Hi, want to see how good is the rotary hammer, compared to impact drill ?



I just published a simple video clip showing the performance comparison between typical impact drill and rotary hammer to youtube, for educational purpose.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ6BZI27gSg

BTW, please follow the safety precaution while handling and operating power tools. I was very lucky because no injury occurred during the making of this video clip.

I used Exceed brand 550W impact drill which I bought some years ago. The drill bit is moderately used, but still in good condition. The size of the drill bit is 6mm, which I bought from local hardware store. For rotary hammer, I used 2 SDS+ drill bits, 6mm and 12mm. The concrete block looks small, but is also quite awesome, because, it is quite heavy, at 39.4 kg. From the density calcution, the concrete block density is 1800 kg/m^3

The first cut, I drilled with impact drill, and you can see it took about 1 minute to drill to the depth for inserting typical plastic wall plug (wall anchor). What we cannot feel from the video is the 'pain' caused from the vibration.

The 2nd cut, showing the drilling with rotary hammer with 6mm drill bit, it tooks about 3 seconds. Since it finished quite quickly, I tried with 12mm drill bit, and you can see yourself the result in the 3rd cut.

Finally, here is the behind the scene, when making this video clip.



If Makita HR2810 is my favorite power tool, then the 'Keep' brand ball head tripod is my favorite photography tool.

BTW, I am just an IT guy, and DIY or home fixing is just my hobby. I am not a professional photograher, movie maker or trade man. So, please excuse me for the video clip quality.

Update: 2011-12-02
I just published another youtube clip demonstrating the rotary hammer's power. Yes, it is possible to drill into wood, but, the hole is not as clean as when drilled using proper wood bit. :


Camera: Ricoh GXR P10.

Update : 2011-12-10
Quick review: Boyai BY2.24R. Cheap China mad 24mm rotary hammer.

http://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?act=ST&f...2051914&st=140#

Update: 2012-02-27
Change the title from Impact drill vs Rotary Hammer. (Video) to [Power Tool] Masonry/Concrete Drilling to generalized the methods to drill into concrete or masonry.

Thank you..

Reference:
Correct way to handle power tool
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGphjIuyDg4

Cordless impact drill vs cordless rotary hammer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKDIggpbXqU

This post has been edited by bahathir: Feb 27 2012, 10:00 AM

Makita HR2810 cost me MYR640, but compared to other 'well known' brands with similar specs, it might be the cheapest.

The cheap impact drill cost me around less than MYR200, it still can do it's jobs, but, the performance and ease of work is more important.

You can get a cheaper and lighter class of rotary hammer, 18-24 mm, which might cost around MYR400-600 for well known brand or MYR200-300 for cap ayam brand, and still can out perform any impact drill at any price.

Bottom linr is, rotary hammer is an excellent tool for drilling into concrete, bricks and masonry.

This post has been edited by bahathir: Sep 29 2011, 10:20 PM

Sure it has. Look carefully at the mode selector in the picture or in the video clip . BTW, HR2810 is 3 modes rotary hammer (aka combinational rotary hammer) with capability to drill 28mm drill bit into concrete. If you go to hardware shop, look at how big and heavy is the 28mm drill bit, For typical DIY, 16-22mm class rotary hammer is MORE than enough. typical 24mm and larger rotary hammer might has hammer only (chisel) mode.

In my case, The chisel mode is really handy, when breaking big stones, cements, bricks and roof tiles which are buried in my garden. I need to remove these 'unwanted' material before I able to dig deep enough to plant a tree. Honestly, I was in dilemma to choose 18mm (Makita HR1830) and 28mm (Makita HR2810), because, HR1830 is smaller and lighter (1.7 kg), but the chisel mode is a big plus, eventhough it is a bit larger and heavier (3.2kg).

This post has been edited by bahathir: Sep 30 2011, 10:57 AM

Actually, I got Makita brand 5 pieces SDS plus drill bit set (6, 6.5, 8, 10, 12 mm) FREE, when I bought the rotary hammer. It is more than enough because, I only use 6mm for most of the wall anchoring.

I also bought flat chisel and bull-point for breaking and minor demolition.

BTW, I am not a contractor, so, my tool collection is simple.

See it for yourself.



TQ

Yes, and who knows, I can do 'part time' wall fixing/anchoring job in future.. heh eh e..

IMHO, any brand rotary hammer can ease your drilling job. In my case and perfect situation, I can drill 6mm hole in 3 seconds into concrete. and if your rotary hammer can do it in about 10 seconds or less, it is also OK. Compared to 1 minute of pain and agony when using impact drill.

BTW, drilling into typical wall should be fine with impact drill, which may take about 10 to 20 seconds (based on my limited experiences), but once you hit concrete or harder material, then the it will be another story. Imagine if you need to drill 20 holes for curtain railing, where in some case, the location of it are at concrete beam. Also if you live in high rise building, for sure, the wall is a hardened concrete.

Oya, if you cannot afford to buy a decent rotary hammer, you can try to 'RENT' it from hardware store.

