I will never forget my first experience of using SDS drill after breaking two standard drills trying to drill concrete. The feeling was sheer pleasure. I love my SDS drill and second everything you've said in the video. Wish I bought one years ago.

I have that drill. It's superb, remember being totally shocked when first using it,so much easier than my usual hammer drill. Building extension it was battered and abused and still works great. Broke up 4inch thick 300mm wide concrete to dig a 7m long trench. Used it to core drill a150mm hole through 700mm of concrete. Bought an angled spade chisel and taken of rooms full of plaster and tiles. If it died now, it owes me nothing and I'd replace with the same. 👍

There are a few English 'backronyms' of SDS - 'Slotted drive system' as you quote is one, another is 'Special Direct System'. The original however is German: Steck, Dreh, Sitz - Insert, Twist, Secure. This was a tagline used by Bosch in the 70's.

This is the 5th tile project we've done where we've removed the old tile before installing new tile, and the first one with this tool kzfaq.infoUgkxqqoaX03nrziKwF7Bjjcc71YzLEleMvOS . I want to cry for all the unnecessary work we've done in the past. With this tool, we removed tile surrounding a fireplace, as well as the hearth tile, set in loads of cement, in less than an hour. I highly recommend this tool. It was easy to use, and very satisfying watching the tile literally fall off the wall.

Was researching to buy a drill for home use, this is by far the best and most in-depth video I have watched on the topic. A SDS+ Rotary Hammer drill it is. Keep up the good work, Stuart.

Great advice. I totally melted the end off a 12mm masonry bit just going at it hard. Only learnt later about low rpm, low pressure. This is even more relevant when drilling into concrete with rebar in it. I bought one of those Titan SDS drills, and by just setting it at low rpm and letting the weight of the drill do the pushing (I was drilling vertically downwards) the drill just chomped through the concrete and any rebar it encountered - whereas before with my normal drill and lack of knowledge I was just punishing my ears, punishing the bits, and going nowhere fast :) Great content as usual - thanks!

I couldn’t agree more, some years back I was trying to plumb in a basin in my utility room, I needed to put a couple of 15mm pipes through the solid brick wall from my kitchen sink, I had a 1000w hammer drill at the time as my main corded electric drill, I managed to get one hole through, and tried the second, but concluded I must have burned and blunted the drill bit, so I went up to my local B & Q to get another While I was walking into the power tool aisle, I saw an SDS Drill, now I knew about them, but had always written them off as too expensive to justify for DIY, but this one a NuTool machine was only £45 and included five meaty drill bits, a chisel and a breaker point, plus a standard Jacob’s keyed chuck, so I bought it When I got home I repositioned myself inside my sink unit, braced for Impact !, and pressed home the drill, to my utter surprise and delight it went in like a hot knife through butter, needless to say I haven’t used anything else to drill brick or concrete since ! Without a doubt this was one of my best power tool purchases ever, I still have it, and it still works beautifully, I have others now, including a Lovely Bosch I treated myself to several years later when it was on offer in B & Q again, I swear by the tool, one of the very finest inventions in power tools, my advice, if you’re a keen DIY’er buy one, you will never regret it. - Julie

Two points: Even the relatively small SDS drills are a great advantage compared to conventional masonry drills. I use one I got from ALDI for the easier jobs and Hitachi for the heavy stuff. Perhaps you should have included a reminder to grease the SDS bit so it slides freely in the drill. This end can get hot if not lubricated.

Everyday is a school day, very hard to find good video's that explain as detailed as yourself. Love the channel, keep them coming.

Thanks for all your videos! Explains it all so well. I need to drill a run of holes in a 50 year old concrete retaining wall and had hit exactly the same issues you mentioned with a normal hammer drill, just ordered the same SDS you revewied the titan 631 set as looks exactly what I need for the job, so this video is very much appreciated. 👍

I have the same model and was using it today to remove concrete from a fence post hole........goodness me I needed it and it did the job. These things are a must for home DIY etc. Great channel.

