This guide will cover what factors to consider when shopping for the best masonry drill bits and review some of the best bits for drilling through concrete. They come in a wide range of sizes to suit different needs. Some bits even use diamond-encrusted blades to cut through this material. Often featuring tungsten carbide tips that can endure drilling through hard stone surfaces, masonry drill bits have wide flutes that allow them to pull away large amounts of material as they drill to prevent debris from jamming the bit. Masonry drill bits are specifically designed to tackle stone and can bore through these hard surfaces with ease. Also, since rotary hammer drills are likely going to be used frequently, I made sure to only include trusted, well-known brands, and excluded any obscure options that, even though they’re a bit cheaper, just aren’t worth the risk of not being durable enough to do the job.Drilling through stone, brick, granite, and even marble is possible, but it takes a tough drill bit made of hard metal to do it. Since different users will be using their drills for a range of applications, I did my best to include varying levels of power, with options that deliver 1 all the way up to 6.8 joules. I've used my personal experience using rotary hammer drills in the past-as well as extensive online research-to put together this list of the best options. On the other hand, corded drills offer unlimited running time, but they do require you to have an outlet nearby, and introduce power cords that can be frustrating to wrangle and add a tripping hazard to your job site. While cordless drills are convenient for their portability and lack of extension cord, you are limited by their battery runtime. Higher joules usually means a heavier drill though, so keep that in mind.Ĭordless versus corded power is something else to consider. The higher the joules, the more energy the drill will transfer into the workpiece, and the faster it will finish the job. The overall power of the rotary hammer drill is another factor to consider, and can be assessed by looking at their impact energy-which is measured in joules (J). Other models may have a drill-only mode that disengages the hammer mechanism, which is necessary for core drilling.

This will allow you to use the drill with a chisel bit, which is essential for most demolition tasks. For example, although all our options will have a primary mode for hammer drilling, some will also have a hammer-only mode that does not rotate the bit.

What to ConsiderĪlthough most rotary hammer drills look similar, there are features that make some more useful than others. They’re heavier and bulkier than standard hammer drills, but their added efficiency is usually worth the extra weight, completing tasks in seconds that would take lighter-duty drills several minutes. These drills use an air-powered piston to supplement their drilling mode-think of hitting the back of the drill with a hammer while you’re drilling-which creates a powerful impact per blow, and makes them extremely effective at heavy-duty tasks.

While a standard hammer drill and a masonry bit can handle a few small concrete or masonry holes, you probably want to get a rotary hammer drill for larger and more intensive jobs.

Air hammer masonry bits