Don't Buy Just a Hammer Drill

[@lizziflaherty4317]

This just what I needed! Have used a hammer drill for years but since moving cannot for the life of me drill into the solid red brick. All the advice I'd been given was simply that I needed a hammer drill (usually followed with a shrug) Now to decide on which sds drill to invest in! ...and decide where all the shelves are going!

[@marklucas8110]

Just bought the same model drill. I've got an old concrete and brick bunker in the back yard, that needs some 'persuasion' to be demolished. Only taken me 20 years to get round to it! Hope this is a good tool. I'll be using it in the morning. God bless my neighbours!

[@VishalDudhani]

I am absolutely in love with my Bosch GBH220 after years of struggle with the midget hammer drills.... I get holes in seconds now instead of hours 😂

[@kt38138]

I have a Bosch 800W hammer drill. When you need a 25mm hole through 40cm thick brick wall, a hammer drill is a must.

[@pizzababbo]

I just bought this exact SDS drill, and like magic, this video pops up in my feed. Great video, well explained. You've got a new sub my friend!

[@jesperstoringgaard8367]

About 10 years ago i was gifted an SDS hammerdrill from my grandfather, had cost about 40 pounds or so in the local cheap homeshop. It has served me well many times and will continue to serve as one of my "It's rarely the right tool, but when it is nothing can take its place". I lived in a rental that had hardened concrete (granit and flint reinforced i believe) and this damned drill could do a 2 inch hole barely braking a sweat

[@rbabusrisaisakthi2893]

This is the 5th tile project we've done where we've removed the old tile before installing new tile, and the first one with this tool kzbin.infoUgkxqqoaX03nrziKwF7Bjjcc71YzLEleMvOS . I want to cry for all the unnecessary work we've done in the past. With this tool, we removed tile surrounding a fireplace, as well as the hearth tile, set in loads of cement, in less than an hour. I highly recommend this tool. It was easy to use, and very satisfying watching the tile literally fall off the wall.

[@fin4795]

Watching you use a hammer on the drill bit reminded me of the palaver needed to punch a hole for the old rawlplug fibre wall plugs. Progress is a beautiful thing!

[@Conservator.]

3:29 When drilling a hole in hard material with a drill like that, one should push hard but let the drill bounce in the hole. It’s not perfect but it works better than pushing hard.

[@dantadman141]

I chipped the render off of 2 fireplaces by hand... for the third I bought an SDS and completed it in less than half a day.

[@ProperDIY]

Exactly!

[@j2shoes288]

He's an EVEN BETTER TIP: buy a bit for the sds drill, that is like er, how best to describe it? that allows you to put a nail in the sunken bit, so that the sds drill acts like a nail hammer. It works really well. you can get better results than manual, since, you get the accuracy, instantly, since you just rest the drill onto the nail, and the action just pushes/hammers the nail in, even with massive big nails, since, no point with small little nails.

[@moochoman9948]

I wouldn't advise any DIY to go cordless for an SDS. Not worth the extra money and corded are more powerful.

[@ooltimu]

It's not always the case that corded are more powerful. I have a Makita DHR264 which advances a lot better than the corded Bosch GBH 2-28

[@moochoman9948]

@@ooltimu but what is the price difference? Pound for pound a corded tool will 90% of the time be much better, especially for something that wont be used every day.

[@ooltimu]

@@moochoman9948 Depends. You don't buy cordless when you think pound for pound. Cordless are really life savers when you don't have access to power or it's very cumbersome to work with a power cord hanging besides you. Even as a DIYer I find them very handy. Who uses corded drills anymore?

[@moochoman9948]

@@ooltimu I'm a joiner mate working for a firm building extensions. Most lads use corded stuff as we have power. Cordless is decent for convenience but if your cutting/drilling all day it's not as good. Hire a Hilti from Travis, it'll be corded unless you specify.

[@harveysburger]

Meh, my dewalt cordless works great for everything I need. I even just busted a large stone in the backyard with it and some wedges... Love the convenience and certainly don't lack power for household stuff

[@AdBul_]

That drill must be junk if you dont think it will last the life of a drill bit. When I was drilling granite for a living we ran through multiple bits per drill a week and the Hilti's were there when I started and were still in use after I left 3 years later.

[@colingoode3702]

👏Now, do I need an SDS drill?

[@stuartandrews4344]

Yes

[@ProperDIY]

Of course you do!

[@1984ed101]

There are a few English 'backronyms' of SDS - 'Slotted drive system' as you quote is one, another is 'Special Direct System'. The original however is German: Steck, Dreh, Sitz - Insert, Twist, Secure. This was a tagline used by Bosch in the 70's.

