Once you've used an SDS drill and chisel you'll never want to go back to doing this sort of thing by hand. Experience seems to suggest that the el-cheapo SDS hammer drills are better than many cheap power tools but they are heavy and if you're doing a lot of this you might want to consider something lighter.
I had this problem so I armed two thirteen year olds with sledge hammers and left them to it. They made short and gleeful work of it. Their mums were pretty mad about the state of their clothes afterwards though.
OK if it's just demolition but if (say) you're cutting a through room opening and leaving nibs either side, doing as you suggest is likely to shake up the retained brickwork (especially if lime mortar) and plaster whilst using an SDS chisel there's a lot less vibration.
I've demolished two large (6m wide x 2.5m high) block walls. Used a sledgehammer to knock out each side from where it was keyed in to the perpendicular walls and then pushed the entire thing over which broke up the rest. Very satisfying.
As others note, if you want a precision job you might be better off with a hefty SDS+.
I got an SDS+ last year and wish I had got it years ago. demolished 2 x
10 foot walls in no time, also a concrete slab 6" thick that was harder work but would have never managed otherwise. Mine was cheapy and its heavy but great tool to have.
For most work a 20mm wide one on a 2kg class drill with 2 - 3J of impact energy will be about the right balance of width and penetration speed. If the mortar or bricks are very soft then 40mm will work as well. For really hard masonry, you might need a point chisel.
Cheapies can work well for knocking stuff down. Things to keep in mind:
As mentioned they are heavy. The speed control (if any) may be crude (this can prevent you using them for delicate hammering - say just enough to cut through plaster skim without bringing the wall down), the range of positions in which you can lock the bits rotation may be limited. Also they may not be rated for continuous use.
There is not necessarily a huge price premium for a decent one though, and once you have used one you may decide that the SDS becomes the drill of choice for any masonry drilling.
I'd very much second that. The first SDS I bought was a great hefty thing from a place that was closing down, for 20 quid. Its only problem was that the motor got through brushes at a fair rate. As soon as I used it, I realised how useful it was but, being tight-fisted, it took a while before I could justify giving it away to my brother and getting a Bosch blue from Screwfix. That Makita looks like a good buy.
Its the drilling holes in hard stuff, removing tiles, chasing plaster, cutting socket back box holes, excavating pipes out of the floor, and hacking cat flaps through walls etc that will have it put a smile on your face, rather more than the wanton destruction (fun though that is - a 10kg class concrete breaker does it better!)
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