I purposely bought a cheap hammer drill from Harbor Freight to do a specific job (59 bucks). The chuck broke just as I completed the job, and was worth it. The bits have about a 3/4" slot, which I assume is what contributes to the hammer effect. The collar you pull back to insert the bits unscrewed itself, and the spring and little ball bearing thingies (that fit the bit slots) all fell out and got lost. Now I'd like to buy a nicer unit for future jobs. However, at Home Depot there are several brands ...some appear to use bits with the same type of slot, but others appear to have a standard looking electric drill type chuck (???) I was under the assumption that hammer drill bits would require a chuck similar to that of the cheap one I had, instead of appearing to use a chuck key. What kind of bits does the other style use? Why the difference in styles?
M.B.