Reddit mentions: The best power rotary hammers

Alright, no offense to the first commenter but we need to clearly define what we are talking about.
There isn't an "impact driver drill" I believe your talking about something like this that is a cordless electric 1/4" impact driver. It accepts 1/4" hex driver bits notice the special cut out at the base of the bit, that's what keeps it from falling out. It functions like a drill/driver until it encounters sufficient resistance then it impacts, giving increased torque(rotational force), it does not produce a hammering force(along the axis of the bit).

Now this is an impact wrench it too functions like a drill/driver until it meets resistance then it impacts adding rotational force but not hammer force. What are the differences between this and the driver we looked at earlier? First is obviously size, the wrench is bigger, and stronger, and heavier. But that's not what makes it a different tool, what makes it different is the tip, it's a square, like for putting sockets on, in this case 1/2" sockets but they make 3/8", 1/4", 3/4" and much larger!

So could you use the first tool in place of the much larger second tool? Yes! Use one of these adapters

Here's the problem tho, the first tool, the driver, makes at most 117 ft-lbs, and I believe that's stretching, the second tool, the wrench, makes 700 ft-lbs. To remove a rusty, crusty, stubborn lugnut you will need the bigger badder tool, sometimes it still won't be enough, and you'll need a breaker bar with a cheater pipe.

Now what the other commenter mentioned, the hammering force, that can be made with a few different tools. Let's start with the handheld impact driver yes it's confusing, two different tools, both called impact drivers, but this one we'll call the handheld, you hold it with one hand, and hammer it with a hammer. It has a cam mechanism that takes some of that axial force and imparts a slight (like 1/16 of a turn) rotation. It's good for stuck screws especially Phillips heads.

Another, more common tool is the hammer drill it is essentially a drill, it grips with three jaws onto the same bits as our first impact driver, or onto completely round bits, like your common drill bits but when you engage the hammer mechanism it will push its chuck forward and back rapidly, and the pressure you apply to the back of the drill hammers the bit into the material your drilling, useful for concrete/masonary work. But for real drilling power into concrete you want an SDS rotary hammer drill this bad boy only accepts SDS bits, provides it's own rotary and axial forces and will drill thru reinforced concrete like non reinforced butter.

Ok I think that about covers it, if anyone would like to add on I'd appreciate it. And remember:

Always use the right tool for the job, a hammer is the right tool for every job, and every tool can be used as a hammer!


Obviously that was sarcasm.

I've done a few chimney's before order yourself this and this. The hammer drill has a setting to use it like a mini jackhammer this will allow you to pop the bricks out one at a time. Go buy a big canvas drop cloth (tarps just seem to tear) and put it on the grass. Set up some scaffolding (you can rent this for just a few bucks a day) but make sure to place it in a way that if the chimney were to fall (super unlikely) it won't take you with it. If you want to do it the easy way go rent a manlift.

Honestly a chimney like this is probably only only about 2 or 3 hours of demo and the clean up time will depend on what you have to haul the bricks away. If you have a truck that will tow it go rent a dump trailer. You can then just haul them to the local dump and dispose of them as construction demo (usually pretty cheap). And with the dump trailer you don't need to unload them.

If you get a couple of guys to help you (I shouldn't have to say this but don't let them load while you toss) you could pull it off in a day easily. I did a 3 story chimney with my FIL a few years ago that was in the middle of the house, so we had to use buckets to haul out the bricks and we sill pulled it off by late afternoon.

Slotted Drive System. I've been standardized on the Dewalt 18v line for over 15 years now so this is the one I have.

Same battery but they're like a hammer drill on steroids and can drill a big hole through concrete faster than most drills can drill a small hole through wood. I do a ton of work, hanging TVs and running cables through walls, in poured concrete buildings and what would take me an hour or more with my standard hammer drill will take me 15 minutes or less with my SDS drill. As always, and perhaps obviously, make sure you buy quality bits because they make a huge difference too. Personally I prefer the ones with a "+" shaped crossed spade on top instead of the single "-" shaped spade. Less bit wander when you start the hole and they definitely hold up longer so you get more long term bang for your buck for only a tiny initial price increase.

