When I agreed to review the Bosch 12V Brushless PS32-02 drill and PS22-02 driver, I decided I would use this as an opportunity to cross a bunch of items off of my to-do list.  Now, it’s not that I don’t have cordless drills of my own, but we all know that there’s nothing like a new toy – uh, tool – to motivate one to knock out some projects that may have been lurking for some time.

The first thing I noticed about the pair of tools is the high build quality.  The drill and driver are identical in every way with the exception of chucking mechanism, so unless otherwise stated, the following attributes apply to both.  The exterior is plastic, but not the brittle plastic that cracks or shatters easily when bumped, dropped, or presented with a stiff breeze.  The surface is appointed with a lot of rubber grip surface, giving the user a secure grip and giving the tool a great feel.

Bosch 12V Brushless Drill Driver Features

My test drill weighed in at 1 lb. 15 oz., and my driver weighed 1 lb. 10 oz., making them some of the lightest tools (if not the lightest tools) in their class.  In addition, the Bosch tools are the most compact and well balanced 12 volt drill and driver I have held.  Each tool comes with an extra battery and and charger, allowing you to work essentially continuously without having to purchase any accessories.

Also included with each Bosch 12V Brushless tool kit are 3 driver bits, a quick change hex adapter, a belt clip, and bit holder that can be installed by popping a plastic plug off of the back of the tool and attaching either or both with the included screw.  The belt hook works wonderfully.  It is heavy steel and not spring loaded so it clips and unclips from the belt easily, and its location makes the tool easy to grab.  The bit holder, however, seems like an afterthought.  While it holds 4 bits just fine, it seems clumsy hanging off the back of the tool and easily catches on clothes, tool belts, etc.  I ended up not installing it on the drill so I would be able to use my other hand on the back for some extra push power to get through tough materials.  Overall, the Bosch 12V brushless tools appeared to be well designed and well built. Now let’s take a look at how they performed.

Bosch 12V Brushless Tools in the Field

I tested the drill and driver in a variety of materials, installing treated fence pickets and hanging gates, securing conduit brackets in brick, removing and replacing metal roofing panels, and drilling through sheet metal, quarter-inch steel, and three-eighths inch aluminum.  Both tools performed admirably in each task.  The brushless motor paired with full metal gear drive ran smoothly and quietly and provided plenty of power even when really pushing to get through heavy gauge steel.  The new 2 amp-hour battery seems to last forever before needing to be charged, with my batteries charging in about 80 minutes from dead flat to a full charge.

The two gear ranges provide extra control and some extra power in the low range – though I found there was plenty of power for most tasks in the high range.  The variable trigger allows infinite speed control from dead slow to near 1300 rpm.  The torque clutch on both the drill and driver are easy to use and provides consistent results, but the surface can be slick in dusty or damp conditions making the adjustment a bit challenging.  The single sleeve chuck on the Bosch 12V Brushless PS32-02 drill provided positive grip and was easy to use, as was the hex-chuck on the Bosch 12V PS22-02 driver.

Really, the only thing I found that I didn’t like was the bit holder. Seeing that you can opt to simply not install it, I don’t see that as a negative. I really appreciated the increased run time of the 2 amp-hour 12V battery thanks to the efficiency of the brushless motor. With what is available on the market today, I think you’ll be hard pressed to find a better option for a lightweight, well-balanced, 12-volt cordless drill/driver.

Specifications

PS32-02 12V Max EC Brushless Drill/Driver

• No Load RPM: 0 – 400/0 – 1300
• Torque: 265 inch-pounds
• Chuck Size: 3/8″
• List Weight: 2 pounds
• Price: $114.99
• Warranty: 3 year

PS22-02 12V Max EC Brushless Hex Drill/Driver

• No Load RPM: 0 – 400/0 – 1300
• Torque: 179 inch-pounds
• Chuck Size: 1/4″ Hex
• List Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Price: $129.00
• Warranty: 3 year

This review was originally published on April 18, 2014. We’ve updated the scores to reflect the Bosch PS32’s performance in our recent Best 12V Cordless Drill Shootout.