This post has been edited by bahathir: Sep 30 2011, 12:22 PM

Another impact hammer drill vs rotary hammer comparison.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UMY4lkcCqE

This post has been edited by bahathir: Oct 24 2011, 02:14 PM

Ok, Here you go... I bought the rotary hammer here. Call them for availability and 'new' price.



Other accessories are from varous hardware shops.

IF you unable to get Makita HR280, Makita HR2470 also a good choice, 24mm, lighther, also has chisel/hammer only mode, and one of the very popular models around.

TQ.

This post has been edited by bahathir: Oct 17 2011, 02:50 PM

For tiles, you can use SLOWER speed at rotary only mode. You also an try drill bit with CARBIDE tip, or try the Bosch Multi purpose drill bit. Also, try to apply grease or lubricant oil to cools down the drill bit's.

Oya,... PUSH HARDER...

Good luck.

This post has been edited by bahathir: Oct 17 2011, 03:14 PM

Yup diamond bit should be your last options. Yeah, start slow, increase the speed until the bit getting 'better bites'. Remember push harder.

BTW, if possible try to mark the drill point with CENTER PUNCH. It help the bit to stay at one place, and at the same time breaking the smooth hard surface, which make drilling easier...


Please do report back here about your progress

Thank you.

Bosch GBH2-26.. An awesome rotary hammer., good chooice. Hope you can give a review about it later.


Since I am not using flat chisel and bull point much, I bought the 'cap ayam'/no brand
1) Flat chisel (small) : MYR9
2) Bullpoint : MUR15
3) SDS+ keyless chuck (bought from China), at MYR 25, Actually the cost only MYR11
4) Another 6mm drill bit. A Carbide tipped drill bit (Bosch X5L). MYR 29

Others,
1) Small combination L Squre with spirit level. Nice to have, if you want a 'perfectly' leveled fixings. No more guessing. Bought at ACE Hardware Mines.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rolson-6-Mini-Comb...e/dp/B005DKJUKI

2) Center punch, for marking and make a small 'pre-hole' before drillng.

3) Leather gloves. Just nice to have a pair. Not that expensive, MYR5 and above.

4) Small towel. Keeep tools cleaned.

5) A can of grease : Put small amoun of grease at the drill bit's groove and shaft for better
performance and longer lasting.

6) Lubricant oil.. Petronas Synthium 1000. the left over. All the drill bits are cleaned and lubricated with the oil before storage.

7) Dust mask. Very useful if you have asthma .

8) Safety glasses.Try to drill ceiling/overhead without them.

9) Concrete block for PRACTICING, as you seen in the youtube clip. Since I don't drill everyday, the concrete block is good for 'lepas gian' .. Seriously, since I got the HR2810, my interest in DIY is increasing tremendously.. Oya, I got the block lying beside a street at Balakong, near a construction site.

I want to mention another power tool which is the companion for my rotary hammer.


Makita TD0101F, corded impact driver with Vanadium Chrome #2 Philips bit. The hook is made using cloth hangging wire. This tool really make screw driving very handy and quck. The picture was taken just after fixing a curtain rail in my house.


Most of the DIYers have 'work bench' but, this is my 'work ladder', a 7 feet ladder

My wishlis
1) 16 and 24 mm Zentro, 4 cutters SDS+ drill bits. I don't know why I want that big sized drill bits, but who know, it might come handy in future.
2) Goatskin gloves...I found a pair at ACE Hardware@Mines,

Hope others also can share their experiences too.
Thank you.

This post has been edited by bahathir: Oct 18 2011, 05:40 PM

Sorry for the typos... it should read as 'LEVELED'

Addition to my wishlist:
1) Digital Laser Range meter... Example : Bosch DLE 50 or DLE 70 or Makita LP060. The price..., wow....
2)... Reserved

This post has been edited by bahathir: Oct 18 2011, 05:25 PM

But, if you are installing curtain rails or hanging pciture frames with 2 or more anchors, then a leveler is very handy to make them leveled.

Yeah, the laser leveler or ranger finder are nice to have tools, but, the PRICE keep me some distance away. It just too costly for DIYer like me.

This post has been edited by bahathir: Oct 18 2011, 05:53 PM

I did few experiments drilling through 2 types of tile using hammer drill and rotary hammer.

1) Porcelain (hard) tile
I tried to drill through a tile which being used as porch flooring. Yes, this tile is VERY HARD!. . I am not successfully to drill through using grease or lubricant oil. I only managed to drill a shallow hole. I also managed break the tile in seconds when using rotary hammer's rotary+hammer mode. So, rotary only mode is the only way to drill tiles. But, Just I found a technique.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzwpBI5ZS2U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2CXLSjpVhU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQbI6sNgF2M

Ooo.. using water soaked sponge for cooling,.. neat..
Key point is to keep drill bit cool. l. If I have time, I'll try the technique this weekend, hopefully. Drill guide plate, mmm... I can use hole from the soft tile, which I made earlier.
Bottom line: Diamond drill bit is your friend.


