Harbor Freight SDS Max hammer drill

[HowardH]

I will need to take down an adobe brick wall soon that's about 4' high. I was looking at the HF SDS Max hammer drill vs. a Milwaukee or Dewalt. The biggest difference will obviously be the cost. The HF version is about $150 and the name brand can be as much as $700. I really only will need it for this one job, even tho the wall is 40+ feet long. Should I follow my Festool rule, buy once and cry once or will the HF be adequate?

 

[jonnyrocket]

Have you looked into tool rental? If you will need this tool again down the road then maybe this isn’t the best path, but if only for this 1 job then I would go the rental route. you can get exactly what you need this way and feel as though you got your money’s worth.
With a HF investment, I don’t know that you will have the same sense of satisfaction.
Something to consider.

 

[HowardH]

I hadn't considered it as it will probably take me a number of weeks to do it and I could probably buy the tool cheaper than I could rent it for that period of time. If it was only for a few hours I would agree. It's a big wall tho...

 

[onocoffee]

Maybe the one to consider against the Milwaukee and DeWalt is less the $150 Bauer but rather the $449 Hercules?

I wish I had more experience and better correlation for you, but I've owned a Ridgid a 1/2" VSR Masonry Hammer Drill for a long time. About fifteen years ago, I needed to drill a hole through 12" of red brick to run 3/4" conduit from the inside panel to the outside garden. Bought the proper masonry bit, set up the Ridgid and went to town on that wall. For hours. In the blazing summer heat. It was utter misery and I was getting nowhere.

Finally, I called up one of my friends who has proper (better) tools and he brought out his Makita Monster Rotary Hammer. He plowed a hole with my bit in a couple of minutes - it was ridiculous. His Makita cost magnitudes more than my Ridgid - and in those few moments, it demonstrated why it was worth the money.

I surmise that, like the Ridgid, the Bauer will get the job done. But there will be a lot of time and pain involved. If you got the hardcore demolition hammers, it would probably make this job go faster and happier.

That said, HF Insider Track Clum members get $100 off the Hercules right now. The savings might be worth the $30 membership fee.

 

[HowardH]

That's what I was wondering about. Also found this on Amazon and it looks pretty interesting.

Amazon.com

Obviously another Chinese brand and it gets decent reviews... decisions... decisions.

 

[mwolczko]

I just picked up a refurbished Bosch hammer from Acme, which was a bargain IMO, to replace an inadequate unit from Horrible Fright. The Bosch looks identical to new and has a 1y warranty.

 

[waho6o9]

I'd use a Demolition Hammer as that's a lot of work for a hammer drill.
Rent it or farm out the work. Home Depot might have something for you.

https://www.homedepot.com/c/demolition_equipment_rental#breakers

Best of luck

 

[luvmytoolz]

@waho6o9 A demo hammer would pulverise it for sure, but that's pretty hard on the back using them horizontally as in this case.

A cheap but decent size pneumatic chisel would probably be the easiest to break it up. That or chain it to a tow bar and pull it over.

 

[Shavings]

I have had a Bosch !/2" hammer drill that I bought probably as long as 20 years ago. I don't use it very often (probably two times a year at most) but it has always been satisfactory for my home use to drill into concrete. I'm not sure how it would hold up for a 40' long wall. I got it after burning up a Dewalt hammer drill in short order chipping up concrete slab to make a 1 inch wide trench for about 15 feet long and 1.5 inch deep to run some 1/2" conduit for an outlet. The Bosch finished the concrete slab job and and as I mentioned comes in very handy for the occasional need around the house.

 

[jonnyrocket]

Seeing the size of that wall, i would not bother with a rotary hammer. As mentioned I would use some type of powered machinery. A 4-wheel drive truck, with sufficient weight in the bed, connected to the proper chains, or a mini excavator could have the wall down in a few minutes flat. Likewise, hiring out the job to someone with a mini excavator may also be well worth the price.

 

[rvieceli]

A friend of mine likes to say “there are times when you just need to write a check”. This wall project seems like one of those times.

A skilled mini excavator operator and a crew with a Small tracked loader would make short work of that wall.

Ron

 

[luvmytoolz]

I'd still chain it to the ute's towbar to pull the bulk down, but looking at the pic it really doesn't seem much more effort than a 2 or 3 slab job with a few mates over to to get it all down?

 

[Crispy]

I'd still chain it to the ute's towbar to pull the bulk down, but looking at the pic it really doesn't seem much more effort than a 2 or 3 slab job with a few mates over to to get it all down?

I can hear the yee haaar and banjos in the background while that happens

 

[luvmytoolz]

I can hear the yee haaar and banjos in the background while that happens

"Thunderstruck" on the banjo! ;-)

 

[cpw]

I got an equivalent to this on Amazon when I needed to break up part of my basement slab for french drains.

https://www.vevor.com/jack-hammer-c_11014/vevor-demolition-jack-hammer-2200w-electric-jackhammer-heavy-duty-1350-bpm-concrete-breaker-6pcs-chisels-bit-chipping-with-case-black-p_010738641103

 

[cdconey]

Like Ron suggests, a mini excavator will make short work of this. A SDS hammer drill will take you weeks. A demo hammer will wear you out lifting it up.

 

[Mike Goetzke]

Don't know if HF's tool today is as good but I bought a similar hammer/drill probably 25 years ago. It has never failed me. Just last month I used it to remove tile/thinset in a bathroom remodel.

 

[Packard]

I will need to take down an adobe brick wall soon that's about 4' high. I was looking at the HF SDS Max hammer drill vs. a Milwaukee or Dewalt. The biggest difference will obviously be the cost. The HF version is about $150 and the name brand can be as much as $700. I really only will need it for this one job, even tho the wall is 40+ feet long. Should I follow my Festool rule, buy once and cry once or will the HF be adequate?

I have that exact unit. I used it to remove mosaic floor tile installed in 1952 - 1953.

I don’t know what thinset they used, but the tile was particularly tenacious in its grip to the floor. Very few of the tiles lifted intact, and there were hot sparks everywhere.

The hammer drill did its job on two bathroom floors and half height tiled walls.

Learning curve: I ordered additional bits and didn’t realize that there are two types of hammer drills, and the bits are not interchangeable.

Also, because of the sparks, I found I needed to wear long sleeve shirts. And eye protection and face masks were a must.

The wall tiles which were ceramic were not so difficult. The vintage porcelain tiles were another matter entirely.

I’m glad I did not rent. Rushing to get this done in a day or two would be more grief than I was up for. The drill worked fine and still does.

 

[cpw]

Like Ron suggests, a mini excavator will make short work of this. A SDS hammer drill will take you weeks. A demo hammer will wear you out lifting it up.

Forget about lifting the tool. Carrying the debris into a dumpster is not easy either. Machine power for that part seems like a pretty big win.

 

[HowardH]

I'm thinking you guys may be right. It would be a lot of work. back breaking work that would not go well on my 67 year old body. A contractor is finishing up this wall tomorrow and had a mini-excavator. I think I'll just pay him to do it.