Different motor technology = more efficient and longer lasting. More expensive, however.

I've got the Milwaukee M12 tools (their "lightweight" line). Does it have the whoopee of my 18v DeWalt XRP tools? No. But it's got more than enough for all the DIY stuff I've done, including some jobs that most people would say required heavier tools, such as deck building and concrete drilling. Just yesterday I drilled some 6" deep, 1/2" dia. holes in concrete with my M12 hammer drill. I had a Bosch Bulldog hammer drill sitting 15 feet away, and I didn't even bother to get it because the little M12 worked just fine; a bit slower, obviously, but better control.

In short, I'm a fan. The FUEL M12s are better yet.

Damn, make sure you clean that out regularly. People have burnt their house down.

Go get this:

Bosch Power Tools Rotary Tool - 11255VSR Bulldog Xtreme Rotary Hammer Drills For Concrete – Use For Overhead Drilling, Demolition, Anchoring – Corded Hammer Drill For Crew, Contractor, Construction https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BB79Q6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_F9sUCb5ANYAV7

And this:

Starrett KD0414-N 4.1/4-Inch Diamond Grit Holesaw https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008CD1V8M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_l8sUCbT69WR45

And this:

7/16” Hex Shank Hole Saw Arbor, Fits 1-1/4” to 6” Hole Saw Quick Change Heavy Duty Alloy-Steel Mandrel with 3 BONUS 1/4” Precision Drill Bits Replacement https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07DN9SKTD/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_D.sUCb01DPGAB


Make sure you back off on the drill and let it do the work and don’t let the big overheat.

11264EVS is $500 on Amazon. I needed mine for 3 full days for the bathroom floor, but since then I've used it for the fireplace and also to peel plaster off of chimneys on floors above. I've at least broken even, if not started saving money compared to renting.

One thing is that this size starts to get a bit heavy for extended wall/overhead work when you have to support its weight. For reference, the model I linked above is 13 amps and has 6.5 ft/lb of impact energy. When I went to look at renting, they only had the next sizes up of rotary hammer. Not quite a jack hammer, but pretty heavy to use along a wall for any period. For the job in your photo, I'd be okay with renting a larger model for half a day.

If you have other work to do besides this, you might get away with something in the $300 range that uses normal (smaller) SDS bits. You can also take your chances with the really cheap stuff on Amazon/Harbor Freight but that's not really my thing.

I make less than $10k per year, my house and land cost me $4k to buy. I'm not going to hire or rent my way to a solution -- either I buy the tools, or I work by hand with what I've got. If I had a good manual method I'd do it that way, but my manual method is both tedious and gives poor results. 26 hours of labor is nothing to me. I spent over 200 hours this year terracing / building dry stone walls.

I think two closely spaced holes with a 2" chisel bit would give me the maximum desired post-hole diameter for pretty much all my jobs. This isn't granite I'm cutting into, it's crumbly shale.

I think a rotary drill/hammer or a jackhammer under $1k is probably the ticket but I'll probably need to rent one or two for a few hours to see if they can actually outperform me with my wrecking bar and sledge and pickaxe. They may not be much faster than me.

http://www.amazon.com/Bosch-11335K-35-Pound-8-Inch-Hammer/dp/B000PWCNVW/

http://www.amazon.com/Bosch-11245EVS-2-Inch-SDS-Max-Rotary/dp/B00004SUPS/

I definitely wouldn't go cordless for this job. Popular Mechanics had a review of corded hammer drills a little while back.

If you're going to be doing this a lot, I would recommend getting a rotary hammer and not a hammer drill. I would recommend the Bosch Bulldog for the job.

That looks a lot like the all black sub-compact rotary hammer that Makita offers in the US. I don't think the blue DHR171Z is offered here. For what its worth the description of the Sub-Compact says accepts SDS-Plus bits - I'd expect the DHR171Z does too.

Will it do the job you need? Don't know - check out this review of the sub-compact.

Within the past month, several companies have released new impact models that are dramatically quieter. It might be worth holding off a bit before buying an impact.

