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Bosch impact driver vs impact wrench

Updated: 22 October 2026

You need to know whether the next Bosch body should take a screwdriver bit or a socket. A Bosch impact driver vs impact wrench choice is a holder choice. GDR means a 1/4 inch hex driver for screws. GDS means a 1/2 inch square wrench for nuts and bolts. The GDX 18V-285 is the only body in this comparison that does both, and it is still a poor default for wheel nuts. The five hex-capable listings and their prices are on the [Bosch cordless impact driver comparison](/hub/tools/bosch-cordless-impact-driver). Rows were saved on 20 October 2026. We did not undo wheel nuts. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You need to know whether the next Bosch body should take a screwdriver bit or a socket. A Bosch impact driver vs impact wrench choice is a holder choice. GDR means a 1/4 inch hex driver for screws.

Our top picks

Bosch Professional Bosch GDR 18V-200

Best overall

Bosch Professional Bosch GDR 18V-200
8.6/10about £114.00
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Bosch Professional Bosch GDX 18V-285

Alternative

Bosch Professional Bosch GDX 18V-285
7.8/10about £162.99
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Bosch Professional Bosch GDR 18V-215

Best value

Bosch Professional Bosch GDR 18V-215
8.4/10about £77.95
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On this page
  1. 1.GDR, GDX, GDS
  2. 2.When the GDX is the right extra
  3. 3.When to leave this comparison
  4. 4.Coach screw or nut

GDR, GDX, GDS

A GDR is an impact driver with a 1/4 inch hex holder. The green UniversalImpactDrive 18V-210 is the DIY version of the same idea: 1/4 inch hex, 210 Nm, £78.90, POWER FOR ALL, no battery. Its Amazon title says impact wrench. A UK review still describes a hex holder. A GDX is the driver/wrench. The GDX 18V-285 is £162.99 with an L-BOXX and no battery. Bosch's GB page gives it a 1/4 inch hex plus a 1/2 inch square, 285 Nm tightening, and up to 500 Nm breakaway. Breakaway is the loosening figure. A GDS is the wrench. The GDS 18V-350 on Bosch's GB site is 1/2 inch square only, with 350 Nm tightening and 560 Nm breakaway. That wrench is not in this Amazon set, and this page does not invent a shelf price for it.

When the GDX is the right extra

Buy the GDX when the same Professional 18 V kit has to drive screws and turn bolts. It is a £162.99 body with no pack, against a £77.95 GDR 18V-215 that already covers the screws if a blue pack is on the shelf. The star line is 4.6 from 100 reviews. The saved review texts are not labelled United Kingdom. One of those non-UK texts needed an 8 Ah pack for an attempt at wheel nuts. This comparison does not claim the GDX undoes every wheel nut. Leave the GDX if you only drive screws, or if your packs are POWER FOR ALL.
Bosch Professional Bosch GDR 18V-200

Testsieger

Bosch Professional Bosch GDR 18V-200
8.6/10about £114.00
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When to leave this comparison

Leave when every fixing is a nut on a 1/2 inch square, and especially when the nuts are wheel nuts. A hex driver plus an adapter is not a GDS. The adapter adds a joint that can round, and the driver was specified for screws. Undoing a corroded nut is a different duty from seating a 5 mm wood screw. The GDS 18V-350's three torque steps are a wrench feature. None of the hex bodies in this set copies that control.

Coach screw or nut

Pick the letter from the fastener in your hand. A coach screw wants hex. A nut wants square. The title on the green box is the trap, not the specification. Order 06039E7000 is a hex tool at 210 Nm on POWER FOR ALL, sold without a battery. If you came from a search for a wheel-nut wrench, that listing will disappoint you at the first socket. The DIY square wrench is the 18V-350, which this category dropped.

Common questions

What is the difference between a Bosch GDR and a GDS?
A GDR is a hex impact driver for screws. A GDS is a square-drive impact wrench for nuts and bolts. In this set the GDR 18V-215 is the £77.95 hex body and the GDR 18V-200 is the £114.00 hex body. The GDS 18V-350, square only, is on Bosch's GB pages at 350 Nm tightening and is not one of the saved Amazon rows. Choose from the fastener, not from the word impact on the carton.
Is the UniversalImpactDrive a wrench?
The Amazon title says impact wrench. The tool is a 1/4 inch hex driver, listed at 210 Nm, on POWER FOR ALL 18 V, at £78.90 with no battery. A UK review describes that hex holder. Bosch's green square-drive wrench is a different model, the 18V-350, and it is not in this comparison. Buy the 18V-210 for screws if your packs are green.
When do I want the GDX 18V-285?
You want it when one Professional 18 V body must take both a hex bit and a 1/2 inch socket. The saved listing is £162.99, L-BOXX, no battery, 285 Nm tightening, 4.6 from 100 reviews that are not UK-labelled. Bosch also lists up to 500 Nm breakaway and bolting up to M18. If the week is only screws, the cheaper GDR is the tighter buy.
Can I undo wheel nuts with a hex driver and an adapter?
Treat that as the wrong tool. A hex driver is specified for screws, and an adapter is not the friction-ring square on a GDS or a GDX. Wheel nuts need a square-drive wrench with a loosening figure you have read on the Bosch page, plus a pack that can sustain the job. This set does not include a GDS listing, so the price for that wrench is not one of the five saved rows.
What does 500 Nm breakaway mean?
On the GDX 18V-285, Bosch quotes 285 Nm as tightening torque and up to 500 Nm as breakaway torque. Breakaway is the figure for undoing a fixing. It is not the torque the tool applies when you tighten. After an impact driver or GDX has snugged a specified bolt, a torque wrench is still the check Bosch's manuals ask for.
Why was a GDS dropped from this table?
The comparison is for tools that take a hex bit and drive screws. A square-only GDS does not. The GDX stayed because it still takes hex as well as square. The green title that says wrench stayed only because the holder is hex. If your search was only for a wrench, you are in the wrong category, and the main table will not hide a GDS price that was never saved.

Related pages

Bosch cordless impact driver buying guide

How to use a Bosch cordless impact driver

Best Bosch cordless impact driver

Bosch cordless impact driver

Bosch 18V or 12V impact driver for kitchen carcasses

Sources

Public UK sources from the research digest, used for this page in October 2026. Prices, stars and review counts are the saved amazon.co.uk listings for these five ASINs. Vibration figures are manufacturer emissions, not a dose for your job. HSE vibration limits and PUWER apply at work.

  1. Bosch Professional GB, GDR 18V-200 (retrieved October 2026)
  2. Bosch Professional GB, GDR 18V-215 (retrieved October 2026)
  3. Bosch Professional GB, GDX 18V-285 (retrieved October 2026)
  4. Bosch DIY GB, UniversalImpactDrive 18V-210 (retrieved October 2026)
  5. Bosch Professional GB, GDR 12V-105 (retrieved October 2026)
  6. Bosch Professional GB, AMPShare (retrieved October 2026)
  7. HSE, vibration regulations (retrieved October 2026)
  8. The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, regulation 4 (retrieved October 2026)