Hammer drills

[tipsy]

Need a new hammer drill. Looking at Bosch vs Masterforce vs Harbor Freight. Bosch and Masterforce are very similar in specs and price at Menards about $80. HF is stupid cheap. Just wondering what your thoughts are? I’m a handyman by trade. Use one occasionally for tapcons in cement mostly.
Thanks!
Jeff


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[kaymccampbell]

I've had a HF hammer drill for easily 15 years. It's drilled thousands of holes. Many of them 5/8" and larger. I also use it for the jackhammer quite a bit. It's not quite as fast, anymore, as a high dollar drill, but for the ~$50 I spent on it, it's been more than worth it.

 

[thooks]

How frequently are you going to use it?

Me? I bought a CPO Bosch about 12 years ago, about $50. Sorta like this one but it uses SDS bits. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B003O6QBFU/?tag=atomicindus08-20

I've used it to drill 15 holes or so. It does it very, very well. It will last me a lifetime.

 

[Arps]

My rule at HF. Dont buy anything that is powered. I have a dewalt hammer drill. It works great and was reasonably cheap.

 

[exranger06]

I have the Harbor Freight one and I've been very happy with it. I needed a hammer drill for one particular job and I figured I'd probably never need one again, so buying an expensive one didn't make sense. I thought about renting one from Home Depot, but it was cheaper to buy one at HF. I figured if it lasted through that one job and broke right after, it still paid for itself. Not only did it last, but I still use it as a regular drill all the time. There's nothing about it that feels cheap or crappy. It just works, and works well.

 

[Falcon67]

I have the HF unit. Bought a Bosch bit for installing the lift - HF drill made it easy and quick. Made 3/4" holes in 4000 psi concrete like I was drilling soft wood. Have loaned it out, others that used it had no issues. Don't spend more than you need.

 

[weadjust]

I have the Harbor Freight one and I've been very happy with it.

Me too. Does what it's supposed too for 10+ years so far

 

[dogdog]

Bosch / HF / MasterForce/ Dewalt / Milwaukee / Hilti / Hitachi doesn't matter... the bit you use matters more... although a good tool feels better in your had when drilling... I have the Hitachi DH14MR... hammer or hammer drill and no drill only functions.. comfortable in the hand and have drill lots of boulder with it and holes ... Bits I use are mostly Hitachi and Dewalt or Bosch... the HF bits *****... good for concrete few uses that is about it...

 

[GRB]

Hammer Drills don't have a hammer only function, let alone a "jackhammer". They have a drill chuck. Rotary Hammers don't have a drill chuck but have SDS, Spline, etc. That would be a Rotary Hammer. These are US terms, other names get confusing in Europe, etc.

A Hammer Drill works great for smaller holes like tapcons.

Bosch is one of the few corded Hammer Drills from a higher end company. Unless they have changed something, it has always been a great unit for the money. We have 20+ Hammer Drills, Rotary Hammers, and Demo Hammers. Think I have 7 different ones just for my personal use.

 

[Jim greengo]

Buy yourself a decent cordless drill/hammer drill,that way you can use it for multiple purposes.
I updated my cordless drill and impact last night.

 

[Bretny]

Im happy with my $79 SDS hammer drill from HF. Its the bauer brand. Drilled about 30 1/2in holes in sono tubes and concrete block. Chipped up a whole kitchen floor of tile and blew a 4in hole in concrete block for a sewer drain. I have only owned it for 3 months but at 2x the price of a rental im alreaty ahead of the game.

 

[dogdog]

Hammer Drills don't have a hammer only function, let alone a "jackhammer". They have a drill chuck. Rotary Hammers don't have a drill chuck but have SDS, Spline, etc. That would be a Rotary Hammer. These are US terms, other names get confusing in Europe, etc.

A Hammer Drill works great for smaller holes like tapcons.

Bosch is one of the few corded Hammer Drills from a higher end company. Unless they have changed something, it has always been a great unit for the money. We have 20+ Hammer Drills, Rotary Hammers, and Demo Hammers. Think I have 7 different ones just for my personal use.

