Hammer Drill vs Regular Non-Hammer Drill

[oldschoolcraft]

I’ve only used a hammer drill a few times and never on hammer mode. For concrete work I wound up buying a wired Bosch rotary hammer in SDS.

Since I already have several SDS bits and the rotary hammer, the value of also adding a hammer drill to my tool set seems less worthwhile.

But I’m researching options to get into the cordless tool game and it seems like the big boy voltage cordless drills as part of the tool sets tend to be hammer drills.

So I’m wondering if my guesses are right. Please correct anything wrong below:

A hammer drill will do the same thing as a non-hammer drill will do if in non-hammer mode, but it will be a little heavier and bulkier than a non-hammer model. So if you’re drilling a few holes, won’t notice a difference but if drilling hundreds of holes throughout the day, it might wear on you.

If you can only have one, then the hammer drill probably makes sense to give you that backup option to use it in hammer mode, even if you have a rotary hammer since I don’t think they’re much heavier than non-hammer.

If you can have two and are doing lots of small non-hammer drilling then get a smaller non-hammer drill and pair it with a more powerful big boy hammer drill, since if you’re drilling thick steel you want a big boy drill.

If you have a rotary hammer then the hammer drill is nowhere near as good for drilling concrete. Unless you just need a quick small hole and the hammer drill is next to you and the rotary hammer is back in the truck or on a shelf and the saved 10 seconds of drill time by using the rotary hammer is offset by the 2 minutes to get the tool. So while the hammer drill suboptimal tool, maybe it’s closer and good enough for a small job.

The big sticking point is whether the general purpose drill bits I’ll keep with the hammer drill will actually work well for concrete, but maybe as I said, good enough for one or two small holes.

Doesn’t seem to make sense to have any non-SDS masonry bits for a hammer drill if you have an SDS rotary hammer because if you’re going to the trouble to get special drill bits then you might as well grab the rotary hammer.

I could have asked a more simple question of: I’m planning to buy some M18 tools, should I get a hammer drill or a non-hammer drill, assuming I already have a rotary hammer. But I think the answer is just get the hammer drill because of my thought process above. And curious if my thought process is correct.

 

[jay70]

I have all of them in m18. Had the same theory and bought the non hammer drill and the sds rotary hammer and probably could survive that way but sometimes the rotary hammer is just too bulky and the non hammer drill is just too light duty so I got the hammer drill and I’m set for whatever

 

[Olafur]

And curious if my thought process is correct.

Sounds reasonable to me.
In my experience a hammer drill is almost totally useless on concrete compared to SDS. But perhaps they can be useful on softer materials I am not familiar with. Concrete - no.

"hammer" is not a feature I would pay for having SDS on hand.

 

[acer66]

Sounds about right, the only reason I have a drill with hammer function is for an unexpected situation, otherwise its sds.

 

[SJay3660]

All my Milwaukee M18 drills are hammer drills. I just got 2 new brushless ones and the are very small and light weight, but work very well. I also have 3 SDS drills and 1 M18 SDS drill, and they are exceptional for drilling in concrete, but if I need a quick hole drilled and it is small I will use the hammer drill, works very well in concrete block.

 

[DFB]

Well always seemed to me the hammer drill is the more widely promoted tool especially in kits (marketed with impact driver) so unless you can find the regular drill for whatever the special deal price might be just go with hammer drill option. It doesn't change the tool weight/length by that much to really be noticeable at least not in my opinion.

I have both the M18 Fuel hammer drill and also the brushed Hammer drill mainly because those were the best deals available when I bought them but in M12 I opted for the drill only and purchased that separate.

Last holiday season I decided on the M12 Fuel SDS with a promo XC starter kit for super grat price and couldn't be happier with that purchase. The performance is amazing compared to using any of the hammer drills for the same tasks. Personally I don't think I'll ever use the hammer options on those cordless drills much again.

And ya I still have a handful of small non SDS bits mostly for tapcon, and my go to there was always a corded Makita hammer drill when power was available.

 

[Paul_The_Builder]

Most of the bigger name brand drills will be hammer drills. Only a few brands sell large powerful drills that don't have a hammer function, because that would be more of a specialty tool, as an average homeowner or contractor would at least occasionally use a full size drill as a hammer drill for small anchor holes (3/16" etc).

I don't think the hammer function really adds that much weight. If you are in the market for a big powerful drill, you're pretty much stuck getting a hammer drill. If there's a non-hammer drill that meets your needs, then I wouldn't hesitate to get that either. There are very few occasions you would want an 18v hammer drill when you have an SDS at your disposal.