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As a furniture maker, I am always on the lookout for new tools, techniques, and jigs that simplify the construction of strong and long lasting joinery.  With a couple of face frames to build and a table project in the works, this seemed like a great time to try out the new Porter-Cable PC560 Quik Jig Pocket Hole Joinery system.

Porter-Cable PC560 Quik Jig Features & Attributes

Right out of the box, the Porter-Cable PC560 Quik Jig Pocket Hole Joinery System sets itself apart from other pocket hole jig systems.  For starters, the jig is large and hefty, without being too bulky or cumbersome, and is built primarily of aluminum with steel and ABS plastic accessories.  The jig contains on board storage for the included pocket hole drill bit and depth stop along with two square drive bits of different lengths.  Also included in the box is an assortment of screws, a hex wrench for setting the depth stop on the cutting bit, and a locking-plier (vice-grip type) clamp for holding two workpieces flush when screwing them together.

The Porter-Cable PC560 Quik Jig itself features mounting screw holes on the bottom and the front edge so that the tool can be mounted in either the standard vertical or the horizontal “flatback” position (best used for very long workpieces).  The workpieces are held 1-1/2 inches above the table, in either position, so a standard 2×4 works perfectly to support longer workpieces.

The grooved aluminum face keeps the work from sliding, and the clamping mechanism holds the work securely while allowing the operator to easily adjust the Porter-Cable PC560 Quik Jig to hold pieces ranging from 1/2 to 1-1/2 inches in thickness.  An automatically adjusting drill depth guide is integrated within the clamping mechanism, meaning the operator can  switch between different material thicknesses without adjusting the collar on the drill bit.  For drilling multiple pieces of the same thickness, the jig features a repeat handle, allowing the operator to swap workpieces with the flick of a finger.

The on-center spacing of the pocket holes can be between just under 3/4 inch and just over 1-3/8 inch using a dial on the left side of the jig.  A right side workpiece stop can be set to provide uniformity in hole placement from piece to piece.  The stop itself appears to have been an afterthought as it is nothing more than a machine screw with a plastic foot, which seems out of place when compared with the rest of the jig.

A screw selector guide on the side of the jig automatically adjusts to the thickness of the workpiece, removing guess work or calculation, and instead showing the user exactly which screw to use in each application.  The simple on board vacuum port keeps the jig and the surrounding work area virtually chip free.  Unfortunately, the dust collection cannot be used in the optional “flatback” position.

Although the jig contains a lot of moving parts, it is very simple to use. Only one hand is needed to set and lock the clamp, and you’re ready to drill.  In addition to the instruction manual, a Quick Start Guide is included, and a sticker showing the steps is located right on the jig itself.

Results and Conclusions

I tested the pocket hole jig in several thicknesses of wood and in a variety of species. The PC560 easily handled all sizes of material from 1/2 to 1-1/2 inches, and the drill cut cleanly through each sample, as long as I used a high speed drill – lower speeds can leave rough or fuzzy edges on the pocket itself. I constructed two cabinet face frames from approximately 3/4 inch cherry, and the system worked very well. The joints were tight and square, leaving no gaps. Using the included clamp, the alignment in the thickness direction wasn’t perfect, but was no worse than you would expect from any other joinery system. A quick pass with a hand-plane or orbital sander makes the joint smooth and flush. The system worked adequately for joining aprons to table legs as well, although the different material thicknesses and my desire to offset the aprons from the faces of the legs made some creative clamping necessary. I prefer to use other more traditional mortise and tenon joinery or floating tenon joinery methods for tables and chairs, but these methods are either much more time consuming, require more expensive tools, or both.

This Porter-Cable system surpasses its competition both in quality and ease of use, but also surpasses its competition in price.  With a $200 plus street price, this jig is not cheap.  If I were building one set of kitchen cabinets, I think I may select a lower priced system.  On the other hand, if this is something you expect to use for years, I think the PC560 would be a wise investment.  Pocket hole joinery does have its limitations, however, and a professional cabinet maker or avid amateur furniture maker may be better served by a doweling or floating tenon system, although those can start at about 4 times the price of even the most pricey pocket hole jig.  For someone looking for an easy to use pocket hole system with consistently reliable results,  the Porter-Cable PC560 Quik Jig Pocket Hole Joinery System will fit the bill.

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