How to choose the right hammer for professional use. The maximum diameter of the drill used. Hammer or hammer drill

Need to remove the old plaster, drill holes in concrete or brick? You can’t do without a punch. The cost of the instrument starts from 2000 rubles - and reaches hundreds of thousands. So, in order to choose the best punch - you need to clearly determine for what purposes you need this tool.

Unlike the drill, which although the punch is similar, the punch kinematics are based on reciprocating motion - that is why it can deliver powerful blows, turning into a manual jackhammer, and if necessary, on most models, the percussion mechanism is blocked, re-qualifying the puncher into a powerful drill. And, if power is the main parameter for a drill, then for a punch, the impact energy, which determines its productivity, deserves the most attention.

• Cordless Hammers   - it is rather a “tool of last chance” with impact energy up to 2 J, less often - more: they are convenient where there is no possibility of connecting to the mains, that is, with a small amount of on-site installation work (autonomy is seriously limited by the energy consumption of the battery).
• Network punchers   with impact energy up to 4 J is an amateur class tool. Most often, such devices wake you up in the morning. Such a puncher already quite confidently copes with brick or concrete in the hammer drilling mode, but the purely hammer mode here is more likely “for show”. But the hammerless drilling mode is always useful, especially if the tool provides for quick installation of the cam chuck under the drill.
• Professional Network Hammers   - a technique not only of increased strength, but also with much greater impact energy. As a rule, it fluctuates within 20 J - and this is by no means the same as hitting a standard bullet with a bullet of 7.62x39 from a distance of 1300 m: it seems not dangerous, but I don’t feel like testing myself. Such a puncher can successfully replace a jackhammer, but the requirements for it are much tougher: a professional tool is forced to constantly work in a dusty space with minimal service interruptions.

Which punch manufacturer is the best?

The market was filled with fakes on Japanese and German models of perforators. They differ primarily in their cheapness and ugly quality. Do not save   - a reliable tool, proven over the years, cannot cost a penny. Foreign brands with a worldwide reputation: Bosch, Makita, DeWalt, Hilti, Hitachi, Kress, Metabo, AEG. Popular Russian brands - Interskol   and Bison.

We picked up the punchers, which by the end of 2016 can be called the best. These models are popular among buyers, have earned many positive reviews, are multifunctional, reliable and safe to use.

Want to drill a hole in concrete? So much so that this manipulation does not take away heaps of time, nerves and physical effort? So you need a device that will combine the best qualities of a jackhammer and an electric drill. In order to repair the repair did not become a colossal test for those who dared to carry it out on their own, it is worthwhile to purchase a quality hammer drill for the home. For professional builders, this topic is doubly relevant. How to choose a hammer drill and not lose it is, of course, a difficult question, but it can be solved.

  Hammer drill and hammer drill: what is the difference?

The hammer drill is a drilling machine that carries out longitudinal-axial (i.e., impacts) and rotating movements of the working tool. Practice shows that very often this device is confused with a percussion drill. What is the difference between these units? It lies in the intricacies of the technical implementation of the impact function: in a drill it is carried out mechanically, in a perforator - pneumatically. It is thanks to this that the latter is able to make holes in concrete, brick, stone, etc. much faster, while working with it requires much less physical effort than with a drill. It is worth noting that the “shock” mode is seriously wearing out the drill.

Hammers are larger and more massive units - they are highly productive and reliable.

  Tool classification: attention to operating modes

Hammers, depending on their functionality, can be divided into several types:

• single-mode;
• dual-mode;
• tri-mode.

The first are highly specialized professional devices. Their design is extremely simple, but nevertheless they are not suitable for home repair needs. Single-mode models support the drilling function with impact.

Models in which the only supported mode is shock (chiselling) are called jack hammers.

More common, and accordingly more familiar to the layman, are dual-mode rotary hammers. In addition to hammer drilling, there is either a conventional drilling or chiselling mode.

In the three-mode units, all of the above functions are presented.

