Bosch green or blue: what is the difference?

Two lines, two colours

Bosch makes power tools in two lines. Bosch Home & Garden is green and aimed at DIY and the garden. Bosch Professional is blue and aimed at tradespeople in building, installation and the workshop. Both lines have drills, drivers, saws and sanders; garden machines such as hedge trimmers, grass trimmers and pressure washers are mostly in the green line.

So the colour is not a matter of taste. It tells you which user Bosch designed a tool for, and which battery system it takes.

Spot the line by its name

The name tells you straight away which line a tool belongs to.

• Blue has a code that starts with a G and a few letters for the type of tool, followed by the voltage. Bosch now puts PRO in front, as in PRO GSR 18V-52, but many shops leave that out: GSR 18V-52 is a drill driver, GSB 18V-25 a combi drill, GDX 18V-285 an impact driver and impact wrench in one. Some blue tools can connect to a smartphone over Bluetooth; Bosch lists that function, Bluetooth Connectivity, for the GSR 18V-110 C.
• Green cordless tools carry a word for the level: Easy, Universal or Advanced. Bosch describes Easy as for small to medium jobs, Universal for a broader range of medium jobs and Advanced for larger and more demanding jobs. Examples are the EasyDrill 18V-40, the UniversalImpact 18V-60 and the AdvancedDrill 18V-80 QuickSnap. Some green tools keep a shorter name starting with P, such as the corded PST 650 jigsaw.

Each colour has its own batteries

This is the difference you notice in practice. Green 18V tools take POWER FOR ALL batteries, a system shared by several brands, such as Gardena. Blue 18V tools take Bosch Professional batteries, such as the GBA ProCORE 18V 5.5 Ah, and through AMPShare other brands use that blue battery too.

Bosch runs green and blue as separate battery systems. According to Bosch, its blue 18V batteries fit every blue 18V tool since 2008 and 18V tools from AMPShare brands; green shares its batteries within POWER FOR ALL. So Bosch promises no swapping between green and blue, and you should not count on it. If you already own batteries in one colour, a bare tool in the same colour is often the obvious choice. Which battery fits my tool? shows which batteries belong with your tool. How to choose between brands is in which battery platform.

Bare, with a battery or in a case

Both lines sell tools on their own and in kits. Green calls the bare tool "without battery and charger", such as the EasyDrill 18V-40, which also comes with two batteries and a charger. Blue calls the bare tool "solo". Blue tools often come in an L-BOXX, Bosch's stackable case, such as the GDX 18V-285 with a 4.0 Ah battery. Bare tool or kit with battery: which is cheaper? works out whether the bare tool or the kit comes out cheaper.

Each version has its own order number or EAN, so check what is in the box before you compare.

Which colour suits you?

Choose green if you drill and drive now and then at home, assemble furniture and also want garden tools on the same battery. With POWER FOR ALL you can run, for example, an EasyHedgeCut 18-45 hedge trimmer and a UniversalGrassCut 18V-26-500 grass trimmer on the same battery as your drill.

Choose blue if you work a lot or for a living, and want tools from one system with a wide range for building and installation work, such as rotary hammers and angle grinders. Choosing a rotary hammer is covered in combi drill, SDS or rotary hammer.

Comparing on ToolRango

Under drill drivers and combi drills, green and blue Bosch tools sit next to other brands, with prices from several shops. ToolRango compares every version, bare or with a battery, separately.