Help me buy a Hammer Drill

[Bolster]

I don't own a hammer drill, but I have an upcoming project that will require lots of holes into concrete and brick. I have a nice magnum Milwaukee hole-shooter drill but it doesn't have the hammer ability. I've been told that hammer drill makes a world of difference in getting the job done right. True?

If so, can you recommend a good hammer drill, I'm thinking CORDED for power and speed. I think max size hole I'd make is probably 3/4." Suggestions?

 

[TexasT]

A 3/4" hole, huh? That's pretty big. How old is the concrete you will be drilling? Is it a though hole? Is it a one time project?

I think you might look into renting. Get a great big one. Wait til you price the bits.

One of the previous employers I had, had a DeWalt like this.

It was like night and day with a little 'homeowner' hammer drill.

 

[scottg1952]

You are drilling a lot of 3/4" holes in concrete?
But this is the only job you really need this capacity for?
Rent one.
Small holes you can drill with your regular drill or get a cheap chinese hammer for occasional use. Hammer is really the only way to go in stone.

But if you need a -lot- of holes, and especially big ones, you want a heavy duty drill for that. Red Head or Hilti. Spendy.
Rentals are like 20 bucks a day.
yours Scott

 

[antolod]

I"ve used Bosch roto-hammers at work much like the DeWalt pictured above and drilled thousands of holes in concrete and concrete block. After using a roto-hammer you'll never want to use a hammer-drill again.

Yes, it is a dedicated tool, but a roto-hammer will drill faster and to me the noise is less annoying. The Bosch drills we have are 3/4" but the current model is called a 7/8" and will do the job. I'm sure the DeWalt is just as reliable as well.

You can pick up a reconditioned one for less than the price of a new one. I just googled this 11224VSR-RT which is selling for $139.99 reconditioned or new for $215.00. If you're not planning on using is commercially, I would think a recon model for that price would be worth the money.

 

[Bolster]

Oh wow, am I dumb, glad I asked. I thought a roto-hammer was just another name for a hammer-drill. Please explain the difference?

And (just curious) if you put a roto-hammer such as your 11224VSR-RT into hammer-only mode, is it more or less powerful than an air hammer, such as the Cornwell that Autoace helped me buy?

 

[DARK AGE 53]

I have a 1/2 in. Milwaukee Pistol Grip Dual Torque Hammer-Drill, 0-1350/0-2500 RPM, works great for me.

 

[tatra]

i have the bosch that antolod mentioned...........really like and what made me decide on that one was i asked a local tool rebuilder that does warranty work which one they would buy and seems bosch is the most trouble free..........

 

[GeorgiaHybrid]

Another vote for Bosch here, I use an 11253VSR and have never had a problem with it. That model is a SDS Plus Rotary hammer drill that will do anything a homeowner would ever require. For day in, day out work, I agree with the choice of a Hilti rotary hammer but it is overkill for home use unless you get a great deal on CL or at a pawnshop.

 

[tatra]

keep in mind the total length that you will be working with of the bit and tool.........sometimes became an issue on certain jobs...........other models may be what you want that are more of a pistol type.....these are more money and if one is needed for your application, renting might be the answer..........

 

[Coach James]

Have a hammer drill and roto hammer. I prefer the roto for holes over 1/2" inch. I rented a Bosch Bulldog a couple times but rental went up to almost $80 a day here. I bought a Northern Tool roto hammer to drill holes for new floor anchors when we were rearranging our gym. I drilled 14 or 16, I forget which, four inch deep, 1" diameter holes with no problems.

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_16998_16998

Make sure you use a good bit. I have found Vermont American bits to be lousy, but Bosch bits have been excellent.

Coach

 

[Diablo]

Ive always liked Bosch, they run forever and are very reasonably priced. I find the Hilti's are the cadillacs and would pick i if it wernt for the price.

 

[Busted_Knuckles]

Oh wow, am I dumb, glad I asked. I thought a roto-hammer was just another name for a hammer-drill. Please explain the difference?

Rotary hammer and hammer drill both are masonry drills, rotary hammer is a drill that has vertical blows to the bit while drilling, and goes through newer concrete like butter. A hammer drill is a drill that more or less vibrates, and are great for running up to 1/4 Masonry screws, Although it will drill just about as big as you want to go, larger hole ends up a little out of round, takes a long time to drill them, and makes a mess.

