They have no idea what the differences are in the drums. Nuances of using and choosing an impact drill

When drilling holes in brick or concrete, they usually use a hammer drill or impact drill, in which the rotation of the drill (drill, bit) is accompanied by impacts in the axial direction. These tools are considered similar in their action, but in fact they have no less differences than similarities. What is the difference between a hammer drill and impact drill? First of all, in their main function, for a hammer drill it is chiselling, for an impact drill it is drilling.

Impact mechanism

The difference in the main function determined the difference in the impact mechanism schemes. In a hammer drill, the latter is a rather complex unit, existing in two versions - electromechanical and electropneumatic. The most common is the electro-pneumatic type, which provides the best performance parameters of the tool. The figure below shows a diagram of an electro-pneumatic hammer drill.

The design of the impact mechanism of a rotary hammer: 1 - driven bearing, 2 - piston, 3 - ram, 4 - hammer (striker), 5 - engine gear.

The impact mechanism of the drill is much simpler. It consists of two ratchets, one of which is connected to the drill body, the other to the rotating chuck. When the impact function is disabled, the ratchets do not contact each other due to the stopper located between them. When the drill is switched to the impact position, the stopper is removed and when the drill is pressed against the material, the ratchets begin to contact, slipping past each other. In this case, the chuck and drill are given an axial reciprocating movement.

The difference in the design of impact mechanisms determines a significant difference in the technical and operational characteristics of a hammer drill and an impact drill.

Functionality

Modern full-featured rotary hammers have three operating modes: impacts without rotation (operation in jackhammer mode), rotation without impacts, rotation with impacts. The hammer drill can be used not only for drilling various materials, but also for other work - hollowing out niches or grooves in stone walls, chipping excess material and so on.


Hammer operating mode switch (Bosch). Between the modes "Drilling with impacts" and "Punches without drilling" - a position for changing the position of the chisel (Vario-Lock).

An impact drill is used only for drilling holes and operates in two modes: drilling without impact and drilling with impact.

Performance

The productivity of a hammer drill when drilling stone materials is several times higher than that of an impact drill. This is due, first of all, to the higher impact energy. For a hammer drill it ranges from 1.5 J for light models to 20 J for heavy ones. The impact energy of the drill is insignificant. It depends on the force with which the tool is pressed against the material. Even if the pressing force is high, the impact energy still remains small due to the small amplitude of the axial movement of the drill, equal to the height of the ratchet tooth. The productivity of the hammer drill is also increased by its weight, which exceeds the weight of an impact drill of the same power.

With the same power of tools, the diameter of the hole that can be obtained using a hammer drill is approximately 1.5 times larger than the diameter of the hole obtained using an impact drill. The difference increases even more if a crown is used for drilling.

Tool and its fastening

There is a big difference between an impact drill and a hammer drill in the tools used and the methods of attaching them. The picture below shows the most commonly used hammer drill tools.

The impact drill tool used for drilling concrete walls is most often a drill with pobeditovy surfacing.

In hammer drills and drills, drills and augers are mounted in chucks, but their design is very different in hammer drills and drills. To quickly change tools, rotary hammers use a tool clamping system SDS-plus, SDS-max and SDS-top (depending on the diameter of the shank, read more about rotary hammer chucks in the article Rotary hammer). Fixation in the cartridge occurs using specially shaped grooves.

In a hammer drill, the tool has a certain degree of freedom in relation to the chuck in the axial direction, which allows reducing the load on the hammer during impacts.

In order to use a regular drill in a rotary hammer, you must either use a special adapter or change the chuck to a cam one. In a number of models, thanks to a special fastening system, changing chucks is easy and quick, while a chuck for a regular drill should be included in the hammer drill kit. When using an adapter, a design is obtained from two series-connected chucks - SDS and three-jaw. The disadvantage of this option is the lack of sufficient rigidity of the drill attachment and its beating when rotating.

