Choosing a puncher

Recommendation points

• Rotary hammer or impact drill – which is better
• And so, let’s start choosing a puncher
• Rotary hammer Black & Decker KD970KA
• Rotary Hammer Makita HR2450
• Rotary hammer Bosch PBH 3000-2 FRE
• Service is simply indispensable

Nowadays, few people can be surprised with such a tool as a punch. And more recently, 15-20 years ago, many home craftsmen made holes in concrete in the most primitive way – with a hammer and bolt (a special carbide tube with teeth at one end, which was beaten with a hammer and turned by hand to prevent it from getting stuck in the wall).

More advanced and experienced craftsmen used powerful electric drills and specially made drills with a carbide tip on the farm (in everyday life such drills were called “pobeditovye”, thereby paying tribute to the metal alloy invented in the Soviet Union). But there were even people who were able to buy themselves, even in those days, not only the Baltic hammer drills, but also the products of world famous brands such as BOSCH, MAKITA, METABO and others..

They did not talk about European repairs then as they do now, however many of our specialists, pilots, sailors, in a word, all those who had the opportunity to visit abroad and see how they live and work there, brought with them similar equipment and consumables to her. The technique was very reliable and despite the complete absence of consumables and service, it was in great demand among the masters. These were the first “shoots of civilization” during the renovation. Naturally, such equipment could only be found in the capital, in very large industrial and port cities..

The time of scarcity ended quickly enough. Markets appeared in which they offered not only conventional drills, but also more modern equipment, specialized companies began to develop, which quickly established the supply of tools from abroad, in addition to this, they began to provide service maintenance for equipment. Further, shops, specialized trade, representative offices, supermarkets – all the benefits of civilization have become available here. At the moment, there is only one problem – the right choice. Even the lack of finance will not be a hindrance to purchasing a hammer drill of any price category..

Rotary hammer or impact drill – which is better

Many will ask: “Why a hammer drill and not a hammer drill?” Let’s try to justify our choice. It would seem that the power of the drill is higher, the weight of the impact drill is much lower than that of the hammer drill, holes in the wall can be made with ease, and the cost of consumables is much lower. So why a hammer drill and not a hammer drill? The answer to this question is quite simple. The main function of the drill is to drill holes in a hammerless mode. The Drill Impact function is an auxiliary, common add-on option that expands the capabilities of this tool. The hammer drill is designed for work on concrete, brick, cinder block, and other building materials.

The hammer drilling function is the main one. If the hammer drill mechanism is a simple “ratchet”, then with a hammer drill everything is much more complicated. The principle of impact of a hammer drill is either electromechanical or electro-pneumatic (most often found in hammer drills of various manufacturers). The impact force of a hammer drill is an order of magnitude higher than that of a drill. The simplest example is to try to hit an object with an ordinary hammer weighing 500-600 grams or a small hammer weighing 2-3 kilograms. Here is the main difference between a hammer drill and a hammer drill. Not the engine power, but the impact force and the maximum hole diameter are the main indicators for a rock drill. In addition, the hammer drill has a special safety clutch, which is triggered at a certain effort. Let’s say you decided to drill a hole in a monolithic slab, took a drill of a sufficiently large diameter (for example, 20 mm) for this, and it came across reinforcement in the slab.

If the hammer drill was not equipped with a safety clutch, then the consequences of the drill jamming could be the most sad. Drills, including percussion drills, unlike perforators, are distinguished by high power and, which is very important, high tightening force (this is one of the main indicators when choosing a drill). It turns out that a drill, to some extent, is the opposite of a hammer drill, despite the similar functions. But, a hammer drill in the household, and even at work, can completely replace a drill. Time does not stand still, and instead of slow, cumbersome perforators, there are multi-speed, with different modes of operation of the product. Let’s use some models as an example to try to choose a tool that will enable us to work with any materials and solve a wide variety of tasks..

First of all, it is worth remembering that punchers, like all other tools, are divided into two main groups – professional and household.

The most important difference is the loads that the tool can withstand. And it does not mean at all that the multifunctional hammer drill should belong to the professional group. Rather, on the contrary, in production a worker most often has to do the same job, which means that it is simply not advisable to have an expensive, multifunctional tool for this job, since half of its capabilities will simply not be used. It is quite another matter when a multifunctional rock drill is purchased for a small construction crew..

And so, let’s start choosing a puncher

We will choose a 2-kg perforator, consider the models 2-mode, 3-mode and 2-speed 3-mode. Some manufacturers do not produce household tools, but their professional models are not much more expensive than household ones..

Rotary hammer Black & Decker KD970KA

Among the 2-mode perforators, we drew attention to the Black perforator & Decker KD970KA. This is a rather interesting model that has been produced for a long time and has proven itself perfectly during various home repairs..

