Recommendations, please - Half inch hammer drill

[JB4310]

Sticking to my original post. For your needs a good multi use drill will be what you want. Decent models range from $70 to $100. Most any of those will walk through cement blocks and brick.

Granted not near as good on reinforced concrete or stone as the "Chuck Less". But way less in cost and a lot more versatile.

I agree, we got carried away with what is the best for commercial use.
I would of normally recommended Milwaukee, but they are not that cheap in price though, plus I think the quality is going down as well. I had a right angle hole hawg crap out after very little actual use, it is several years old but hardly ever used.

Pluse 100!
Hilti Online - 1/2 Inch Drills

I have over 12,000 dollars of Hilti tools.
They are the best. And really cheap in the long haul.
I have a couple small drill hammer units, and one big core drill.
Core drill and all that goes with it is where the money is.

I have 2 Hiltis, 3 Bosch, and 2 wackers. I do alot of concrete/ masonry chipping, breaking and drilling. The only coring I do is 2" thru 10 and 12" foundation walls for installing 1.5" pvc schd 40 pipe for sump discharge.
We do that with a hand held Bosch sds max machine, usually 2 guys holding it, and it takes maybe 5 minutes with a carbide core bit.

I also have the big Bosch Brute jack hammer, that thing is 20 years old and used sometimes for hours a day, day after day. only serviced once. So I know what you mean about cheap in the long haul.

JB.

 

[crazyal]

Or you could pick up a used one off of ebay or craig's list for under $100 that will last a lifetime.

 

[CT Jay]

Mine is a Hilti TE-7 corded sds...... awesome!!

Cost an arm & leg, but a great tool.

 

[Soundguy]

My brother just burned up my drill. It was a Black and Decker and served me well for quite a while. Perhaps, however, I should upgrade.

Can anyone recommend a durable half inch hammer drill?

Thanks!

as scarry as it sounds.. I grabbed one from harbor freight last year.. hd hammer drill, half inch chuck.. extra handle on side or repositionable.. etc.. have used it a ton, no problems yet.

it seems to be as powerfull as my drillpress.

doesn't turn as fast as one of my hand held 3/8 variables.. but it hasn't let me down yet.. and was only 30$

soundguy

soundguy

 

[F250DSLPWR]

In the past for work I had used Hilti SDS hammer drills. When I needed one for the ranch I went to Harbour Freight and bought the SDS hammer drill for $59. So far it has drilled hundreds of holes in concrete, rock and limestone and still works. HF also sells a package of SDS bits with carbide tips. I have worn several of them out and also broken some of them, but overall the SDS hammer drill and carbide bits have worked out well. Much cheaper than buying a high dollar name brand SDS for occasional use. I have a Dewalt 1/2 inch drill for drilling steel and wood. Hope this helps.

 

[Soundguy]

yep.. i got mine for farm using knowing it would be living in bad places sometimes.

i've drilled out tons of fence posts and plenty thru concrete with mine as well.. same as you, wearing out some carbide bits.. not cheap ones either.. have already went thru a complete ste of dewalt forstner bits up to the 1" size i've drilled so much with it. no bearing slop or burning smell from the motor yet..

soundguy

 

[2458n]

I hate reading these posts because I sit here thinking that I have a Hilti and another hammer drill. Now where did that tool get to? To many trucks, tool boxes, and buildings involved. Not to mention the ''friends'', you promise to never lend stuff to. I will miss my Hilti most if it does not show up.

 

[JB4310]

as scarry as it sounds.. I grabbed one from harbor freight last year.. hd hammer drill, half inch chuck.. extra handle on side or repositionable.. etc.. have used it a ton, no problems yet.

it seems to be as powerfull as my drillpress.

doesn't turn as fast as one of my hand held 3/8 variables.. but it hasn't let me down yet.. and was only 30$

soundguy

soundguy

It's not scary if it holds up to real work, you gave it a good review, I wouldn't be afraid to try it for 30 bucks. Maybe still a little skeptical, but I would try it.

What's HF's return policy for power tools? I saw a sign in the store about lifetime warranty, not sure if that's just for hand tools?

JB.

 

[Soundguy]

most of their power tools have some sort of limited warranty.. months.. like 3 months or something.. however.. i usually buy something to use. IE.. I buy it and take it home and start using it.

knowing electronics the way I do.. I know that in qc, you see high early failure, mid failure and late failure. IE.. if something is truly junk.. it usually exhibits infant mortality and dies during the first job.

