Knowing the difference between purchasing a hammer drill and a rotary hammer can save you significant time and enforce good safety practices when working at the job site.
What is a Hammer Drill?
A hammer drill also known as an impact driver is a versatile power tool that is usually found in any contractor's/metal worker's.The mechanism of the hammer drill is a twist and hammering action.It also has a clutch for screwing and drilling functions. Output is measured in Torque (Nm).
It has a 3 Jaw Chuck that can be used to screw on the various bit sizes. and a variety of bits for walls, metals and is also able to fit other other items like hole saws.
What Does a Rotary Hammer Do?
Unlike a hammer drill, a rotary hammer has a completely different working mechanism.For one, it is commonly used for chiselling and hammering operations on concrete. Output is measured in Joules of Energy
With a mechanism that relies on an air activated piston that pushes a piston at very fast speeds, these rotary hammers usually require special SDS drill bits and chisels that fit into the unique connection attached to the rotary hammer. With such heavy duty work, it is also important to have a very good vibration dampening system to prevent for injury to the hand during the operation of the rotary hammer.
When do I use what?
For general day to day operations for small holes with regular depths below 50mm, a simple hammer drill can be used. We suggest the Milwaukee M18 Gen 3 Percussion Drill (M18FPD2-502X) below as it delivers excellent power for most medium to medium-heavy duty applications. For lighter work, the M12FPD would be sufficient for most operations.
As for the rotary hammer, it is a must have when working with hard, reinforced concrete and for much heavy duty applications like demolition or work on larger and longer hole sizes. This is where the SDS drill bits are significantly more effective and superior. Not only will your work time be reduced significantly, the risk of injury and fatigue due to the vibration against such hard objects is significantly reduced with the anti-vibration features of the rotary hammer. Here we suggest the Rotary Hammer M18CHPX-502X for maximum cordless effeciency or M12CHX for lighter duty work.
Not sure what type of drill to use and if it is appropriate for your application? Give us a ring and we will be glad to assist you.