I do similar work (networking, A/V, security) and ended up needing a hammer drill for mounting speakers and cameras outside. There's not much difference in price with the Milwaukee, so I would recommend their hammer drill. The 12 V has been fine for me, and is much lighter which is a big consideration when you're carting it around with you everywhere.

The pelican case that was recommended looks very nice, but it's also the cost of a hammer drill kit that would come with a hard case. Milwaukee 2408-22 M12 3/8 Hammer Dr Driver Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FNDMIF4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_01R2xb4327ZYD

If you can pony up a bit more, you could get an SDS like this, but that's probably overkill:
Milwaukee 2412-22XC M12 1/2 SDS Rotary Hammer Kit W/2 Xc Bat https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CLUEVUW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_2RR2xb6GSVSFA

I'm going to go against the other guy's grain here and recommend the next model up from that one one. It has more about 20% more power, weighs about 4 pounds less, is more compact and easier to get into tight spaces, and is much more ergonomic. The difference between the two is astonishing as far as your productivity goes.

Ya I own brushed dewalt "USA w/global materials" drill/impact set already. It does the job for sure!

I should have clarified. I meant SDS like this one

DEWALT DCH133B 20V Max XR Brushless 1” D-Handle Rotary Hammer Drill https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MF4YEIF/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_jcnjzbHCRY7DD

You might want to try something like like this. The more someone tries to pull up the tighter its supposed to wedge. If they want it bad enough they will get it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYIqoxsjsNE I would talk to someone who does concrete since you will need a hammer drill. A drill with regular bits will not work. You will just ruin the bits and waste your time. If you have a cordless drill/ hammer drill like this https://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-DCD985B-20-Volt-Lithium-2-Inch/dp/B007ML7EVI/ref=sr_1_2?s=power-hand-tools&ie=UTF8&qid=1518417647&sr=1-2&keywords=dewalt+hammer+drill you could to it yourself. Those drills take forever compared to an sds or sds max hammer drill. They also don't like bits over 1/2". They will work but the motor gets frakn hot. If you know someone with something like this https://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-D25263K-D-Handle-Rotary-Hammer/dp/B00VNBV2F2/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1518417765&sr=1-1&keywords=dewalt+hammer+drill+sds or this https://www.amazon.com/DEWALT-D25601K-4-Inch-Combination-Hammer/dp/B00MAB8DHY/ref=sr_1_5?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1518417765&sr=1-5&keywords=dewalt+hammer+drill+sds your golden.

It's important to clarify that I'm asking about a hammer drill, not an SDS rotary hammer drill. I don't see myself using a rotary hammer drill in the near future.

How's this?

Get a Bosch Bulldog. They are typically $150-200. I am an electrician and we have one on every truck.
https://www.amazon.com/Bosch-11255VSR-SDS-plus-BULLDOG-Xtreme/dp/B000BB79Q6

I ended up buying this guy: https://www.amazon.ca/Bosch-GBH18V-26-Bare-Tool-Lithium-Ion-Brushless/dp/B01N1FD1DH/ref=pd_rhf_sc_p_img_4?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=CPT635A8M32V52QQ1VJQ (it was on sale for $363)

I do pest control and termite work. We ONLY use Bosch SDS hammerdrills. We probably drill out around 400 half inch to 3/4 inche holes per house, and try to get at least two jobs in during a normal day. Bosch is rebuildable if there is an issue, and can be had for less than 200 dollars. This is what we use for drilling into foundations (horizontally) we drill 1/2 inch holes through the block, sometimes solid concrete. http://www.amazon.com/Bosch-11255VSR-BULLDOG-SDS-plus-D-Handle/dp/B000BB79Q6/ref=sr_1_1?s=power-hand-tools&ie=UTF8&qid=1377122483&sr=1-1&keywords=bosch+hammer+drill
and this is what we use when we have to downdrill or for big holes (1 1/2 inch wide) or when we use long bits (24 to 36 inches) http://www.amazon.com/Bosch-RH328VC-8-Inch-Rotary-Hammer/dp/B003DQO7ES/ref=sr_1_2?s=power-hand-tools&ie=UTF8&qid=1377122483&sr=1-2&keywords=bosch+hammer+drill