Bosch EXPERT Starter Set 3 x EXBA18V-40 Battery, 18V, 4.0Ah + GAL 12V/18V-80 Charger, 0615V0005X

Bosch EXPERT Starter Set 3 x EXBA18V-40, 18V, 4.0Ah + GAL 12V/18V-80 Charger, 0615V0005X

Set 0 615 V00 05X is a promotional starter pack from Bosch Professional with three EXPERT EXBA18V-40 batteries (18 V, 4.0 Ah) and one GAL 12V/18V-80 fast charger. The manufacturer describes it in exactly those words - a "promotional 18 V starter set with 3 batteries and a charger at a reduced package price". There is no machine in the box: this is the power side of the system, bought to feed a bare tool you already own or to replace worn-out packs. It ships in a cardboard box of 260 x 295 x 100 mm, EAN 4053423707502.

Three identical batteries and one charger - no case, no tool, no accessories. The packs are marked HIGH POWER EXPERT 18V and 4Ah. The charger has a single bay and takes both 18 V and 12 V Bosch Professional packs, so the three batteries are charged one after another rather than at the same time.

The EXPERT EXBA18V-40 battery

Each of the three batteries is a lithium-ion pack of 18 V and 4.0 Ah built from 5 cells. One battery weighs 0.605 kg and measures 80 x 121 x 51 mm - the compact format that does not upset the balance of the tool in your hand.

The cells are tabless: the two tabs of a conventional cell, which act as a bottleneck for the current, are replaced by a large number of parallel current paths. The result is lower internal resistance, less energy lost as heat and higher energy density. For the EXBA18V-40 Bosch states up to 2000 W maximum power and up to 2x the maximum power of the Professional GBA 18V 4.0Ah - both figures refer to instantaneous maximum power with a new, fully charged battery, measured in the manufacturer's internal test lab.

The housing is reinforced and heat is managed by COOLPACK 2.0. Each pack carries a 5-LED indicator showing state of charge and remaining capacity, along with defect risk detection. The charging temperature range is extended to -10 °C to +55 °C battery temperature, but that applies when charging with the EXAL18V2-320 or EXAL18V-160, which are not in this set. The same goes for the shortest charging time Bosch quotes for this battery - 30 minutes with the EXAL18V2-320 or EXAL18V-160.

The GAL 12V/18V-80 charger

The charger works at 8 A charging current and covers 10.8 - 18 V, which is the whole range of 12 V and 18 V Bosch Professional batteries. With the packs from this set a full charge takes 38 minutes according to the manufacturer; for comparison, an 18 V 5.5 Ah pack charges in 46 minutes and a 12 V 4.0 Ah pack in 37 minutes.

Cooling is active - Active Air Cooling 3.0 with a fan that cools the battery before, during and after charging. With three batteries in rotation that matters: a hot pack would otherwise wait to cool down before charging starts. The bay is a bay-in-bay design, with a smaller 12 V bay built into the 18 V one. The housing has two LED indicators and wall-mounting holes; dimensions 193 x 128 x 83 mm, weight 0.65 kg.

Why three batteries rather than two

Three batteries and one charger give you a working cycle: one pack in the tool, one in the charger, one standing by. With two packs the cycle only holds while the tool drains them more slowly than the charger refills them; as soon as a machine pulls 4.0 Ah in less than 38 minutes - an angle grinder or a circular saw under load, for instance - you wait.

Three identical packs also cover two machines at once - a rotary hammer and a drill driver on one battery each, the third in the charger.

Compatibility

EXBA18V-40 batteries fit the tools of the Bosch Professional 18V System. Bosch states that the 18 V system has been compatible with all Bosch Professional tools and batteries of the same voltage class since 2008. The batteries and the charger are also part of AMPShare, the multi-brand battery alliance in which the manufacturer quotes access to more than 430 tools from Bosch Professional and partner brands.

The charger adds the second platform: it also charges 12 V Bosch Professional packs, so one unit covers both systems.

Who the set is for

For someone who owns bare (battery-free) 18 V Bosch Professional machines and needs power for them. For a crew where one machine is passed from hand to hand. For replacing old packs when the machines are sound but the batteries no longer last half a day.

Technical specifications

What's in the box

• Bosch EXPERT EXBA18V-40 battery, 18 V, 4.0 Ah - 3 pcs
• Bosch GAL 12V/18V-80 charger, 8 A - 1 pc
• Cardboard packaging
• NO machine - the tools in the photographs are for illustration only
• NO case and no L-BOXX insert; the batteries charge one after another in the single bay

Handling and storage

Lithium-ion packs have no memory effect - charging them whenever you like is normal. For long storage it is gentler to leave the battery partially charged, somewhere dry at room temperature, away from metal objects.

A hot battery is no problem for this charger - the fan cools it before charging starts. Charging does start later because of that, so after heavy work let the pack rest a minute or two before the bay. The charger can be mounted on the wall next to the bench.

Questions and Answers