The drilling mode is used when working with metal and wood, drilling with impact - with concrete and brick, the impact mode is optimal for removing tiles from walls and floors.

Before choosing a puncher for home or work, be sure to pay attention to the functionality of the device - because in everyday life, for sure, all three modes will be required.

  Design features, equipment, specifications

The main characteristics that can be used to judge the performance of a rotary hammer are its power (measured in watts) and impact force (measured in joules). Which punch is better? Of course, the one in which these parameters are higher.

Note!   The impact force indicator is not always proportional to power - this is due to the design features of the power tool.

Hammers are equipped with one of two types of cartridges: conventional or quick-clamping. The best option not only for professional but also for home use is the second option. Keyless chuck will allow you to change the drill with a light hand effort, without using a special key.

Another interesting characteristic of any unit is its weight. Light, medium and heavy class of perforators are distinguished.

• light punchers weigh no more than 4 kilograms, their maximum power is 700 watts;
• average weigh from 5 to 8 kilograms, their power ranges from 700-1500 watts;
• heavy devices weigh 8 kilograms or more, their power exceeds 1,500 watts.

Lightweight models are equipped with SDS-plus cartridges, allowing the use of drills with a diameter of up to 26 millimeters. Heavy punchers equip SDS-max cartridges - the operation of drills with a diameter of up to 60 millimeters is not a problem with them. In various model ranges of medium perforators you can "meet" both those and other cartridges.

Interesting!   Relatively recently, SDS-top cartridges (for 16-25 mm drills) began to be used. They are not yet able to be widely used - mainly Bosch units are equipped with such cartridges.

Like most other construction power tools, a rotary hammer can carry out its work, "eating" not only from the network, but also from the battery. It is worth noting that cordless tools are much more expensive than classic ones, and the need for such "mobility" is extremely rare.

Electronic speed control is by no means an extra point in equipping a rotary hammer. The presence of the appropriate "auxiliary device" will allow you to select the optimal speed of rotation - depending on the size of the drill, the current load on the hammer, etc. Thanks to electronic adjustment, the service life of the unit increases and the quality of work improves. Such a function can boast, in principle, many models.

Heavy punchers (in most cases) are a professional tool. For household needs, the average model is enough.

  Additional features of units

In addition to the standard set of functions, punchers can have additional lotions that significantly expand the capabilities of the tool and facilitate the work of the user. For example, the presence of a reverse mode in the puncher will allow the unit to be used as a screwdriver. In addition, this mode can help "rescue" jammed working tool.

The "soft start" option will avoid chaotic oscillations of the device immediately after it is turned on. The present stopper of the switch relieve you of the need to constantly press the corresponding button during operation. A safety clutch will protect the engine from damage and overheating.

Expensive models boast an anti-vibration system, as well as fully isolated all-metal housings, two-speed gearboxes, and lower noise levels.

  The cost of punchers

The price of units directly depends on their capacity, the range of implemented functions, the quality and cost of all components. Also, the cost of each particular drill will be affected by the scope of delivery. The most budgetary unit will cost you 80-100 US dollars, the middle class model will "pull" about 250-350 cu A professional three-mode rotary hammer costs neither more nor less - $ 1,000.

  Which rotary hammer to choose for home and which for work

For home use, an overly heavy and megapowerful unit is definitely not needed - you can turn your attention to the middle-class models from Makita.

But professionals should think about a high-performance machine with a sufficient number of lotions. A well-chosen model from Bosch might be a good option.

And in that, and in another case, it would be very nice if the kit included a set of drills.

You can argue endlessly about which punch is better. Remember: a noteworthy hammer drill does not have to be the coolest or indecently expensive. If the unit will fully cope with the task assigned to it, then in your particular case it will be the best!

All punchers according to functionality are divided into three types:

1. Singlemode Only hammer drilling function. Most often, such punchers are not used in everyday life, but are used as professional additional equipment for narrow purposes.
2. Dual mode. Hammer drilling plus classic drilling mode or only chiselling.
3. Three-mode. The tool is equipped with all the functions specified in paragraphs 1 and 2.

