I needed a hammer drill to drill some holes in cinder block walls for Tapcon concrete anchors. Knowing I wouldn’t need a hammer drill very often, I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on a professional grade hammer drill. On the other hand, I didn’t want to go super cheap either. After a lot of research, I decided this Skil 7.5 amp 1/2-inch hammer drill was a good mid-level choice. It's not a Milwaukee or DeWalt, but it's better quality than a Bauer hammer drill from Harbor Freight. This Skil hammer drill (7.5 Amp/3,000 RPM/ 48,000 BPM) appears to be very similar to Craftsman’s corded 1/2-inch hammer drill (7 Amp/3,100 RPM/ 52,700 BPM) , for 15 - 20 less. So far, I'm very happy with this drill. I have only used it to drill a dozen holes for concrete anchors in cinder block walls, but it did the job quickly and effortlessly. I have no doubt it will handle more demanding jobs without a problem. The housing of this hammer drill is made entirely of plastic. I would have preferred a metal gear housing. The side handle is also made entirely of plastic, feels rather cheap and does not hold the depth stop rod very securely. However, a metal gear housing and beefier side handle would presumably add to the cost of this drill, and it was the relatively low cost that attracted me to this drill in the first place. So I guess I can’t complain too much. And given that I'm not likely to use this hammer drill more than a few times a year, I expect it will last many years, even with the plastic gear box housing. I also wish this drill had a keyless chuck. All of my cordless drills have keyless chucks and I had forgotten what a pain keyed chucks are. That said, when tightened with sufficient torque a keyed check probably holds drill bits more securely than a keyless chuck, which might matter on a tough drilling job. In the end, I think this Skil hammer drill is a great option for a DIYer, or even a professional handyman, who doesn’t need a hammer drill often. It is more than adequate for occasional use. It won’t impress diehard Milwaukee, DeWalt, Bosch or Makita fanboys, but it will get the job done and you will have extra money in your pocket to spend on tools you will use more often.
Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]