20 Best Hammer Drill For Concrete (2023 Updated)

I’ve used mine less than a dozen time before it broke. Trigger won’t stop drilling. I’m asking for money back because its not worth the price. My dewault cordless atomic brushless drill does better with its 2speed verible trigger.

I REALLY LOVE THIS DRILL ! I did a lot of research before choosing this one. I am a Do-it-yourselfer, so, I will not be using this commercially, but. what I can say, this “baby” does the job well. I am erecting a 30’x50′ garage, and needed to drill about 50 each 7/8″ holes into 2 week old concrete, 10″ deep.

I didn’t try and do that with one 7/8″ bit. I started at 5/16″, and worked my way up to the final size, with ease. It was a back-breaking job, I spread over a few days, certainly made easier with the right drill and combination of drill bits.

Don’t skimp on the bits, I made a “fishing hook” out of a low grade 5/16″ bit. Only draw backs: The knob for selecting the #1 or #2 setting on the side (its barely visible in the stock photo, black, just forward of the Milwaukee label) has become loose internally.

It still functions, but now the virtual digits are at the 1 and 7 o’clock position, instead of the real 3 and 9. As you would expect, heavy duty work generates a lot of heat buildup in the drill. It did get very hot to the touch when I needed to grip the “black” area to change bits.

“red” areas stayed relatively cool.

Bought this drill to replace my old workhorse, which was a 1984 AEG hammer drill- which by the way, is part for part, exactly the same drill. Even takes my old right angle adapter. I have used this drill for extensive concrete work for residential construction.

When installing almost 100 circuits in a residence, with the right angle adapter, for the wire runs, I could quickly and easily drill 2″ holes, 3″ from the top of the joist and 3″ from the support wall, in 2×10’s on 12″ spacing.

I’m now relying more on the M18 Concrete drill, but when I need the power, and AC is available, this is my goto concrete and big hole drill. Great for mixing drywall mud and all types of concrete anchor dilling.

BTW, if you use GRK Caliburn concrete screws, wich you can screw in or out numerous times, and still leave a concrete hole that remains good and solid, you’ll never touch a Tapcon again. This drill and GRK Caliburn concrete screws – are a match made in heaven.

I needed to break up a 40 year old mass of concrete that chisels and a small sledge hammer were making no impression upon. The Bosch Hammer Drill exceeded my expectations and allowed me to penetrate the concrete with a series of holes which made the chisel and hammer work go more quickly.

Wish I had bought one many years ago.

I have a 30 yr old Bosch hammer drill that one of my sons borrowed and has not returned. I need one of these maybe 5 or 6 times a year. So I’ve been struggling to drill a few holes with my regular drill and a masonry bit and finally went online, read a few reviews and found this on sale at Lowes so went and got it.

I bought a set of Bosch masonry bits as well. Today Lowes was giving an extra 10% so happy happy. Drilled my holes like the cement was butter. Great.

This product worked excellent drilled a bunch of holes through a tree stump no problem great product

They were out of stock when I got there….they sold me the next size up for the same price, and I got a $75 rebate from Bosch. Super pleased. Will recommend Tegs to all my buddies in the trade.

This is my second Bosch Rotary Hammer. My old one (15 years old) was lost in a move. I didn’t realize how much I use it. I used to be a contractor and needed it for work, often, now I use it to dig holes in hard ground, drill holes in concrete and remove marble from floors and counter tops.

Great tool, great price. Works for ground rods very well. Light drill vs my old less powerful spline Milwaukee.

The unit had a frozen chuck. I took it to a job and discovered it would not hold bits. It cost me lost time on my job. ! If you need a dependable tool do not bother with these tools. Its not worth the few dollars you save.

I will not buy another tool from these folks.

I have always had great success with Makita products. This hammer drill is no exception. I used it to drill 14 5/8 inch holes in four inches deep in a concrete floor. It did not skip a beat. Never overheated like some other brands I have had in the past would do.

One would never know that this was a refurbished unit. It looked new. It has a nice long cord, unlike many brands today that have short or no cords at all. This is a powerful drill so I would suggest using two hands.

The drill itself is great, powerful, light for the horsepower and the hammer function eases it’s way through concrete. The case is perfect too. Holds the drill fine of course but also has extra room for bits, adapters, cords and fasteners.

Urganomically designed with the professional in mind. Highly recommended this drill for anyone. The price is great too. The only drawback for me is that it is not made in America, too bad.

I bought it as a replacement for a small cordless drill I bought on eBay. There, the drillbit snapped, when it did work, the bit would also come loose often. It was not for heavy duty use. This one has a real tool to tighten the bit, and I bought three heavy duty bits to drill into a dead tree stump which I am trying to remove.

