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Need a hammer drill. Whats good?

rdn2blazer

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Thats one tool I have never owned. I need one so I can mount my bender in the driveway in front of my garage, among other things. Don't need a huge drill, just a good basic hammer drill that will handle anchors for a 5/8 bolt, say up to 3/4 even. I can always borrow my biddies but I hate borrowing tools. Anyone have any suggestions?
 
Kango makes a good hammer drill. Bosch, Hitachi, Hilti...

It's not a cheap tool if you want a good one, for what you need it for you'd be better off renting one when you do need it. I have an old Kango hammer drill and about 20 different bits for it...but I inherited it from my Dad when he passed away. It's not a tool I'd ever have bought myself.
 
Def cheaper to rent one. The bits are expensive and the retail models don't usually last long before they break
 
Bosch
We have 3, two large ones and a smaller one. We have chipped entire 1400 sqft office floors before with them. They get used and abused A LOT! We have had several brands and have had other contractors come into my building using other brands....they seem to always be louder and never work as good, just screaming instead of impacting.

Never used a Hilti though, but our Sawzalls, lazer levels, and Powder Actuated guns are all Hilti. Bullet proof
 
I think that for what your looking for a Bosch bulldog with an SDS chuck would suffice. They are pretty tough.


http://www.homedepot.com/Tools-Hard...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

This was what I was thinking but after seeing the price it may be more than what your looking to spend



Thats the one I have used. It works great. We have an older milwaukee with the bosch chuck and it works great as well. It really makes a difference not having to tighten the bit every ten seconds. Just click in and go!!!
 
Good pick. I've used a similar type Bosch hammer drill for many years and it's been awesome!

I just picked up a new, 18V Bosch cordless drill a few days ago. Anxious to try it out!

Most of my stuff is Bosch......
 
So I bought the hammer drill at Home Depot for $229.99. I went to a industrial supplier to get the Red Heads I wanted to mount my bender to. They had the same hammer drill on sale for $20 bucks cheaper. I took their add to Home Depot and they price matched it. They would not do the difference plus 10%, said they only do that with regular stores like Lowes and other home center stores like that. But they will price match an industrial supplier. So cool, thats better then a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. I'm stoked. :thumb:
 
Good luck with it. I've been considering a similar purchase as I think it's a good all around general purpose "hammer drill".

In my experience the ones with a regular drill chuck are really more for masonry type stuff; like cinder blocks clay brick and such. A few years back I was trying o put some holes in concrete with one using a mid-range carbide bit. No luck at all. This stuff had some sort of unbelievably hard black aggregate in the mix and a low end "hammer drill" wouldn't touch it as soon as you hit a piece of stuff. Neighbor had one like that Bosch (Hilti IIRC) with dedicated SDS chuck. So he let me use it (along with a bit) and it got the job done without too much fuss, about like drilling a comparable size hole in steel at the slowest parts. A few years later I needed to make 2 more holes in the same concrete to relocate a gate pin. Neighbor had moved, so I borrowed one from the guy who helps me with the machine tool stuff. But this one was a true "rotary hammer" Hilti. Dear god, it went through so fast and easy it might as well have been balsa wood.

Well, if I borrow twice, it's time to buy one. Then I found out what one like that would cost!!! :doah: So I haven't pulled the trigger yet, hoping for a "smoking deal". My buddy's sometimes comes across them and said he would keep me in mind, so maybe I can get a real rotary hammer if I take my time.
 
HAY STRANGER! Whats up? Hows it going? If you were closer I'd let you borrow mine if I could use your mill :D
 
That would work. I'm sure you could make better use than me. :D

I've been pretty distracted for a while. Lately it's been a new house, new shop, etc. Always something else and no time to play...

Oh, and this looks like the current version of the one I borrowed. It was a little more sorta squarish, but I remember looking up prices and it was just over a grand. More than I can justify, so I adjusted my sights a bit, then he said he only paid a few hundred for his (with a bunch of bits) and might eventually find me one like that, so here I sit.

He says he's happy to let me borrow his, but I don't like doing that. Then again, sometime in the next weeks I'm supposed to be borrowing a concrete wet saw (big thing for cutting a 4" slab) and small jack hammer. Some things you just can't justify owning (even in my crazy warped world).
 
Yikes!!! Yep, thats pricy, and like you said, couldn't justify owning something you would hardly use. Hell the one I bought will hardly see much use through out it's life with me. Guess my boy will inheret a nice hammer drill with low miles on it :D.

So you moved? Where? Why? I KNOW moving all your garage stuff is going to be or was hell. My garage was a freaking nightmare. HEAVY stuff and LOTS of it. I WORKED all my friends who helped. I actually think they were all pissed at me after it was over lol! It was a hot weekend when it happened too. It was BRUTAL, but like troopers we got it done.

I bought a heavy duty hydro sheet metal shear, 52" with 16 gage capacity. Still need a mill and another lathe.
 
Yeah, the shop was brutal, but not as bed as expected. My son and I moved all the smaller stuff. Roll around boxes, smaller tools, supplies, parts, stock, etc. Then my friend (the guy with the Mori) showed up at about 6:30 am on the coldest morning of the year (about 28* and windy) with a big flat bed (30'?), a drop side dump, an 18' Isuzu flat bed, and a fork trailer behind an F350. I also had my 2500HD and a 10' trailer, and he brought 4 guys with him. Standing outside my shop before we got started I overheard one tell him that with that little shop he brought too many trucks and wouldn't need them. He laughed and said "You haven't seen inside yet". ;) By the time the big machine tools (biggest is a 17x60 4500 lb lathe) and stuff too big to load/haul in my truck/trailer were loaded, everything but my truck was full (left it and came back). We had plenty of room so didn't have to pack/fit carefully, but we used it all, and the same guy commented later "How did you get all that in that little shop?" All done by 11 and I took them all to a nice lunch. Great guys, but gonna take me a long time to pay back.

Anyway, I wanted a larger place and larger shop. So we moved to the NW side of town, place called Pentacle Peak. Larger "Horse Property" with an 1800 sq foot insulated shop, just over 1 acre, and so on. Still trying to get everything the way I want it. At this rate, should be done somewhere around 2020...

And if you need a place to store that shear...

Congrats by the way! I fully understand that sickness.
 
Thats AWESOME Russ, Congratulations! I'm very happy for you big time. Don't know when we will be out in AZ again but would love to come see the shop and new digs. I'm looking into some kind of big shead for extra space for now. My back yard WILL be perfect for a big shop, god willing someday my house actually gains some equity. I can dream for now. I actually could build a 1800sq ft building in my yard, but then I would have no yard for my boy, So it will be smaller, but two story. At least thats the plan. In the mean time the economy has to get WAY better and NO defense cuts need to happen so my job remains safe. Thats not too much to ask is it :rolleyes:.
 
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