 

[ChevyEFI]

I don't think about the M18 Fuel drill and wish it wasn't a hammer drill. I've used it as one a few times. You may not.

The impact driver that came with it is Surge. Great for driving wood fasteners. Weak when I want to use it as a light use impact gun. Consider the non-hammer / non-Surge combo kit; it's probably offered.

 

[Kscardsfan]

I never found the hammer drill that much more onerous than a non hammer drill. For small onesie twosie holes into CMU or a slab it’s perfect. But like you said, I use an SDS for real work. I wouldn’t go out of my way to find a non hammer drill combo kit just because I think it would end up costing more than the hammer drill kit would. Especially this time of year.

 

[dalepres]

Sounds reasonable to me.
In my experience a hammer drill is almost totally useless on concrete compared to SDS. But perhaps they can be useful on softer materials I am not familiar with. Concrete - no.

"hammer" is not a feature I would pay for having SDS on hand.

I've drilled hundreds of holes in concrete with the Milwaukee corded hammer drill that I've owned for 35 years.

 

[pizza]

So I’m wondering if my guesses are right. Please correct anything wrong below:

A hammer drill will do the same thing as a non-hammer drill will do if in non-hammer mode, but it will be a little heavier and bulkier than a non-hammer model. So if you’re drilling a few holes, won’t notice a difference but if drilling hundreds of holes throughout the day, it might wear on you.

pretty much, but it depends on the specific models.
for example, i believe the dewalt DCD996 hammer drill is the same as DCD991 drill except for the hammer function. tool makers make many drill/driver variants.

ime, hammer drills are a joke. they work ok for some brick and softer concrete (until you hit rocks), but you really gotta lean into it. you already have a rotohammer though, man. just use your bosch! it works so much better it's not even funny

i would only recommend a hammer drill to you if you think you'll often be in situations away from your rotohammer where you'll unexpectedly have to make holes in brick or something. or if you find a great deal on a hammer drill priced well below its normal, non-hammer equivalent.

save a bit of money and weight. get a nice, brushless drill driver like a dewalt DCD991 or similar from another brand.

why compromise for something you'll hardly ever use?

The big sticking point is whether the general purpose drill bits I’ll keep with the hammer drill will actually work well for concrete, but maybe as I said, good enough for one or two small holes.

Doesn’t seem to make sense to have any non-SDS masonry bits for a hammer drill if you have an SDS rotary hammer because if you’re going to the trouble to get special drill bits then you might as well grab the rotary hammer.

I could have asked a more simple question of: I’m planning to buy some M18 tools, should I get a hammer drill or a non-hammer drill, assuming I already have a rotary hammer. But I think the answer is just get the hammer drill because of my thought process above. And curious if my thought process is correct.

lol. don't use a non-masonry bit on masonry. you'll ruin it on a single hole.

i have a couple masonry bits that i keep in my drill bit index. they're specifically sized for masonry anchors.

i actually have a hammerdrill (DCD996) and don't own a rotohammer.
it kind of works, but i've cursed every time i've used it.

if i could go back, i'd get the DCD991 instead along with a rotohammer. even some harbor freight sdsplus for like 60-80 bucks (depending on available coupon) and i would have been much better off.

 

[nicks78camaro]

Is a corded hammer drill that much worse than a SDS for occasional brick/concrete work?

 

[Bigblockyeti]

I have found my cordless hammer drills to be great for drilling green concrete for a few tapcons, several, not so much. Older, harder concrete is also a waste of time unless that's all I have on hand. My old corded Milwaukee hammer drill is head and shoulders over the Chi-com **** available today and a little more so than my German, USA and Czechoslovakian built Milwaukee cordless hammer drills. A proper SDS rotary hammer will make any drilling task far less complicated, with some of the newer bits you can chew through steel rebar given enough time. For bigger stuff I also have a spline drive rotary hammer that is only used when needed given the weight and cost of the bits.

 

[Den69rs96]

I just bought a Dewalt power detect 998 hammer drill kit over the summer with a charger and 8ah battery for $279. Lowes had a promotion to get another 8ah battery free so I couldn't pass up the deal. Its not much bigger than my Bosch 18v cordless non hammer drill. It does weigh more, but that could be the metal chuck vs the half plastic on my Bosch. I used it to drill 6-7 holes in my garage floor and added tapcons. I could tell when I hit a rock in the concrete, but it eventually made its way through it. I realize a sds is much better, but I hardly ever will use a sds drill so the Dewalt was a good deal. It has alot more power than the 18v drill I've been using

 

[MoonRise]

Drill - for holes in things other than masonry.

