Makita 5/8" Hammer Drill

[cabinetman]

Just got a flier from International Tool for a Makita 5/8" hammer drill ($80.75 my flier). A 4 1/2" angle grinder is free with purchase.
http://www.internationaltool.com/Ham...a-HP1641K.aspx

.

[sweensdv]

I have an earlier version of that drill and it rocks. IIRC, I paid about the same for mine years back and didn't get anything free with it either. Good bargain, thanks for posting.

[aggrex]

IME its a good corded drill but not a good hammer drill. The keyless chuck tends to loosen during hammering mode. I switched to a Bosch hammer drill with a keyed chuck to finish the job.

[mrhans]

IME its a good corded drill but not a good hammer drill. The keyless chuck tends to loosen during hammering mode. I switched to a Bosch hammer drill with a keyed chuck to finish the job.

This is a nice deal in consideration of the freebie involved. If I didnt have a couple of hammerdrills and grinders I'd be on this.
I have a keyed chuck hammerdrill (bosch 1199 something)and a keyless chuck hammerdrill (Bosch 36V cordless.) The regular chuck failed only after eight years or so of use and the key\less one needed replacing under warranty after two years. Keyless chucks just dont seem to up to the rigors of regular hammerdrill usage. A chuck is fairly simple to replace and if it fails in the warranty period I just call in and have another one sent out. Not sure about Makita call in center but thats how Bosch has been with me when I've needed help.

[woodturner]

The keyless chuck tends to loosen during hammering mode.

The problem with hammer drills in general is the chuck. The hammering causes the chuck to loosen and much of the hammering force is lost to movement in the chuck. A rotary hammer such as the Bosch bulldog has an SDS+ chuck and overcomes this problem. The difference between a rotary hammer and a hammer drill is amazing.

The Makita hammer drills have not held up well for me. I went through three of them in the coarse of drilling 1/2" holes into the edges of a concrete slab to attach a ledger board. After the third one failed, I spent the $20 to buy the HF clone of this drill, and it is still working fine years later. I generally like Makita tools, but the hammer drill doesn't seem to last.

FWIW, I bought a Bosch 5/8" bulldog refurb on Amazon for around $100, and it works great. I highly recommend it.

If you don't want to invest the money for a tool you might just use once, think about renting a Bulldog - around here they rent for $20 a day or so.

[cabinetman]

I've got many Bosch power tools, and most of them perform as expected. I can't say that about the Bulldog rotary hammer, it's overpriced and overrated. It runs slow and hot.

I'm still using a Makita 5/8" hammerdrill bought about 20 years ago. No problem with the chuck, and prefer it to the Bosch which IMO, was a waste of money. For an SDS, the DeWalt is a bit more powerful than the Bosch.

.

[sweensdv]

As I said earlier I have an earlier version of that hammer drill from Makita. My experience with the chuck has been that it sometimes actually tightens up on the bit when I use it. Sometimes I have a heck of a time opening the chuck to get the bit out. My usage is only occasional so I really can't speak to how this would be for everyday use but then this drill probably shouldn't be considered by someone who would need to use it on a daily basis.

[frumper64]

I have an older version of this Makita and it is okay, but if you really want to drill holes in concrete, I would highly recommend the Harbor Freight 1" rotary hammer. That thing is a beast and has held up very well for me over the last couple of years with quite heavy usage. The lower speed means the bits last way longer than I could ever get regular carbide bits to last and it is absolutely effortless to drill 3/8th holes in old concrete for anchors.

[woodturner]

As I said earlier I have an earlier version of that hammer drill from Makita. My experience with the chuck has been that it sometimes actually tightens up on the bit when I use it.

To clarify my earlier comments, it's the movement of the bit in the chuck that limits the force a hammer drill can apply. This movement may or may not cause the chuck to loosen.

The bit in a hammer drill is held by the friction of the chuck jaws against the smooth sides of the drill bit. When the bit moves forward with the impact of the hammer, the drill bit slides a little in the chuck due to the impact. As a result, something in the range of 50% or less of the impact force is transmitted to the work.

In addition, the hammer in a hammer drill is relatively small, resulting in less inertial force available to transmit.

In contrast, a rotary hammer such as the top rated Bosch Bulldog uses an SDS bit. This bit has slots in the sides that are driven by a pin in the chuck. As a result, nearly all the force is transmitted to the work.

The hammer is larger in a rotary hammer and can provide a greater impact force as a result of the greater mass.

For light duty applications, such as drilling a 1/4" hole in a plaster wall, a hammer drill is fine. For heavier jobs, the difference between the two is significant.

As I mentioned previously, the hammer drill was not up to the task of drilling 1/2" holes 15" deep into old, hard concrete. I did manage half of one hole with each Makita hammer drill before they failed. Even the HF hammer drill took a long time (20 minutes) and got rather hot by the end of the hole. In contrast, the Bosch Bulldog drilled those holes in less than 5 minutes and was barely warm to the touch after drilling 20 holes.

It's really all about using the proper tool for the job. I have not used the HF rotary hammer, but it appears to be a clone of the larger Bosch rotary hammer and will likely work just fine and save a few bucks.