(I’m pouring hot Epsom Salt water in to break up the wood cells. 3x daily. So far, the wood around the area drilled gets easier to remove after a couple days. ) It costs $400+ to have a professional remove that stump.

I have time. So far, both drills and bits have been under $200. I might get fed up with this and have the arborists take it out anyway. I’m having a good time, and it gets me out in the yard.

All was working while reading the Operators Manual. Installed a Carbon Bit to drill a 1/2″ hole in concrete; used key to tighten the Chuck. Enabled the Hammer Drill Lever (Hammer Symbol); Speed Selector to 1; Setup The Depth Gauge.

Started drilling. After drilling for 30 seconds or so?, noticed the bit was loose. Had to reinstalled bit, using the key, multiple times to complete the job. At this time noticed the Speed Selector was stuck in the “1” position.

Considering Factory Reconditioned Dewalt DWD520R 10. 0 Amp 1/2 in. Dual-Mode VSR Hammer Drill.

We bought this drill in may 2018 and we always buy Milwaukee but this drill has been terrible. We have had it in the repair shop 3 times already. Every time no charge which means it’s under warranty but it slows us down.

We have never had so many issues with a Milwaukee drill as we do with this one. We use impact drivers, sds. Etc on daily basis but this hammer drill has alot to be desired.

This is my first hammer drill and the build quality and feel of the drill leads me to believe it will be the only hammer drill I ever have to buy. I have several Makita tools from cordless drills and sanders and this drill comes through again.

I have used it several days while rebuilding a back porch that the carpenter bees totally destroyed. Made several 1/2 inch holes in block and three 5/8 inch holes by 7 inches deep in solid concrete to anchor 6×6 post brackets to footings for the porch posts.

All these were drilled without a hitch. Drilled the 5/8 inch holes with the gear box in low as recommended by the owners manual. By the way the two speed gear box is housed in a metal case and is well worth the money in my opinion.

All in all an outstanding drill. If I had it to do over I would buy this drill again.

I bought an earlier version of this drill 30 years ago and it is still in daily use. This drill has more refinements such as variable speed and reverse but the basic gearbox and motor are pretty much the same bomb proof design.

This is a great tool as an all round drill. SDS drills are better for masonry but this is better for steel and wood etc. where high torque is required.

Compact, sturdy and powerful. Drill and chuck are of high quality and run smoothly, vibration free as expected. A little heavy in the hand but this is a reflection of the expected higher specification build quality.

Needed to drill pilot holes to secure studs into concrete floor. Attachment for Dewalt drill was exactly the same price as this Dewalt drill on sale. Worked perfectly and now have another drill. extra handle and guide post work great.

Very satisfied.

Had a Mastercraft drill but due to age of drill decided to purchase something different. Decided to pick this drill to match the new cordless drill I picked up. Really satisfied with this and have been using to drill into concrete lately and not disappointed 1 bit.

The reason I didn’t give a 5 star is the fact unlike the cordless drill this doesn’t come with a bag to store in.

Initially bought this item about 3 months ago. Very impressed at first at speed of drilling but after a few weeks I noticed it started throwing grease from the fwd bearing. Took it back to syore and they exchanged it for another.

Second drill only lasted about 15 holes before it started throwing grease and chuck was hot to touch. Took it back to store and they gave me a refund. Said they don’t exchange more than once.

I bought my drill new, and from another source. The keyless chuck slips badly I just can’t get it tight enough not to. If the drill bit binds or stops the motor keeps turning and the gear box admits a high pitched squeel, suggesting that the gears a skipping or slipping.

I think it’s because the gearbox is plastic and bows which allows the gears to missalign. I got it in a two piece kit for cheap on an after Christmas sale. For occasional concrete drilling it truly shines as bits rarely stop on concrete.

I intentd to make it last by not drilling steel or driving screws with it. It is a dual hammer/straight mode vsr type and would there for be a great and versital tool if not for the squeeling gear box.

Lives up to the Makita brand and for the price is a good buy for general use for my DIY work. Only down side is that the carrying case could be a bit larger to accommodate the power cable more eaily.

The body of the drill feels solid & has a good comfortable grip whilst using. The quick release chuck makes changing bits a lot easier & less time consuming. The power of this product is Ok for general light use & its a Makita so it looks professional & good.

This is an excellent product that far exceeds my needs. It is well made and has a very nice grip. However, it is an SDS drill which means that it won’t take conventional prong drill bits. The SDS chuck is not removable.

I had to spend an extra 20. 00 on getting a Makita drill bit adapter which slots into the SDS chuck. On hindsight it would be better to buy the Makita with the removable chuck with both SDS and slot drill chucks included.