I don't use my hammer drill for anything except just regular drilling with the hammer turned off (Milwaukee 1/2 holeshooter). Ive got a Bosch Bulldog Extreme rotary hammer, it goes through concrete like butter, I also have a Hilti, I prefer the Bosch, in fact probably may favorite power tool. Hammer drills just make allot of noise and dust and don't do much. Rotary Hammer is where its at.

My 2 cents.

 

[nissan_crawler]

I have a 1/2" hitachi sds drill, works great. The best part is...dad got it at lowes for $25.

 

[jpilgrim]

I got a Milwaukee rotary hammer over ten years ago when I was doing a lot of computer network installations. Predecessor to their current model 5340 15-amp 2" spline drive. It would sink a 1-1/4 inch hole through a 14 inch old concrete wall in about two minutes as I recall. Definitely the right tool for the job. Lesser drills (hammer drills) took forever with just a 1/2" hole and left my wrist aching from the vibration. I'll get the exact model from the garage tomorrow.

 

[charlie_nj]

I don't have one, but the Harbor Freight SDS rotary hammer seems to get pretty good reviews from those that do own them. It's $70, or $56 with a coupon. Less than 2 days of a rental would cost you.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=97743

 

[Bolster]

OK. Based on what I've learned here, I don't want a hammer drill at all. Take it out of the subject line. I definitely want a roto drill. Whew, that was a close one, thanks for putting me on the right path, guys.

 

[Bolster]

I have a 1/2" hitachi sds drill, works great. The best part is...dad got it at lowes for $25.

How did he manage that??

 

[SocketDeviler]

Bolster, I sold many BOSCH 11253VSR drills (and similar Bosch models) during my time at the pawn shop. Even the ones that were beat to **** still worked. You can get one on ebay for a fraction of retail cost and they have good resale value (having the original case helps too).

 

[A_Pmech]

I'm not sure that the terminology "roto hammer" versus "hammer drill" really means anything. At least, not according to Hilti. They call everything they make a "Hammer Drill". This is a Hilti TE-60. The next size up from this is a core drill that comes on a hand truck:

It is definitely not a regular drill that has a "hammer" function, which even I equated with "hammer drill" until I bought this.

In other words: Buy a drill from a reputable manufacturer that is obviously designed solely for drilling concrete, of the capacity you require, regardless of what the manufacturer calls it.

 

[JTG]

I have the Bosch Bulldog, great drill. One thing I will add, if you are drilling into flooring make sure your drill bit is long enough to allow you to drill standing up. Its worth the extra money. Your knees and back will thank you.

 

[Mike83]

Another vote for the Bosch Bulldog X-treme 1" SDS. Got mine refurbished for about $150 iirc. Made in Germany, even! Beware, you may soon spend as much on bits as the cost of the tool. I just bought a few big ones at Sears that were 1/2 off in the clearance section. A 3/4" SDS bit might run about $25-$30 at normal price.

Another cool feature is that you can have hammer only mode and then use the special tile remover blade or bull point bit and chisel bits for small scale masonry removal.

 

[jpilgrim]

Mine was a Milwaukee 5352 spline-drive rotary hammer, 1-1/2" nominal capcity, 8.5 amp.
I think it's my favorite corded hand power tool.

That's a 1-1/4" by 18" bit in it.

Gosh, the drill still looks brand new.
I guess I haven't had that much work for it.
But when I did, it made fast work of it!

Another cool feature is that you can have hammer only mode and then use the special tile remover blade or bull point bit and chisel bits for small scale masonry removal.

+1

But mine was definitely underpowered for use with a bull point on solid concrete.

 

[tatra]

what ever you buy, having the right tool is a pleasure...............and having concrete melt away is "almost " as good as ***............ok, satisfying...........

 

[metal1313]

if your not using one often i'd say get a decent hammer drill and some good ear protection. if your gonna be drilling lots of holes larger than 1/2 in crete on a regular basis def get a roto hammer, or a high end hammer drill.

when i did commercial plumbing i used a big hilti roto hammer daily, but for certain tasks i liked my smaller hammer drill. but more importantly for both types of drills are good bits, i like the bosch and hilti bits, but dont rerally like the hilti chisel bits

 

[Bolster]

Well fellers, maybe ol' Bolster is "compensating," but I ordered me up a big 'un, it's an SDS-Max, 11-amp, the 11241. $419 new.

I could use some demolition capacity; the wife is constantly wanting me to tear up floors and lay down new ones. Also we have this horribly thick clay soil here, and I understand you can get a dandy clay spade bit. I've had two injuries to my wrists/elbows in the last year, both came from overly aggressive digging. Mebbe I can get this electrical digger to take the brunt for me.