2) Normal (soft) tiles.
It is EASY to drill through normal tiles which being used in bathroom. I used 6mm Bosch Multi purpose drill bit for hammer drill, and Bosch X5L 6mm SDS+ and Makita 12mm SDS+ drill bits, which all these drill bits are carbide tipped.
In my tests, I able use hammer drill's hammer mode without damaging the tile. The key point is, start slow and increase the speed until it gets better 'bite'. In excellent condition, I able to drill through in 4 seconds.

Last night, I drilled 4 holes at my bathroom's tiled wall, to install a soap dispenser, using only rotary hammer and normal concrete/masonry 6mm drill bit.The combination made clean holes without any damage/crack to tiles.


Thank you.

This post has been edited by bahathir: Oct 20 2011, 12:39 PM

Congratulation for your Makita HR2470 (yup,HR2470 .

Yes, the HR2470 does feel solid and and the weight is also not that heavy (2.6kg), and nice to hold too. My advice is, starts slowly.. (1/2 power) before pushing it to full power. In my tests/experiments, I able to drill a hole in concrete even at about 1/4 of the power from my HR2810, but it took about 45 seconds to finished the task. At 1/2 of the power, I got 7 seconds, and with full power, 3 seconds....


Yeah, as weikee said, if you are using rotary hammer to drill through tiles, don't use rotary+hammer mode, because of the higher risk of breaking the tiles.


BTW, in this topic, I regularly use the term 'tests' or 'experiments' because, home fixing DIY is just my hobby, and I like to use the tools as efficient as possible. Using tool correctly will make the tool performs better and longer lasting. Also, it may prevent from injury or unwanted accident. That's why, I am training drilling into a concrete block, to gain experiences and 'feel' how the tool performs or limits, in real life.

Thank you.

---

Added on October 20, 2011, 5:45 pmYup impact hammer drill also did its job too for typical usage:)... But the limitations did drive me away from it, and that's why I got the rotary hammer.

This post has been edited by bahathir: Oct 20 2011, 05:45 PM

SKIL 1715 : 2 kg class, 20 mm rotary hammer.

Actually, I was going to buy this model, after first experience using my brother in-law's rotary hammer. The attractive price, which is less than MYR300, and I did really want to buy it immediately at Home Depot. It is light weight (2.2 kg) and IMHO very suitable for light duty DIY tasks, such as drill wall for fixing or anchoring. The hammer only/chisel is a big plus. Most of rotary hammers are designed to last... If you try to use most of rotary hammer, you can feel how robustness and solid it being built. Remember this kind of tool need to destroy/demolish concrete wall/floor into pieces without being destroyed.

After researching in Internet, and based on reviews/articles, I chose Makita brand because of quality and excellent price/performance value. I picked Makita HR2810 because of the L shaped design looks attractive.

Ref:
http://www.skil.com.sg/skil/l0/product/pro...d=20&pid=&id=52

SKIL 1715 : MYR289 @Home Depot Bangi.
Makita HR2810 : see page 1
Makita HR2470 : MYR499 or less.. ask the hw shop which I posted in page 2.
Bosch GBH2-26 : Yup around that figure.

Impact power, in Joule, is how much ENERGY being transferred to the drill bits for EACH beat/impact. Example if you have 2.0J per impact, and 3000 impact/minute, it means that in a minute the drill bit gets 3000/60 sx2.0J = 200J/s. In other word, event though the impact energer is lower, but the total energy in 1 seconds is might higher than 3.0j @ 1200 impact/min.

Yes, it seem to works on 'softer' cement/sand brick wall. from I read somewhere in the youtube comments .

Great to see this topic 'growing' steadily. I really hope this topic can be the one of source of information related to drilling.

Purchasing rotary hammer might be quite difficult or burden for some of DIYers, but, considering time, pain and hassle to drill a hole, in long term, investment in rotary hammer may be the 'wise' investment. You can help neighbors, relatives or 'gotong-royong' or even a part time fixer with it.

Oya, beside drilling wall, I also use rotary hammer as a 'dumbbell' for my arms and hands exercises. It's weight 3.2 kg or 6.6 kg with carrying case, is good for the purpose, the result is, it make the rotary hammer felt 'lighter' when using/holding it.

I really like to hear some more experiences from you all.
Thank you.

This post has been edited by bahathir: Oct 24 2011, 02:37 PM

Big Boy's Toys.
Wow, that's amazing collection of power tools. Are you a professional carpenter ? , or , are you build your own house as a hobby? heh eh he .

For sure I am NOT lending my rotary hammer to others... I willing to drill for them, because it is damn easy and fun. Not to mention 'addictive' .

I have a relative who really loe DIYing. He made a 'STEEL' kitchen cabinet for his house. He even can repair and refurbish old industrial sewing machine. His level is far-far higher than mine.

This post has been edited by bahathir: Oct 24 2011, 03:35 PM

Yeah great to have all that skills. In today's kind of economic, house price is 'crazy'... I really wish I can have my own land, and enough knowledge/skill to build my own house.

This post has been edited by bahathir: Oct 24 2011, 03:39 PM