This week's SDS hammer drills
2kg Makita SDS Drill less than half price
Looking to pick up a bargain SDS drill? Here’s a popular 2kg Makita model for just £104.69 at Screwfix – available elsewhere...
Budget 24V drill Review: Draper Expert
We’ve got to say this is our first experience with a Draper SDS Drill – and it’s a good one. Sensibly priced, it’s...
Makita BHR202RFE 18V Cordless SDS Plus Hammer Drill
The best 18V cordless SDS drill out there? Quite possibly. The Makita BHR202RFE is a 3 mode drill that delivers bags of power,...
More Posts From This week's SDS hammer drills
SDS Drill Buyer's Guides
The best 18V SDS drills reviewed
We’ve had some pretty heated debates over the best 18V SDS drills. Read more
More SDS Drill Buyer's Guides
We couldn’t find SDS drill reviews – so we decided to do them ourselves
After years of using and selling SDS drills, we’ve created this website to help you find an SDS drill that’s spot on for your needs (and budget).
As far as we know we’re the web’s only in-depth site for SDS drill advice, reviews and price comparison – there’s no like us.
If you’re new to the wonderful world of SDS technology, why not see our page on SDS drills explained or, for help choosing one, see our SDS drill buyer's guide
All our content is written by our review team – one power tool retailer, one construction journalist and several hammer drill enthusiasts from various trades. As you can imagine, we have plenty of fun testing and reviewing the best SDS drills from leading manufactures.
So what is the right SDS drill for you?
If you’ve come this far you probably know at least a little about SDS drills. Chances are you’re looking for an SDS because you need more drilling power than your standard rotary hammer drill. The options below will help you narrow your choice to find the right drill.
Corded SDS drills
There are 3 types of corded SDS drills: lightweight SDS Plus (1.5-2.5Kg), medium SDS Plus (4kg) and SDS Max demolition hammer drills (5kg+). The weight and power of the drill you need will be determined by how you intend to use it. For occasional trade or DIY use a lightweight drill may suffice; for heavy trade use you’re probably looking at a medium SDS drill; and for knocking through seriously thick concrete and breaking stuff up you’ll want one of the big boys – the SDS Max. When comparing your drills, pay specific attention to the impact energy in Joules (J) and the max drilling capacity (i.e. the max diameter of holes it can drill).
Cordless SDS drills
Cordless SDS drills keep getting lighter and more powerful. The main things to consider are voltage and battery type. Do you need 18V/24V/36V? And should it be powered by traditional NiCad; newer NiMH or a sexy – but pricey - Lithium Ion (Li-ion) battery? Again, also look out for impact energy (J) and max drilling capacity. Read our guide to cordless SDS drills
The right brand
This is the million dollar question. Bosch, Makita, DeWalt have the biggest market share; Hitachi are up and coming; Metabo and Hilti have produce excellent machines, and Draper are pushing hard. We try to be impartial and judge each drill on its individual merits (and price tag).
The best price
Of course you can pop into Argos and buy an SDS drill for thirty quid. But will it stand up to the kind of hammer you’re going to chuck at it? Mmm, maybe not. We try to stick to the best brands only and for each of the reviews we also find the lowest price from all the leading power tool retailers. So all in all, you have everything you need to get the best value drill.
So what are you waiting for? Go get those SDS drills!