This video is exactly what I needed to see, I have that dewalt and have struggled like hell to drill into the house brick work. Thank you for sharing, very useful.

Thanks for another quality video Stuart. SDS is definitely the way to go if tackling heavy duty concrete drilling. So much easier and less impact I think on your arms and wrists. Just watch out with some of the cheaper SDS machines as they may not have a clutch which means if it binds and gets stuck, it will potentially spin you around and break your arm off.

Great video, picked up exact same titan drill set last year for taking out a chimney breast. Also used it for core drilling later on for an extraction fan after my black and decker hammer drill started to smoke under the strain. Probably my favourite tool I've bought in a long time.

I've put off buying an SDS drill for years until a timber wooden spur had rotted at the base leaving a stub in concrete, I spent nearly the whole of yesterday pounding away at the concrete around the wooden stub using a club hammer and various chisels. Now I can't wait to use my new SDS drill to break out the concrete so I can fit a new concrete spur and bolt that through the fence post. Great video, thank you for showing this.

DIYer here. I bought an SDS because I simply wanted one. Had it for four or five years and haven't looked back.

As said, great advice. Trying to drill into very hard brick and blunting bits as a result, I was all ready to spend £200 ON THE WRONG THING until I saw your video. 24 hours later, I have the drill, I have really neat 6mm holes, with rawlplugs fitting snugly inside. Actually FWIW I don't have exactly that model. Because it was £70 rather than £90 for "your" model right now, I bought the TITAN TTB278SDS 6.3KG ELECTRIC SDS PLUS DRILL & 9 PIECE ACCESSORY KIT 230-240V. AFAICT it is exactly the same model, just with fewer bits and chisels. You saved me time and £130 - thanks a lot!

This is really good advice. I tried drilling my garage brickwork three months ago to put insulation on the wall, so needed many holes to take rawleplugs and screws for the framework. The first three holes, drilled with a ‘hammer drill’ nearly killed me, never mind the drill bit! (I’m 75..). I got out my cheap SDS drill and it went through the process like a hot knife through butter, a real pleasure. Don’t mess about, get an SDS drill and do it right. Les

I have had that Titan for a couple of years now, I don't use it often but when I do it's a life saver.

I just bought this exact SDS drill, and like magic, this video pops up in my feed. Great video, well explained. You've got a new sub my friend!

My first SDS experience was putting a 1/2" hole through a granite gatepost, I'd been at it for ages when my neighbour brought his SDS Plus drill round; epiphany moment. I now have a 3.5Kg SDS Plus and also a 6.5Kg SDS Max when I had to drill dozens of 500mm deep 50mm holes in a granite outcrop in the garden.

Thank You Stuart for pointing me in tho right direction. I have now purchased a Titan, purely for punching through an inspection chamber, using the chisel tool attachment This was the day after trying to break through with a angle grinder with a steel cutting blade. An investment i feel has been well spent and will see me through for many years. cheers Stuart.

Yup to all of that! I had my first experience of an SDS drill at work about 30 years ago - what was then an eye-watering value of cordless Hilti. I couldn't possibly justify that kind of expense for myself, but I was delighted when machines like your Titan (I've got a Titan myself, very similar) started appearing for not much more than beer money. Totally worth having, even if I don't pull it out every weekend.

Brilliant. A fantastic tutorial. I have the exact same Titan model and it's got me out of the brown stuff many times - including concrete lintels (our house is 70 years old). The best, I had a fence post snap during a storm. The Titan smashed up the concrete base like a hot knife through butter in 15 minutes. Postcrete, new post, very happy neighbour (they had a dog) and done in an couple of hours. Considering what it is - about £80, with all the bits too, an absolute steal. Very rugged, plenty of grunt, and puts a few brands to shame.

