Bosch

Bosch

A Brief History

Bosch has been a big name in innovation, power tools and home appliances for decades. The German multinational was founded in 1886 by inventor, industrialist and engineer Robert Bosch (1861-1942). He opened his “Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering” in Stuttgart, taking on any mechanical and electrical engineering work that would come his way. This included installing electric bells and telephone systems.

The first few years were difficult with few orders. Things only really took off with the magneto ignition system for cars, the company’s first successful in-house development. When a vehicle fitted with Bosch ignition won the Gordon Bennett Cup auto race in 1903, everyone wanted one. That being said, the German motorist community was small, and so the company expanded internationally. New products were added, including headlights and windscreen wipers.

In 1928 the company developed its first power tool, a hair trimmer. It came out of necessity. Because of a crisis in the European automotive industry, Bosch sales plummeted, and Robert Bosch turned to the company’s head of the design department and said, “we need other products to keep our production lines running.” The trimmer was called Forfex, and it marks the beginning of the current Power Tools division. This handy tool for barbers was the inspiration for light power tools that Bosch started using in grinders, drills and screwdrivers to produce diesel injection pumps.

The company soon moved onto its second range of power tool products. These were heavy power tools for construction sites, such as the first generation of the hammer drill.

 

Reputation

Bosch is one of the most trusted names in power tools with a reputation for making long-lasting and reliable equipment for professional and domestic use.

 

Price

Bosch tools are competitively priced and are squarely in the mid-price range. For example, you can expect to pay approximately $200 to $300 for drills and angle grinders.

 

Known For 

Bosch is a market leader for power tools, and it’s easy to see why. Products manufactured by Bosch are high performance, high quality and known for their precision. They also come with a long warranty period.

 

Types of Tools

Among the notable power tool products are:

  • Power tools such as cordless power tools, benchtop power tools, grinders, drills, rotary hammers, sanders, saws, measuring and layout tools.
  • Power tool accessories such as band saw blades, circular saw blades, drill bits and oscillating multi-tool accessories.
  • Power tool attachments such as circular saw attachments, drill and driver attachments, cordless attachments and router attachments for medium and large routers.

 

Overall Recommendation

Bosch products deliver power and speed and are built to last, giving you confidence no matter how big a job you’re working on. With more than 130 years of history behind them, the company is obviously doing something right.

 

  • Parent Company: Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH
  • Headquarters: Robert-Bosch-Platz 1, 70839 Gerlingen, Germany.
  • Manufacturing Facilities: Gunzenhausen (Germany), Gunzenhausen-Schlungenhof (Germany), Lollar (Germany), Bischhofshofen (Austria), Engels (Russia) and Krnov (Czech Republic).
  • Product Focus:  Automotive parts, power tools, security systems, home appliances, engineering, electronics, cloud computing and IoT (Internet of Things).
  • Website: www.bosch.com