[@KennyMinigun]

The German explanation makes sense, since sometimes Jigsaws with T-shank holder are also referred to as SDS tool holder

[@Conservator.]

Wasn’t Hilti the patent holder for a long time?

[@johnpainter5750]

​@@Conservator.Maybe because I used Hilti with SDS in Poland over 20 years ago.

[@DeafMaker]

I will never forget my first experience of using SDS drill after breaking two standard drills trying to drill concrete. The feeling was sheer pleasure. I love my SDS drill and second everything you've said in the video. Wish I bought one years ago.

[@stuartday1876]

Totally agree. You can feel the engineering at work.

[@ProperDIY]

Well said!

[@jamegumb7298]

I bought one and have 0 regrets. It was not even that expensive.

[@JamesKelly89]

I'm going to get one. I drilled some 3/4" holes in cinder block with a hammer drill, and it took forever. I had to take breaks to let the bit, the saw, and myself to cool off. I also had to drill some holes for tapcons and had to keep dunking the bit in oil.

[@bublik11]

It was like butter after I bought mine

[@nickbell8634]

I have that drill. It's superb, remember being totally shocked when first using it,so much easier than my usual hammer drill. Building extension it was battered and abused and still works great. Broke up 4inch thick 300mm wide concrete to dig a 7m long trench. Used it to core drill a150mm hole through 700mm of concrete. Bought an angled spade chisel and taken of rooms full of plaster and tiles. If it died now, it owes me nothing and I'd replace with the same. 👍

[@ProperDIY]

Nice one!

[@envoycdx]

Same, screwfix special. Need some wider chizels

[@realtalk1590]

You're lucky the core didn't snag as the drill would have snapped your wrists.

[@davak72]

@@realtalk1590 Is that something that happens??

[@realtalk1590]

@@davak72 purpose built coring tools have a brake which stops them turning if they catch, otherwise the bit you're holding on to spins and so do your bones 😓

[@jazzyglobe]

Thanks for another quality video Stuart. SDS is definitely the way to go if tackling heavy duty concrete drilling. So much easier and less impact I think on your arms and wrists. Just watch out with some of the cheaper SDS machines as they may not have a clutch which means if it binds and gets stuck, it will potentially spin you around and break your arm off.

[@Menoxz]

Ah yes, the sound of my neighbors

[@ralphtaylor5328]

Two points: Even the relatively small SDS drills are a great advantage compared to conventional masonry drills. I use one I got from ALDI for the easier jobs and Hitachi for the heavy stuff. Perhaps you should have included a reminder to grease the SDS bit so it slides freely in the drill. This end can get hot if not lubricated.

[@deltaop1reload]

Was researching to buy a drill for home use, this is by far the best and most in-depth video I have watched on the topic. A SDS+ Rotary Hammer drill it is. Keep up the good work, Stuart.

[@julielowe7462]

I couldn’t agree more, some years back I was trying to plumb in a basin in my utility room, I needed to put a couple of 15mm pipes through the solid brick wall from my kitchen sink, I had a 1000w hammer drill at the time as my main corded electric drill, I managed to get one hole through, and tried the second, but concluded I must have burned and blunted the drill bit, so I went up to my local B & Q to get another While I was walking into the power tool aisle, I saw an SDS Drill, now I knew about them, but had always written them off as too expensive to justify for DIY, but this one a NuTool machine was only £45 and included five meaty drill bits, a chisel and a breaker point, plus a standard Jacob’s keyed chuck, so I bought it When I got home I repositioned myself inside my sink unit, braced for Impact !, and pressed home the drill, to my utter surprise and delight it went in like a hot knife through butter, needless to say I haven’t used anything else to drill brick or concrete since ! Without a doubt this was one of my best power tool purchases ever, I still have it, and it still works beautifully, I have others now, including a Lovely Bosch I treated myself to several years later when it was on offer in B & Q again, I swear by the tool, one of the very finest inventions in power tools, my advice, if you’re a keen DIY’er buy one, you will never regret it. - Julie

[@pioneerman9568]

When I started working in carpentry we made the installations as well, we had one of these sds drills to make holes in concrete. I was hesitant to use it hence to my previous experience with regular drills at home, and it could take me 1 hour to drill a couple of holes. So I take this drill and I could believe how easy it went it, I almost shed a tear and was under impression for a week. Of course I had to buy one cheaper version to have at home even if I'll need it once in my lifetime. The amount of time, frustration and vibration to my joints is saves me makes it a solid investment.

[@remontnaurlopie7045]

To be honest SDS is from german because the company Bosch Invented it and it means Steck-Dreh-Sitz meaning (loose translation): put in, Turn and it's ready.

[@stevenle1760]

Great video. I've always passed by these tools in the hardware store wondering what their use case were. Now that I own a house made of brick and block I can see myself needing something like this.