First time I've seen your videos. I really appreciate that you speak of the mechanics, or the engineering of how an SDS system works. This is what I've understood from your explanation: when a hammer strikes a bit of concrete, a chip flies away; an SDS is a slow, precise, controlled hammer. Bits are usually about cutting. SDS is about striking and removing dust from the hole. In short, it's a versatile baby jackhammer. Good job.

Great video thanks. I struggled making an opening in a wall for a cat flap until I bought my SDS drill. Did it in a few minutes like a knife through butter. SDS drill on hammer only with a wide chisel bit very useful for removing wall tiles.

great video, really saved my bacon taking out an old concrete fireplace when i was renovating my house , keep up the good work !

Fantastic video like always, I honestly look forward to you releasing a new video. Keep up the fantastic work Stuart 👍👌

picked up an SDS drill last year when working on my garden landscaping, and getting rid of old concrete walls and old fence posts. Should have got one years ago. It's become my go to DIY tool.

Agree 100%, brought an SDS 12 months ago when having to fix down a toilet to concrete floor. My Old man told me there was no need.......Now use regularly on my current reno project and also found great for mixing jointing compound with a mixer attachment.

Thank you, this is exactly the information I needed. I got offered a bargain on one of these but couldn’t think why I would need one… Now I’m thinking about all the holes I will need to put in concrete block walls, concrete laid where I want to put a deck , busting through rock when putting in fence posts and even the more heavy duty drilling in softer materials. Off to accept the offer now!

Whilst I know all about hammer & SDS drills (I have both), I still watched to the end! Must be something about your presentation style (which I clearly like) that make them compelling to watch. Anyway, well done, keep them coming.

To be honest SDS is from german because the company Bosch Invented it and it means Steck-Dreh-Sitz meaning (loose translation): put in, Turn and it's ready.

This is why i love the Bosch GSR 18V-90 FC works as a driver, 90 degree driver, drill and a SDS+ This cordless drill combo is the perfect drill in my oppinion since you only cary 1 case not 2 (drill + sds)

Another very informative and helpful video thanks. I came to the conclusion that it is high time I invested in an SDS drill. The Titan looks robust and good value and I'm looking forward to finally being able to drill into concrete without all the problems you outlined at the start of your video! Thanks for the advice.

Great video. I've always passed by these tools in the hardware store wondering what their use case were. Now that I own a house made of brick and block I can see myself needing something like this.

I learn so much from you, thank you for the awesome channel! My concrete wall has a lot of pebbles that are really hard. I need an SDS drill for sure.

More great advice ...and very interesting to watch plus the odd comedy which is priceless ...please dont stop making these videos ..fabulous

really great info and brilliant to understand the science behind these. I have both but did not realise the actual differences in how they work. - Thanks, Ben.

My Bosch 24v sds drill just died after many years of use,so just treated myself to a new Bosch GBH 18V-26 sds drill, rather impressed with, it drilled 25mm diameter holes with ease for fittting some weep vents.Can also recommend the Heller SDS-Plus"Trijet" bits, they go through the hardest concrete/brick with ease.

Something I never knew as a DIY'er . Thank you fella

Thanks so much …. Great information (as ever) and revelatory to me in terms of the breaker function particularly …. Why have I not paid such relatively low money before for what you’ve just explained 👊🏼

Thanks for this vid. I didn't know what drill to use or what the difference was. Some awesome tips I won't forget. Clearly explained, winner winner 🏆

Thank you for taking the time to break this all down! This could’ve saved me a lot of headache with hanging items from our concrete basement walls.

Another great video from PD. I'd add tiling to the list of items to remove. With a wide chisel they are a breeze ro remove from floors and walls.

Picked up the same model of Titan drill on market place for £20. Used once and in as new condition. Awesome bit of kit 👌

Concisely and precisely explained everything that is not known to us mere mortals in terms of terminology and usage from the manufacturers themselves. Thank you. Regards from Serbia.

I got a Bosch Bulldog SDS to mount my safe to a basement floor. About 4 minutes to drill four 1/2" holes in old concrete. WHat a joy.

