Bosch GBH 18V-26D Bulldog and GDE 18V-16D mobile dust extractor

What Tradies Want - Tradie Tough Test approved
Tested by Matt Page

With all the rules and safety regulations appearing on site regarding silica dust, why would you risk the health of yourself or others? This awesome combination provides a dust-free solution with impressive hammer-drill capabilities.

The GBH 18V-26D Bulldog rotary hammer is said to have the power of a corded tool (we’ll test that later), but with the mobility of a cordless tool. The efficient brushless motor has plenty of power and also maximises battery runtime. Other features include kickback control, 360° handle, variable speed reversing trigger, multifunction selector, bright LED light and a new D-handle design for better control of the tool. The electronic motor-and-cell protection also helps guard the motor and battery from overheating.

The GDE 18V-26D 18V dust extractor provides dust-free drilling from floor to ceiling protecting you and those around the site. This unit runs independently of the tool on its own 18V battery and this has let Bosch expand its abilities by making it also fit their corded Bulldog hammers, GBH 2-28 L and F models.

TEST #1: DRILLING AND CHISELLING

We tested a wide range of drilling applications for the Bulldog GBH 18V-26D, with holes up to 25mm to start and at a range of depths into stone, brick and concrete.

I found the variable-speed reversing trigger made it eally easy to get the drill bit to start in the perfect spot for very accurate drilling. The power inside the brushless motor is pretty amazing. There’s so much grunt, yet it’s so smooth, and vibration is soaked up very nicely.

The GBH 18V-26D is very ergonomic and comfortable to hold in horizontal drilling applications. Changing over to a 25mm chisel bit, we tested the Bulldog out with clearing conduit chases in the walls. I would usually use a corded tool for this, but the Bulldog felt like it was chomping away, eating the brick and concrete for breakfast. I was pretty impressed with it for this application, actually. It’s super portable, very maneuverable, has no lead, and it offers plenty of power to get the job done.

TEST# 2: THE MOBILE DUST EXTRACTOR

First up the GDE 18V-16D Bulldog mobile dust extractor is a breeze to install on the Bulldog drill. The pair are ready to use in no time at all.

The vac has a very handy drilling depth guide to around 100mm for different fixings and applications, so you get the perfect depth every time without thinking. The dust eye comes in a variety of sizes to give a snug fit around the desired drill-bit size, and that helps create the dust-free zone. An aluminium guide rail provides a smooth retraction of the dust eye to keep it firm against the drilling surface to vac the dust away.

Drilling overhead really sucks (and not in a good way) without the vac system attached. Debris falls in your face, on your clothes, on the floor, and worst of all, in your lungs if you’re silly enough not to wear a mask. The GDE 18V-16D mobile dust extractor sucks it all away, leaving your holes clear, your site clean, but most importantly, keeping dust out of everyone’s lungs. I think it will soon be compulsory to use this kind of set up on all sites. Some are already imposing it.

The HEPA filter onboard captures 99.97% of particles 0.3 microns or larger.

The inspection window made it pretty easy to check how full the canister was and when it was time to empty the removable dust container. It was very quick and easy to remove and clean out and get back into drilling.

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY

The Bosch GBH 18V-26D Bulldog rotary hammer was epic. It had plenty of power and was very comfortable to use for both chiselling and drilling. It’s smooth, too, and the D-handle design was great for overhead drilling.

The GDE 18V-16D?

An excellent result. Zero dust and very easy to attach and set up.

The bad? Not so much bad, but an auto switch on the vac when the drill presses into the ceiling would be great. But it’s very efficient at clearing the dust, so this isn’t really a biggie.

All round it’s an excellent system. The drill has the power to get the job done and the dust extractor has the power to get all the dust away and keep it off and out of you. All the usual features you know and love from Bosch are on board, from the battery indicators and the bright LED work lights to the powerful motor. They’re great by themselves, but amazing together.

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