That particular model exceeded my budget! All things said I am still very happy with the drill. It’s good for heavy duty drilling into bricks and masonary. I now have to invest an some SDS drill bits!.

Bought this to chase out channels for electrical conduit, and also create a rebate in brickwork for 15mm pipes. Previous chisel drill, economy maker, had failed during use, but this Makita powered through the jobs no problem.

I have a much heavier chisel drill but not so manoeuvrable, so needed a middle-weight drill. Bought it because a friend has the same drill, which I have used, and his drill has worked very hard for a long time, so also giving 5* reliability.

Good purchase! (and excellent, prompt service from Erin at Bognor Regis, thank you).

Just needed a good all round drill as an occasional DIYer. My last one gave up in the middle of a job. Looked at reviews and this seemed a good choice. Checked in stock and local screwfix and no problem.

Drill does what I need and a few extra features, ie drill depth gauge and reverse. So far only used with the hammer effect on masonry but no problem. Wanted drill with a chuck as all my drill bits are the round type and not the quick fit so this is fine.

Bought this because I needed a drill that would accept 1/2 inch bits for some large holes I was drilling through lumber. Weak performance caused me to buy Milwaukee which easily did the job. I used it over a year later for hammer drilling some holes in concrete.

It burnt up after two holes. How do I find the mfg date? Guess I’m screwed. Stick with Milwaukee and Bosch if you want quality products to do the job.

I do ALOT of home improvement project at my house as well as help my family and friends with theirs so when my 8 year old hammer drill died a couple of months back (was a Craftsman as well) I of course got another Craftsman! In the couple of months I have been using this it has had ZERO issues drilling through concrete block including poured cells, slabs, and even some decorative rocks we have in our yard.

The chuck never slips and while the drill gets a little warm with heavy use I would not say it gets too hot. I have seen the reviews stating the drill gets very hot but so do most hammer drills when you push them hard or do not blow the dust and debris out with each use.

I am 100% happy with this Craftsman Hammer Drill and fully expect 8 or more years of use out of it like I got from my old one!.

Bought this last summer to make pilot holes for mounting brackets on my garage wall, 12 small holes in all, worked great. Dug it out to make some more holes yesterday and all the factory-installed smoke leaked out on my second pilot hole.

Would give 4. 5 stars for my initial use but with it dying on only my second use I am not happy; at this time my current recommendation has to be no, do not recommend this product. Will try taking it Lowe’s and see if they’re any help (supposed to have 36 month warranty) but I can’t find my receipt.

If they’re no help I’ll buy a different brand from somewhere else.

I bought a Bosch 1191VSRK in April, 2018, and after using it for a second small project this week, the unit is dead. In 2018 I used it to drill 4 holes in concrete at my daughters house and this week I used it for 7 concrete anchor holes when it suddenly stopped working.

My initial thought was a circuit had blown, but that was not the case. So after buying, what I thought was a reliable product for small projects around my house, it is now broken after approximately 12 holes drilled in concrete.

I have reached out to Bosch re my dissatisfaction with my experience with this product.

Avoid at all costs!!! Had this for about 18 months. Used right away for about 10 small holes in ceramic tile. Then shelved until this week. Died during third hole in brick. Out of warranty. Bosch customer service offered to repair for $30 but I have no faith in this tool whatsoever.

If I could give it a negative number it would be -100I have had to return / exchange 2 of these drills because they simply stop working. Very limited use. I was just drilling 1/8″ holes in concrete. This would be my 3rd one They do the same thing.

I start drilling, then the speed of the drill slows down on its own. Its not overheating because I only drilled 3 holes. Very frustrating. I cant believe this happens to all of them all otherwise they wouldn’t be selling them but it has happened to me.

If you are drilling into poured concrete, purchasing this drill is well worth the cost. In the past, I only used a rotary drill (electric/battery) with masonry bits. It was good enough for drilling into brick/mortar/concrete block.

But when I was installing a lot of flooring reducer strip rails into my basement concrete floor, the rotary drill with masonry bits would take forever, and I would have to shift locations if I ran into a rock in the concrete.

I decided to invest in this hammer drill and drilling (1/8″ then 3/16″) holes in the concrete floor (with masonry bits for hammer drills) was quick and easy. I wish I had used this tool right from the start.

Highly recommended.

First use out of the box brand new it drilled 2 holes 1/2″ each through mortar before the hammer quit working. Took Ryobi 6 weeks to repair it. Got it back and the gears slipped as soon as I plugged it in.