Working conditions

What makes a drill different from a hammer drill is the working conditions. It is much easier to work with a hammer drill. To ensure more or less acceptable impact energy, the drill must be pressed against the material with a force of about 10-15 kg. When working with a hammer drill, a small clamping force is enough - about 5 kg. At the same time, the hands experience significantly less vibration than when working with a drill. This is due to the softening effect air cushion in a pneumatic mechanism, which prevents the striker and piston from colliding with each other.

Service life A hammer drill is much more durable than an impact drill - if you use the latter with the impact function. Its pneumatics provide significantly less vibration and gentle conditions for the operation of all its mechanisms. The tool has a safety clutch to protect it from breakage if the drill gets jammed in the hole - for example, if it hits the fittings.

The ratchets of an impact drill are subject to heavy loads and wear out very quickly. Strong, harsh vibration negatively affects all drill mechanisms, causing them to fail at an accelerated pace.

Price With the same power (but not impact energy, which is much higher for a hammer drill), a hammer drill costs significantly (1.3-2 times) more than an impact drill.

What's better

The question - which is better, a hammer drill or an impact drill - does not have a clear answer. It all depends on the purpose for which the tool is purchased. A hammer drill is a tool for drilling and chiseling concrete and brick walls. It is purchased in cases where there is a need to drill a large number of holes in concrete or brick. If this need arises only occasionally and on a small scale, it makes more sense to purchase a cheaper impact drill. When working with concrete or brick, an impact drill is not a tool designed for large volumes of work. In other words, if you sometimes need to make holes in a concrete wall, for a shelf or a clock, then it is better to use an impact drill. If you need to make cavities (grooves) in concrete walls for wires, sockets and switches, then you need a hammer drill. At the same time, it is not necessary to buy a hammer drill; it may be more profitable to rent one.

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Today in the construction markets you can find a lot of different tools, and therefore, it can sometimes be very difficult to choose the right device for a particular type of work. Particularly necessary power tools, which are extremely difficult to do without when making holes, niches and openings, are rotary hammers and impact drills. Often people do not distinguish them, but they have differences, both in the design of the product itself and in the specifics of working with them.

Main purpose of tools

The main difference between an impact drill and a hammer drill is their functional purpose:

  • for an impact drill - this is drilling materials of low density(wood, plastic, soft metals, etc.). In addition, the impact functions of the drill allow you to drill even concrete and brick. In conventional models, the working effect produced largely depends on the pressure force of the master. Therefore, to obtain optimal and acceptable impact energy, the pressing force should reach 10-15 kg;
  • for a hammer drill - this is chiselling. The impact function is inherent in the hammer drill from the very beginning, just like drilling. At the same time, it is not recommended to apply pressure to the hammer drill, as this may lead to breakage of the tool. The maximum limit of pressing force should be no more than 5 kg.

Depending on the general functions, a hammer drill can perform a fairly wide range of work compared to functionality impact drill:

  • beating work and driving in rods;
  • chipping concrete walls;
  • drilling of various surfaces, including wood, concrete and steel;
  • chipping, chipping bricks, knocking down tiles, removing plaster and making holes;
  • driving bolts, screws or self-tapping screws

Distinctive characteristics

Like any other construction tool, an impact drill and hammer drill have a number of distinctive features:

  1. Impact mechanism

Tools have different scheme impact mechanism:

  • The hammer drill has an electropneumatic and electromechanical impact mechanism unit. It produces impact force and provides the most effective performance parameters of this type of construction tool. In the electromechanical type, two coils cause the core to move under the influence of electromagnetic influence. The pneumatic mechanism involves transmitting working energy through a rotating rotor driving a piston. Due to the reciprocating amplitude of the drill, the hammer drill does not require additional physical activity or effort, unlike an impact drill;
  • the drill has a more simplified design of the impact mechanism. It often consists of two ratchets that connect to a rotating chuck and the body of the tool.

The existing differences in the design of the impact mechanisms of a drill and a hammer drill determine their different technical and operational standards.

  1. Operating modes (or functionality)

Modern types of rotary hammers are significantly ahead of the drill, since they have three full operating modes:

  • single-mode or drilling - the device uses only rotation without using impacts;
  • three-mode - impacts without rotation (they are also called work in jackhammer mode);
  • dual-mode (rotations with impacts) - perform drilling in combination with impacts.

