Help me pick and SDS or SDS-Max rotary hammer

[Pony_Driver]

I'm not wed to any brand. I don't need a Binford 3000, but I don't want a POS either.

I've run a 20lb demo hammer rented from Lowes years ago. It kicked a lot ass, and I think it was a Makita. It was blue.

Typical uses are drilling concreter for anchor bolts, demo floors, etc.

What's worth looking at? Anything to avoid?

 

[arse_sidewards]

My HF SDS MAX hammer drill runs circles around the 20yo Hilti it replaced.

 

[SomeGuy]

The SDS style drills suck for demoing concrete...get an SDS plus for setting anchors and then a TR Industrial or equivalent clone jack hammer. You'll probably come out ahead on price and those chinese jack hammers are way more potent than even the best SDS Max.

 

[Pony_Driver]

I would be using it for removing tile and drilling concrete. If I had to do a bunch of concrete I'd go another route.

 

[total newb]

Idk how cheap you want or big but i had the big mil m18 and for a cordless piece it was damn impressive. I was using it for chipping thin sidewalks in apt. complexes.

Sds max. Not a power dragger like the grinders or big impacts. And not cheap either.

 

[[486]]

get a used corded one on craigslist, don't think I'd really want a cordless one for all the shit I've used mine for

got a hitachi max shank one for a hundred bucks a couple years back
there's a massive difference in swat between the plus and the max, as evidenced by the size difference in the shanks

 

[[486]]

oh right the real thing to look for is bits included with the used ones
they generally don't up the price much at all, but you go to buy them and they're 20-60 bucks apiece, so seeing ten or so in with a 60 dollar drill makes it near worthwhile to buy just for the bits

 

[arse_sidewards]

there's a massive difference in swat between the plus and the max, as evidenced by the size difference in the shanks

Makes a huge difference when you hit a baseball sized piece of granite aggregate.

 

[Pony_Driver]

I don't really want to go cordless on this one. I want maximum chooch and don't mind spending a couple hundred bucks.

What is the practical difference between the Milwaukee 1-9/16" and 1-3/4" SDS Max rotary hammers?

Quick research shows the best performance of any of these tools is up to 1/2 their rated capacity for solid core bits. I don't really need to kill myself rocking a 20lb demo hammer to hold over my head on a ladder or to do jobs the smaller one would do. If I needed more CHOOCH I could always borrow a buddy's Bosch. Kinda leaning towards the 1-9/16" Red machine or similar.