1-5/8" SDS-max® Combination Hammer

As with many homeowners, I have occasional need for a hammer drill-type tool, and have happily rented one for $50 a day as required. Lately, I had a three week project that involved concrete chiseling, asphalt cutting, rebar driving, concrete and cinder block drilling, and tamping of crushed limestone and cold-patch asphalt. Let's see, $50 x 3 x 7 = $1050 = "too much", time to buy the tool that can do all this, assuming it can be had for less than the rental. After much Googling, reading reviews in tool magazines, talking with tech support at companies such as Bosch, Milwaukee, etc; I decided that what I needed was a tool that primarily is a light weight version of a jackhammer, with the ability to also rotate a cutting bit whilst hammering for certain chores. The solution meant that I needed a rotary hammer, not a hammer drill (former always hammers, but can also turn, latter always turns, but can also hammer...got that?). Next step was to decide on how big a rotary hammer was needed, and 1-5/8" seemed best after consulting experts. Variable speed was also desirable, as was "SDS-Max" chuck, as apposed to the older spline type chuck; all manufacturers said that spline is dead or dying, and SDS-Max is the new standard, and most bits in the future will be available in this style. The Bosch model 11264EVS was the closest match, at least in a high quality brand (no Harbor Freight Chinese tools for my shop, not anymore, thanks). Bosch make an otherwise identical rotary hammer that takes the spline bits instead, by the way. The EVS suffix means that it has the variable speed function, but for a few $ less they have one without the EVS. The SDS-Max is a spring loaded chuck for one-handed tool insertion and removal. Pull back the chuck ring with one hand while holding the hammer with the other hand, and it stays in this 'cocked' position. Simply insert the shaft of the SDS-Max style bit into the chuck, and when the end of the bit reaches the rear of the chuck, the chuck internally snaps closed on it, locking the bit to the tool. To remove the bit, pull back the ring and the bit practically falls out by itself. The hammer has two indicating lamps; one shows power is on (cord plugged in to power source), and the other lights up when the tool needs service, which is usually when the bearings have worn out. Bosch has a service for replacing these when the go, which is not for a long time; unless you use this every day professionally, you will probably never see this light turned on. The hammer has two triggers; the top one starts the motor when in hammer-only mode, and acts like the variable speed trigger on a regular electric drill when on rotary hammer mode. The bottom trigger stops the motor when in hammer-only mode. To clarify, in drill (rotary hammer) mode, you squeeze and hold the top trigger, and the amount you squeeze it determines the speed, and in hammer-only mode, any amount of squeeze of the top trigger locks the motor in 'on' at a fixed speed, no need to hold the trigger, and the lower trigger turns the tool off. There is also a variable speed knob which is used to set the maximum speed the tool can reach when the trigger is fully pressed in (in rotary hammer mode only). On the top of the hammer if a large knob to select the mode. One position is for rotary hammer mode, the middle position unlocks the chuck's rotation, and the third position is for hammer-only mode. You use the middle position to decide which angle you want the bit locked to when in hammer-only mode (where the hammer is not rotating the bit). There are 12 detents that you can rotate the bit to when the knob is in the middle position, and returning the know to hammer-only position locks the bit in that position. The hammer has two handles; a fixed handle with anti-vibration shock absorber, and a secondary handle near the chuck. By twisting the secondary handle's grip, it is unlocked and can then be rotated anywhere around the chuck, left, right, up, down, or in between. Hammer construction seems to be almost all metal with plastic trim and outer housing as required to make it double-insulated. Grips are rubberized. The hammer itself is pretty quiet, with most noise being made by whatever bit you are using impacting whatever you are using it on. I bought the concrete chisel, the asphalt cutter chisel, the tamping plate and its rod bit, and the ground rod hammer bit (which I use for sinking rebar deep into the ground). Each of these is priced at about $50, so they add about $200 to the price of the hammer. The hammer comes in a large case made of tough plastic. The case has compartments to hold a tube of oil (which comes with it) and several bits, including large once like the tamping plate and the asphalt cutter; you can probably fit most bits in the case along with the tool itself. The hammer takes almost 15 amps, so make sure you have a heavy duty extension cord and an outlet on a circuit that is not also running something heavy like a fridge, air conditioner, etc. This is a first rate quality tool, and you pay for that quality. I am quite pleased with mine.