The choice of a hammer drill is based, first of all, on the characteristics of power and impact force. The higher these indicators, the better the selected hammer drill.

The impact force of a tool is sometimes not proportional to power due to design features.

Types of working chuck for a punch:

• normal;
• keyless.

Which cartridge for a hammer drill to choose? For housework or housework, a keyless keyless model is best suited. Changing the nozzle in this embodiment is convenient, easy and quick.

Classification of rotary hammers by weight:

1. Lungs. Up to 4 kilograms. Power no more than 700 watts. Only have an SDS-plus cartridge for a drill no more than 26 mm.
2. Medium. From 4 to 8 kilograms. Power from 700 to 1500 watts. Depending on the configuration, both SDS-plus and SDS-max are equipped.
3. Heavy. More than 8 kilograms. Power is above 1500 watts. Equipped only with SDS-max cartridge for diameters up to 60 mm.

The manufacturer equips the latest models of its rotary hammers with SDS-top cartridges for diameters from 16 to 25 mm.

Energy and frequency of impacts

For a punch, the impact function, measured in joules, is very significant. The productivity of the device, as well as the diameter of the hole being machined, depends on the impact energy. For daily work with a hammer drill, this is one of the most important indicators.

It is essential that the percussion drill at the “maximum” very quickly develops its life, and the perforator performs this work for a long time without wear, especially with a single-mode model.

The frequency of impacts also affects the speed of the tool. The more often the perforator piston strikes the working element, the faster the hole breaks through.

It turns out that energy and frequency determine the level of performance. With an independent choice of a puncher, you need to evaluate the amount of work on chiselling, then, using the indicated characteristics of the frequency of the impact, calculate the approximate productivity.

How to choose a hammer for home

It is most correct to start the selection, starting from weight and power. Super-productive models for the home are definitely not needed.

Hammers for home use are mid-range tools in terms of cost, power and weight.

Suitable criteria for home conditions and the following brands:

1. Power from 600 to 900 watts.
2. Impact from 1.2 to 2.2 J.
3. Three-mode medium punch. Drilling, drilling with impact, impact without rotation.
4. The rotational speed is necessarily adjustable.
5. Protective coupling against jamming.
6. Keyless chuck.
7. Replaceable branded cartridge included.

According to these characteristics, three leading brands are distinguished:

Trust the consultant in the selection of a punch, and any other equipment is not necessary. The maximum is to listen to recommendations. To choose and buy a model you need the one that best suits your personal requirements.

Video about the rules for choosing a punch for a house

It’s quite difficult to drill a hole in a concrete wall if you do not have a perforator at hand - a specialized tool for working with concrete, masonry, brickwork, etc. Of course, in order to drill a shallow hole for the dowel during a minor repair, you do not need to choose the best puncher of a well-known company in the building tools store. Enough for this work will be a conventional hammer drill with a special drill for concrete. However, if a large repair is planned, it is better to buy a reliable hammer drill.

Among inexperienced home masters, there is sometimes an opinion that a punch and a percussion drill are essentially the same thing. In reality, these tools have a completely different operating principle, disparate impact force and disparate resource. The impact force of a drill is a derivative of engine power and the force with which the user presses the tool during operation.

Hammers also have their own pneumatic impact mechanism, so the impact energy is almost independent of how much the user presses on it during operation. On the contrary, even the best punch can be disabled if you do not know this fact and put excessive pressure on it during operation.

Hammers for professionals and home use

Conventionally, perforators can be divided into two classes: light and heavy, each of which uses its own type of cartridge:

1. The SDS + cartridge is used in light models, whose weight is 3 - 6 kg, and power - from 400 to 900 W, which are suitable for periodic use when performing simple homework;
2. The SDS max cartridge is used in heavy rotary hammers weighing from 7 to 12 kg and power up to 1500 watts. Many firms produce these tools to perform professional tasks.

