I wish some had told me about SDS dills, drilled over 1000 holes in bricks before I was told about them

I bought the same Titan last year to break up concrete around a rotted wooden post, took a while but got there in the end. Amazing bit of kit.

Another big difference in effectiveness between standard/keyless chuck and SDS is that in hammer mode an SDS only has to move the drill bit forwards and backwards, whereas chucks that grip the drill bit tight have to move the entire mass of the chuck forwards and backwards, which either takes more force to achieve or more realistically you get less movement. An SDS drill is most definitely a game changer, thanks for the video Charlie.

Love my sds drill. Was pulling my hair out trying to hang a curtain rail into a bloody lintle that must be hewn from bloody granite! Combi drill was just spinning and marking the wall. Got the sds on the job and 30 seconds later I had 4 decent holes in the wall ready for hanging.

And of course most SDS models have a hammer only setting, turning the tool into an electric chisel perfect for e.g tile removal

I’m an occasional DIYer and love my sds. But do find it very heavy and cumbersome. I’ve got fibromyalgia and am female which makes it a tad harder I guess. It’s almost the length of my hand and forearm. I can’t even begin to lift it with one hand. But it’s beautiful the way it just smashes through brick and concrete effortlessly. I remember breaking out into a sweat using a regular drill in the past. I’d be shaking from the effort. Sds’s are a life changer. Just wish I could find a lighter compact one that’s just as powerful. Don’t know zilch about different types of drills. So here I am hoping to learn what’s available out there.

I got a Ryobi one years ago a B&Q had it in clearance with 2x batteries for £90. Didn't need the drill at the time but was a bargain for the batteries! When it cam to working on the house it came out of its box. The chisels action was great for plaster and blocks. I could get a very precise cut when opening up new door openings. For drilling it was a knife through butter!

I had a Titan, bought second hand, and I called it “the beast” for its ability to chew holes through concrete. When the beast died I looked at getting an 18v SDS to match my existing Dewalt kit, but they’re just so expensive, so I opted for another Screwfix Titan which comes in a case with a whole load of SDS bits and is incredibly good value.

Roto stop is another thing to look out for. Allows chipping and breaking from your SDS SDS makes hole drilling a breeze

Plunge saw needs to be on this list

And get proper SDS drill bits for it. The name brand ones are expensive but eats concrete like butter and last forever for us DIY folks 👍🙂

when your up a ladder with only one wall plug to put in you will be glad you have hammer on your combi , its more use than 21 torque settings etc

Excellent advice.

What if I tell you thag I prefer my hammer function when drilling into breeze block or even brick? The reason is because on my SDS the hammer function is so powerful that it chips away the face of the brick or breaks away the breeze block leaving me with a bigger whole. And my SDS is only 2.4J. For concrete SDS all the way ofcourse but both have their uses.

Combi hammer drill, vibrates doesn't hammer, SDS drill is a pistol drill hence the the small mark on the back of the drill bit..

Titan SDS is a real monster but it's very heavy

Hi Gordon Lamsay. Thank you for your info.

Novice here, the drill bit on my hammer drill keeps coming loose while I'm drilling the wall. Any suggestions?

Can you do one on breaker drills sometime. I was thinking a plain 18v drill (no hammer) would be a good idea for the compact size

Charlie, I’m in need of an occasional use drill and everyone is saying combi. It’s for putting up curtain poles into brick (five poles), heavy paintings and mirrors (some brick, some plasterboard), and the occasional bit of garden DIY. While I appreciate that a range of tools is ideal, is a combi going to be “good enough” for comparatively limited/infrequent residential use? If so, battery (I took your point on higher powered batteries and I have two Ryobi 4aH batteries on some garden equipment), or mains cabled drill?

I see lots of combination drill and impact drivers on the market, what a average torque for these kind of sets?👍

Nooice!

In the video where you show how to use the sds drill, the procedure is wrong. You don't need to push hard, let the drill do it its work. When you push to hard you hinder the head moving in and out.

Not that pathetic to be honest

Get a wash 😊