Coming from mainly using a Bosch Bulldog with SDS-plus, this hammer is a massive step up in power and material removal, when it's required. This particular hammer is a bit heavy, but just light and nimble enough that it can be used for good periods of time, and fairly precisely. I've used this for at least 10+ hours of actual runtime now, and I can't come up with many negatives. I can't see many people needing this for "home use", versus professional, but go for if you can get your money out of it, etc.. Overall build quality is great, as expected. Unless it ever changes, this unit is made in Germany. The case is large and adequate for a hard case. The straight handle that is featured on this unit is more ideal for drilling compared to the hammer only model's handle, but I have only used it for demolition and it does fine. The trigger stays on during hammer-only use, and motor speed can be adjusted. This is nice compared to holding a trigger for long periods and the motor speed is very useful for all of the potentially endless applications. Sometimes too much speed results in bouncing off/out of concrete, brick or other materials, and a lower speed works better. Not to mention the speed adjustment is necessary for many drilling applications. The anti-vibration features work very well. You feel so little compared to how much work is being done. Regarding vibration, compared to say the smaller units (Bulldog) which don't have anti-vibration, this unit is actually less fatiguing. The SDS system of course works great, SDS max bits are much larger than SDS plus bits. Overall I'm happy with this unit. It is high quality, powerful and works very well.

Worth the money - Great tool

This rotary hammer is a brute but easy on your body. I used it with a 6” chisel to clear 3/8 inch mortar off of 40 sq. ft. of concrete like I was scraping mud off my boots. It is up to almost any task as long as you use it properly. Make sure t keep the chuck and bit well greased and don’t force it. Let the tool do the work. Moderate pressure and the right angle is all that are needed. If you don’t get a tool that does the work, YOU end up picking up the slack. This tool does the work. It will handle any thing you can throw at it, as long as you know what your are doing.

Bosch makes some of the best tools money can buy and this drill is no exception. My concrete crew can tear up anything that isnt solid steel of welded down and this drill has lasted 6 months with no issues...

High quality product at a great price

This drill is the boss! We bought it to help remove a bunch of cracked slate tiles from a concrete pool deck, but we found other uses for it before we even began the pool repair project. We basically jackhammered out a 2-foot by 3-foot rectangle of 6-inch concrete, this drill made it almost easy. Would definitely recommend and buy again.

I own a landscaping business and mainly use it for compacted soil. My employees are rough on it and never use the grease. Occasionally use it for drilling holes. I love this beast. October 29, 2020 will be 6 year since I bought it. Only issue I ever had was power cord, some employees would use the cord to pull the spade out of the ground. Definitely not Bosch’s issue. Amazing weight to power. My guys can use it consistently for most of the day. The machine can handle the abuse and my guys don’t get fatigued

Been hammering away as a small jack hammer or drilling cement holes for a few years now and it just keeps on going. It is a nice middle of the road hammer. Not super big, but it packs a punch when you need it. It is kinda' large for the smaller holes though. I would definitely buy it again knowing what I know now.

Fue una buena inversión Está más ligera de lo que pensé.

Good quality demo hammer! Does the job. Bosch always good quality. Breaks up concrete no problem.

En primera llegó antes de tiempo y excelentes condiciones, ya en el uso sorprende su fuerza y desempeño, quitamos 14mts cuadrados de concreto con un espesor de 10cm, la herramienta x si sola no hubiera podido ya que no es la indicada, nos asistimos de un marro para primero debilitar o cuartear un poco la placa de concreto que repito tenia un espesor de 10cm, ya de lo demás se encargo el jugetito que se muestra en las fotos, ya por último y no menos importante es de que x algo BOSCH es líder en ventas, pues 7 de cada 10 herramientas de este tipo son BOSCH y como no si fueron los que lo inventaron!!

aunque es un poco mas pesado de lo previsto, es un monstruo mucho poder para trabajos de demolicion mediana, concreto solido facil, ladrillo y otros muy facil. Ranuras tambien excelente solo hay que tener fuerza para no perder la linea muy bueno solo va poco tiempo pero lo he usado en diferentes actividades