This rotary hammer comes in a convenient plastic case. The delivery set can be very diverse. The motor power is 750 W. Impact energy 2.2 J. This is enough for a home craftsman to be able to perform all the basic work. However, the lack of direct impact (the ability to work as a light jackhammer) makes this model not very attractive, despite the fact that the manufacturer gives a 2-year warranty on the product. However, if we weigh all the pros and cons of the absence of 3 operating modes, then it becomes clear that we will have to use the chisel extremely rarely, but this operating mode can significantly reduce the life of the product..

Rotary Hammer Makita HR2450

Although Makita does not belong to the category of household tools, however, due to its reliability and fairly low prices, the products of this manufacturer are often found in the arsenal of home craftsmen. hammer drill Makita HR2450 – one of the most popular and widespread models. The motor power is 780 W. Impact energy 2.7 J. Maximum drilling diameter 24 mm. Unlike the KD970KA hammer drill, the Makita HR2450 hammer drill has 3 operating modes. Thanks to its high impact energy, this tool can easily cope with such tasks as chipping tiles, laying strobes in plaster and brick.

However, you should not use it as an alternative to a light jackhammer. Constant work on a direct impact will soon lead to wear of the impact mechanism. I must warn you right away – this kind of wear will be regarded by the service as natural and repairs in this case will be exclusively paid. The manufacturer’s warranty is 1 year and it applies only to manufacturing defects that were identified during the operation of the tool.

Rotary hammer Bosch PBH 3000-2 FRE

But, by right, the Bosch products are considered the leader among such equipment. It was Bosch who invented the world’s first electric rock drill back in 1932. To this day, the company is a kind of “trendsetter”, the flagship among manufacturers of power tools around the world.

More recently, a new product has seen the light – the Bosch PBH 3000-2 FRE hammer drill. This is a pretty interesting development. For the first time, specialists and engineers of Bosch have applied such achievements as a 2-speed gearbox in their products. Moreover, this product is equipped with a special removable chuck. As a result, by quickly replacing the drill chuck with a standard keyless drill chuck, we get a complete, powerful drill. This means that by purchasing the Bosch PBH 3000-2 FRE rotary hammer, we simultaneously get at our disposal a second tool – a drill. Similar products are available from other manufacturers (Metabo, AEG, Milwaukee). However, back to the Bosch PBH 3000-2 FRE rotary hammer.

The tool is equipped with a powerful 780 W motor. The impact force is 2.8 J. The handle has special rubber pads that allow you to damp the impact energy. Product warranty 2 years. So why is this rock drill so attractive? Many people know that rotary hammer rotational speed ranges from 800 to 1500 rpm. Even the presence of a replaceable chuck does not allow working with wood or metal with the same performance as a drill. For this very purpose, wishing to obtain a universal, multifunctional tool, it was decided to equip the perforator with a special gearbox, which increases the speed to 3000 thousand / min. This tool can easily cope with such work as drilling holes for sockets (up to 68 mm in diameter), a puncher in a tree, using twist or feather drills, can make holes up to 30 mm, which not every drill can do. Due to the presence of a drill chuck, the perforator is convenient to use for preparing small volumes of solutions and adhesives. So it turns out that in the household it is very convenient and profitable to have such one multifunctional assistant..

Which hammer drill is preferable? Our choice is a multi-speed, 3-mode hammer drill.

Service is simply indispensable

But there are also such “pitfalls” about which the consumer is simply obliged to know. A hammer drill is a very complex mechanism that requires not only careful handling, but also timely preventive maintenance, which will make it possible to avoid serious breakdowns and expensive repairs. For example. We have no doubts about the fact that in the car it is necessary to periodically change the oil in the engine. And we, regardless of whether the car is under warranty or not, go after a while to the service station and carry out the necessary car maintenance. When the buyer hears from the seller that after a certain time the puncher simply needs to be delivered to the service center for maintenance, this sometimes causes an almost angry reaction.

The buyer very often believes that all this prophylaxis is simply fishing money out of his pockets, naively forgetting that inside the complex hammer drill gearbox there is a special lubricant, which must also be replaced over time, like the oil in a car engine. Inside the percussion mechanism there is a whole set of rubber bands, which allow the hammer to reach the same impact force that we talked about above. And these rubber cuffs also wear out over time, under the influence of friction and high temperatures. Bearings are not worth talking about at all. A person who has at least a little idea about the loads that the hammer drill mechanism is experiencing understands very well that sooner or later these parts will have to be replaced. You will most likely not be able to independently select grease, rubber cuffs, bearings, and correctly install everything on a hammer drill without the appropriate qualifications. Such self-repairs very often lead not only to product breakdown, but also to injury. But don’t be intimidated by the prospect of servicing your rock drill – it all depends on how hard you work..

The frequency of maintenance will depend not only on the conditions in which you have to work with the hammer drill, but also on the conditions of its storage. A tool that is cleaned after work, blows out the ventilation holes, is stored in a special case, at a certain temperature will last you much longer than the one that you carelessly throw in the garage.

Successful choice and pleasant, fast and safe work for you.