Bosch PS31 batteries

[CEPenworks]

Several years ago I bought the Bosch 12V drill and impact driver combo. The drill died and supposedly can't be repaired. It was a nice drill and I don't want to get another battery configuration. I noticed the new PS31 drill has 2.0Ah batteries where my old one is 1.5Ah. The charger is now also called 12V Max. Will the batteries work in the older impact and the new drill? Are the chargers compatible with both batteries? I was also thinking of upgrading to the brushless PS32 again if all the batteries and chargers are compatible. Thing is that would cost me 2x as much as the bare PS31 since the PS32 only comes with charger and 2 batteries.

[barryvabeach]

Several years ago I bought the Bosch 12V drill and impact driver combo. The drill died and supposedly can't be repaired. It was a nice drill and I don't want to get another battery configuration. I noticed the new PS31 drill has 2.0Ah batteries where my old one is 1.5Ah. The charger is now also called 12V Max. Will the batteries work in the older impact and the new drill? Are the chargers compatible with both batteries? I was also thinking of upgrading to the brushless PS32 again if all the batteries and chargers are compatible. Thing is that would cost me 2x as much as the bare PS31 since the PS32 only comes with charger and 2 batteries.

I have a bunch of the Bosch 12 compact drills and batteries, love the form factor.  I am pretty sure a bosch 12 volt 2 amp batt will fit in the bosch 12 volt drill you have.  Not sure about the charger, though generally they are backwards compatible, meaning a Lithium Ion 1.5 amp battery will get charged in a charger designed for a Lithium Ion 12 2 amp battery, but the best bet is to either check with Bosch, or check  the part number for the battery charger, and do some research to see what it is compatible with .

[Bill_de]

Several years ago I bought the Bosch 12V drill and impact driver combo. The drill died and supposedly can't be repaired. It was a nice drill and I don't want to get another battery configuration. I noticed the new PS31 drill has 2.0Ah batteries where my old one is 1.5Ah. The charger is now also called 12V Max. Will the batteries work in the older impact and the new drill? Are the chargers compatible with both batteries? I was also thinking of upgrading to the brushless PS32 again if all the batteries and chargers are compatible. Thing is that would cost me 2x as much as the bare PS31 since the PS32 only comes with charger and 2 batteries.

I have been using a bunch of these tools since they came out. I just went through and looked at a bunch of batteries to see what they said. The originals say 10.8 volt, then came the 12 volt, then the 12 volt MAX. I use the same charger for all and use the batteries interchangeably. 

5 minute video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIHCMQuiTpU

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[Stwood_]

I have been using a bunch of these tools since they came out. I just went through and looked at a bunch of batteries to see what they said. The originals say 10.8 volt, then came the 12 volt, then the 12 volt MAX. I use the same charger for all and use the batteries interchangeably. 

5 minute video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIHCMQuiTpU

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Same here. I mixed the 12's in with the 10.8's and all interchange.

[shoottmx]

I have been using a bunch of these tools since they came out. I just went through and looked at a bunch of batteries to see what they said. The originals say 10.8 volt, then came the 12 volt, then the 12 volt MAX. I use the same charger for all and use the batteries interchangeably. 

5 minute video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIHCMQuiTpU

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Same for me--I have 3 different batteries like Bill and use them interchangeably without issue.

g

[CEPenworks]

So it seems the batteries and chargers are interchangeable. What about the brushless vs brush motors. I use these for household jobs not for a living. I am a little scared of the bush type since that is the one that died on me. I can't believe is was the brushes since I have never worn out a set of brushes on a tool before and I have some much older tools that this one. What happened to my old tool is sometimes the LED light was erratic and a couple times the motor wouldn't turn when I pulled the trigger. Now the light comes on but no movement out of the motor, not even a hum. I sent it is to get serviced and they said it was a bad board and not fixable. I am hoping I just got a bad one since I do like the tool but 2-3 yr life span seems short.

[Bill_de]

So it seems the batteries and chargers are interchangeable. What about the brushless vs brush motors. I use these for household jobs not for a living. I am a little scared of the bush type since that is the one that died on me. I can't believe is was the brushes since I have never worn out a set of brushes on a tool before and I have some much older tools that this one. What happened to my old tool is sometimes the LED light was erratic and a couple times the motor wouldn't turn when I pulled the trigger. Now the light comes on but no  movement out of the motor, not even a hum. I sent it is to get serviced and they said it was a bad board and not fixable. I am hoping I just got a bad one since I do like the tool but 2-3 yr life span seems short.

If they told you it was a bad board, it doesn't seem like brush or brushless had anything to do with it. 
I have 6 or 7 of these tools and never even looked to see if they were brush or brushless. 

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[arthropod98]

So it seems the batteries and chargers are interchangeable. What about the brushless vs brush motors. I use these for household jobs not for a living. I am a little scared of the bush type since that is the one that died on me. I can't believe is was the brushes since I have never worn out a set of brushes on a tool before and I have some much older tools that this one. What happened to my old tool is sometimes the LED light was erratic and a couple times the motor wouldn't turn when I pulled the trigger. Now the light comes on but no  movement out of the motor, not even a hum. I sent it is to get serviced and they said it was a bad board and not fixable. I am hoping I just got a bad one since I do like the tool but 2-3 yr life span seems short.

i don't have the model # in front of me, but i got a used right angle 12v bosch that they don't make anymore.  well, it was pretty much dead on arrival, which i wasn't TOTALLY surprised about (from e-bay).  found a new board on tool parts direct, and it's back to running.  think i paid about $40-something for the new board.  just a thought!  

[Cabinet Monkey]

All the 10.8 and 12v sub compact batteries in all Ah’s work in all the tools and chargers.  The smaller stick batteries now go up to 3.5Ah.   There are two larger packs with wide bases in 4.0 and 6.0 Ah.  

Chargers changed a year or two ago from 3 amp output to ??? and the charge time went from 30 min. to an hour.   Better to have the older charger methinks. 

I prefer the brushless versions, but it’s not a deal breaker. We get a weeks worth of kitchen installs out of a brushless driver with a 6.0 battery on one charge.   You might look at the Flexi-clic.  It’s useful for a lot of situations, and Lowe’s usually has them in a kit for $130ish.  FleaBay used to have ps31’s for $30-$40 for a bare tool.

[barryvabeach]

The 10.8 and the 12 volt are exactly the same.  Bosch advertised them at 10.8 because that is the effective voltage of the pack as you start using it, and that is the first one I bought, IIRC.  Everyone else marketed tools with the same number of cells based on the nominal voltage of 12 as it comes off the charger before it starts being used,  so Bosch changed in the US so they would not lose sales to competitors.  bosch batteries rating