And...in this corner...the "Great MisFit" speaks! :-)
I have found a hammer-drill is only practical for holes 1/4" or smaller in size- just right for screw anchors and tap-cons. A hammer-drill does drill better if you push harder on it. My DeWalt 14.4 cordless works just fine- but try making larger holes, and you'll wear it out in a year. Trust me on this!
A Roto-hammer is another animal entirely. How well it drills has nothing to do with how hard you push. Ultimately, you will probably end up owning a two of these, plus their "big brother," the demmolition hammer.
My small roto-hammer is an SDS drive Chinese special. It has a roto-hammer function, as well as chisel/hammer without spinning. It is an absolute dream. I can drill up to 1" (best to go in multiple steps) using masonry bits, or to 2 1/2" using core drill bits. It does feel a little silly, though, putting a $130 drill bit in a $75 tool!
My Hitachi SDS Max roto-hammer recently bit the dust, and will have to be replaced. It was useful for larger holes, and could make a good start on driving ground rods.
The "Big Daddy" of the set is my Makita Demolition hammer. Looking like a small jackhammer, it makes short work of breaking up concrete lamp bases and rocky earth. It uses 1 1/8 hex shank bits. If the Hitachi isn't enough, the Makita will usually finish driving the ground rod.
You may notice a lack of "big name" tools on my list. I simply don't use them enough to warrant my spending the big $$$ for the fancy ones. Lets see.....$75 for Harbor Freight, vs. $450 for Bosch (much more for Hilti) ....what would you choose?
My "rule of thumb," by the way is: If I wear out the cheap one, then I get the fancy one. Until then, the cheapie on the truck beats the heck out of the expensive one on the store shelf! And- nobody steals Harbor Freight!