[@ProperDIY]

Glad I could help!

[@Noone-of-your-Business]

In German, the difference in names makes the difference in construction very obvious: Schlagbohrer ("beat drill") vs. Bohrhammer ("drill hammer"). The pneumatic drill _hammer_ is basically a jackhammer. You can even switch off the rotation to use it just like a jackhammer. Are they both called "hammer drill" in English?

[@Belly-u2w]

DIYer here. I bought an SDS because I simply wanted one. Had it for four or five years and haven't looked back.

[@jordanc3233]

I first read that as "Had it for four or five years and haven't touched it." Thats my psyche telling me about my tools purchases :D

[@benscott6812]

really great info and brilliant to understand the science behind these. I have both but did not realise the actual differences in how they work. - Thanks, Ben.

[@ProperDIY]

No problem

[@chumley24]

Was going to say the same, just knowing how they operate differently makes so much sense , downside ,I need to check my drill bits as I reckon 75% will be blunt...screw fix here I come 😬

[@TrevorDennis100]

My introduction to SDS drills was a Bosch GBH 18V-21 that came with a five piece Bosch Blue kit. It was a whole other level of drilling hard masonry, and nothing has come close to slowing it down. I have to wonder if Bosch had a sense of humour when giving the GBH prefix, because Brits will recognise it as standing for Grievous Bodily Harm. An offence just short of murder. Then again we are talking about Germans with Bosch, so humour probably didn't come into it. I've added to that five piece kit and now have about ten Bosch Blue tools. I'm glad I kept all my Bosch Green kit though, because the GDX 18V-200 driver tears off the head of anything smaller than a #10 screw, and even that is touch and go. It's better for removing vehicle lug nuts.

[@ProperDIY]

Nice one - good info

[@stretchclogg]

A workmate who shall remain nameless kept moaning that the hilti drills and SDS bits were crap. We were drilling into Staffordshire Blue Bricks under a bridge fitting pigeon nets. Turns out he was drilling in reverse! 😂😂😂

[@sydsnott5042]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@jp6975]

Ah, that's the issue right there. If the drill is in reverse you need to start on the other side of the brick... 😂😂

[@stretchclogg]

@@jp6975 😂😂😂😂

[@ProperDIY]

Reverse really doesn't work so well

[@DanielBradshaw]

I have Aldi Workzone SDS, think it was 40 pounds, very similar to the titan. Has been one my best tool purchases, would recommend to anyone who’s handy round the house. Good example of this tool shining is when you’re up a ladder drilling into brick, you would think holding big heavy sds drill would be really hard work, but turns out it takes seconds to drill a hole into that brick where using a combi drill is much harder, near impossible in fact.

[@ProperDIY]

Couldn't agree more

[@engineerncook6138]

Agree completely. Didn't know these existed until I needed to drill 20 5/8" holes in concrete. Makita SDS drill did it in 30 seconds. Heavy duty Makita cordless "hammer" drill couldn't do it in 5 minutes!

[@ProperDIY]

Exactly

[@UncleIvan1]

what model Cordless you used?

[@engineerncook6138]

@@UncleIvan1 The Makita Hammer-Driver CORDLESS is the XPH07 with a 5/8" carbide masonry bit. It stalled out after about 3" and 5 minutes likely because we dulled the carbide. The CORDED Makita Rotary-Hammer SDS-Plus is the HR2641. We ended up with a Bosch SDS-Plus 5/8" x 8" Bulldog Tough (Extreme) 4-cutter bit. It is still usable after 30+ 6" deep holes in concrete.

[@UncleIvan1]

@@engineerncook6138 i have the newest version XPH14 , but I haven't tried using it on concrete. From what I've seen on other people's reviews, it's not really good for concrete . I have a Cordless sds 1" makita for the concrete

[@FrancisRoyCA]

First time I've seen your videos. I really appreciate that you speak of the mechanics, or the engineering of how an SDS system works. This is what I've understood from your explanation: when a hammer strikes a bit of concrete, a chip flies away; an SDS is a slow, precise, controlled hammer. Bits are usually about cutting. SDS is about striking and removing dust from the hole. In short, it's a versatile baby jackhammer. Good job.

[@ProperDIY]

Thanks. Yes exactly

[@RondenBreems]

Maybe someone already mentioned this but it is important not to push too hard and leave the mechanism enough range for the percussive action. Actually you'll notice that oftentimes you just need to push very gently and see the action have a longer stroke .

[@rodneyspence7441]

Good point - many of these rotary hammer drill videos show the guy bearing down on the drill with their bodyweight - in addition to the weight of the drill itself. Same thing with reciprocating saws - the guy is bearing down on the tool - important to let the tool do the work as the manual says! Thanks!

