Comments on: Dealmonger: Reconditioned DeWalt 18V XRP Hammerdrills For $130

by: Alex

Sun, 06 May 2007 22:12:28 +0000

I have one of these drills and it is the best cordless I’ve ever used, battery power is good enough for a few hours of work.

by: Aaron

Mon, 30 Apr 2007 18:03:31 +0000

“reconditioned” usually means that it was returned for warranty reasons or that it didn’t make the cut on the assembly line. Could be something simple like the switch was not working to something major like the motor was jammed. The batteries too could (they might be new though) be reconditioned, but its not that they where used before, usually just something minor wrong at first like a bad terminal.

by: Freddie

Sun, 29 Apr 2007 22:59:21 +0000

Depends on their definition of reconditioned. I recondition my tools by hitting them till they work, and dumping them if that doesn’t help.

Do they rewire the motors and replace bearings? New Batteries? What do they do?

by: Mike Cullison

Sat, 28 Apr 2007 17:21:44 +0000

Thanks for the info on what a hammer drill is and what it’s good for. I do very little masonry drilling, so I guess I don’t need one.

by: Clinton

Sat, 28 Apr 2007 15:42:01 +0000

I’m seeing $219

If he’s already got a set of Ryobi batteries the Ryobi hammer drill is amazing for the price (I paid $60 for mine but it doesn’t come with batteries). The fit/finish isn’t as good as the pricier drills and the transmission will eventually get clogged up with masonry dust and need to be cleaned out but it drives holes into cement block and brick faster than the assortment of boschs, milwaukees, and dewalts that my coworkers have. As a regular drill it’s not as torquey but it hammers very fast and strong in hammer mode. My only major complaint is that like all Ryobi 18v tools the batteries are cheap and don’t last.

by: Don Bradshaw

Sat, 28 Apr 2007 14:15:47 +0000

A hammer drill is essentially a comprimise between a drill and a rotary hammer. The drill is capable of switching between a drill only mode, and a hammerdrilling mode. The hammerdrilling mode is good when you are drilling through things like masonry. I don’t know if you’ve ever tried to drill concrete with a regular drill, bu it’s not fun at all. The hammerdrill gives you the hammering on top of your constant speed drilling to break the masonry out while you’re clearing it.

An impact wrench is really designed to act like a wrench. I supposed you could fit it as a drill (I haven’t seen this but I’m sure it’s been done) but you don’t get a constant speed and torque with a impact wrench, so a hammerdrill is really the tool for the application here (small to medium masonry jobs).

If you’re serious about masonry work you need a rotary hammer. These can do hammer drilling but also just straight up hammering, so you can put chisels on them. They’re also really good for demolition tasks like removing tiles.

If you just need to drop a hole or two in some concrete every now and then, a hammerdrill is fine.

by: Mike Cullison

Sat, 28 Apr 2007 01:39:54 +0000

I know some stuff about tools, but I’m sure no expert. What exactly is a hammer drill? How is it different from a regular drill?

I bought a fairly heavy duty Craftsman impact wrench recently to remove the blades from my 6-foot pull behind mower so I could get them sharpened. I also got an air impact wrench with the Husky air compressor you guys reviewed recently–thanks for the timely tip on that.

Is there a big difference between a hammer drill and an impact wrench? Larger question, perhaps: Do I need one?

I have a Ryobi 18 volt drill/flahslight combo and a couple extra batteries. I also have a Skil electric drill–fairly light duty. What would a hammer drill give me that I don’t have with the 3 tools mentioned above?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

by: l_bilyk

Sat, 28 Apr 2007 01:22:01 +0000

Are the batteries new? This is a fine dril.. fit and finish is sketchy, but it’s got alot of power