Intro
Most household DIY tasks — hanging shelves, assembling furniture, fixing a loose fence panel, putting up curtain rails — come down to drilling holes and driving screws. Doing this with a mains-powered drill means wrestling with extension leads, hunting for the nearest socket, and accepting that you simply cannot use it in the garden shed or at the far end of the loft. A cordless drill driver solves all of that in one go. But for many home users, the question is not just about going cordless — it is about finding a single tool that handles wood, metal, plastic, and even the occasional hole in a brick wall without needing to buy a separate hammer drill. The right combi drill bridges that gap. It should be light enough for comfortable overhead use, powerful enough to sink a long screw without stalling, and part of a battery system that powers other tools you might buy later — a hedge trimmer, a sander, or a jigsaw. When all those pieces fit together, weekend projects stop feeling like a chore and start feeling satisfying.
Generalities
Bosch's green cordless range targets the home DIY market — not the daily professional, but the person who needs a reliable tool for weekends, holidays, and those unexpected moments when something in the house needs fixing. The green line sits alongside Bosch Professional (blue) as a more affordable alternative that does not skimp on the core engineering. What makes the current generation particularly appealing is the 'Power for All' 18V battery alliance: a single battery fits Bosch Home & Garden tools, as well as compatible products from Gardena and other partner brands. This means the battery you buy with your drill today can power a lawnmower, strimmer, or sander tomorrow — a genuine cost-saving advantage over closed battery systems.
In this review, we put the Bosch EasyImpact 18V-38 through its paces. We look at motor performance and torque, the two-speed gearbox, drilling capacity across different materials, battery runtime, ergonomics, and the overall value offered by the kit — which includes a 2.5 Ah battery, charger, and carry case. By the end, you will know whether this drill deserves a spot in your home tool kit.
Description
The EasyImpact 18V-38 is built around an 18-volt motor that generates up to 38 Newton metres of maximum torque — a solid number for a DIY-class drill, giving it the muscle to drive long screws into softwood and tackle light masonry with the impact function engaged. The two-speed gearbox offers a low range of 0–430 RPM for controlled screw driving and a high range of 430–1 630 RPM for faster drilling in wood, metal, and plastic. The 10 mm single-sleeve metal keyless chuck grips bits securely and makes swapping between a drill bit and a driver bit a matter of seconds. A single 18V 2.5 Ah battery is included, and because it is part of the Power for All alliance, it is interchangeable with over 70 tools across multiple home and garden brands.
Design-wise, Bosch has kept things straightforward and user-friendly. The green-and-black housing is instantly recognisable and ergonomically shaped with a soft-grip overmould on the handle that dampens vibration and provides a confident hold. An integrated LED light sits just above the trigger, casting a bright beam onto the work surface — genuinely useful when you are drilling inside a cupboard, under the stairs, or working as daylight fades. The forward/reverse selector is positioned for thumb operation without shifting your grip, and the 20-position torque clutch lets you dial in the right setting for everything from delicate screw work in plasterboard to full-power drilling.
In everyday use, the EasyImpact 18V-38 feels well balanced and manageable. At just 1.4 kg with the battery fitted, it is light enough for extended overhead work — hanging curtain poles or fitting ceiling lights becomes far less tiring than with a heavier drill. The impact function, activated by a collar switch, adds a hammering action that lets the drill bite into brick and light masonry — not as fast as a dedicated SDS hammer drill, but perfectly adequate for the occasional 6 mm or 8 mm hole for a wall plug. The trigger offers progressive speed control, so you can start a hole slowly and precisely before ramping up, which reduces the chance of the bit wandering across the surface.
The kit arrives in a moulded plastic carry case that holds the drill, battery, and the AL 18V-20 charger — a compact unit that refills the 2.5 Ah battery in around 60 minutes. Also included in the box are a double-ended screwdriver bit and a belt clip already fitted to the drill, ready for use straight out of the case. The Power for All battery compatibility is the real bonus feature here: if you add a Bosch cordless sander, jigsaw, or even a lawnmower to your collection later, you can buy the bare tool without another battery or charger, saving considerable money over time.