Well, that's answered a lot of questions! I wish I'd known about these years ago. I just assumed I had a cheap drill. Thank God for KZfaq videos and yours in particular. Very easy to follow and understand without dumbing down.

Thank you for making this video, that was really useful for me. It’s this kind of specific information you don’t generally find but is extremely useful to know! Subscribed :)

Completely agree about once you have it, you'll use it. I bought one second hand from a builder who had 3 and didn't know it. Paid £40 for it and it was barely out of the box. It was the corded Bosch hammer which is not too bulky but has enough power for the jobs I need (mainly drilling brick).

I had the same issue when trying to feed out poe network cables for cctv. My standard drill totally failed to go through and I ended up paying someone who had an sds drill with drill bit long enough to go through external wall. You channel is top.

Thank you so much for this excellent video. I recently bought an erbauher SDS still and almost instantly regretted it when I saw a DeWalt hammer drill on sale a week later. This has justified my purchase and made me feel so much better about my choice.

Good video. I have the same Titan drill. It’s a great drill. I’ve put 150mm deep 22mm wide holes in solid concrete factory floors with it. It’s a heavy bugger but it means you don’t have to lean on it too much. It’s my go to drill for floor fixings.👍

I purchased an older version of that Titan drill when we did a kitchen update and remodel a number of years ago. I used it to take down a wall, remove both floor and wall tiles, drill numerous holes, chase walls and cut out recesses for new electrical back boxes and it never missed a beat. It was a bit on the heavy side but that was only a minor issue, a big mistake, which I believe a lot of people make, is applying too much pressure when working with an SDS drill, I find it more effective, especially when chiselling, to use the weight of the drill itself and apply little or no pressure at all. Oh and I still have it by the way, it may look a bit grubby now but it still works fine.

Totally agree. Bought a wired Bosch SDS with a bit set from Aldi years ago and it’s a dream. The hammer only chisel is great and saved hours on jobs. I also bought a normal chuck converter head and used it to screw decking frame no problem whilst impact drill batteries failed

I have that Titan and it helped me take up an old, thin concrete path at the side of the house for the builders to put down a block paving pathway. Saved me a pretty penny.

Absolutely essential bits of kit. I've had a Titan for maybe 2 years now, but I'm really getting the urge to get a lightweight cordless Dewalt one as a happy medium.

Good to know it wasn't just me. With my very old (but in good condition) 550W corded Bosch hammer drill, cheap drill bits wore out quickly and new medium priced masonry drill bits still took me over half an hour to drill a 10cm deep 10mm hole into brick! I kept speed moderately low and took breaks to cool down bit. I finally sold that drill, as good as it was and will be buying a rotary hammer drill for my next brick project!

Honestly, it's probably because I'm in my 30's, but i find learning about tools/house maintenance extremely interesting and useful. We bought a fixer-upper in '21 and it took 18 months of sub-floor replacement, chasing out wires, drilling in joists using a paddle bit to run wires etc but by the end, i went from absolute novice to relatively adept at tools thanks to videos like this. Sds/drill-driver/combi drill / impact driver et all can all seem like technical terms and a bit intimidating, but learning about different drills and their application is interesting and useful. Thanks for all you do. It's always funny when the handrill can't even dent our 45yo concrete posts, i feel the post laughing at me. Then the plug-in SDS comes out, and the post hears boss music 😂

I purchased an SDS about 15 years ago. Didn't need it at the time. I tend to see a bargain tool, buy it thinking eventually I'll find a use for it. Fast forward about 5 years. I tried smashing up a old concrete garden path with a sledge hammer. Nigh on impossible. Then ding 💡let's try the SDS out. That's when I realised everyone needs an SDS drill in their kit. Turned off the drill function, put the spike in the chuck and bang. About 45 minutes later I had a path of hard core. Couldn't believe how easy it was. Now never with out an SDS drill. In fact I now have two. Great demo vid Stuart 👌

I don’t do a lot of diy so was happy with my battery drill. It wasn’t until 6 years ago when I moved and got gifted my first ever flat screen tv which needed mounted on the wall (due to energetic dogs) that I invested in an SDS. All of my small jobs are still done with the battery drill, but it’s good knowing in future I can manage the hard jobs.

