How Do You Know Which Drill To Use For A Specific Project?
With so many different types of drills, how do you know which drill to use for drilling into concrete or hard materials?
14/01/2024
For DIY enthusiasts, SME contractors or homeowners involved in the repair and maintenance of a home, knowing which is the right drill to use for specific projects can be the difference between a broken drill, a waste of money on accessories and just a waste of your time and effort. There are all types of drills on the market and knowing what drill does what tasks these days is important, especially if you get to save your money instead of buying the wrong drill.
In this article, helpful tips and valuable advice are provided by Festool as to choosing the right drill for different tasks and projects in and around the home or on a job site.
What is a Percussion Drill?
It can be easy to confuse a percussion drill with a hammer drill especially when many cordless drills have the picture of a hammer on the function dial. But there is a huge difference between a hammer drill and a percussion drill with hammer function. Having said that, for the average DIY enthusiast or homeowner who is looking to do straightforward home repairs and maintenance, a percussion drill with hammer function might do the job you need. Why?
First off, percussion drills with hammer function DO have the ability to drill into concrete which makes them a handy power tool to have around the home if you need to drill into walls, hard tiles and even concrete lintels that are found above windows and doors. But a percussion drill with hammer function cannot drill into reinforced concrete, so if you need to drill into concrete beams, concrete slabs or other reinforced concrete, you will need to use a hammer drill.
When using a percussion drill with hammer function, it is essential to ensure that the hole being drilled is cleaned out continuously during the drilling process. This will remove any dust or rubble that will otherwise interfere with the impact of the drill bit on the surface of the material being drilled.
The hammer action on a percussion drill only works in the axial direction and very little in the actual forward thrust of the drill bit. This means that as long as the material being drilled is not reinforced and not extremely dense, a percussion drill in conjunction with a quality masonry drill bit will do the job.
The video below details how a percussion drill with hammer function works to drill a hole in hard materials.
What is a Hammer Drill?
Unlike a percussion drill (with hammer function), a hammer drill is able to generate impact energy by working at a lower stroke rate with greater impact energy. This means that drilling into concrete requires less effort than when using a percussion drill. The Festool TPC cordless percussion drill
The video below details how a hammer drill works to drill a hole in hard materials.
For the original version of this article, you can view this on the Festool website here.