Look up this DH40MR... I have the older model... love this POS... super good on the hand... it has hammer drill or hammer only... no drill only functions in my model... granted I have the older model... so yes they have hammering only function without the rotation... to use with chisels / spades , rod drivers ....

https://www.toolbarn.com/hitachi-dh40mr.html/

page 10 of this manual

https://www.hikoki-powertools.com/manual_view_export//pdf/C99118376_DH40MR_206.pdf

hmmm unless you are referring to those cheese grade drills with hammering drilling functions on a keyed chuck... then in this case

just about any one is fine... I have used the milwukee bosch or HF all cheese comparing to the sds plus systems or the sds max rotary hammers... yea... ok my bad... anyways still the quality bits makes your hole making process easier.. and proper coolant with water.

 

[Slednut]

It's on the expensive side but if you have a lot of drilling/chiseling to do get a rotary hammer. This thing just keeps on working.

 

[Jim greengo]

Im happy with my $79 SDS hammer drill from HF. Its the bauer brand. Drilled about 30 1/2in holes in sono tubes and concrete block. Chipped up a whole kitchen floor of tile and blew a 4in hole in concrete block for a sewer drain. I have only owned it for 3 months but at 2x the price of a rental im alreaty ahead of the game.

A friend of mine actually has a bauer hammer drill/demo hammer that works amazing well considering it was a close out he bought for like $40.00 a few years back.
I've used it a few times demoing around concrete floor drains.
I wouldn't want to drag it around all day for drop in anchors or tap cons though.

 

[JeepJohn62]

In my opinion, a rotary hammer is the right tool for the job. A hammer drill is a poor substitute. More $$, but dewalt and others make a compact version. Much faster and will go thru aggregate.


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[tarbellb]

EDITED: BUY A ROTARY (SDS) DRILL, NOT A "HAMMERING" DRILL DRIVER
corded or cordless doesnt matter.

Buy either the HF new, which will be totally fine for light homeowner use.

Or geek on

used Bosch or Hilti on Ebay / local sales.

A true SDS hammer drill is the only real option for drilling concrete.

 

[driftpin]

Did you check on the forum search function for "rotary hammer?' Plenty of info. Do the same for 'hammer drill.'

I have a Milwaukee hammer drill, 120 V., it doesn't compare to a rotary hammer for larger holes or demo work. It really isn't the right tool for demo work.

My HFT SDS-Max rotary hammer is before they went to Bauer. I've had it probably six years, done bathroom demo's to stud walls or CBS walls, including removal of poured floors, and fastened footer plates for exterior walls to concrete slabs. The last job, the sub-contractor showed up with a DeWalt cordless drill and couldn't drill a single hole without having to change batteries for trying to set the drive-in pins; I fired him, and used my HFT SDS-Max rotary hammer to do all the holes in about 30 minutes.

I've bought Bosch SDS-Max bits, but I've also gotten good use out of my carbide-tipped HFT drills in concrete, I wouldn't hesitate to replace them with HFT pieces.

 

[Downwindtracker 2]

There is a huge difference between a drill with a hammer feature, which I regret buying, and a Hilti. Mine is a small TE-12. In fact much like we use the word Kleenex for facial tissue, Hilti is used for rotary hammer drill.

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

I have had a Bosch Bulldog for 10 plus years. It works great and has never failed.

 

[finn]

I had two hammer drills, a Bosch and a Riobi, both corded.

Bought a Dewalt cordless SDS Plus rotary hammer and, after using it to install my lift, I will never use the corded hammer drills again.

Gave one to my oldest son, and his brother will get the other one.

 

[Bigblockyeti]

For occasional use with tapcons, a hammer drill should do just fine, anything bigger or more frequently and a rotary hammer could be justified. I would choose Bosch in a heartbeat over the other two brands (which will change names again in < 10 years). Bosch might be a little more expensive, but they're not whoring out a newly created name to the lowest bidder in DongChowPing to create something that may or may not last. The Bosch you'll still be able to get parts for several years down the road, others, not so much.