An important characteristic that perforators have is the impact force measured in Joules. This characteristic depends on the power of the hammer, and on the weight of the hammer, the length of the stroke, etc. A small SDS + rotary hammer usually has an impact force not exceeding 3.5 J, which is enough for drilling holes with a diameter of 25 mm with a drill, or with a crown up to 70 mm.

Criteria for choosing the best punch

Still, what are the best punchers? Probably the best ones are those that can easily drill even the widest holes in concrete. In this case, you should choose a SDS max-puncher, the impact energy of which can be up to 20 J. Using a drill, such a tool can drill a hole up to 60 mm in diameter, and with a crown up to 150 mm.

When buying a device, it is imperative to familiarize yourself with the maximum drilling diameters recommended by the manufacturer for a specific model of a perforator. Simply put, if the user tries to exceed the recommended values, the impact energy may not be enough, and he will not work better on brick and concrete than an impact drill, having difficulty coping with the task. This, among other things, will lead to accelerated wear of equipment.

Hammers also vary in the number of available operating modes:

• single-mode punchers, which are produced by companies specializing in the production of professional tools (their main task is to punch holes)
• two and three-mode rotary hammers, more popular due to greater versatility

So, a three-mode puncher by a simple turn of the switch handle can be transferred to the following operating modes:

• in shock-free mode for drilling wood and metal
• hammer drilling mode for work on concrete, stone, brick
• in the mode of a jackhammer for breaking or shredding walls

It is possible to use a perforator as a jackhammer, however, it is allowed to spend no more than 20% of the total working time on this work to prevent increased tool wear. If there is a large list of works for chiselling concrete, it is better to purchase a jackhammer.

The most powerful hammer drill does not mean the most productive

It should once again dwell on such a characteristic as the power of a perforator. If you choose the best perforator, then you need to pay attention to its power far from first. The fact is that this parameter directly affects the performance of this device very indirectly, in contrast, by the way, from the same impact drill. The power of drills, as a rule, is higher than that of perforators, since when drilling their equipment rotates at a much higher frequency than the drill of a perforator.

Therefore, in order to choose the punch of the best company, special attention should be paid not to the power of the tool, but to the value of such indicators as energy and frequency of impacts. The latter is another significant characteristic of the punch. The productivity of the tool, or rather the speed with which the tool can drill holes in masonryconcrete or stone.

The spindle speed of the punch rarely exceeds 1,500 rpm, and the more powerful the tool, the less this parameter. For powerful professional devices, it is only 600-800 rpm. On the one hand, it is clear that large diameter drills wear out quite quickly if their rotation speed is too high. On the other hand, the rotational speed is high and the drill is not required, since the rotational movement is performed only to remove crumbs and dust from the hole, i.e. drilling products.

We expand the scope of the punch

The field of application of perforators can be significantly expanded if you use special adapters for working with conventional drills. So, for lightweight punchers, it would be better to additionally purchase a drill chuck and an SDS + adapter. It will allow the drill to work without any impact with any tool for drilling or turning.

Heavy punchers, as previously noted, use SDS max. But in order to use crowns from light punchers on these devices, it’s enough to just get the SDS + adapter.
We also noted that punchers in the jackhammer mode do a good job of such tasks as destroying walls, expanding openings, or hollowing out concrete walls   grooves for laying wires. For these purposes, you need to purchase additional nozzles:

• for the destruction of any concrete grades, a pike chisel is suitable
• for medium-hard concrete and brick, a flat chisel can be used
• a channel chisel is used for laying in brick walls   wiring

In order to make a more reasoned choice, watch this video with a comparison of punchers from different manufacturers:

In this case, be sure to check before buying that the type of shank of the chisel is suitable for the punch.

Significantly extend the life of the cartridge punch will allow a special lubricant for the drill. If each time before installation in the tool, lubricate the shank of the drill with it, then the amount of dust entering the cartridge during operation can be significantly reduced. After removing the drill, the shank must also be thoroughly wiped with a dry cloth to remove dust and grease remaining on it.