It looks like you can go down to a 3/8 bit on it. Have not figured out how to put a phillips driver on the end of it yet. Maybe I can toss my Sears manual-style impact driver if I figure that out. AND, I should be able to drive tapcon screws all the way to China.

Eagerly awaiting its arrival.

 

[GeorgiaHybrid]

One word of advise.... Don't take a wire wheel to it to get the clay off of it...

That looks nice....

 

[Vinko]

Well fellers, maybe ol' Bolster is "compensating," but I ordered me up a big 'un, it's an SDS-Max, 11-amp, the 11241. $419 new.

I could use some demolition capacity; the wife is constantly wanting me to tear up floors and lay down new ones. Also we have this horribly thick clay soil here, and I understand you can get a dandy clay spade bit. I've had two injuries to my wrists/elbows in the last year, both came from overly aggressive digging. Mebbe I can get this electrical digger to take the brunt for me.

It looks like you can go down to a 3/8 bit on it. Have not figured out how to put a phillips driver on the end of it yet. Maybe I can toss my Sears manual-style impact driver if I figure that out. AND, I should be able to drive tapcon screws all the way to China.

Eagerly awaiting its arrival.

When you put it to use, can you let us know how you like it?

I need something for masonry and concrete. Most often 3/8 holes about 3-4 inches deep. But I'll need capacity for up to 3/4.

I've needed one for a lot of little jobs. We've got a brute of a Skil that's about 30+ years old that'll rip your arm if not your torso off.

I saw this Bosch 11253VSR for $217. I'd of course love a Hilti

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BB79QQ/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[eddyyy302]

Well fellers, maybe ol' Bolster is "compensating," but I ordered me up a big 'un, it's an SDS-Max, 11-amp, the 11241. $419 new.

I could use some demolition capacity; the wife is constantly wanting me to tear up floors and lay down new ones. Also we have this horribly thick clay soil here, and I understand you can get a dandy clay spade bit. I've had two injuries to my wrists/elbows in the last year, both came from overly aggressive digging. Mebbe I can get this electrical digger to take the brunt for me.

It looks like you can go down to a 3/8 bit on it. Have not figured out how to put a phillips driver on the end of it yet. Maybe I can toss my Sears manual-style impact driver if I figure that out. AND, I should be able to drive tapcon screws all the way to China.

Eagerly awaiting its arrival.

I have the same Drill, It is a great unit, will last forever. I bought mine at a yard sale from a homeowner that used it to remove 1 tile floor, then sold it. As was already said, the bits are expensive, depending on the situation you can use one size bit, drill multiple holes and knock the center out to accomplish a larger hole.
I also have the harbor freight sds drill that was referenced, just gave it to my dad for some work he has to do, I have had it for a few years, but never used it. Can't give my opinion on that one.

Dan

 

[back2class]

Ive got a very clean Milwaukee 5378-21 1/2 in. Pistol Grip Dual Torque Hammer-Drill that is excelent I would let go for $75 shipped. I'll try and snap a pic.

 

[Bolster]

OK, have used the 11241 for drilling 1/2" dia. holes 6-8" deep into concrete, mortar, and brick for the past week, and the process is effortless. (Even though my first drilling hit rebar and I probably dulled the tip of my expensive SDS-max bit.) It just sinks the bit into concrete/mortar/brick like shoving a spoon into a cup of yogurt. This machine is way overkill for 1/2" holes.

Will report back after I give the "hammer only" setting a workout.

Interestingly the machine seems to be getting better with more use. I had read somewhere that a new demolition hammer needed some break-in time before it got down to work.

This machine has some sort of vibratory dampening system built in, which works well. And it's not as heavy as I feared it might be. It's solid, I couldn't hold it with one hand, but it's no sweat with two.

PS: Purchasing Makita bits from Amazon can save you some serious coinage.

 

[Bolster]

UPDATE.

This tool rocks. Took awhile to break in, but now it makes difficult work e e e a a s s s y y y.

Bought a spade bit for it ($45!) and now digging into our dense clay soil is child's play. Drills into anything. Highly recommended.

 

[Monte]

Metabo P7911

 

[BPJOOP93]

I work at a tool supply store and all i have to say is dont buy one with a standard drill chuck. get one that uses either SDS, SDS MAX, or SPLINE DRIVE. i have one with a standard chuck and it really isnt worth a ****. it does the job but not real well. as stated in an earlier post rent one. hope this helps.