Education Hammer drill for external wall, even worth trying?

I've drilled a few holes with exactly the same drill and a 12x600mm drill bit without any issues around my garage, as much as I love buying new tools I couldn't justify the cost of an SDS for just a few holes.

 

Well... I've gone an done it now.

I've ordered it with this set of bits, so I'll have to go and find other things that need holes or chiseling to make it earn its way.

I was just going to get the one bit I need, as I've had mixed luck with the QC on sets, but this seems like it's not complete trash, with a selection I'm actually likely to find a use for.

 

Hello. I'm jinq-sea. I'm an enabler.

 

Happy to return the favour whenever you need it. Speaking of which, I'm pretty sure you're running low on Sonos zones. Sort it, will you?

 

Somebody mentioned Sonos zones?

*Buys new speaker*

 

Yes, but if you've ordered it over the interwebs you've got the whole 14 day returns gambit - a bit of a waste on the postage I know but...

For the number and size of holes you're talking about I'm with ElThomsono on this one (sorry Tad) it took twenty 16mm holes through a mix of brick and concrete lintels (read re-bar) for me to justify a second hand SDS+ drill - one of these but 110V, 'cause reasons; I think I paid about £50 inc p&p.

In your shoes I'd have either "made do" with your incredibly capable cordless, or picked up a second hand 240V SDS+ on ebay, drilled all the holes you might need (future proof and seal any extra holes with butyl rubber) then re-list it on ebay and pretty much make your money back less postage - maybe even turn a small profit...

A tool that sits and doesn't get used is a sad tool... I'm lookin' at you power plane!

 

Where were all of the "yes" campaigners before I bought? It's brexit all over again!

I was planning on making a start of it with the combi, just to sate my curiosity of whether my purchase was justified, and if it goes through like butter then it will be something to think about. In all honesty though, it's unlikely to be going back. There have been a number of times over the last several years when I would have liked to have had it, and I'm sure beyond these few holes there will be several more times over the coming years when it will earn its keep. If I swap to the POE cameras I'll need 20mm holes as well (because I've never had any reliable success in terminating my own ethernet cables), so that's a bit of a different ballgame.

Our power planes probably see each other at the sad tool support group. I've used mine twice, and have another job on "to do" that it's probably getting excited about. It was a tenner though, so I've already had my money's worth.

 

I would have gone with Unicorn and jinq-sea on this one. SDS rotary hammer drill for sure when going through that much wall etc. Having spent most of my life using normal drills (both cordless and corded) to make holes in all sorts of things, I finally got a cheap SDS from Argos (just to see how much of a difference it made). Even the crappy Guild SDS made mincemeat of some 16mm holes into concrete whereas the other standard hammer drills I had were struggling, really struggling. Needless to say, I ordered a Makita shortly afterwards and haven't looked back since

Plus, even if it isn't a necessity right now, Mister_Tad is likely to come up against something at some point where the rotary hammer drill will just make life easier.

 

I simply cannot believe how quickly and smoothly this drill just dispatched a 16x400mm hole... I'm used to working 5x as hard just to get a plug into the brick.

Rotary hammers, where have you been all my life?

 

ahh not more Makita buying... was sooo close to getting the DHR242 myself but I've got the DHP481 and for most of what I do in brick it works just fine. Never tried anything above 8mm mind and usually only plug length.

At the price its very tempting to join the rotary hammer 18v club as I can go body only and use existing batteries which makes it a cheaper option. Got some fence posts to do over summer so I've got a few anchors into concrete and brick to do... hmm tempting

 

All the "yes" campaigners who are saying you could have gotten away with a normal hammer drill must be drilling on joints all the time, or some seriously soft masonry! I have a DeWalt Hammer drill/driver combi as well; one of the best 18v brushed models they've ever made, and it really struggles to punch through some of the hard aggregate that I experience in blockwork most of the time. You have to understand that the hammer action on a cordless drill is just a series of really high frequency but shallow vibrations. SDS rotary hammer action is what's necessary to get the job done.

Also, I'm Mr "right tool for the job" even if I don't get that much use out of them. My cordless grinder goes through weeks of never being out of the van, then maybe a month of being used every day if I'm working on a trunking install. I wouldn't feel too bad about buying a tool and only using it a handful of times, the whole point is that you never know when you're going to need it.

Last year I found myself in a position where a circular saw would have been extremely handy and saved a lot of time and hassle on several occasions, so after the third time I went and bought the DeWalt 18v one. It hasn't been used more than a couple of times in the past 8 months but I know it will come in extremely handy in the future.#

I suppose what I'm tyring to say is just buy the thing, it feels good to buy new tools!