Regular drill versus Hammer drill

[newood2]

Is there a big difference between using regular drill or hammer drill for concrete.
I need to replace some scaled bricks, and in order to do that I have to drill-out the mortar between each brick. If I use a hammer and chisel, it will crack the adjoining brick, so I want to avoid that.
Right now I'm using a regular corded drill and it's taking forever.
Would it be better to go and buy a hammer drill?

Howie

[Tom Miller]

Certainly for drilling a hole in concrete, the difference is night and day. Whether or not this is the correct approach for what you're trying to do, I can't say.

Regards,
Tom

[movnup]

Hammer drill with masonary bits is in my opinion the best way you'll get the job done. I have the biggest corded Bosch Hammer Drill that HD carries and it still is a lot of work / noise / dust / time but it will accomplish what you are trying to do. Mine was over $160 so you might want to rent one ....

Others may have an easier path for mortar only but in pure concrete a hammer drill is the right tool.

[p8ntblr]

Just make sure it's a true hammer drill (ie. it has the hammer action). I have the Dewalt "hammer drill" and that thing is just a drill regardless of the name. A true hammer drill usually has a switch to go from drill to hammer mode.

But personally I would go with a rotary hammer if you wanted to go through concrete. I had the bosch bulldog and it went through concrete like butter. I sold that and now have some generic brand and am just as happy. The only somewhat downside is many of them use sds type bits that don't use a chuck. So if you have concrete bits already you may not be able to use them. Ryobi (and I'm sure other companies) however has one that does use regular bits. Borg carries it but I can't seem to find it on their website even though I've seen them at the store.

[sacherjj]

Also, look on ebay. I needed to drill some holes for a few projects a few months apart. Wound up getting the 7/8" Bosch Bulldog and sold it for a decent amount on ebay. The loss in price was a little cheaper than renting one twice.

[movnup]

I concur with the above two posts for the rotary hammer after looking at the specs ... mine actually looks the same as the bulldog but only takes 3/4" bits. I looked up my model with a picture and it is called a rotary hammer drill and it has the switch to change between hammering / drilling. I wouldn't say mine cut like butter though so the bigger one is probably a better bet ...

[BrazosJake]

Harbor Freight sells a 3/4 SDS rotary hammer that has drill, hammer, and hammer/drill modes and is often on sale for $30. Awesome tool. I've used it to remove tiles, demolish a rebarred slab, oh, and defrost a freezer:-)

Yes, a hammer drill is way better for drilling masonry.

[parnelli]

Is there a big difference between using regular drill or hammer drill for concrete.

Example: Last year I needed to hang some shelving in the basement.

The first three holes took me about 30 minutes with a regular drill and masonry bit.

I bought an el-cheapo HF hammer dril (~$25) and did the other 12 holes in about 10 minutes total.

[messmaker]

You are looking at a pretty good job in front of you so you might want to go top shelf on tools. If not, this is the drill I have and I think the one parnelli is talking about. I have three hammer drills and this one is the quickest.http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=45338

[siliconbauhaus]

I have a Kango SDS hammer drill I bought back in England. I brought it over with me as it was already set up for 110v as most construction tools are there. It's now a good 13 years old. AFAIK they're basically a rebadged hitli right down to the same red plastic moulding.

Given the job you have to do, I'd seriously recommend paying the extra for the known brands with sds....forget a regular chuck as they're worthless. The amount you pay now will serve you for a very long time. You may only use it now and then...but when you need it they'll do the job.

[reddog552]

removing brick

Although a hammerdrill will work.When I remove brick,done lots of them.Iuse a angle grinder and a diamond blade.Cut out most of the morter and tap on the brick they usually pop out. Drilling with hammer on old morter usually loosens brick all around not wanted. BE CAREFULL .http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...seBVCookie=Yes

[radhak]

Reviving this with a new question - which is better : corded or cordless hammerdrill?

I mean, beyond the obvious advantage of the cordless one not needing a power source closeby. Even without checking the internet I can assume the cordless ones would be much costlier, but are they worth it?

And also - is the Impact driver interchangeable with the hammer drill?

[crokett]

I have a corded Bosch hammer drill. I've used both corded and cordless hammer drills and much prefer my corded. Cordless works ok for the smaller bits but when I am trying to push a 1/2 hole through concrete I much prefer my corded.

[Tequila]

Reviving this with a new question - which is better : corded or cordless hammerdrill?

I mean, beyond the obvious advantage of the cordless one not needing a power source closeby. Even without checking the internet I can assume the cordless ones would be much costlier, but are they worth it?

And also - is the Impact driver interchangeable with the hammer drill?

Corded vs cordless is kinda the same comparison as every other tool; Cordless is more convenient. Corded is generally more powerful and lighter.

My hammerdrill is the only corded drill that I own (drill presses don't count) - for me the power and runtime of a cord was much more important than the convenience of cordless, especially considering how fast you can run through a battery punching holes in concrete.

And impact drivers are not the same as hammerdrills. A hammerdrill will move the bit forward and back while it's spinning, hammering away at whatever you're drilling into. An impact driver does not move forward & back, but it senses when the bit stops spinning and applies an impact force that works in a circular motion around the bit to help get it spinning again. As far as I know, nobody makes a tool that's a combination of both.

[radhak]

Thanks, that does make it simpler - the 'drill is out of juice' kinda gets old pretty fast; and seeing corded is cheaper, why bother with cordless...