And the last, having chosen, finally, the best perforator for your specific work, do not forget about safety measures. Immediately buy glasses to protect the eyes from concrete chips, a respirator to protect the respiratory tract, and special gloves that protect your hands from cuts and burns when trying to replace equipment immediately after prolonged continuous operation.

When performing repair or construction work, one of the most popular tools became compact electric rotary hammers. They will be useful to those who are planning a repair or construction, and in everyday life a good puncher will help to hang a household appliance, perform wiring of an electric cable or fix a dish of a satellite dish. There is always work for him. The main thing is to choose the right model according to the parameters, which we will do today.

  Which puncher or hammer drill to choose for work

An impact drill is not a hammer drill, and although this may be a separate topic for discussion, let's say a few words about it to avoid discrepancies and inaccuracies. These two different tools do virtually the same job - they punch holes, but they do it by different means and with different strengths. An impact drill pounds on the surface due to the relief of the gear connection, ratchet or ratchet.

With the simultaneous rotational movement of the drill or drill and the oscillatory movement along the axis of the rotor of the drill, the wall surface is chipped, up to the complete through drilling, if necessary. The range of longitudinal vibration of the impact drill is limited by the size of the teeth of the ratchet mechanism and may not always be sufficient for working with hard concrete.

The punch is just designed for such work. Heavy concrete, bricks, stone - this is his native element. In addition to drilling holes, the puncher can also work as a jackhammer for chipping fragments of structures when installing, for example, arches or passages. In a puncher, unlike a percussion drill, a completely different mechanism for striking the surface. The mechanism can be electromechanical or electro-pneumatic, but in any case, the shock load it creates is many times higher than that of an impact drill, and the forces applied to the tool are much less.

  What power punch to choose, what are the types

Strange as it may seem, the power of a rotary hammer is not a determining factor in its productivity and efficiency. An electric drill can be much more powerful than a power drill. The reason is simple - more energy is needed for drilling than for drilling, so the hammer drill shaft is not subject to such loads as the shaft of an impact drill. All the main work is performed by the percussion mechanism, which is implemented in the hammer drill much more efficiently than the most powerful drill.

There are several types of tool holders and depending on the diameter of the drill, any one is designed for a specific power. So, for modifications of the tool with working bodies SDS-Plus, power from 500 to 850 watts will be enough. Kilowatt rotary hammers have a working element SDS-Max and they can work with larger drills. A much more important parameter when choosing a hammer drill may be the number of operating modes. There can be three of them:

Accordingly, the weight of the instrument will be classified as light, medium and heavy. The approximate boundaries of these classes are up to 3.5 kg, from four kilograms and more than 8-10 kg are the heaviest.

  Which drill for punch to choose

Any drill for a punch must withstand the main indicator of the tool - impact energy. It is measured in joules, and the lightest models and the weakest drills should provide an impact force of about 10-15 J. The higher the energy, the larger the hole can be, so when drilling small holes and with a small impact force, the tool will be even less productive than hammer drill. In this case, the puncher will sooner drill the surface than drill it and, as a result, wear out faster.

  Which rotary hammer to choose - Bosch or Makita

In principle, what brand of punch it does not play a decisive role. If the tool is branded, and not Chinese stamping with the logo of Makit or Bosch, then it will fully justify its price. This is for adherents of famous and promoted brands. In fact, there are brands fresh on our market that are no worse than purebred Germans or Japanese, which, incidentally, have not been collected for our market either in Germany or Japan.

If the package says that it is Bosch, most likely it is assembled in Hungary or the Czech Republic, and Makita, as a rule, is assembled in Poland and, naturally, is supplied under strict quality control to third world countries that also want to drill and drill.

We basically did not begin to decorate the page with pictures with blue or green punchers to make it clear that in the world there are many other good and worthy brands that can make our work more pleasant, faster and more efficient. Have a good choice!