Manufacturer
Model
Rotary Stop
Power (Volts)
Weight (kg)
Rotation Speed
E.R.P. (Inc. GST)
Panasonic
EY7840
14.4
2.3
0 - 1000
$0
Hitachi
DH18DL
18.0
2.6
0 - 1500
$269.00
Milwaukee
V28H (Naked)
28.8
4.42
0 - 1400
EY7880
3.8
0 - 920
$848.00
DH36DAL
36.0
4.2
0-1100
$949.00
Bosch
GBH 36 VF-LI
4.5
0 - 960
$1029.00
For comparative purposes we have generally placed tools in the following categories. Light Duty, Trade Duty or Industrial Duty however some tools may need to cross over between categories. Click here for an explanation of these categories.
This Review Is Currently Under Construction - More Tool Reviews Will Be Added Soon!
In Brief. If anyone had told me that a cordless machine with the power of these rotary hammer drills would one day be available when I was buying my original 7.2 volt Makita cordless battery drill, I probably would have thought that they were dreaming! Cordless rotary hammer drills really are revolutionary! When you first use one of these machines, you realise just how revolutionary they really are. Even the smallest model is capable of drilling masonry quickly, efficiently & with minimal operator effort. The lithium ion battery technology, as used in these machines, has recently added yet another dimension to the power & versatility of this type of equipment. That is why all major manufacturers have now adopted this technology for their high end & high power drain cordless equipment. We now have lithium ion tools with battery level indicators, work lights, lighter batteries than ever before; & we can at last recharge them at our convenience without risking shortening the batteries life by charging too often. In this review we have chosen four major brands. From these we have picked some lighter machines, primarily designed for overhead or smaller work, plus some larger & more powerful machines that compete on an equal footing with serious 240 volt equipment. What We Did. As always, we fully examined each machine prior to use. We completely charged the batteries & we found that all of the machines for testing have good quality heavy duty chargers that are easy to use. All chargers also seemed compatible with earlier types of batteries i.e. nickel cadmium (Ni-Cad) & nickel metal hydride (Ni-MH). We examined each of the machines making note of any special features & we also recorded our opinion about the overall manufacturing quality & finish. We are pleased to report that all of these manufacturers produce machines that leave nothing to be desired in terms of overall quality. On test we simply used each machine to drill an 80mm thick slab of hard concrete by drilling holes ranging from 5mm right up to 16mm for the larger machines. If any machine came with a chisel only ability, often called rotary stop, we inserted a bull point to test its ability in breaking up some of the concrete. What We Thought. All of the machines tested performed brilliantly! The two smaller machines have a large price difference & it was therefore no big surprise to see that our tester rated the more expensive Panasonic 14.4 volt very highly. Not that we really have a single negative word to say though about the other smaller Hitachi 18 volt machine either! We grouped all of the larger machines together, despite their difference in voltage, as their performance is claimed to be broadly similar. In this group, Milwaukee & Bosch scored equally & we considered them ‘a nose’ in front of the Panasonic & Hitachi machines. Having said that, some buyers will be looking at particular features that may be specific to each machine. The Panasonic 28.8 volt is an outstanding machine that would probably have won the day if it had come with a chisel only [rotary stop] facility that seems standard elsewhere?
If anyone had told me that a cordless machine with the power of these rotary hammer drills would one day be available when I was buying my original 7.2 volt Makita cordless battery drill, I probably would have thought that they were dreaming!
Cordless rotary hammer drills really are revolutionary! When you first use one of these machines, you realise just how revolutionary they really are. Even the smallest model is capable of drilling masonry quickly, efficiently & with minimal operator effort. The lithium ion battery technology, as used in these machines, has recently added yet another dimension to the power & versatility of this type of equipment. That is why all major manufacturers have now adopted this technology for their high end & high power drain cordless equipment. We now have lithium ion tools with battery level indicators, work lights, lighter batteries than ever before; & we can at last recharge them at our convenience without risking shortening the batteries life by charging too often.
In this review we have chosen four major brands. From these we have picked some lighter machines, primarily designed for overhead or smaller work, plus some larger & more powerful machines that compete on an equal footing with serious 240 volt equipment.
As always, we fully examined each machine prior to use. We completely charged the batteries & we found that all of the machines for testing have good quality heavy duty chargers that are easy to use. All chargers also seemed compatible with earlier types of batteries i.e. nickel cadmium (Ni-Cad) & nickel metal hydride (Ni-MH).
We examined each of the machines making note of any special features & we also recorded our opinion about the overall manufacturing quality & finish. We are pleased to report that all of these manufacturers produce machines that leave nothing to be desired in terms of overall quality.
On test we simply used each machine to drill an 80mm thick slab of hard concrete by drilling holes ranging from 5mm right up to 16mm for the larger machines. If any machine came with a chisel only ability, often called rotary stop, we inserted a bull point to test its ability in breaking up some of the concrete.
All of the machines tested performed brilliantly! The two smaller machines have a large price difference & it was therefore no big surprise to see that our tester rated the more expensive Panasonic 14.4 volt very highly. Not that we really have a single negative word to say though about the other smaller Hitachi 18 volt machine either!
We grouped all of the larger machines together, despite their difference in voltage, as their performance is claimed to be broadly similar. In this group, Milwaukee & Bosch scored equally & we considered them ‘a nose’ in front of the Panasonic & Hitachi machines. Having said that, some buyers will be looking at particular features that may be specific to each machine. The Panasonic 28.8 volt is an outstanding machine that would probably have won the day if it had come with a chisel only [rotary stop] facility that seems standard elsewhere?