[@leslieaustin151]

This is really good advice. I tried drilling my garage brickwork three months ago to put insulation on the wall, so needed many holes to take rawleplugs and screws for the framework. The first three holes, drilled with a ‘hammer drill’ nearly killed me, never mind the drill bit! (I’m 75..). I got out my cheap SDS drill and it went through the process like a hot knife through butter, a real pleasure. Don’t mess about, get an SDS drill and do it right. Les

[@ProperDIY]

Quite right! Totally different experience with SDS

[@SiAnon]

First time you use an SDS is followed by the words "Oh shit, i didn't think it would go in that quick" hahaha

[@stuartandrews4344]

Like going from a Model T to a Ferrari,it's fast.

[@barrymelody5237]

Everyday is a school day, very hard to find good video's that explain as detailed as yourself. Love the channel, keep them coming.

[@ProperDIY]

Well thank you very much

[@phonotd]

I purchased an older version of that Titan drill when we did a kitchen update and remodel a number of years ago. I used it to take down a wall, remove both floor and wall tiles, drill numerous holes, chase walls and cut out recesses for new electrical back boxes and it never missed a beat. It was a bit on the heavy side but that was only a minor issue, a big mistake, which I believe a lot of people make, is applying too much pressure when working with an SDS drill, I find it more effective, especially when chiselling, to use the weight of the drill itself and apply little or no pressure at all. Oh and I still have it by the way, it may look a bit grubby now but it still works fine.

[@ProperDIY]

Nice one - goo point.

[@DjGiluk]

I purchased this Titan SDS drill several months ago and I can agree with Stuart, it’s a great drill! Absolute bargain for under £80. I recently bought a tile chisel and it removed bathroom tiles with ease! An absolute beast of a machine, when you need to bring out the big guns - this drill won’t let you down 👌🏻

[@ProperDIY]

Well said!

[@Google_Does_Evil_Now]

I've used a smaller DeWalt SDS drill with a spade fitting to remove tiles. I can confirm that a good SDS drill with spade fitting easily gets tiles off walls, and quickly.

[@BlockABoots]

Wish i had one of these last year when i was putting curtain rails above the windows in the house. Had to have a cup of water and dunk the drill bit in every 10 seconds or so to stop it from going blunt with heat. After a few hours, a lot of swearing and sweat i was done, lets just say if i had a SDS drill my neighbours would have been a lot happy 🤣🤣

[@ProperDIY]

Exactly - a big difference between the 2

[@DennisWellsA]

As said, great advice. Trying to drill into very hard brick and blunting bits as a result, I was all ready to spend £200 ON THE WRONG THING until I saw your video. 24 hours later, I have the drill, I have really neat 6mm holes, with rawlplugs fitting snugly inside. Actually FWIW I don't have exactly that model. Because it was £70 rather than £90 for "your" model right now, I bought the TITAN TTB278SDS 6.3KG ELECTRIC SDS PLUS DRILL & 9 PIECE ACCESSORY KIT 230-240V. AFAICT it is exactly the same model, just with fewer bits and chisels. You saved me time and £130 - thanks a lot!

[@tombarrett1487]

Completely agree about once you have it, you'll use it. I bought one second hand from a builder who had 3 and didn't know it. Paid £40 for it and it was barely out of the box. It was the corded Bosch hammer which is not too bulky but has enough power for the jobs I need (mainly drilling brick).

[@ProperDIY]

Sounds like a good deal

[@ryanwood2011]

Fantastic video like always, I honestly look forward to you releasing a new video. Keep up the fantastic work Stuart 👍👌

[@dazdaz105]

Good video. I have the same Titan drill. It’s a great drill. I’ve put 150mm deep 22mm wide holes in solid concrete factory floors with it. It’s a heavy bugger but it means you don’t have to lean on it too much. It’s my go to drill for floor fixings.👍

[@ProperDIY]

Thanks

[@electrickal1]

As a professional electrician I have used SDS drills for 40 years. The first ones I used were made by Kress and really were a game changer in my trade. Now I favour Metabo for their quality and reliability.

[@MrPete1x]

I've put off buying an SDS drill for years until a timber wooden spur had rotted at the base leaving a stub in concrete, I spent nearly the whole of yesterday pounding away at the concrete around the wooden stub using a club hammer and various chisels. Now I can't wait to use my new SDS drill to break out the concrete so I can fit a new concrete spur and bolt that through the fence post. Great video, thank you for showing this.

[@MrPantss]

This video is exactly what I needed to see, I have that dewalt and have struggled like hell to drill into the house brick work. Thank you for sharing, very useful.

