Bosch Brute Jackhammer Review

We needed a jackhammer for our pool demolition project and had a friend who was kind enough to loan us his Bosch Brute for the job.  Here is a review of it:

The Bosch Brute is the quintessential stand-up electric demolition hammer and the one after which all the other brands seem to be modeled.  It is a 60lb class hammer, runs on a typical 15 amp household outlet, and accepts standard hex-shank bits.  We borrowed a slightly older model than the one shown in the opening picture; here is a more accurate shot of the one we used:

Benefits:

• Reasonable to rent: usually $75-90/day.
• Easy to use: plugs in to a standard outlet and weighs enough to be effective and not so much that you can't move it easily

Drawbacks:

• It's slow.  Well, it's all relative; it's definitely faster than a pick and shovel and faster than a handheld demo hammer but can't hold a candle to an air-powered jackhammer.  It's just a horsepower limitation, really, because the Brute is about 2 HP and an air-powered unit is somewhere around 30.  More HP = more work in the same amount of time.
• You need power to run it. This is probably not a big deal if you're using it around your house like we were.  This would require about a 2500-3500 watt generator to run in the field depending on the startup current your generator can supply.

How did we like it?  Just fine, really.  I found that the 3" wide chisel bit was best for breaking concrete as long as you can start at an edge and work your way in (you have to give the pieces somewhere to "go").  The handles were at a great height for me (5'11" tall) and the weight was totally manageable even after a day straight of using it.   It never drew more power than our outlet could supply, the cord didn't get warm, and the breaker didn't trip.  All good things.

If you're going to buy one look for the stand-up cart with the bit holder as shown above.  This is an absolute must for convenience and transportation.

The Bosch Brute wins our seal of approval for doing what it's supposed to do reliably and well.  Thumbs up!