Thanks to these three modes, the hammer drill can be used not only for drilling, but also for other types of work - chopping off excess material, gouging out grooves or niches in stone walls.

The drill will not be able to provide a high level of speed, because its impact function is just one of the additions to the main one.

Drills have only two modes and are available in several varieties:

  • Due to its versatility and with additional tools, an impact drill can perform the functions of a mixer, grinder, hammer drill and screwdriver. Conventional ones allow you to drill holes in wood and metal products. They also have a subtype called “angle drills” - they make holes in hard-to-reach places;
  • drill mixers – have an elongated additional handle and high torque. Used for preparing a variety of building mixtures;
  • impact - in their design they can combine the functions of drilling and impact. With their help you can drill brick and concrete;
  • drills and screwdrivers - in addition to their main function, they can drive or remove screws.

  1. Total weight of the power tool

Depending on their weight, rotary hammers are classified as:

  • lightweight - the weight of the structure reaches 2-4 kg;
  • medium – within 5 kg;
  • heavy – weight exceeds 5 kg.

The average weight of an impact drill can range from 1 kg to 4 kg.

  1. Equipment

A hammer drill and an impact drill differ in the number of parts used and the methods of attaching them:

  • For drilling in a hammer drill, drills with pobedite surfacing are most often used. The most vulnerable part of the tool is the ratchet. Therefore, when choosing a drill, you should take into account that under heavy loads and severe vibration they wear out very quickly;
  • In addition to drills, rotary hammers also use drills, which are secured in chucks using a special system of clamps and specially shaped grooves

Having a certain degree of freedom in the movements of the drills in the chuck, the impact load in the hammer is significantly reduced.

The diameter of the chucks determines the possibility of using small or large drills.

Unlike an impact drill, the rotary hammer contains a special adapter that allows you to change cartridges if necessary.

Another positive point when choosing a hammer drill is the impact of a lower level of vibration on the master’s hands due to the softening air cushion located in the pneumatic impact mechanism.

  1. Performance

Determined by the impact energy value. For a rotary hammer it ranges from 1.5-20 J and is always an order of magnitude higher than for an impact drill. This largely depends on the mass of the device and the pressure force of the master. IN technical specifications rotary hammers can also indicate the frequency of blows per minute: from 4 to 4.5 thousand blows in more powerful models and 2-3 thousand in less powerful ones.

  1. Price

Taking into account the same power of tools, a hammer drill is always significantly more expensive compared to the price of an impact drill. However, we should not forget that a hammer drill belongs to the category of professional tools, so its cost is fully justified - drilling speed and durability.

Remember that when working with a hammer drill you need to apply three times less effort than when using an impact drill


Tool selection criteria

When choosing a power tool, you should pay attention to the following criteria:

  • Power - the higher the power level, the more comfortable it is to use the tool at work.
  • Rotation speed adjustment available.
  • Equipped with additional attachments.
  • Number of revolutions at idle (rotation speed).
  • Volume of speeds (one, two, three, etc.).
  • Possibility of movement (rotation) in both directions (reverse movement). In some cases, this helps remove a stuck drill bit.
  • Possibility of creating holes of different diameters in different building materials.

What to choose?

A hammer drill and an impact drill can perform each other's functions. However, replacing a hammer drill with a drill can lead to rapid wear.

The choice of tool directly depends on the material with which you will need to work: In such a matter, it is better to proceed from the purposes for which the construction tool is purchased. If you need to do housework around the house, a functional drill will suffice. For long-term, constant and large-scale work, it is better to use a hammer drill.

  • if the work involves processing concrete structures or items made of similar materials, it would be preferable to choose a hammer drill;
  • A drill is suitable when working with wood or steel products.

There are many different tools available on the market today, so it can be quite difficult to choose the right tool for a particular job. Every master knows what an impact drill is. This is a special type of tool for punching any building materials.