Love my SDS, have an SDS, 18v combi, 18v impact and a 12v combi which has it's place in tight spaces or where weight is an issue. Right tool for the right job, does get expensive but if you are a home owner they are good investments for the future.

I wish I knew this in my younger years but I will still purchase one.

Learnt heaps. Fantastic Video. Thanks for posting.

Great explanation of drills. You have made me want to go purchase one for going through harder substances.

Thank you for this. Answered questions I had about that system. Good on ya!

Excellent Video with clear explanation on the differences between Hammer and SDS drills ,It is coincidence you posted this as only today for the 1st time I used my new DeWalt SDS and Irwin SDS drill bits on my old garage concrete floor its like a hot knife going through butter as they say ! well pleased so far.

Excellent explanation, thank you. I bought a rotary hammer drill and you were correct, what a difference. I also bought a bit kit like you showed.

Great content, thanks! Just bought a battery operated rotary hammer drill (Worx) as I need to modify some walls in my basement. Tried it on some concrete and what a difference! In the past I wore out quite a few drill bits with my normal drill, putting shelves up in the garage (into concrete). Wish I'd bought this sooner! Like you say, it's all about the right tool for the job, and also being realistic as to the usage. If you have normal tools, you can't expect to be using them for hours on end, unless you don't want them to last. You need to be careful matching batteries too! Recently, I acquired quite a few battery tools (18V), and I'm really pleased with them, but some adverts for these tools can be a bit misleading. I bought a brushless 18V power drill that came with two 1.5Ah batteries and these work great with the drill and my jigsaw, and the sander. I also got an angle grinder which came with a 2.0Ah battery. This will also work with the 1.5Ah batteries, but with all three, it goes through them really quickly, and once run down, they refuse to charge. They'll only take a charge after about fifteen minutes. I ended up getting a 4.0Ah battery which works great and will recharge straight away after running it down. I think that had I continued with the other batteries, I'd have knackered them really quickly. Nowhere on this manufacturer's website does it say anything about the batteries and they actually sell it with the 2.0Ah one! It needs at least a 4.0Ah battery to have a chance of lasting.

Just bought the same model drill. I've got an old concrete and brick bunker in the back yard, that needs some 'persuasion' to be demolished. Only taken me 20 years to get round to it! Hope this is a good tool. I'll be using it in the morning. God bless my neighbours!

I love your sense of humour not only giving us a great info.

First video I’ve seen from this channel and subbed immediately. Great video.

Same as you. I'm thinking I don't need one until I bought a cheap then, OH MY GOD, can't live without it now. Thanks for the guide.

Really informed video! Drilling above the window and melting the bit is precisely what happened to me! I'd like to point out to fellow DIYers that SDS drills do come in smaller sizes than that Titan shown in the video!

I got such a drill for some plaster removal and anchoring a new ceiling, and immediately regretted not having gotten it sooner. It would've saved me so much time. I don't have too much use for it nowadays, but I like having it just in case.

I purchased this Titan SDS drill several months ago and I can agree with Stuart, it’s a great drill! Absolute bargain for under £80. I recently bought a tile chisel and it removed bathroom tiles with ease! An absolute beast of a machine, when you need to bring out the big guns - this drill won’t let you down 👌🏻

This just what I needed! Have used a hammer drill for years but since moving cannot for the life of me drill into the solid red brick. All the advice I'd been given was simply that I needed a hammer drill (usually followed with a shrug) Now to decide on which sds drill to invest in! ...and decide where all the shelves are going!

I have a Titan, and it's a fantastic bit of kit . Especially for £50 ! Had mine for about 9 years and it's never let me down.