[@Google_Does_Evil_Now]

Tip - the movement space that you showed us, that forward and backward sliding action of the drill bit. You can use that as a visual guide to when you're hitting steel, stop drilling. Once the drill bit stops moving forward, and is pushed back against the chuck, you've hit something very hard like steel. If you keep going you might blunt the drill bit in a few seconds. HTH.

[@mudmucks]

Great advice. I totally melted the end off a 12mm masonry bit just going at it hard. Only learnt later about low rpm, low pressure. This is even more relevant when drilling into concrete with rebar in it. I bought one of those Titan SDS drills, and by just setting it at low rpm and letting the weight of the drill do the pushing (I was drilling vertically downwards) the drill just chomped through the concrete and any rebar it encountered - whereas before with my normal drill and lack of knowledge I was just punishing my ears, punishing the bits, and going nowhere fast :) Great content as usual - thanks!

[@ProperDIY]

Thank you - good comments

[@frederickkinnell]

Picked up the same model of Titan drill on market place for £20. Used once and in as new condition. Awesome bit of kit 👌

[@geoffs1909]

Whilst I know all about hammer & SDS drills (I have both), I still watched to the end! Must be something about your presentation style (which I clearly like) that make them compelling to watch. Anyway, well done, keep them coming.

[@ProperDIY]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@MrBigMalT]

Can’t beat an SDS for drilling into brick. Hanging some heavy duty kitchen shelves yesterday - and it breezed through the job. You don’t even need to spend a fortune - mines an Einhell I got on sale for about £35! The other issue people have if they’re just using a regular hammer action cordless, is that the holes they drill will have far more wander, because they’re fighting to drill the hole for so long, so the rawlplug won’t be a snug fit.

[@arturwittensoeltner8729]

I really appreciate your style of explaining things (it reminds me a bit of my old workshop teacher, RIP, at school). Although I have known about SDS/SDS-Plus through using BOSCH machines since I started working in construction as a 16-year-old in the end-1980s, I don't quite understand why you resisted using it for such a long time (simply because it's been around since 1975 and is clearly the best and easiest maintainable as well as workable system one can find). Is it perhaps because the system is a BOSCH patent from Germany? 😉🤗

[@MichaelThomas-be7gq]

Brilliant. A fantastic tutorial. I have the exact same Titan model and it's got me out of the brown stuff many times - including concrete lintels (our house is 70 years old). The best, I had a fence post snap during a storm. The Titan smashed up the concrete base like a hot knife through butter in 15 minutes. Postcrete, new post, very happy neighbour (they had a dog) and done in an couple of hours. Considering what it is - about £80, with all the bits too, an absolute steal. Very rugged, plenty of grunt, and puts a few brands to shame.

[@ProperDIY]

Good to see I'm not the only one!

[@buildersanswer]

How bout tile in a shower? Smaller bit, to put small anchor/screws for a crome soap dish. I have to put 60 soap dishes in hotel. 4 holes each

[@kickpublishing]

Hammer drills are utterly useless. As a joiner I don’t own one. I have a small battery powered makita sds for drilling brick. Hammer drills are about as much use going into brick as an electric toothbrush.

[@littlejackalo5326]

There's no reason for a DIYer to have an SDS. I'm a contractor and i drill 60% of tap con holes with my M12, 30% with my M18, and 10% with my SDS. If you need to drill a larger hole, rent an SDS for 4 hours.

[@gregarrell6132]

Great advice as always. A method for drilling small holes with a standard hammer drill, if you don’t have an SDS rotary hammer is this. Sharpen a standard masonry bit on a grinder, to give the carbide inserts a sharper leading edge. This will often do up to 6 or 8 mm diameter holes in hard brick and concrete. This same method also makes a good drill for hard metals. I have done this to drill a hole through a file. Needs a lot of pressure and cutting fluid/coolant.

[@davelinkson1]

I used my recently new Dewalt hammer drill yesterday to put up a curtain pole, it was going 7 inches above the window opening, so luckily didn't need an SDS drill as was going into block, good job really, as the old SDS drill I have has a wonky chuck and the nicad batteries are well past thier best and won't hold much charge. Now in hindsight I should have bought an SDS hammer drill, but what drew me to it was the knock down price saving £100..I also have a powerful mains Bosch hammer drill which Ive owned for around 40 years which I call The gut buster! that I've used in the past on a concrete lintel and although it eventually did the job it felt jarring..

[@ascorpio1]

06:47 not sure you were pushing on the drill but SDS drills work better by not pushing on them and letting the hammer do it’s job. You’ll feel the difference.

[@drews1290]

As a work around stop periodically and spray some WD40 on the bit. Worked for me on really hard old concrete, a standard percussive drill & low quality (Lidl) masonry drill bit. Same for drilling steel. Think about temperature control of the bit by intermittent action and use a coolant. It's fun too see it sizzle and smoke too! 😀

[@BritishBeachcomber]

I've been using SDS/SDS Plus for over 25 years. Would never use anything else. The hammer mechanism makes a solid connection between motor and hammer.