 

[tipsy]

I’m getting the Bosch. Plus I’ve got rebate money from menards to use.
Thank you all for your input!


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[GRB]

If you want fast results and are getting paid for the job, it is all about matching the tool to the job for speed and making it easy on the user.
Hammer Drills work better for small bits. Once you get to the larger tapcons in concrete or past the larger tapcons in block, a Rotary Hammer starts to be more efficient. Even then, you match the tool to the job with the smaller ones having more frequent lighter hits.

Generally Rotary Hammers work best at about half the rated size in concrete. A 1" Rotary Hammer drills optimally a 1/2" hole in concrete. Problem is new vs old concrete and the various mixes. Fast production requires some skill and even the ability to try different tools.

 

[tarbellb]

If you want fast results and are getting paid for the job, it is all about matching the tool to the job for speed and making it easy on the user.
Hammer Drills work better for small bits. Once you get to the larger tapcons in concrete or past the larger tapcons in block, a Rotary Hammer starts to be more efficient. Even then, you match the tool to the job with the smaller ones having more frequent lighter hits.

Generally Rotary Hammers work best at about half the rated size in concrete. A 1" Rotary Hammer drills optimally a 1/2" hole in concrete. Problem is new vs old concrete and the various mixes. Fast production requires some skill and even the ability to try different tools.

Hammer drills can work for small bits, but not better.

Just last week we smoked a brand new Milwaukee M18 drill/driver on hammer mode. Drilled over 100 holes, 3/16" diameter, 3" down.... in 10k psi concrete.

10k psi concrete was so hard we swore it was hitting rebar... not the case. It was just that hard. Used the Bosch Bulldog, took 1/3 the time with little effort.

 

[bcradio]

Hammer drills can work for small bits, but not better.

They can work much better actually depending on what you are grilling. Stuff like block and brick can easily chip with a rotary hammer where as a hammer drill will drill them perfectly. It's amazing how much inexperience there is in this thread.

 

[Jim C.]

I’m getting the Bosch........

I think you’ll be happy with the Bosch. I bought this hammer drill 20 years ago to drill into concrete piers and have been using it for occasional projects ever since. No complaints.

Jim C.

 

[theoldwizard1]

If you are only drilling an occasional small (<3/8") hole in "average" concrete or brick (not stone), the hammer function on most battery drills is "adequate". If I had more than 4 or 5 to do in a row, I would get something better !

 

[Rabid Badger]

I was going to say get yourself a lightly used rotary hammer on Craigslist but pickings are pretty slim in central Illinois. I'll throw out these suggestions instead:

https://www.harborfreight.com/1-in-sds-variable-speed-pro-rotary-hammer-kit-63443.html

https://www.amazon.com/Factory-Reconditioned-Bosch-11255VSR-RT-Certified-Refurbished/dp/B0012DQX5U

The time you save compared to hammer drills and "hammer drills" will be more than worth the extra money.

They can work much better actually depending on what you are grilling. Stuff like block and brick can easily chip with a rotary hammer where as a hammer drill will drill them perfectly.

You aren't collaring the hole properly.

It's amazing how much inexperience there is in this thread.

Agreed.

 

[driftpin]

NO ONE I KNOW!

https://lakeland.craigslist.org/tls/d/auburndale-new-milwaukee-5646-avs-sds/6971042671.html

middle of the state.

Here's a Milwaukee set for $50!
https://miami.craigslist.org/brw/tls/d/pompano-beach-milwaukee-rotary-hammer/6972927732.html

Milwaukee Rotary Hammer for sale with various bits and storage case included for $50 or best offer so if interested please call Mike at 954-979-1555 with any questions (no texting this is a landline) or just stop in to see me at 330 South State Road 7 Margate FL 33068 Between the HOURS of 10am-7pm on Monday-Friday and 10am-6pm on Saturday