SDS - holes in masonry

Hammer drill - BTDT trying to put holes (small diameter, too) into various masonry (concrete foundation block, concrete slab, etc). Went and bought the SDS. Haven't had to do any masonry holes since then. But some projects are still 'pending' involving masonry holes.

Holes in masonry NEED a masonry carbide drill bit no matter what. Your 'standard' steel drill bits will be DESTROYED before you do even one hole in masonry. Since you need the carbide masonry drill bits, just use the SDS with the SDS carbide masonry bits.

Cordless kit, I'd just go for a regular drill/driver and an impact driver (not the same as an "impact wrench").

Cordless rotary hammer? Bosch Bulldog. Or see what Hilti has.

 

[didit]

A few years ago I killed my last DeWalt hammer drill while prepping a brick wall in order to eliminate a man door and replace with brick. My wife said she would pick up a new one on her way home. She showed up with the SDS Maximum and a set of drills, chisel bits and a SDS adaptor chuck ( pic below). I love the SDS rotary for masonry and concrete and that's all I use it for. Worked great for pointing the brickwork and drilling holes in concrete. I do have a large jack hammer for bigger jobs. I have never used the SDS chuck adapter. I don't have any need for another 1/2" hammer drill. I have several drills for every purpose. Just like anything else, use the right tool for the job.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Get a drill with hammer function. Like you said, someday you will need that function and won't have access to other drill.

Using "regular" bits in concrete/stone/masonry will ruin them quick.

 

[Badgerstate]

Ive got a Milwaukee M12 hammer drill and a DeWalt Xtreme 12v hex screw driver. The Milwaukee is a little heavier and bulkier but it also has more power than the DeWalt does.
IMO, if you were only going to have 1, Id go hammer because you can always just turn the hammer mode off.
For me, the Milwaukee is my personal go-to drill and the DeWalt has been relegated to being used in the house only for driving small screws into wood. Honestly, the DeWalt has become my wife's drill because she likes that it is smaller, lighter and simpler to use than the Milwaukee is.

 

[ZX3ST]

I went out of my way to buy the Dewalt hammer drill instead of the normal drill packaged in all their kits.

The hammer drill variant came with metal gearbox (vs nylon) and a 3-speed gearbox (vs 2). I wanted the presumably tougher gearbox, and the extra low rpm option. It also came with the superior chuck.

The hammer drill function is pretty much worthless in anything except cinder block. I keep my Bosch SDS+ rotary hammer around for any real masonry drilling.

If you're using a regular drill bit in masonry of any kind, you can pretty much kiss it goodbye after 1 hole, IF it even makes it that far.

 

[ThatSickRip]

This thread just made me buy the Milwaukee M12 w/4.0 battery deal at HD today for the work I have to do in the garage for shelving

 

[pizza]

I went out of my way to buy the Dewalt hammer drill instead of the normal drill packaged in all their kits.

The hammer drill variant came with metal gearbox (vs nylon) and a 3-speed gearbox (vs 2). I wanted the presumably tougher gearbox, and the extra low rpm option. It also came with the superior chuck.

interesting. you're starting to make me feel better about getting dcd996 hammer drill instead of dcd991 drill.

do you know specifically which models you're comparing though? wondering if the dcd991 actually has plastic gearbox.

The hammer drill function is pretty much worthless in anything except cinder block. I keep my Bosch SDS+ rotary hammer around for any real masonry drilling.

If you're using a regular drill bit in masonry of any kind, you can pretty much kiss it goodbye after 1 hole, IF it even makes it that far.

agreed lol

 

[ZX3ST]

interesting. you're starting to make me feel better about getting dcd996 hammer drill instead of dcd991 drill.

do you know specifically which models you're comparing though? wondering if the dcd991 actually has plastic gearbox.

I completely spaced and forgot to mention that mine was bought right before the 20V LiIon lineup came out. It's the last breed of 18V XRP LiIon tools. What I mentioned was true circa 2010. Sorry about that.

It looks like they make a non-hammer version now with the 3 speed transmission. Example DCD991B

Weight wasn't my primary concern. I'm a homeowner, not pro. I keep a few 12V tools around for lighter work. I needed something with POWER. But these are heavier than status quo.

None of their newest drills mention anything of a metal gearbox. One would assume they're all nylon now.