I wouldn't buy one of their low warranty tools to stick on a shelf to use in a year.. i wouldn't be afraid to rip it right out and put it to hard work.

I believe it is only thier hand tools that have the good warranty.

i once bought a multi pack of adjustable jaw wrenches. one broke the day i got it.. thelarge one had an occlude in the jaw casting that opened up.. i took it back, they didn't blink an eye, gave me a new one. I've used that thing since.. even as a hammer. no issues..

soundguy

 

[deereman75]

If you want one with a normal drill chuck, get a metabo. My dad has a metabo that is about 30 years old and has been used ALOT in construction and it seems like you could only break it with a sledge hammer. If you want the best drill avalible for old, hard concreat and stone, you need a hilti, my dad also has one of those with the sds chuck and it has also been used for many hours, and it will drill through a 30 year old foundation 2x as fast as the metabo. (although the bits cost alot more then normal bits)

 

[travis potter]

I burned up my old HD one day and had to have a new one now HF was close so I bought one It Has a LOT less power than my old one. I use it for chipping morter and it is much slower than my old on. I will not buy the HF HD I use most of there other tools and have no problems with them.

 

[crazyal]

I don't mind buying HF but they aren't close to me and shipping things back just sucks.

 

[Redneck in training]

If this is just for occasional use, then I don't have a specific recommendation, I have a 1/2" milwaukee hammer drill, it's pretty decent but I never use it anymore.

I had a few jobs where the milwaukee wouldn't cut it so I started using a Hilti sds drive. for commercial use there is no comparison. Only problem is they are ridiculously expensive. I got mine for a steal though.

Never found a concrete or block it wouldn't drill, with the milwaukee there were some super hard materials it would not drill.

Good luck, JB

I second Hilti. We had one at work that got abused a lot but never failed. We also liked Bosch Cobra for bigger holes or as a jackhammer (The roatation can be turned off on the big models).

 

[Zxyrthe]

Either out of guilt, desperation or both, my brother made the decision for me. He ran up to the hardware store and picked up a 7amp Bosch on sale for about $80.

Now I just have to get my ladder back . . .

 

[JB4310]

Either out of guilt, desperation or both, my brother made the decision for me. He ran up to the hardware store and picked up a 7amp Bosch on sale for about $80.

Now I just have to get my ladder back . . .

:laughing::laughing:

JB

 

[Carl_NH]

I got this same Bosch model on ebay 3 years ago - Bosch 11224VSR 7/8" SDS Rotary Hammer Drill , Bulldog | eBay mine included a box of bits too! for $96 and it drills granite and concrete with ease..

It doesnt get heavy use but when I do use it it makes short work of the job. A contractor friend has a industrial Makita model that is nice too but more $$ I think.

 

[Soundguy]

I don't mind buying HF but they aren't close to me and shipping things back just sucks.

i only buy local as well. once you do shipping, you sometimes are more than half way there to a name brand tool sometimes. itf I'm over half way there might as well go the distance.

I especially like HF tools in bad places where the tool may get abused or damaged... or especially if it needs to be modified.

no way I'm torching on my good craftsman wrenches to make stubby's or bent ones.. but a 8$ HF set.. sure!

soundguy

 

[crazyal]

i only buy local as well. once you do shipping, you sometimes are more than half way there to a name brand tool sometimes. itf I'm over half way there might as well go the distance.

I especially like HF tools in bad places where the tool may get abused or damaged... or especially if it needs to be modified.

no way I'm torching on my good craftsman wrenches to make stubby's or bent ones.. but a 8$ HF set.. sure!

soundguy

:laughing: I bet I have a tool boxes worth of wrenches and screw drivers that are either bent, cut down or ground thin for those "one time only" uses. I thought I was the only one to do it, had to laugh when you said you did it too. :laughing:

 

[Soundguy]

yep.. have a custom bent wrench that only fits a ford N relief valve without taking the pto shaft out.. it has plenty of 1-use only brothers and sisters too..

special snap ring screwdriver for taking the split rings off ford pto shaft bearing carrier assemblies.. etc..

soundguy

 

[2manyrocks]

hand tools, yes. Electric motor tools--taking your chances.

Picked up a set of India made wrenches at TSC on clearance for about less than HF. :thumbsup:

Shocked that a Bosch hammer drill would be on sale for $80.

What's left of your ladder is probably sitting in the middle of the interstate somewhere. That's where everybody else looses theirs.