Impact drills look like regular drills that everyone who does their own repairs has, but their design includes a special mechanism that causes the drill to make a pushing, hammer-like movement during operation. This effect is simply necessary for working with brick, concrete and other stone materials.

When should you use an impact drill?

This type of power tool usually has a switch that allows you to choose between a drilling mode and a hammer drilling mode. When you are working in normal drilling mode, you can use an impact drill to solve any tasks that are usually performed with a simple drill. In impact drilling mode, such a tool is used when working with stone surfaces. So if the mode is selected correctly, an impact drill can make a hole in almost any material. If the repair involves drilling into stone surfaces, you should have an impact drilling tool.

This type of power tool is constantly used by professionals to install switchboards and other pieces of equipment on brick and concrete walls. DIYers use them for many jobs, mainly when hanging shelves and cabinets from stone walls.

Impact drill in working with various materials

These days, many people are no longer using traditional corded drills and are opting for modern, cordless ones. However, this approach does not always justify itself. First, the corded tool has a stable electrical supply and will never stop in the middle of the work process. It also usually has greater power compared to cordless drills and, accordingly, its area of ​​application is wider.

An impact drill typically operates at higher speeds (1100-3000 rpm) than conventional corded drills (up to 850 rpm). The extra speed makes it more suitable for special jobs. And while a DIYer may have many cordless drills, most set the impact drill in normal drilling mode and use sanding drums, wire brushes and polishing attachments as if they were powered.

Also, an impact drill in this mode can be used with hole saws. And when performing such tasks (drilling holes), compared to cordless or compact corded drills, the large size makes it more stable, easier to control, which provides more quality work.

Impact drill or hammer drill?

If you suddenly need to drill a hole with a diameter of more than 1.5 cm, or you are working with a material that is much harder than concrete, then the power of the device described above may not be enough. In such cases, a hammer drill will help you.

While an impact drill operates by rotating ribbed engagement plates, a hammer drill operates on the principle of an actual impact piston. Therefore, the hammer drill is easier to hold in your hand and at the same time it provides greater power output. However, this tool is not without its drawbacks - it is much more cumbersome than the first one and can only be used for stone materials.

Rotary hammers feature a special SDS chuck, into which only special SDS drills and other devices can be inserted. However, they also have switches that allow you to turn off the rotation mode for crushing stone material and other similar tasks.

Hammer with SDS chuck cannot work with standard drills, i.e. it is not suitable for home use. If you decide that you can’t do without it, the best solution would be to rent.

How to choose an impact drill for working on stone

Most drills have a chuck with three clamps, with which you can use standard drills for working on metal, plastic, wood (operating in normal, non-impact drilling mode). Working with stone requires special tools.

The features of a stone drill are recessed grooves, a hardened tip and hard inserts connected to the cutting ends. Such drills are usually 15 cm long, but there are also shorter specimens - 8 and 10 cm. The presence of a flat, pointed tip allows this type of drill to be clearly identified at first glance.

Stone drills intended for rotary hammers have the same design as for impact drills, but they are based on a thick shank for an SDS chuck.

Cordless impact drill works cordless

Cordless 18-volt impact drills are widely available and provide plenty of power for concrete work. This type of tool is extremely close in functionality to standard 18-volt drills, but has an impact mode of operation. It can also be included in normal drilling mode to solve problems not related to stone. Cordless tools are usually much bulkier and heavier than conventional ones, making them less convenient to use.

It is worth noting that tool manufacturers promise to create a decent offer of compact 12-volt cordless impact drills.

How to choose an impact drill for yourself

Until you started professional activity As an electrician, your requirements regarding a drill are not so great, and firstly, you should choose the corded version of the tool. Additionally, if you are choosing your first drill, then an impact drill will ensure that you can handle all the tasks that may come your way. If you already have a regular corded drill, but need a tool for working with stone, then an impact drill will allow you to drill, including concrete walls.

Currently, construction stores offer us a huge selection of all kinds of tools that allow us to perform many types of repairs and construction work. For example, when drilling holes in concrete or brick, it is important to have good tool. Usually a drill or a hammer drill is used for this purpose, and these two types of tools are very similar to each other at first glance. What is the main function of these two power tools and how are they different?

