Hammer Drills and SDS Drills are both ideal for drilling effectively into concrete, masonry or stone and, with the hammer action turned off, into metal and wood. In both styles of machines the hammer action (when on Hammer Mode) helps to break up the material so that it can be removed by the drill bit's flutes. In many cases both of these styles are available in both 240 Volt (mains power) or 110 Volt (Site usage). There are also a growing selection of Cordless SDS Plus Drills now available.
The Difference
Hammer Drills, also known as Impact or Percussion drills, have a specially designed clutch that allows it to not only spin the drill bit, but also to punch it in and out. The actual distance the bit travels in and out and the force of its blow are both very small but the hammering action is very rapid, thousands of BPM - Blows per Minute or IPM - Impacts per minute. These machines use standard smooth shank drill bits and as such they have either a Keyless or Keyed Chuck. Toolbank stock a detailed range of Hammers Drills with power varying from 500-690 Watts and 700-1050 Watts, the higher the wattage the more powerful the machine. Cordless versions of a Hammer Drill are known as Combi Drills and are available in a wide range of Voltages.
SDS Rotary Hammers are similar to Hammer Drills in that they also pound the drill bit in and out while it's spinning. They use a piston mechanism instead of a special clutch enabling them to deliver a much more powerful hammer blow than traditional Hammer Drills - they are able to drill larger holes much faster.
There are three main types of SDS Hammer Drills :
Compact Hammers - These are the most commonly used of the SDS range and use the SDS Plus bits
Midsize Hammers - Suitable for heavier-duty applications and do not operate in a rotary only mode. These use the SDS-Max bits.
Demolition Hammers - For demolition work and heavy-duty use and do not operate in rotary only mode.
SDS Drills also operate in either 2 or 3 modes; machines with 2 modes offer Rotary Action (Impact Stop) or Hammer Action, whilst 3 mode machines offer both these plus a Rotation Stop function which switches off the Rotary Action and leaves just the Hammer Action - allowing the drill to be used as a breaker or demolition hammer with a suitable chisel bit. SDS Max machines are used in heavier-duty and larger applications and operate in 1 of 2 Modes only - Rotary Hammer or Rotation Stop.
SDS Rotary Hammers have such force that the usual masonry bits are not suitable. Their smooth shanks would be pounded loose from the tool's chuck in a few seconds. These machines require special SDS bits which can lock into the rotary hammer and continue to spin while smashing away. Also due to the nature of the work they do it means that SDS drills require a clutch which cuts in when the drill bit jams - thus stopping the violent wrenching motion that a drill without a clutch would cause when stopped suddenly from full speed.
There are two standard SDS bit sizes :
SDS-Plus: Which has a 10mm shank with two open grooves held by the driving wedges and two closed grooves held by locking balls, this is the most common size and takes a hammer up to 4kg.
SDS-Max: These bits have an 18mm shank with three open grooves and locking segments rather than balls, these are designed for use in SDS hammers over 5kg.
Hammer / Impact / Percussion Drills
These Rotary Impact drills (also known as Percussion Drills) provide the user with high performance. These drills are supplied with either Keyless or Keyed chucks.
Hammer / Impact / Percussion Drills
These Rotary Impact drills (also known as Percussion Drills) provide the user with high performance. These drills are supplied with either Keyless or Keyed chucks.
Hammer Drills 500-690 Watts
Hammer Drills 500-690 Watts
Hammer Drills 700-1050 Watts
Hammer Drills 700-1050 Watts
Combi Hammer Cordless Drills
Combi Hammer Drills - These drill can operate in either a Screwdriving, normal drilling (wood and metal) or in Hammer drilling mode for masonry / concreate
SDS Compact Hammers
SDS drills are hammer drills which have an enhanced hammer action over a normal hammer drill, they are able to deliver far greater energy per hammer blow, which when drilling hard masonry or concrete take conciderible less time than normal hammer drills. On some machines as well as the rotary and hammer action they can be used with the rotation switched off (Rotation Stop) to give just a hammer action for chiselling etc which is ideal for chasing cable runs or socket cut outs in walls, removing tiles, and light demolition work.
They also have a different chuck design and use specialist SDS drill bits to withstand the force of the hammer action and also to eliminate the possibility of drill bit slipping. To unlock and change SDS bits, users simply pull back the spring-loaded chuck sleeve.
These machines can operate in either Two or Three Modes. Two Mode machines have rotary drill and hammer action, three mode machines has both these plus Rotation Stop.
SDS Midsize Hammers
SDS Max machines are essentially the same as SDS+ machines but are used in heavier duty and larger applications. The machines take the SDS Max bits which have an 18mm shank and grip the bits in three places, whereas SDS+ machines take a 10mm shank and grip the bit in two places.
Another difference is that SDS Max machines operate in two modes, Rotary Hammer and Rotary Stop , for chiselling etc which is ideal for chasing cable runs or socket cut outs in walls, removing tiles, and medium light demolition work. They do not operate in a Rotary only mode.
SDS Midsize Hammers
SDS Max machines are essentially the same as SDS+ machines but are used in heavier duty and larger applications. The machines take the SDS Max bits which have an 18mm shank and grip the bits in three places, whereas SDS+ machines take a 10mm shank and grip the bit in two places.
Another difference is that SDS Max machines operate in two modes, Rotary Hammer and Rotary Stop , for chiselling etc which is ideal for chasing cable runs or socket cut outs in walls, removing tiles, and medium light demolition work. They do not operate in a Rotary only mode.
Drill Bits - SDS & SDS Max
A range of Drill bits for Brick and Concrete - For use only with drill with SDS chucks.
SDS Max Drills
A heavy-duty masonry drill with a square flute that is designed to improve dust removal by 30 percent more than standard SDS drill bits. SDS shanks are for use with SDS chucks, providing a particularly secure non-slip grip for transmitting maximum power for rotary percussion drilling.