[@terrywong7879]

I wish I knew this in my younger years but I will still purchase one.

[@ClifftopTragedy]

Bought that drill after seeing these videos. It's amazing for the price. That and the titan vacuum are probably the best value I've ever got and I would buy both again immediately if they broke. I have abused that wet dry vacuum and it's still going - but sounds sad.

[@madenod5145]

I ordered my first Sealey SDS max rotary hammer drill as I found that the terratak hammer drill can't go into the brick even though it should. Even the Bosch combi drill on hammer mode did better than the terratak hammer drill..but still, the Bosch combi drill is weak and takes too much pushing pressure(it didn't break, relax😅) I can swear by the looks of the terratak hammer drill that it looks to be a plus and not a max. So before I came across this video I researched into finding something that can smash holes in bricks with ease(even 2cm into it) and the prices are real high for max rotary hammer drills..like £300-£650. Then I came across this Sealey SDS max40 hammer drill for £108. Let's see how it goes when I it arrives. 6kg too. These things are demolition tools. What I'd like to know is if the impact of drilling will be powerful enough to knock me off the ladder?😅

[@MichaelCampbell01]

Jesus. I think all my Tapcon bits are dead, because I blunted them with, well, ignorance, but exactly as you said - TOO MUCH PRESSURE FOR TOO LONG on the hammer setting of my DIY store drill. It happens to be a Dewalt also, by sheer coincidence. Today I learned...

[@davelinkson1]

Hi, I want to drill into the side of my chimney breast about 20" through into the firebox (fireplace) to run a power cable for an electric fire and am wondering what material I'll encounter, I'm thinking it's breeze block and brick? so relatively soft and not concrete in this area, so again thinking a new standard masonry drill bit 600mm x 16mm will be fine, 16mm so I can insert a 15mm copper pipe sleeve through, although the sleeving may not be necessary. Or would an sds drill be best for this, I have an old sds drill but the chuck has gone wonky and the batteries are not good. I do have a new dewalt drill similar to yours just with hammer action, would this be ok if I take it easy? Thanks, David.

[@iggysixx]

"All but the really cheap ones have a hammer mechanism" is not correct. Plenty of professional drills without hammer action - because it's one less possible point of failure. Someone working with wood or metal won't have need for hammer action, but they will have a need for a drill that outlives others. (I've got 4 AEG drills without hammer action, and 1 nigh identical AEG WITH hammer action. Over time, the one with hammer action has developed a bit of a wobble - sooner than the others (The gearing mechanism in 99% of battery drills are made of nylon. It simply flexes a little more than hardened steel. The hammer mechanism adds another axis of movement + another axis of wear & tear.) The bodies alone were around €200-220 (it's basically Milwaukee (same company behind it, same components on many tools) - aimed at the professional market. Which of the 2 brands gets to be the one they promote depends on the country. For instance, in Australia it's AEG, not Milwaukee) Now... I wouldn't call that 'really cheap'.. Would you? :))

[@imqqmi]

I bought a cheap one 20 years ago from Aldi or Lidl with included chissels and drill bits and they are still 100%. I think it was 800W. I can't remember how many holes I've drilled in concrete and other hard materials and it just does it in seconds instead of minutes with even a solid mains powered normal drill with hammer feature. Some concrete walls I came across had gravel the size of 20mm, those river stones. Really hard stuff normal drills will just slide off the round surface and making the hole much larger than intended and in the wrong place. SDS just goes through them no problem. Starting the hole on plastered walls can be tricky though as the drill will wander off, it's best to use a normal drill or without hammer feature to get through the soft stuff so that the SDS drill can drill directly into the harder stuff. As you say they are heavy though, not recommended if you need hundreds of holes in the ceiling for example. Better bulk up or get bulked up when you're done ;) Never really used the hammer feature by itself, I imagined if I ever needed to get rid of bathroom tiles, that would be the tool to use. But you're right it can be used for anything that needs percussive force to loosen. I might even be able to split logs lol!

[@GRAHAM1514]

Excellent Video with clear explanation on the differences between Hammer and SDS drills ,It is coincidence you posted this as only today for the 1st time I used my new DeWalt SDS and Irwin SDS drill bits on my old garage concrete floor its like a hot knife going through butter as they say ! well pleased so far.

[@ProperDIY]

Thank you

[@kchaney56]

Excellent explanation, thank you. I bought a rotary hammer drill and you were correct, what a difference. I also bought a bit kit like you showed.

