Hammer Drill vs Rotary Hammer – Which One is Best?

Both Hammer drills and a Rotary hammer is fantastic way for a drilling task. Two of them are best in their own ways. Hence, you can dig holes with many tools. But, only two of them are capable of drilling a screw into concrete. And, these two are – hammer drill and rotary hammer.

Besides, the hammer drill is the upgraded version of lighter drills. They have been heavily used on softer components like light masonry. On the other hand, the rotary hammer is mainly used for heavy-duty tasks. The powerful drill of them can easily break the masonry or concrete surface.

Now, we are going to discuss what is hammer drill vs rotary hammer? Let’s jump into that –

Hammer Drill vs Rotary Hammer?

Hammer drills and rotary hammers, both can produce highly powered and proficient force. For this reason, they can easily make a powerful blasting through masonry. But, the mechanical procedure of these two gadgets is not the same. This is what differs them in this industry.

What Is a Hammer Drill?

A hammer drill is a type of drill. But they are quite different from the regular drills. Standard drill spins the bit to drill into the hard surfaces. Hammer drill also does the same task. However, they add extra action. This is why the job can be done easily.

The biggest advantages of this mechanisms are they are very easy, rigid, and easy to switch on and off. They are literally master in impact drilling. Apart from impact drilling, they are also good at regular drilling and screw-driving.

However, the disadvantage of this hammer drill is that it can’t produce too hard blow. 

Mechanism of Hammer Drill

A hammer drill has a huge similarity with the standard drill that homeowners own. When the drill starts to rotate, it drives drills much forward. As a result, high-speed pulsing begins. After that, the power starts to come when the two ridged plates commenced rotating.

On the other hand, impact begins when two ridged metal discs click in and out against each other. These types of drills are heavily used in drilling into brick, concrete, granite, etc surfaces. Besides, they are much faster than ordinary drills.

That’s why DIYer professionals use them to break non-ordinary components.

What Is a Rotary Hammer?

A rotary hammer can do various jobs at a time. It can drive the bit forward into the component being drilled. Contrariwise, they can turn the bit just like a drill! There’s a piston and air pressure attached to it. This combination can easily beat the concrete and other harder surfaces effectively.

The biggest advantage of this rotary hammer is that it can make a very significant impact on the surface. But they are usually bigger and heavier. So, you will have to spend extra energy to carry them.

Mechanism of Rotary Hammer

There’s obviously a big reason behind the fastness of a rotary hammer than a hammer drill. Hammer generally uses “vibration” to break the force. But a rotary hammer literally crushes the surface with much power.

Rotary hammer uses a drive piston. This piston can apply quick air pressure to a flying piston. That drives the bit ahead quickly whilst the electric motor spins the bit rotationally. Besides, the high-quality hammers use an advanced timing system to integrate both impact and rotation.

This is how they supply much better performance.

Comparison: Hammer Drill vs Rotary Hammer

Let’s look at the overall comparison between these giant tools.

• Function

Hammer drill is used to drill light-duty concrete or stringing drilling for holes up to 3/8” diameter. On the other side, rotary hammers are used to drill more heavy-duty concrete drilling by DIY professionals. These hammers possess heavy energy.

• Using Spaces

Hammer drills are mainly used by amateurs, non-professional DIYers, homeowners, etc. But rotary hammers are used by construction sites and concrete workers.

• Diameter

Hammer drill – 3/16″ to 7/8″ in diameter. Rotary hammer – 1/4″ to 2″ in diameter.

• Drilling Component

Hammer drill has been used to break softer concrete and masonry. On the other side, a rotary hammer is applied to smash tough components.

• Weight

The weight of the hammer drill is 4 to 8 pounds. Besides, the rotary hammer is much heavier. Its weight is 14 to 18 pounds.

Courtesy: ElmoIsBold

Hammer Drill Bits vs Rotary Hammer Bits

If we closely look at the bits of hammer drill, we will clearly see that they are pretty much similar to the standard drills. The only difference is that they possess a carbide tip on the top of the head. Besides, they also contain a bulky core.

On the other side, the nature and types of rotary hammer bits possess a high amount of carbide and powerful flute pattern. Therefore, they can aggressively work on any harder surface.

The Pros and Cons of Hammer Drill vs Rotary Hammer

Just like every other product, both the hammer drill and the rotary hammer have their own advantages and disadvantages. Take a look at them –

Hammer Drill

Rotary Hammer

Which One You Should Get?

It’s not easy to conclude which one will be perfect for you. You should consider several factors for that. Hence, the most important criterion is the size of your project. In other words, you should check out the concrete or masonry job.

If you have to do professional works, bigger projects, or you need holes larger than one diameter, you will surely need rotary hammer.

Nevertheless, if you need the hammer for personal use, you should get the hammer drill. At least, they could complete the job pretty much better than ordinary ones.

Wrapping Up

Yes, both hammer drill and rotary hammer do the same task. But rotary hammer is highly robust and efficient. You can do the construction job with these hammers. Contrariwise, hammer drill is effective in doing the medium-sized job and they are more suitable for personal use. They are lightweight and worthy for lighter jobs.