The drill itself measures approximately 23 × 23 × 8 cm and weighs 1.4 kg with the battery — compact enough to store in a kitchen drawer or under the stairs without dominating the space. Bosch manufactures the unit in Hungary and backs it with a standard warranty, supported by a broad network of service centres across Europe. Customer feedback on Amazon is exceptionally positive: the EasyImpact 18V-38 holds a 4.7 out of 5 stars rating from 227 reviews and ranks in the top 150 drill drivers on the platform — a strong endorsement for a tool at this price point. Users consistently praise its light weight, ease of use, and the convenience of the shared battery system.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Impact function lets you drill into brick and light masonry — a genuine combi drill capability that many similarly priced models lack
- Part of the Power for All 18V battery alliance — one battery works across Bosch Home & Garden, Gardena, and other partner-brand tools, saving serious money as you expand your kit
- At just 1.4 kg with battery, this is one of the lighter 18V drills available — overhead work like fitting ceiling lights or curtain rails becomes far less fatiguing
- 4.7 out of 5 stars from 227 reviews and a top-150 ranking in drill drivers on Amazon — real users consistently rate it highly
- Two-speed gearbox with 20-position clutch gives you precision control across a wide range of tasks, from delicate screw driving to full-speed drilling
- Everything you need comes in the box — drill, 2.5 Ah battery, fast charger, carry case, double-ended bit, and belt clip
- Integrated LED light illuminates the work area clearly, making a noticeable difference when working in cabinets, lofts, or other shadowed spots
Cons
- A single 2.5 Ah battery is included — during longer projects you will need to pause while it recharges; adding a second battery is a worthwhile future purchase
- The impact function is adequate for occasional use in brick but lacks the speed and authority of a dedicated SDS hammer drill for heavier masonry work
- 10 mm chuck limits maximum bit diameter — larger hole saws, spade bits above 10 mm, and heavy-duty accessories will not fit
- 38 Nm of torque is sufficient for DIY tasks but noticeably less than professional-grade 50+ Nm drills — driving very large screws into hardwood will push it to its limit
- Green-line Bosch tools are not designed for daily professional use — the motor and gearbox are built for occasional rather than continuous heavy-duty workloads
Use cases
The Bosch EasyImpact 18V-38 is the ideal cordless drill for home DIYers who want one tool that covers wood, metal, plastic, and occasional masonry drilling, backed by a shared battery platform that grows with their tool collection.
Weekend Home DIY
Assembling flat-pack furniture, putting up shelves, mounting TVs on plasterboard walls, fixing loose cupboard hinges — the 20-position clutch handles delicate tasks without over-driving, and the 38 Nm torque has enough power for all common household fasteners. The light weight makes working at awkward angles much less of a struggle than with heavier drills.
Garden and Outdoor Projects
Building raised beds, repairing fence panels, constructing a compost bin — the cordless freedom and impact function make outdoor work straightforward even far from a mains socket. The Power for All battery can then be swapped into a Bosch cordless hedge trimmer or grass strimmer, making this kit the natural starting point for a garden power tool set.
Masonry and Wall Fixing
Putting up a curtain rail, bathroom mirror, or wall-mounted coat rack into brick or block walls is where the impact function earns its keep. The EasyImpact drills 6 mm and 8 mm holes for standard wall plugs without needing a separate hammer drill — one tool does the whole job from marking to mounting.
First-Time Homeowner Starter Kit
Moving into a first flat or house means dozens of small jobs that need a drill: blinds, picture hooks, door stops, radiator covers. This kit provides everything in one case — drill, battery, charger, and a basic bit — so you can start working the day the box arrives without hunting for accessories. The shared battery platform means each future tool purchase costs less.
Light Metal and PVC Work
Drilling pilot holes in aluminium profiles, fitting PVC window trims, or mounting brackets on a metal gate are well within the EasyImpact's capability. The high-speed gear (up to 1 630 RPM) makes clean holes in thin metal sheet, while the progressive trigger allows a slow, controlled start to prevent the bit from skating across the surface.