Replies

1. 
   maddog3 | Jul 07, 2007 03:03am | #1

   Bosch bulldog.....

   or Hilti if you have too much money laying around ! 8,)

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   , wer ist jetzt der Idiot ?

2. 
   Sphere | Jul 07, 2007 03:04am | #2

   Trust me, the Makita Lithium ION SDS rotary hammer is the cats pajamas...un-be-liev-able.

    

3. 
   Disputantum | Jul 07, 2007 05:07am | #3

   I have a  Milwaukee 1/2" hammer drill which I hate for masonry drilling (like it for wood though).  I never could get the Jacobs chuck tight enough to stop the bit from slipping even with a cheater wrench.  I bought a Hitachi rotary hammer with an SDS-plus chuck which I like much better.  It's an earlier version of this: DH 24 PB 3

4. 
   slykarma | Jul 07, 2007 07:04am | #4

   I know many posters here will weigh in with votes for the Bosch Bulldog. Those work well, but when I was working for a big commercial concrete outfit, I saw more of them burnt out than the Makitas they switched over to. Now they may have been getting a better dollar deal on the Maks and so the switch (this firm has 500 employees so they buy a lot of tools). Anyway those rotary drills get worked hard and I saw the Bosch croaked more often than the Maks.

   Forget anything with a 3-jaw conventional chuck, SDS is so much faster that it doesn't bear thinking about. It will be a step up in price, but throwing away 3 or 4 Jacobs chuck drills in frustration will cost a fair bit too...

    

   Lignum est bonum.
1. 
   bubbajames | Jul 07, 2007 07:15am | #5

   Thanks to all who posted, but I do not use it enough to justify an SDS unit. I want a simple corded 1/2 inch Hammerdrill that will also work for wood drilling...

1. 
   MarkH | Jul 07, 2007 04:06pm | #6

   My Milwaukee 1/2 hole shooter hammer drill works for me.  It's a good drill, but is long and front heavy for general use as a regular drill.  It's maybe not the fastest at concrete drilling, but it has made any hole I needed.

2. 
   IdahoDon | Jul 07, 2007 09:56pm | #8

   but I do not use it enough to justify an SDS unit.

   A reconditioned 7/8" sds bulldog can be had for a little over $100 and you'll find it well worth the price.  Many chucked hammer drills are terrible for concrete drilling.  Normal drills are cheap so for $150 you'll have both. 

   Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.

3. 
   Billy | Jul 08, 2007 03:15am | #9

   I bought a used Bulldog on ebay because I couldn't justify a new one for occassional use. 

   Someone here once said "A rotary hammer is for drilling holes in concrete and a hammer drill is for playing jokes on your helper."  You can do it with a hammer drill for smaller holes but it can be frustrating, depending on the hardness of the material.

   Billy

4. 
   Pierre1 | Jul 08, 2007 03:58am | #10

   For light duty cement or concrete work - holes of less than 1/4" or so - the Makita Model 1500 hammer-drill is quite serviceable.

   It is said to be a 9/16" chuck. Variable speed, so quite adaptable to drilling wood or metal. It will mix paint, and very small batches of mud. If you ask more of it than it can do, you will smell the windings... 

5. 
   Waters | Jul 08, 2007 04:03am | #11

   There's an SDS adapter for keyless chuck.  I use my 18v cordless hammerdrill/driver for anything that I wouldn't use the Rotary hammer for, but if I was going to buy a hammer drill only, I'd buy an SDS Rotary hammer and then the adapter.  You'd be surprised how useful the rotary hammer is--or just how much you'd use it if you had it.

1. 
   slykarma | Jul 08, 2007 07:23am | #12

   I've used my rotary a few times as a light chipper, just to clean up a rough deck foundation or the like. Of course it is very light duty chipping, but it has saved me enough time to pay off that chisel bit many times over, not to mention the time and cost of running off to the tool rental to get a 'real' chipper. Non-SDS drills won't do that.Lignum est bonum.

1. 
   Waters | Jul 08, 2007 09:19pm | #13

   Works great for removing tiles and  whatnot--I use mine to vibrate concrete counter forms--and anything else I can think of....

2. 
   brownbagg | Jul 08, 2007 09:47pm | #14

   I goyt a milawkee hammer drill, but as far as hammer drills goes, there is only one, the bulldog, bosch bulldawg

   Edited 7/8/2007 2:48 pm by brownbagg

6. 
   MikeHennessy | Jul 09, 2007 05:08pm | #15

   SDS, like impact drivers, is one of those things that make you say "Hmmmm. Why didn't I do that years ago?" IMHO, one use is enough to justify an SDS. Well, maybe two uses. ;-)

   I'll never buy another hammer drill. Drills are for making holes in wood, steel, plastic, etc. Impact drivers are for driving fasteners. SDS is for making holes concrete or stone. Period.

   Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA

1. 
   Disputantum | Jul 09, 2007 08:12pm | #16

   Apropos of nothing much: I like my Milwaukee 1/2" hammer drill for wood since its top speed is 2400RPM.  My 1/2" Holeshooter tops out at 800RPM so I save it for metal.

   Edited 7/9/2007 1:12 pm ET by Disputantum

7. 
   Jointerman | Jul 14, 2007 09:52pm | #17

   I'm with you on a nice simple corded hammer drill. I tried an SDS rotoray hammer and it seems more like a demolition tool and doesn't leave nice round holes, i.e. for using Tapcon screws and the like.I started with a black and decker when we bought our house which was mostly cinder block on slab. I wore out the black and decker and since then upgraded to a nice Metabo hammer drill. I love it, it came with two chucks, keyed and keyless. Its a solid performer.

1. 
   Grover | Jul 14, 2007 10:11pm | #18

   Good Move!  I stumbled across a deal locally on Metabo last year, regional dealers chipped in on a palletful, or some such thing.  Done everything I needed:  3/8 "to 1 1/2'" hole drilling (?..and up..) light demo-ing, scaling bricks, removing tiled floors.... and a whole lot more  I never imagined.  And I got a corded 1/2" Bosch hammerdrill for Tapcons, large wood boring etc.  Happy with my choice, --okay: "investment" when spending that much $ on 2  tools. 

   I think that's the trick here...Get one Big and one Small, instead of trying that in-between sized tool to do everything--but nothing as satisfactorilyas 2 separates..  And in my shopping, was wisely persuaded to avoid SDS, stick to old school approach and avoid paying proprietary tech. fee.  Avoid that extra Mark-up on every bit and accessory sold.

1. 
   winterhawk1969 | Jul 14, 2007 10:42pm | #19

   As long as we are on the subject, I have a Milwaukee hammer drill that I use for work. I use 1/8 in. bits exclusively and drill hundreds of holes at a time. It seems to still work fine after 10 years of use.  I seem to go through more bits than I used to but like I say the drill seems to be hammering fine. I've always chalked it up to bits not being what they used to. Could a new drill be easier on bits? Could there be a problem with the old drill and I not know it?  Wouldn't a problem be obvious?

5. 
   JTC1 | Jul 07, 2007 04:16pm | #7

   Milwaukee - 1/2" - same comments as MarkH in reference to general use as a wood drill.

   I suspect your use will be "occasional" as a hammer drill.  Maybe a few holes for Tapcons or concrete anchors etc.  The Milwaukee will serve you well.

   Other posters have commented on the difficulty in getting the bits chucked in tight - usually a function of dust in the chuck mechanism.  Clean chuck = tight chuck.

   No one mentioned the difference in price of spline drive bits vs round shank.  The SDS bits are considerably more expensive.

   Jim

   Never underestimate the value of a sharp pencil or good light.