Being more cheerful for a mo, on that little circular saw above:
Steve, you might remember I use that Bosch 10.8V battery, small tool system. By and large it's pretty decent, but...
... I have noticed a reduction in capacity and longevity of the battery packs compared to the originals I had. In particular I bought a double-cell pack, which does get a lot of use (in part because it allows the drill and/or impact driver to stand upright:
It's so bad I wondered initially if it was a fake, but it seems genuine. Being generous, it's probable it wasn't balanced properly in the factory (I keep meaning to do it myself, but that means a lot of faffing about, and probably a new multimeter, as you have to be quite accurate - chips may need to be bought). Both of the "12V" branded smaller packs I have are also far lower capacity in use than expected.
The other thing is tool build quality: again, the older stuff has been good, but I bought a jigsaw in the range which is frankly appalling (kept it too long before first use, grrr). The up-down "piston" has been manufactured squiffy, by around 5 degrees out of line, so the saw will not follow a straightedge as-is.
(the blade clamp is rotated on the hidden shaft (circled in green - it's the red blade clamp at the bottom that's fitted off-axis). Also on the two rotating tools I have in that series (drill driver and impact screwdriver), the triggers are electronic speed controls (squeeze more for faster, per usual), and those fail. They will work with a freshly charged battery, but become infuriatingly intermittent once the voltage drops off only slightly.
A friend has recently dumped Bosch for exactly that reason, as most of his equivalent tools did the same as mine. The trigger/speed controller module is unserviceable, allegedly, and stupidly North of 70 quid (components: only pence)! I have some Servisol left. I will try that as a last resort.
That circular saw looks like it uses the same trigger (I may be wrong, hope so).
Also Bosch seem to use limited-life grease on their gearboxes for the range. I have the original multitool they made for that system. It's still refusing to die, probably because when new, I stripped the gearbox, and re-packed it with decent grease before use (Castrol, IIRC, a bit less viscous and I used more of it than Bosch did theirs). I think the planetary gears are accessible on the drill-drivers (haven't had the impact driver apart yet), but not the speed-change gearbox, which is mostly plastic components. The multitool haas a grease-retaining seal on its output shaft, the drills do not, so any grease that's not really viscous will either leak or dry out.
My older tools in that range have done a lot of work, but I am not convinced newer ones are worth the money (Makita instead, perhaps?). And although I have sought out premium-priced, genuine Bosch batteries, I think I wasted my money.
"It's bein' so cheerful as keeps I goin'."*
E.
[edit] I don't own any of the tools in the range that use brushless motors. Conceptually the idea is brilliant, but the devil's always in the detail. They might be worth a look. To anyone who does own brushless tools in the range, especially who's owned one for good length of time and used it hard, please speak up! Mods: should this be a separate thread?[/edit]
*My grandpa's saying from the trenches in WW1.