[@qwertyuiop124172]

Hello Stuart, Brilliant video In your opinion which is the best SDS drill with all the features please? Thank you. Best wishes from Leicester, ENGLAND. Ahmed

[@johnchan6191]

Thx 4 intro vdo on SDS hammer drill.. Yes, my hammer drill has been spinning & not going deeper, most likely I've dulled my drill bit. So not time 2 invest into a SDS hammer drill. Wish I would have found yur channel earlier. Thx 4 sharing on Utube.

[@ianbutler1983]

I got a Bosch Bulldog SDS to mount my safe to a basement floor. About 4 minutes to drill four 1/2" holes in old concrete. WHat a joy.

[@marcusd2380]

Sds all the way. Great drill

[@MillieMoocher]

Like you I held off buying an SDS for a very long time, making do with a bosch corded hammer drill, there is no going back I have since supplemented the big coded SDS with a cordless 20V one which is A LOT less destructive than it's bigger cousin but just as efficient at punching through walls a normal hammer drill would be screaming at.

[@captainhook1178]

Geez! Thanks mate. This is a big help! Obviously I bought a driller that doesn't have any SDS functionality. But can I still use a hallow core to bore at least 3 inch of cement with a Bosch GSB13RE?

[@timalmondvideo]

Thank you for this video. I'm having problems drilling just to put in some rawplugs and screws for shelving. Probably because the house is nearly 100 years old. I've already worn out a bit, and this is now £65 from Screwfix. One question: is there any problem as the bit hammers in so much that I could make a hole that's too big for the rawplug using an SDS as that's quite a lot of extra distance.

[@stuartandrews4344]

My Bosch 24v sds drill just died after many years of use,so just treated myself to a new Bosch GBH 18V-26 sds drill, rather impressed with, it drilled 25mm diameter holes with ease for fittting some weep vents.Can also recommend the Heller SDS-Plus"Trijet" bits, they go through the hardest concrete/brick with ease.

[@Duraltia]

The new flat and its high strength concrete wall my mom moved into drove me *_NUTZ_* with her fetish of hanging up like three dozen pictures per m² to the walls. Her collection of hats then broke the camel's back, and I told her we'd have to invest in something more substantial that what I could offer after wasting plenty of time trying to drill holes into the wall near the entrance surrounding the building's elevator. So off we went and bought a BOISCH SDS UniversalHammer 18V ( since I'm already invested in their lineup ) and truth to be told I wasn't exactly expecting a revelation - merely just being able to get the job done - but sure enough the bit went through the walls like a hot knife through butter 🤨

[@SlytigerSurvival]

I like my 3 Bosch SDS Max monsters. There’s nothing like drilling through rocks like nothing

[@pedrocoentro2009]

I actually thought i was the problem before buying and SDS Plus, i couldn´t drill into my ceiling with a standard hammer drill. For concrete works its a must.

[@szeredaiakos]

My tiny little makita has no issues with hardened, 40yo concrete, it takes roughly 2 years and a high-er end bit has not much wear at the end. That .. till you hit some rebar. It'll cost you an extra HSS bit. Ask me how I know. Definitely in the market for a proper sds drill. There are not a lot of materials that can handle 4 joules 4000 times a minute.

[@JamesMills-w1j]

Thanks Stuart, a great video and very useful information, on an SDS drill such like. 👍

[@oilybrakes]

3:38 I don't know if that drill just sucks or you didn't activate the hammer action on purpose. But obviously it should have been hammering...which it did not do.

[@AsiAzzy]

As a rule for drilling concrete and rocks and granite - they chip from the impact. Twist and chip again. This is how holes were drilled in ancient times with a hammer and a chisel. The chisel rotates a bit and the hammer provides the impact. Now the key thing is the impact energy. It's measured in Joules and certain types of concrete and rock might need more joules to chip the concrete, or if the drill is larger (and the surface area is bigger) the you need more joules, also when the hole is deeper it will need more joules of impact beacase some of those are lost in the friction through the deep hole. Also if debries are not evacuated, that dust in the hole absorbs impact and cushions the blow so you need more joules for that. That impact force is specified on most SDS hammer drills. The usual is about 1-2J for some of the standard non-sds drills, and about 2-3-5-7 J for SDS hammer drills. Depending on power and inerial mass of the hammer. The bigger hammer drills may have even 10-15J on SDS max (bigger drills), and the demolition hammers may have 15-100J (usually on hex shank) then you go into pneumatic pick-hammers that goes up. End story: The only parameter you need to fulfil for drilling concrete is having enough Joules of impact for that concrete to chip at each beat. (affected by type of concrete, diameter of bore, depth of bore, proper evacuation of debries - drilling down is harder that drilling in ceiling due to poor debries removal when drilling down) For that reason, if the drill is underpowered, you may switch to ancient way to keep drilling. Get a chisel (proper masonery chisel) and hit it with a hammer. That hit from a proper hammer (1kg, like a blacksmith hitting the anvil) delivers somewhere of 15J. A sledgehammer of 10kg with proper swing might go to the 100J.. so clearly way more than non-SDS, and even higher that SDS and SDSmax.. the caveat is manual work and the very low beats pe minute. But it works. So in the end do the work with what you can, and when the rotary drill stops advancing some hammer chisel work might get the job done instead of none at all.

