Bosch announced a new “Strong Arm” 18V cordless circular saw back in January 2019, as part of a larger “Megawatt Crew” line of higher powered brushless-motored cordless power tools.
Now, after nearly two years, it seems that the new Bosch brushless circular saw is finally launching. Maybe?
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We spotted a new listing for the Bosch 18V brushless circular saw, model GKS18V-25GCN, and it looks identical to the Bosch “Strong Arm” saw that was announced 21 months ago.
Bosch says this features their BITURBO Brushless circular saw design and delivers corded performance from an 18V cordless 7-1/4″ saw.
What’s Biturbo?
Buried in a product listing, Bosch says:
BITURBO Brushless Technology – a Bosch-exclusive brushless high-performance motor and drive-train system engineered to take full advantage of the additional power generated by 8.0 Ah and 12.0 Ah CORE18V batteries.
I believe I saw something about Bosch Biturbo tech in paid or sponsored influencer posts a while ago, but Bosch never sent any press release, announcements, and media communications about their Biturbo technology.
From the sounds of it, Bosch Biturbo is similar to what Milwaukee has been doing with their M18 High Output batteries for some time now, Ridgid with their Octane tools and batteries, and Dewalt with their 20V Max Power Detect and FlexVolt Advantage technologies.
Bosch came out with an 18V 12.0Ah battery about a year ago, and we wondered what higher-powered cordless power tools might follow in its wake. We haven’t seen any of the types of tools we were expecting. Perhaps this is it, or the start?
Basically, it seems a lot like competing brands’ heavier duty tool technologies – use Bosch’s 8Ah or 12Ah batteries with select tools for higher power output and performance. How much higher power or performance? They don’t say.
Unfortunately, Bosch PR has not been sharing much with us lately, and so we’re unlikely to learn any additional information or insights about their new Biturbo tech and what it actually means for end users.
We’re also not sure why this tool has been delayed nearly two years, but we know it’s one that some of you have been asking eagerly about.
Also, this isn’t a track saw, but it is guide rail-compatible.
As an aside, I should note that a proper track saw (corded or cordless), such as by Festool or Makita, wouldn’t cut plywood with the splintering and tearout that’s shown in Bosch’s product imagery.
The new Bosch 18V brushless circular saw features a 7-1/4″ blade, 2-1/2″ cutting capacity that can cut through 2X construction lumber in a single pass, rotating dust port, and one-touch cutting depth adjustment.
Bosch also says it has an ECO mode, that helps get the job done by extending runtime by up to 30%.
ECO mode sounds like it caps the motor speed or power output, dropping the power or performance for extended runtime.
What happens if you use the Bosch 18V Biturbo brushless circular saw with non-CORE18V Biturbo Li-ion batteries? They don’t say.
Bosch says the saw takes advantage of Core18V Biturbo batteries, but nothing about compatibility with their lower capacity batteries under 8Ah.
Features & Specs
- 7-1/4″ blade
- Speed: TBA
- 2-1/2″ cutting capacity
- ECO mode
- 360° rotating dust port
- Electronic brake
- 50° bevel range
- One-touch cutting depth adjustment
- On-board user interface
- Track-compatible with Bosch, Makita, Mafell, Festool guide rails
The on-board user interface is said to provide six settings and tool feedback.
From the looks of it, there’s a battery fuel gauge, ECO mode and high-temperature LEDs, and numerical setting. The six settings could perhaps be speed settings or special modes – we’re not sure.
Lastly, the circular saw is Bosch Connected-Ready, but there aren’t any details about what this means either. Is this for tool-tracking only, or for smartphone controls and customizations. Is this tied into the 6 settings users can select via the control interface?
We asked Bosch PR for details, and are waiting for clarification.
Unfortunately, Bosch PR never told us more about the new 18V brushless circular saw, and so we barely know more than when we first posted about it at the start of 2019.
But, there’s a price, fresh images, and a purchase link, and so it seems the new saw might be launching soon.
And – there’s no mention of “Strong Arm” or “Megawatt Crew” marketing in the product listing. Although, is Biturbo any better than Megewatt? If I’m being honest, I think I prefer Megawatt.
Price: $279 for the bare tool
Thoughts?
Big question: the blade is right-facing so as to be guide rail-compatible, but do you wish the saw was left-facing similar to worm drive circular saws and the cordless rear-handle saws that many major pro-grade cordless power tool brands have come out with?