What type of drill do I need for concrete drilling?

LiveOnce

Hi guys,

Can anyone share some info on what time of drill I need for concrete builds? I want to buy a general use drill for home DIY stuff but not sure what to get.

Thanks

Clive_Woody

Get an SDS drill and some decent bits. Try Screwfix. If it's only for occasional use then there is no need to spend too much.

Jonesya

For general DIY use then a hammer/percussion drill is a good all purpose bit of kit, it will drill into brick and concrete but is also good for drilling wood, plaster etc.

That said, if you're going to be doing lots of concrete/masonry drilling you want an SDS drill, but they're not so general purpose, great bit of kit but I'd say something to have as well as a general purpose hammer drill not instead of.

LiveOnce

Thanks chaps.

Are there any examples of SDS drills and hammer/percussion drills you recommend?

Some links would be great so I can start understanding what to look for etc

Clive_Woody

I got something like this from Screwfix, not exactly light to use but has some serious drilling power.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/energer-enb465drh-4-8kg-sds-plus-rotary-hammer-drill-230-240v/63303#

muckybutt

http://www.screwfix.com/p/hitachi-dh24px-j1-2kg-sds-plus-hammer-drill-230v/86484

http://www.screwfix.com/p/dewalt-d25013n-gb-2kg-sds-hammer-drill-240v/92018

http://www.screwfix.com/p/bosch-2kg-sds-plus-drill-gbh2000-240v/87453

3 very good quality drills at all the same price, Hitachi - Bosch and Dewalt. All of these you will find tradesmen use day in day out, personally speaking I have the Bosch one - have had it over 14 years now and it's never let me down once even when using it as a core drill for 4" holes.

Like everything though you pay for what you get. I recently bought a cheapo angle grinder from Argos .... it lasted a couple of hours before the gear box went ! the one I have at home however has lasted me years again with no bother but it is a branded name.

A.Penny.Saved

You can get SDS Hammer drills which have changeable chucks so you can use them with conventional drill bits as well as SDS. I have a Bosch which has this feature.

Be aware that SDS drills usually have lower speeds than regular drills and therefore are not so suitable for general usage. Mine does what I need but it's not ideal for some work due to it's lower speed.