Why Buy an SDS Plus Rotary Hammer Action Drill?

Thinking of buying an SDS drill? You're in luck, because in today's video I will be explaining the key differences between an SDS Drill and a standard Drill with hammer action.

Today's Toolkit
Here are the power tools featured in today's video:
- Ryobi CRH1801 2 mode SDS Plus Drill (now discontinued)
- Makita HP2015F standard hammer drill (THIS IS NOT AN SDS DRILL)
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I've been using SDS Plus drills for several years now, in my day job fitting curtains and blinds. It's an essential part of my tool kit because I once found myself without an SDS Plus drill, trying to drill a hole in a concrete lintel with my Makita standard hammer action drill. I simply couldn't make a hole in the concrete and spent hours and several drill bits trying to penetrate the concrete. An SDS Plus drill would have got the job done in seconds!

There are actually two types of SDS in existence - SDS Plus (featured in today's video) and SDS Max, the big brother of SDS Plus, used for drilling much wider diameter holes, typically in the construction industry. There's also Spline, the US equivalent, which was prevalent across the US whilst SDS was being developed in Europe (Germany to be precise) in the 1970s.

SDS Plus drill bits slot into the drill chuck, and the drill bit slides in and out, driven by a piston inside the drill, retained in its slots by sprung mounted ball bearings. This gives the drill a much stronger more efficient hammer action than a standard hammer drill, in which the drill and chuck both vibrate together, but to a much more limited degree - which is less efficient, means the drill travels a smaller distance and leads to a less concentrated impact.

There are 2 types of SDS drill:
1) 2 mode - rotary and rotary hammer action
2) 3 mode - rotary, rotary and hammer, and hammer only (also known as rotary stop). In rotary stop mode, the drill bit does not rotate, which allows you to insert chisels for chiselling, channelling and chipping. It is this third mode which also makes the drill particularly useful.

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LET'S CONNECT!
Charlie DIYte

[IanHaywardCalvados]

Good vid as always Charlie - keep up the good work!


Back in 2002 I bought a cheapo Chinese SDS triple action corded drill for around £25 if memory serves. It's branded SIPlec (I just dragged it out of the box for a look). My logic was as yours - it was cheaper than hiring a drill for the weekend, so even if it expired on Sunday night, I was still in credit. If it lasted a month, I was quids in. I live in a granite walled house (they are 75cm thick) and my old Bosch hammer drill just bounced off. This thing has WORKED for its living and I've used it again and again - drilling, chasing and chiseling. It drills through granite effortlessly. OK it's just DIY but It's still going strong 17 years later! Less than £1.50 a year. Outstanding.

[peterbroadhead]

Brilliant, been trying to drill through concrete today with a standard hammer action drill and couldn't get any further, didn't know how to get round it until I saw this video. Really clear advice, thanks

[israel_morrison]

I dont even search youtube anymore everything is on this guy channel.Geat Video, your a natural teacher!

[TheRorydean]

Great video Charlie, I've been in the concrete construction industry for 20 years now and have been using all sizes of SDS Plus and Max for all that time. I still found the information here informative and educational! Keep up the good work bud.

[zedman]

Nice one Charlie explains the need for SDS. I got away without one for years by a special trick my old man taught me and he said to use a small strong masonry drill bit first to pilot then use the desired sized drill bit. In fact this way you didn't even need hammer action. Still serves me well when I need to keep the noise down.

[paullee]

Thank you Charlie for your to the point, precise, unbiased UK centric DIY tutorials. They are very helpful and once again, thank you for sharing your experiences and as a fellow keen DIYer (definitely your junior in terms of experience), they are like gold dust in a sea of other less useful tutorials on YouTube.

[kofeasy]

This was so helpful! I just purchased an sds and none of the store employees could provide me with guidance on bits. Understanding what is happening inside the tool helps me to make an informed decision.

[AccountantDoesDIY]

Huge fan of that Titan sds drill. Chiselling out decades old concrete from our front drive was so east (and fun!). Sadly the chisel function also got out to good use when I had to knock down three 6 foot brick piers I built when I realised too late that I should’ve put rebar in the concrete in the central column. But again at least it was fun breaking them down with the Titan, if not soul destroying having to then rebuild them. Neighbours found it all very amusing. In terms of hammer drilling I find that 90% of my needs are satisfied by my combi drill in hammer mode. Standard bricks are easy and even blue engineering solid bricks it can deal with especially if I work up the drill bit sizes starting small. The Titan however was useful for drilling holes for the aforementioned rebar into the concrete foundation I’d previously laid. Amazingly well specced also for what is even now still a very inexpensive bit of kit.