Back to Ryobi for 4 weeks. Got it back and needed to mix a half bucket of drywall mud. Burned up after 30 seconds with a 4″ paddle. Sent back to Ryobi and they claimed physical damage. Worst $129. 00 I ever spent.

I will never buy another Ryobi power tool. I’ll use my fingers to dig a hole before I use a Ryobi drill again! It may be a 5/8 hammer drill but it performs like a 3/8 tool shop drill!.

I bought this drill to install rubber driveway ramps. The drill with the proper masonry bit easily drilled through the concrete. This product appears to be designed for occasional use around the home.

I can’t say how it would hold up under daily use by a contractor for example. The local big box store wanted about the same money to rent this tool for 4 hours. The price was cheaper than I could find from other online and retail merchants.

I need a drill for metal, wood and concrete. This drill has all the features I require, will go from very low speed to very high speed, high power, depth gauge etc. I like the keyed chuck and the layout of the controls.

Not sure I need the little indicator lamp which helps you identify any fault, bit of a luxury – I just like the basics. It’s also a great looking drill, with its sleek, uncomplicated lines and I like the case which has plenty of room in it for the cable and any accessories such as drill bits.

Could perhaps do with a storage slot in the lid for the manual which tends to get lost otherwise. The drill is quite long, so not suitable for tight spaces and it is too heavy for one handed use, but for a very cheap price you get a powerful drill compared to what you would have to pay for a cordless equivalent.

The torque limiter can be a bit diconcerting, but encourages you to use the drill properly and not strain the motor by forcing the drill too much. I know these drills are now assembled in China, but this drill seems to be solidly built with the Makita reputation for quality, so I expect it to last a long time if I look after it and it has a 3 year warranty if you register it online.

I love the drill but there is one issue that I have with it. If the drill handle becomes loose it can travel down the body of the drill and can go further onto the chuck itself. This then will revolve attaching itself to the chuck which then spins following the rotation of the grill: a bit scary.

So if you buy this drill make sure that the handle is very tightly secured before use.

Powerful, smooth drill with good chuck and solid controls. What I expect from Makita’s professional tools.

Though rated 3/4″ it has a 1/2″ chuck. Though rated 8. 2A it is less powerful than my 1/2″ 6A drill. Will not drive a 1 1/4″ auger through soft wood. You can smell the brushes arcing from the first time you turn it on with no load.

I went to a Bosch, no problems.

However have not used it yet, but have only plugged it in to make sure it is running smoothly. The stars are what i have found on turning it on. I was impressed so far, even if it is Makita, a solid manufacturer.

I bought it on an impulse as it was being sold “as is” and untested. It turned out it was frozen and would not even turn. I took it apart and unfroze it. It turned out to be a very heavy duty hammer drill and a fantastic brand.

“RIGID” It looks and feels heavy duty and I am sure I am going to have and make a very useful use of it. I have already used it several times successfully. Pleased with my purchase and the chance I took witch turned out alright.

It sometimes pays to take a chance on good tools.

This is a great drill from a great brand. I paid less than $50, and it looked close to new. Great deal. That is the argument to the wife for me buying another tool.

The Heavy Duty Hammer Drill works very well on drilling of my three year old concrete basement floor. However, I’m not very fond of the dept gauge bar as it often disengage on it’s own.

Seems to be a well-built tool. As a mains-operated drill it has more power than the battery-driven alternatives. Most importantly, no empty batteries to worry about, nor any battery aging. Used it to drill out a stuck bolt from a bicycle crank set, and it did the job flawlessly.

The only downside is that it didn’t come with a storage box, which would have been handy.

As a long time user of Skil tools I value the quality, durability and value of Skil tools. I purchased my first Skil circular saw more than 30 years ago and used it for many various cutting jobs for 20 years.

It outlasted Craftsman, Black&decker and DeWalt. While I have not had the need to use the tool to date I am confident it will do what it is made to do.

This Skil hammer drill is very durable – heavier than some but lighter than others. The side assist handle is great for keeping the drill stable and vertical while drilling. With 7. 5 amps – it is powerful enough for drilling into concrete multiple times.

This drill is great for doing the odd job here and there.

This hammer drill worked for drilling 7 holes in concrete. The 8th time we hit a hard rock or rebar and would not complete the hole. That was not the fault of the drill, it kept driving. Only time will tell if the drill continues to work as advertised.

The stuff/accessories it came are decent and I needed a good corded drill for back up and so far it is doing it what I need. I have had no issues with it. Best bang for the buck on Amazon but I cant really give it the workout a contractor or pro would give it but it is great for home use.