[@kawikalo]

Damn it, I just received a hammer drill just like the first one thinking it could get the job the second one does. I've been watching plenty of drill videos trying to see which option was best and could not have found your video at the worst possible time. I feel I wasted money, which sucks while being on an extremely tight budget. Thank you for the information, tho. It just came to me too late.

[@stephenphillip5656]

I borrowed one of these bad boys to drill a 50mm hole through the outside wall of my outhouse for the drainpipe for a washing machine. Diamond-tipped hole cutter & the SDS drill (with a clutch for when the cutter got hold of a really chewy bit!) & The job was done in 20 minutes. I was sorry when I had to hand it back! One thing to watch though - be careful when the drill bit breaks through on the exit hole. It can make an unholy mess, smashing a chunk of brick or breeze block out. A work colleague used one at an office block, b#+&rred it up & left me to explain it to the customer. Neither the customer nor I were impressed...😠

[@akisok2024]

Thanks for this vid. I didn't know what drill to use or what the difference was. Some awesome tips I won't forget. Clearly explained, winner winner 🏆

[@turnamere4859]

My first SDS experience was putting a 1/2" hole through a granite gatepost, I'd been at it for ages when my neighbour brought his SDS Plus drill round; epiphany moment. I now have a 3.5Kg SDS Plus and also a 6.5Kg SDS Max when I had to drill dozens of 500mm deep 50mm holes in a granite outcrop in the garden.

[@mityukov]

If I lived where it's customary to build wooden houses, I'd probably postponed buying one of these too. I'm living where apartments very often have concrete walls (even internal ones), so, this tool was one of the first in my rack :D You'd struggle to hang a shelf or even a picture without it. And I'm not a DIYer at all.

[@jonathanbignall1198]

Funnily enough, I ended up buying a Titan SDS drill in order to install the exterior power socket in another of your videos. It's a heavy brute but it certainly did the job. It's good to have it in the armoury even if it only gets used occasionally.

[@ProperDIY]

Nice one!

[@colinbleach9390]

More great advice ...and very interesting to watch plus the odd comedy which is priceless ...please dont stop making these videos ..fabulous

[@ProperDIY]

Thank you

[@eliadbu]

I have Milwaukee SDS plus cordless rotary hammer. I consider getting a large corded SDS MAX for chiseling in hard concrete.

[@simonnoble4910]

Always Bosch 24v, might cost £500ish but battery lasts forever and enough torque to spin the planet, rip your arm off if the bit jams

[@bigsphinx2008]

I press the dislike button just because you throw in the garbage tool from my favorite tool brand ((

[@Raeilgunne]

at my work we have to buy 2 30mmX2ft-ish sds bits each time we do a special job, and each only drills one hole. Every time we have to drain one of our aluminum holding furnaces, they go through the refractory once then get coated in molten aluminum, and can't be used successfully again. Always feels like a huge waste, but I can't really think of anything else that would go through 20 inches of refractory.

[@pupton5525]

I've got that Titan to save knackering my 36v Bosch doing donkey work, and other than the fan kicking up dust right into your face it's pretty good for the price and being trade, Screwfix will replace it when I inevitably break it.

[@Johnlee0513]

Great explanation of types of concrete and what the alternatives are to complete a job...as for me I will use this as my guide to get the drilling done in my basement concrete wall as I have 18 holes to do and my Mikita hammer drill just wasn't cutting it. (or should I say drilling it?) Thanks this helps

[@SucculentFever]

Learned the hard way after spending 1 hour with a hammer drill with no success. I bought a DeWalt DCH133 "Rotary" hammer drill and drilled on a granite boulder like nothing.

[@stevecribbs9247]

I've got an old Chinese, budget brand SDS drill which I bought from Netto. I paid £30 for it and figured that if it lasted a year, I'd get my money's worth out of it. (I was a fitted furniture installer) That was about 18 years ago, and I'm now retired. Netto is long gone having been bought out by Asda, but the drill seems indestructible. It's broken up concrete paths and drilled loads of masonry. Drills through concrete like butter. The only downside, is that it's a hefty beast, so I've now bought a lighter 18v Makita SDS (because I'm getting old) but the monster drill is there in reserve should I ever need it.

[@chrisnortheast888]

Power G!