. If you change from cutting to a position that needs the guard swung around several times in an hour, that lever is the reason to pay more, even on jobs the 720 W motor could finish. The clip-on guard is for cutting. It is not a licence to run without the main guard, and it is not a grinding face. Both tools take 125 mm discs on the corded listings in this set. A shared diameter does not mean a shared flange habit from an old 115 mm Bosch is safe. Read the guard you fit. If you are still choosing whether you want a lead at all, the wattage gap on this page is premature.
Bosch Professional Bosch Professional GWS 7-125

Testsieger

Bosch Professional Bosch Professional GWS 7-125
9.2/10about £71.98
View offer

What the amazon reviews can and cannot say

The GWS 7-125 is 4.7 from 22,017 reviews. That is the statistical anchor of this comparison. UK text in that file supports the ergonomics story: a slim body, usable in tight spots, light enough for longer sessions than the 2.4 kg class. It also contains the plug complaint that matters before first use. Two verified UK reviews report a two-pin plug and an adapter, not a moulded BS 1363 plug, despite the 230 V line. Volume does not cancel that. Open the box. The 240 V GWS 12-125 is 3.4 from eight reviews. Eight is not a quality score. One or two poor deliveries move the average more than they would on the GWS 7-125. Do not read 3.4 as proof that Bosch’s heavier grinder is a bad tool, and do not read it as a hidden bargain the crowd has missed. There is not a crowd. A single failure story in a file that small is an anecdote, not a recall. Judge this ASIN on 1,250 W as printed, the keyless guard, 2.4 kg, and Bosch’s documentation for 06013A6170. The 110 V GWS 12-125 (B0D2RTZG45, 06013A6160, £101.71, 1,200 W, 5.0 from four reviews) is the same heavy family for a transformer, not a third contestant on a home ring main. Its stars do not repair the eight-review problem on the 240 V page, and they do not belong in a blended average.

Which one to buy, and when

Buy the GWS 7-125 if you are on a normal UK socket, your cuts are intermittent, and you will check the plug. You get the lower price, the lighter listing weight, a fixed 11,000 rpm, and the only deep UK review file in the pair. You give up keyless guard changes and you give up motor margin when the wheel loads. That is the right trade for a lot of home metalwork. Buy the 240 V GWS 12-125 if you already know the 720 W tool bogs in the work you do, or if moving the guard without a screw is worth about £35 and 0.4 kg on the amazon figures. Accept that you are trusting the specification more than the stars. Do not buy it to get a better rating; eight reviews cannot give you one. Buy neither of these if the lead itself is the problem and you already own blue 18 V packs, and do not buy the 240 V model when the site is 110 V. Supply first, then this wattage choice, which is also the order on the buying guide.

Common questions

Is 720 W enough for tile and thin metal?
For short cuts in thin steel and occasional tile, the GWS 7-125’s 720 W and 11,000 rpm are the specification most UK buyers in this set have reviewed. It is less convincing when the disc loads and the motor slows. Tile dust is still a dust problem; wattage does not collect it. If you are grinding rather than nicking, look at how long you are on the tool, not only at the material name.
Does the GWS 12-125 cut faster?
It has more stated power, 1,250 W on the 240 V amazon listing against 720 W, so it should bog less when you are in heavier stock. These pages do not publish a timed cut, and this ASIN does not print rpm, so faster is a motor-margin claim, not a stopwatch result. On thin sheet you may not feel it.
Which is lighter?
The GWS 7-125, at 2 kg on amazon against 2.4 kg for the 240 V GWS 12-125. Bosch’s own pages quote about 1.9 kg and about 2.2 kg. Either pair says the same thing: the smaller grinder is the one you will notice less after half an hour overhead. The battery-free cordless body is lighter still, and it is outside this mains comparison.
Is the keyless guard worth it?
Yes if you reposition the guard often and you are tired of the screw reviewers describe on the GWS 7-125. No if you set the guard once per job and the £106.74 shelf is only buying a lever you will not use. The clip-on cutting guard comes with that listing either way. It does not replace eye protection or a sound main guard.
Why is the GWS 12-125 rated lower on amazon?
The 240 V listing shows 3.4 from eight reviews. That sample is too small to explain as a product failure or as a hidden gem. The GWS 7-125’s 4.7 from 22,017 reviews is a different kind of number. Compare the tools on watts, weight and the guard, and keep the eight-review average in its place.
Do they take the same 125 mm discs?
The corded listings here are both in the 125 mm class, so a disc of that diameter with a high enough speed rating can suit either, mounted with the flanges supplied and the guard on. The GWS 7-125 states 11,000 rpm. The 240 V GWS 12-125 table does not state rpm, so check the disc against Bosch’s figure for that model before you assume the same wheel is correct. Do not put a 125 mm disc on a 115 mm guard from a different tool.

Related pages

How to use a Bosch angle grinder 125

Best Bosch angle grinder 125

Bosch angle grinder 125

Bosch 125 mm angle grinder buying guide for the UK

Bosch 125 mm angle grinder corded or cordless in the UK

Sources

Public UK sources from the research digest, used for this page in October 2026. Prices, stars and review counts are from the four amazon.co.uk listings captured on 19 October 2026. HSE HSG17 and PUWER apply at work. They are not a certificate for a domestic garage.

  1. HSE, HSG17 Safety in the use of abrasive wheels (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. Electrical Safety First, Angle grinders (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. Bosch Professional, GWS 7-125 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. Bosch Professional, GWS 12-125 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. Screwfix, Angle grinder buying guide (retrieved 19 October 2026)