[caskwith]

The big beasts like the Titan really are the best DIY choice I think. Yes they are heavy and awkward but they are cheap, and you can do anything from drill a small hole in a wall right up to digging out bits of concrete floor. I repaired a water leak under a concrete floor, it was a hard job but it saved me so much money over hiring and there is a no way a full size breaker would get in there anyway as it was under a cupboard. I wouldn't bother with a cordless or a corded compact SDS myself as I just don't use it often enough.

Tip for those use a drill like this on a concrete floor. Drill holes first to weaken it, then switch to the chisel, you don't have the power a proper breaker but you can do an awful lot if you weaken it first.

[markrowland]

Great video, thanks. I am a DIYer and I bought an entry level Bosch SDS 240 volt drill a few years ago. It's great for drilling through the external bricks on my house, which are semi-engineering and incredibly hard. It's impossible to get through them with ordinary hammer drills. I used the chisel function on the Bosch when making a hole for an extractor fan. I know I should have used a core but didn't want to buy one or rent for just one job. I should mention that the Bosch 240 volt mains SDS that I have is relatively light, which makes it easy to use.

[mumihp]

Thanks Charlie, very informative video. I decided to go ahead and purchase the Titan as it was very good value for the money, plus you get a hard case and a few accessories. I could never justify spending hundreds on something that I would never use. This drill would be used to drill through bricks or concrete, putting up shelfs, curtain rails and tv brackets. I agree, using a drill is a pain and always the worry, you burn it out. But £60 is a great investment which will come hand over the years for home diyers. However if I was professional, then I would pay a bit more money for a cordless one, but in my case, not necessary. As a female diyer, learnt a lot from your videos and built up a collection of tools which will come in very handy when I renovate my own home.

[johnhargadon]

I have used several SDS types drills in recent years. I also had a very reliable Bosch hammer drill that lasted 25 years before it was stolen. I have a Harbor Freight SDS+ drill that looks much like the Titan. It works great! Now, I had to wait for over 2 years for Ryobi to come out with their new SDS+ drill. Now I have 1. I use both drills depending upon the project. But I mostly use the Ryobi P222 due to it is cordless. Bought that 1 in 2016 and it's still kicking.

[arfurdaley]

Charlie you are always worth a watch because you are naturally thorough and cover things that I wouldn’t even think no of !! Thanks so much 😁😁

[Buddy-pohv]

Brilliant as always, loaded with info and straight to the point, no yada yada, keep up the good work mate

[nikanj]

Thanks for the great tips Colin Firth. I think a cheap corded SDS makes the most sense for DIY use. For most small jobs where you're only drilling a couple of holes, a couple of minutes isn't going to make a huge difference and you'd probably want to stick to a cordless combi drill for the convenience anyway.

Since you're only using the SDS for the occasional big job the cord isn't such a big deal.

[davedaniels]

Thank you. I got quoted £80 to drill 12 holes into my concrete / hardcore drive to secure 2 anti theft posts for my motorhome. Checked online and found the Dewalt DCH033, like the one shown, on offer for £99 from Screwfix. Already got couple of 5ah batteries so no brainer. May never use it again, but I only ever buy tools on the savings I can make from not having professionals do it for me. Keep up the good work. 😊

[cerealkiller]

I bought an 18v Dewalt with 2 4AH batteries 6 months ago. I'd bought a house which had a tiled floor throughout, and used it to chisel them up and get back to the slab. It worked amazingly well. I also drilled a 5 inch hole through brick for my new boiler flue when my old boiler gave up., Yesterday morning I drilled my brick garage wall to attach wire to train a climbing rose up the side.
Coupled with my 10v Dewalt drill driver/impact kit I am set for just about anything. My SDS drill cost £240 new, my drill driver/impact kit was £50 second hand off a ceiling fixer who bought it, but needed more power. Bargain for me as it was only weeks old and cost £150 +.
I also have a new Makita 18v hammer drill/impact supplied by work, but prefer my lightweight 10v Dewalt which is surprisingly powerful, removing old 4 inch decking screws are a breeze for it.

[peterka]

Bought the same Titan drill a few years ago and completely agree with you. Cheap enough not to worry about it breaking and does a very good job.

[bmbpdk]

Im renovating my old house at the moment, and during removing the old mortar, i realised just how usefull an angled chisel is, no more digging into the bricks or wall and spending time and money on replacing those broken bricks, and the mortar just rolls off.

And about the "no hammer action when using a standard chuck on a sds combidrill", i need a new

Thanks for your videos, tips and tricks!

[neiljohnfaulkner]

I've got the titan as well. Great tool. Also great for using to whisk up tile adhesive.