I thought it would be a wimp but it turns out this is a very able sturdy drill it feels good in the hand and is more than powerful enough to take on home projects with ease

On a jobsite with over 300 1/4″ dia. x 2″ depth holes to drill into stone aggregate concrete wall. My trusty B&D with over 11 years of heavy use and abuse finally died. Averaged 45 seconds per hole. I went to my local hardware store just down the street from the site to purchase a new Dewalt.

Sadly, a large GC in the area had cleaned them out the day before. Went to a larger home improvement store across town. Purchased a Heavy Duty Bosch, as they didn’t carry Dewalt. Back to the jobsite.

Averaged 30 seconds per hole. until it died after 90 minutes. Went back to the store and even exchanged, just to save time. Back to the jobsite. Completed the day, 175 holes done. That night, ordered the Dewalt online.

I just wasn’t comfortable with the Bosch, and since day two was a Saturday, wasn’t looking forward to more trips and down time to exchange. Day two on site, started with the Bosch just to see how far it would go.

As it began to go from 30-60 seconds per hole, pulled out the Dewalt. The first few holes, 10-15 seconds per. I double checked the depth gauge, thinking I was set too shallow. Nope, it was correct! Continued on and completed the job with no effort.

Actually found myself smiling while hammer drilling (which is just wrong in may ways) thinking of the profits coming from 2/3 reduction in time. The Dewalt paid for itself plus profit on 1/3 rd of the total first project.

Actually looking forward to the next big job just to see what else it can do. Thank you Dewalt!.

on the line between fair and poor, bought it a year and a half ago, maybe used for forty/fifty holes. Does not like to hold bits and read somebody else’s review about tightening all three Jacob chuck holes.

Is that really a thing?? First I heard been using drills since the sixties. Last weekend installing some tappets a small screw fell out and another is loose behind the chuck. Going to try and repair but will wind up buying a real tool.

Milwaukee or Rigid.

I Bought this about a month ago at my local Lowes as I needed something with a little more power to drill through some masonry. After reading reviews (even some negative) I settled on this one. People complained about the bits falling out but I never had an issuie with this.

Apprently other posters didn’t realize that you have to tighten all three spots for the chuck. As for it smoking I havent noticed any smoke/dust exceptfrom the mortor I was drilling through. I guess others may be be using it for things other than their intended purpose or over taxing it.

Superb piece of machinery, made light work of knocking a doorway in a solid brick internal wall. I didn’t mark down VFM, although it’s expensive you know it’s the best.

Had my drill stolen and needed to replace it. This was a good find on eBay at a reasonable price. It works well and is a quite tidy piece of kit.

Name says it all! Customer service is 100% 100% honesty from the guy I dealt with (Martin)

I bought a factory reconditioned drill because I am now semi-retired and didn’t think I would be using the tool as much as I had been in the past. On my first job I spent over an hour drilling 4 inch deep 1/2 inch diameter holes in old concrete.

Perfect performance, no overheating, no bit loosening. I’m glad I bought the I bought the reconditioned tool to save money since I am now semi-retired and don’t use my tools as much as in the past. The first time I needed the tool I spent an hour hammer drilling 4 inch deep, 1/2 inch diameter holes into old concrete.

Flawless performance, no overheating, and no bit slipping. Tool is heavier than the Dewalt it replaced. Drilling downward into concrete, the weight was an advantage. Overhead, the weight would start to hurt.

I’m happy with the Bosch and glad I bought the reconditioned version.

This is a good hammer drill for medium duty concrete and stone drilling. It has enough weight to drill through old concrete, if you are patient. It is not a replacement for a heavy-duty rotary hammer, but it is very good for the occasional job that a home owner commonly faces.

Bosch makes very good tools, and this one is no exception. I have several Bosch hand tools, and all of them are first rate. I bought this hammer drill from CPO for a good price as a factory reconditioned drill, but I can’t distinguish it from a new one.

It was cosmetically perfect, and so far, it is electrically and mechanically good. I have used it to drill a one inch diameter hole through a nine inch, 70 year old concrete wall. It took about thirty minutes with about three breaks to rest.

Half inch holes two inches deep go fairly quickly.

I boughht this to drill 10 holes in 5″ thick concrete. I purchased new 5/8″ and 7/8″ bits. The 5/8″ bit was for a 2″ deep pilot hole at each location and then the 7/8″ bit finished the job. The 5/8″ hole kept the 7/8″ bit in the proper location.

I probably overworked the drill a bit in doing the job. Half way through it smoked but I eased back and finished the project no problem. I called CPO and told them what I did and that I may have overworked the drill.

They said not to worry and replaced it for me. You really can’t beat CPO !! Overall it’s a quite nice drill. Just go easy if you are going to be doing 5/8″ or larger holes in concrete.