DK wrote:
On Tue, 12 Dec 2006 16:56:28 -0800, "CWLee"
wrote:


Originally I wrote:

My adult son, the amateur handyman, told me he
would like a hammer drill for Xmas. I asked him what
brand/size/model/style/color/etc and he said he didn't
know
enough to make an intelligent choice. So, I'm asking you
guys to see if there is any consensus on what to get.

All serious comments and recommendations appreciated.

So far everyone has mentioned a brand (with no apparent
concensus) but nothing has been said about size/type/style.
(Other than to suggest avoiding a battery pack model.)
Maybe those aren't significant variables? I'd be surprised
if there is not at least a size variation - either in the
size of the bit that it will accept, or the HP of the motor.

Keep those informative suggestions flowing! :-)


so what does he expect to use it for? for sinking the occasional tapcon for a shelf or something like that, a little hammer drill is fine. if he is drilling in lots of 5/8" expansion bolts into concrete (like hanging a deck ledger) , then he might like a bigger rotohammer with a sds shank. up a step and you can get a rotohammer that both drills concrete and hammers for light demo. finally, if he needs to drill holes 1" plus through foundation walls, you better get the hilti. so we don't really know what he needs it for.

I have used a number of brands...Hilti, Bosch, Hitachi, Milwaukee.
other than the Hilti, which is a cut above, but expensive, none of the
others really stand out. they all work. I don't think you should get
a really cheap one though--that's just an insult.