Hammer drills are not much different from the normal drill but they have an additional feature, a pulsing hammer like action. This hammer effect is needed when you drill into hard surfaces such as bricks and concrete. Virtually all hammer drills have a switch to let you choose between rotary (normal drilling) and rotary with hammering mode. This makes it possible to use a hammer drill as an ordinary drill as well. Hammer drills often operate at higher speeds than ordinary drills.

Nowadays, most people prefer to buy cordless drills, for good reasons. But the hammering action takes it toll on the battery, so if you are going to use the hammering action a lot, you may prefer to buy a corded hammer drill. The corded hammer drills are in most cases more powerful than their cordless colleagues, so if you are doing a lot drilling in tougher materials, such as concrete, the corded hammer drill may be the best option. Cordless hammer drills, especially the powerful 18 Volt cordless hammer drills, are quite heavy.

If you are going to do a lot of heavy concrete or masonry drilling, you may need a SDS hammer instead of a 1/2 inch hammer drill. SDS hammers are expensive and you need special SDS bits but they are much powerful for than standard hammer drills.

Here are our recommended hammer drills:

The Best Hammer Drill: DEWALT DWD520K 1/2-Inch VSR Pistol Grip Hammerdrill Kit

Customer Rating: 4.6 out of 5

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If you are looking for a drill that you can use for all kinds of drilling, then the DEWALT DWD520K is the right drill for you. You can use it for drilling wood, steel, concrete, masonry and anything in between. It is a vert good hammer drill, relatively lightweight and has two speed ranges. It is not cheap but it is an excellent hammer drill and you get 360-degree locking side handle, steel depth rod, chuck key with holder and kit box with the drill. You get very good value for your money. Here you can learn more about the DEWALT DWD520K hammer drill kit

The Best Cordless Hammer Drill: Bare-Tool DEWALT DCD950B 1/2-Inch 18-Volt XRP Hammerdrill/Drill/Driver

Customer Rating: 4.7 out of 5

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The DEWALT DCD950B has been a bestseller for quite some time. And the customers are very happy with the DCD950B. This is no surprise, the DBD950B is a very powerful and versatile drill. It can be used as a normal drill, as a hammer drill and as a driver. The DEWALT DCD950B is not cheap but you get excellent value for your money. Note that you only get a 360-degree side handle. If you don’t have any DEWALT batteries or chargers, you need to buy them as well. Here you can learn more about the DEWALT DCD950B.
If you need charger and batteries, the DEWALT DCD970KL 18-Volt XRP Lithium-Ion 1/2-Inch Hammerdrill/Drill/Driver Kit contains the same cordless drill, slightly different color though, one-hour yellow lithium-ion charger, two 18-volt XRP lithium-ion batteries, 360-degree side handle and kit box. You can get the kit for a very nice price at Amazon.com. Click here to find out more


Best Value for the Money: Skil 6445-02 7.0-Amp 120-volt 1/2-Inch Hammer Drill

Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5

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If you want a good but cheap hammer drill, then the Skil 6445-02 is the right hammer drill for you. It is may not be the most exciting hammer drill but it offers excellent value for the money. It is a bit heavier than the more expensive hammer drills but it is almost as powerful as the top models. It has a variable speed trigger which lets you control drilling speed. All in all, it is a good budget solution for people who need a hammer drill once in a while. But if you are going to do a lot of heavy drilling in concrete you probably need a more powerful, and expensive, hammer drill. Here you can learn more about the Skil 6445-02 hammer drill.

The Best SDS Hammer: DEWALT D25213K 1-Inch D-Handle Three Mode SDS Hammer

Customer Rating: 4.6 out of 5

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If you are going to a lot of drilling in hard materials a conventional hammer drill may not be good enough. In that case, you may want to check out the DEWALT D25213K hammer. You get enormous power at a very reasonable price. It has three modes, drill mode, hammer mode and drill+hammer mode. In hammer mode it works like a jackhammer, perfect for chipping tiles. Note that the DEWALT D25213K has a fixed chuck size. It only accepts SDS plus bits Here you can learn more about the DEWALT D25213K 1-Inch D-Handle Three Mode SDS Hammer

The Best Rotary Hammer: Bosch RH328VC 1-1/8-Inch SDS Rotary Hammer

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Rating: 4.8 out of 5

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A rotary hammer is the perfect tool for heavy duty chiseling and drilling. The SDS rotary hammers use SDS drill bits, fortunately good SDS bits are reasonable priced. The Bosch RH328VC is not cheap but it is a tool for demanding professionals. It is a very powerful and versatile rotary hammer. The Bosch RH328VC rotary hammer gives you excellent value for the money. Here you can learn more about the Bosch RH328VC SDS Rotary Hammer