I work as an installer who often drills into concrete and porcelain tile. I just broke my third drill in one year, and glad I decided to do some research instead of just buying another one.

Well ya learn something new every day! Informative and fun makes it a joy to watch. Another tool for the list of needs as I've only just been through 3 drill bits fitting a light 🤦‍♂️ following your previous guidance.

Agree completely. Didn't know these existed until I needed to drill 20 5/8" holes in concrete. Makita SDS drill did it in 30 seconds. Heavy duty Makita cordless "hammer" drill couldn't do it in 5 minutes!

Well explained video 👍. I too found I needed one when I was doing my back garden. I didn't know about the ruddy thick hard fence post blocks that were easy 6" thick. Got one from Amazon after reading so many 5* reviews and boy did it break that thick block of post mix.

My neighbour lent me his SDS drill when I needed to drill through brick. I was astounded how much easier it made the job when compared to previous work using a hammer drill.

Nicely explained! It is a good idea to lightly grease the hammer groove part of the bit due to friction.

When I bought my SDS it was a revelation. Its the biggest 'unknown' tool in my experience. Every diyer should have one

Wow, you really helped me understand why I'm unable to use my drill in my new (old) apartment! Especially around the window frames. Guess it's time to buy a new drill...

This was incredibly valuable, thank you so much!

Superb video, i had the exact same curtain situation was driving me mad took be a fair bit of looking through KZfaq to realise i needed an SDS.

Happy new year! Great video as usual cheers👍😃

I have just purchased a Dewalt SDS cordless 18v drill after Christmas, yet to use it for a job but i have full confidence in having the tool after this video.

I have Aldi Workzone SDS, think it was 40 pounds, very similar to the titan. Has been one my best tool purchases, would recommend to anyone who’s handy round the house. Good example of this tool shining is when you’re up a ladder drilling into brick, you would think holding big heavy sds drill would be really hard work, but turns out it takes seconds to drill a hole into that brick where using a combi drill is much harder, near impossible in fact.

My introduction to SDS drills was a Bosch GBH 18V-21 that came with a five piece Bosch Blue kit. It was a whole other level of drilling hard masonry, and nothing has come close to slowing it down. I have to wonder if Bosch had a sense of humour when giving the GBH prefix, because Brits will recognise it as standing for Grievous Bodily Harm. An offence just short of murder. Then again we are talking about Germans with Bosch, so humour probably didn't come into it. I've added to that five piece kit and now have about ten Bosch Blue tools. I'm glad I kept all my Bosch Green kit though, because the GDX 18V-200 driver tears off the head of anything smaller than a #10 screw, and even that is touch and go. It's better for removing vehicle lug nuts.

Watching you use a hammer on the drill bit reminded me of the palaver needed to punch a hole for the old rawlplug fibre wall plugs. Progress is a beautiful thing!

Thanks Stu - great review and convinced me to buy one 👍

Funnily enough, I ended up buying a Titan SDS drill in order to install the exterior power socket in another of your videos. It's a heavy brute but it certainly did the job. It's good to have it in the armoury even if it only gets used occasionally.

Thank you, always wondered what SDS Meant, very helpful as always.

Great Video Stuart, I invested in a Dewalt 18 V SDS last year and as you say I'm amazed at how many jobs I have completed that otherwise would have needed outside help. Really worth the money.

Thank you for the SDS lesson much appreciated i must invest in one of these machines good man yourself 😊🍻👌

Accrington Brick versus my £30 Black & Decker hammer drill (back in the day). Enough said. Thanks to you, I now understand why my first hole took ~8 minutes and the later ones ~15 minutes and longer (if at all). Watched this to understand my new SDS hammer drill. First time I've watched any of your vids - subscribed and liked. Amusing and highly informative. Thanks. 6:37 - might those be army issue "Peltor" ear defenders you're using? 🙂 10:51 - you said what I was thinking! Keep up the good work.