1/2" hammer drills...

[Phil Winn]

I need to purchase a 1/2" hammer drill, with power cord, and chuck- and was thinking about a Milwaukee hammer drill, either the 5370/5371 or the 5378...any thoughts? Differences? Other makes models?
Thanks,
Phil

[Mike Cutler]

Hammer Drill= Milwaukee. 'nuf said :cool:

[Jeff Sudmeier]

As Mike said... Milwaukee and hammer drills are synonymous... They are the best.

That said... how often will you be using the hammer drill? Many of the new cordless drills come with a hammer option...

[Jim Dunn]

Metabo is the only drill in my opinion! I own a small company and have 3 such drills. My employees can screw up an anvil with a feather;) but they haven't been able to damage these drills, except for the cords, in the 15 years of use.

Jim

[Tyler Howell]

Hammer Drill= Milwaukee. 'nuf said :cool:
What he said!:cool:

[Ken Garlock]

Phil, take a look at Power Tool Services (http://www.powertoolservices.com/) They sell factory authorized reconditioned Milwaukee tools. I bought a 1 1/8 rotary hammer from them, and it performs like new.

Also, be sure that you really want a hammer drill, and not a rotary hammer. They are not the same tool. :confused: The rotary hammer is a much better tool, IMO.

[Christian Aufreiter]

Listen to Ken, guys!
If you really NEED to drill in concrete be sure to get a ROTARY hammer drill. As you probably know in “my neck of the woods” many houses are built with bricks and concrete so we are more or less used to drilling in concrete. Over the years, I’ve used different hammer drills and rotary hammer drills and due to my experiences I strongly recommend to get a ROTARY hammer drill. It works a lot faster and you have to apply much less pressure.
For most applications around a house a SDS Plus type would be just fine.

Regards,

Christian

[Jim McCarty]

Ken and Christian are right on. A hammer drill is VERY poor substitute for a roto hammer. I'm a gen'l contractor and have tried most of the tools out there in my 25 years in business. Some of the smaller roto hammers even have a chuck adapter if you need it. We use the Milwaukees in several different sizes and have been very happy with them. On the other hand, we have burned up most of the brands of hammer drills. Just my 2 centavos. Jim

[Kelly C. Hanna]

I have a Bosch Rotary Hammer and wouldn't even think of a hammer drill to replace it. Hammer drills typically won't drill past 1/4" in diameter holes very easily wheras the SDS they spoke of will go up to 7/8" or better easily. Mine cuts 1/2" holes all day long 6-7" deep in about two minutes.

[David P McNamara]

Working with hammer drills for the last 15 years for a living has tought me one word when it comes to rotary hammer drills. "HILTI" You are going to have to pay for one, but they are "almost" impossible to destroy, and are alot faster than a Bosch, Milwaukee, Metabo, or anything else thats on the market.Your descision might be easier to make, once you find out the price on a Hilti but, if your going to use one all day long, Hilti would be top on my list. I believe that the bits for them are also twice as much as any other brand.
David

[Christian Aufreiter]

I hesitated to mention that brand because it's quite expensive but I do second David's recommendation on Hilti. As I assume that a SDS Plus rotary hammer is sufficient for your applications, I'd check out the TE 6 S with dust collection (http://www.us.hilti.com/holus/modules/prcat/prca_product.jsp?OID=15275&CATE_OID=-12756). I'd probably buy this one if I didn't already own a TE 12 S which I inherited from my granddad.
Another very reputable company is Duss (http://www.duss.de/en/index.php) but I can't offer any personal experiences with their rotary hammer drills.

Regards,

Christian

[Kurt Strandberg]

We use Hilti at work, they are also very good.

Kurt

[Charlie Knauer]

;) A small rotahammer such as the Bosch Bulldog would be a better choice than a regular hammer drill. The problem with a hammer drill is the chuck and the speed and the beats per minute. As someone already stated they are good up to a 1/4" bit, and for brick or block. If you will be drilling poured concrete or stone a rotohammer is the way to go. I used the Bosch name because they are probally the better known of the group, however Hitachi, Dewalt, Milwaukee,Hilti, Metabo are all similar prodocts. Go with the SDS type chuck and bit.