It isn't the fall that hurts a tool—it's the sudden stop when it hits the ground. And while a lot of manufacturers like to boast about how tough their tools are, Bosch has taken the durability game to a new level: The company has been dropping its new Brute-Tough cordless drills from 10 feet onto concrete slabs—in public.

Actually, they let you do the dropping. The company's "Drop Zone" demonstrations give tool buyers a first-hand look at tough new features intended to increase jobsite durability. Dropped drills in the test survive an average of 30 falls without losing function. The first time we saw the Drop Zone, Bosch was at a JLC Live! show, where company reps were challenging other manufacturers to drop their tools from the same height. (JLC Live! is operated by Tools of the Trade's parent company, Hanley-Wood, LLC.) They got only one taker—and that tool only made one drop before breaking apart.

"[Drills] break when they're dropped, whether it's up by the chuck or the housing itself," says Tom Vasis, Bosch's director of cordless products. "A lot of the time a tool will break from a fall long before it wears out or burns out. We wanted to solve that issue."

Bosch's solution is a uni-body construction. Inside the Brute-Tough's housing shell, the motor and other internal parts are fastened together as an individual unit rather than relying on the housing to keep everything concentric. The separate housing, made from a flexible polymer, can better absorb blows without affecting the rest of the components. Further protection comes from a steel-reinforced collar that protects the tool if it's dropped on the chuck.

The Brute-Tough Line is available in 14.4- and 18-volt drills and 18- and 24-volt hammerdrills. For more information, visit www.boschtools.com.

Spec out Drills and Hammerdrills on ebuild, the Professional's Guide to Building Products(TM).