Upgrading to a Hammer Drill Opens Up More Versatile Applications
Whether you’re a new Pro entering the trades or you’re a DIYer tackling projects around the house, upgrading to a hammer drill is a smart move. I’ll walk you through four reasons why a hammer drill is even more versatile than a standard drill driver.
Not sure how drill and hammer drills differ? Learn more in our hammer drills vs drills comparison!
Reason #1: You Can Drill Through Brick and Concrete Block
A hammer drill has a purpose-built mode for drilling through hard masonry materials, and the brick and concrete block many homes are built with are prime for it to feed on. From installing security cameras to securing conduit runs, hammer drills offer faster hole creation when you’re attaching fasteners to brick or concrete walls.
Reason #2: You Can Drill Through Concrete
While concrete blocks tend to be a “softer” concrete in the 1900 – 3000 PSI range, hammer drills are effective on harder concrete like driveways and sidewalks as well. If you need to set concrete screws like Tapcons to secure a rail or flagpole into a concrete surface, a hammer drill should be the number one tool you reach for.
Reason #3: You Can Drill Through Stone
If the idea of sitting around a pile of rubble, drilling into stones sounds crazy, you probably don’t know many pre-teen males who got hold of their Dad’s drill.
Seriously, though, there are times when you need to drill through stone, and a hammer drill is best tool for the job. This is common in landscaping, where you might be securing lights on large landscape stones, pumps on a fountain made from stone, or a bench to a granite outcropping. You might also see it in fencing when you need to install a gate on a natural stone wall or entryway.
Reason #4: It’s Still a Drill
The cool thing about a hammer drill is that it’s just a standard drill driver with a hammer mechanism upgrade. You can turn the hammer drilling mode off and complete all the same drilling tasks in wood, metal, PVC, tile, and more.
In most cases, the hammer drill is only slightly longer than its drill driver counterpart and costs $10 to $20 more. For brands that have drill driver and hammer drill versions of the same tool (which is very common), they have the same performance, so you’re gaining more versatility without trading off much more than a few dollars.
Hammer Drill Limitations
Hammer drills do have limits, though. Generally speaking, a premium hammer drill is rated to drill holes on concrete and masonry up to 3/8-inch, and we find they’re effective to around 1/2-inch. If you’re using a 12V hammer drill, the capacity is going to be a little less.
If you need to drill larger holes or you have a ton of them to complete, a rotary hammer is the better tool for the job.
Important: Use the Right Hammer Drill Bits
It’s important to use the right type of drill bit when you’re drilling in concrete and masonry. Standard black oxide, titanium, or cobalt bits can make progress, but will dull quickly in these hard materials. Look for tungsten carbide-tipped bits when you’re hammer drilling.
They’re readily available online and in your local home improvement store, and usually marked with a brick or block symbol on the packaging to make them easy to identify.
Need a drill bit recommendation? Check out our best drill bit top picks!