Where and how should a drill be used?

Almost every home has a drill, with its help you can make small and large holes on almost any surface. Many types of modern drills are equipped with an impact mechanism. In shock mode you can concrete wall punch, then switch the tool to normal mode and continue performing other tasks.

The impact mechanism in a drill is much simpler than that of a hammer drill, but the presence of such a function in a drill allows you to perform the following work:

  • Drill holes of different diameters in various materials, including wood and plastic, without even turning on the impact function.
  • The impact mechanism can make a hole in brick wall or a large hole in another hard surface.
  • Perform work with self-tapping screws, screws, and screws without turning on the impact mechanism.

Depending on the material in which you plan to work with a drill, it is necessary to select special drills. There are drills for working with wood, but if they are not available, you can use drills for metal. Feather drills are used for woodworking.

For work for metal, extra strong drills are required with a specific design. When working with glass or ceramics, spear-shaped drills are used; all work must be done with them very carefully so as not to cause cracks or chips on the surface.

When it is necessary to make large holes, then use core drills, they are the most best option for such a task. For the most difficult surfaces using an impact mechanism, it is best to have drills made of Pobedit. The drill can get the job done medium difficulty in concrete or brick.

A drill can be used to sand various surfaces well. For this, nozzles are used - grinding wheels for cleaning metal surfaces, you need to have a brush with steel wire. It is convenient to mix various building materials with a drill; for this there is a special attachment that turns a regular drill into a mixer, as well as a screwdriver. It always finds wide application in everyday life. Professionals are also happy to work with this tool.

Using a rotary hammer

By its popularity a hammer drill is as good as a drill, since it is always used by repairmen. The main task of this tool is to drill into surfaces that are particularly difficult to process, such as stone or concrete.

The main difference between a rotary hammer and an impact drill is that it has a non-mechanical impact function, but an electromechanical device or pneumatics. The drill in the hammer drill does not drill the surface, but chips it, so it must have sufficient power. The hammer drill can perform the following work:

  • drill a wall made of concrete, block, brick;
  • remove plaster;
  • knock down facing tiles;
  • break off bricks;
  • perform chipping of concrete walls.

For these purposes, there are also attachments, without which all of the above work cannot be performed - drills, chisels, picks, core drills.

Without going into technical details, we can say that the instruments in question different ways impact formation. When working with a drill, you need to put in a lot of effort for the drilling process to be effective. The hammer drill works differently, here no need to exert physical effort, as this will lead to poor performance or damage to the mechanism. For a hammer drill, the impact function is the main one, while for a drill it is additional.

Key Features and Functionality

Main characteristics for an electric drill - torque or torque. For a hammer drill, the classification is slightly different; in this tool the main indicator is power, depending on the impact energy. Torque in a hammer drill does not play such an important role; on the contrary, it is always less than that of a drill with an impact mechanism.

The hammer drill has three operating modes - impact with rotation, just impact and rotation. Such functions of an electric hammer drill allow you not only to drill a hole in the wall, but also to break through walls and break off pieces of concrete.

The drill has only two modes - standard drilling and drilling with an impact mechanism. Its strength cannot be compared with the power of a hammer drill, since the impact force of the latter tool is much more powerful. It’s more comfortable to work with, you don’t need to put in much effort, and ultimately, work with a concrete or brick surface can be done faster and more efficiently.

The main purpose of the drill is to work on metal, tiles, wood to make holes in their surface, and the impact function is only additional. For a rotary hammer, the main function is impact, to facilitate and speed up work with concrete or brickwork, and drilling is only an additional function.

The differences between one and the other tool are obvious - the main functions and additional ones. If there is a need to perform complex work with concrete or brick frequently, then a hammer drill is needed. When you plan to drill holes in concrete, metal or wood and clean the surface, then it is better to use a drill.

To make several holes, an electric drill, which costs less than a hammer drill, is quite suitable. Depending on the material and scope of work it is advisable to use both tools and know how and when to use them as intended.