I have used Bosh and DeWalt SDS bits and am having problems with both. I am using 5/32 for tapcons and they dull fast or break. the Bosh seem a little better, but not what they should be. Are there any quality alternatives to these two brands?
Mike D.
My guess is that the size is a big factor. We use Bosch with no problems but we use nothing less than 3/8" Depends on what you are drilling into also.
Have you tried Hilti? My experience is that SDS bits that small are quick to disintegrate, so I buy cheap and plentiful. Hilti will NOT be cheap.
Thanks. Now all I need to do is find someplace to purchase it.
No one carries the Hilti locally. I just melted the tip of my 4th bit. This carpet is getting expensive! I see Fastenal has their own brand. I may try one today. I only need 3 more holes!
Drilled one hole and it snapped in half. It was a rebadged Bosh.
Do they make SDS that small? The SDS I have have approximately a 3/8" shank.
Steve
A selected few Home Depot stores have the Hilti line. Try chucking the small 5/16 bit in a hammer drill instead.
Not as precise as a rotary hammer and causes out of round holes and is useless for tapcons.
I have bought several in the last week. It is about the smallest available.
What do have for a drill? I suspect the problem is with the drill or the operator, or you have something really mean that you are drilling. I've had SDS bits run for well over 1,000 holes. The
5/32 is small, but you should still get plenty of holes - as in 50 or more.I suspect the OP has a rotohammer, a large machine that happens to take SDS bits. Rotohammers/demoltion hammers typically take SDS MAX or spline drive shanks. The smaller, lighter hammer drills called rotary hammers take SDS bits. SDS usually kicks you into a quality of bit that far exceeds straight shank bits that fit in conventional chucks. Example drills that work well with SDS: Bosch Bulldog, Hilti TE 7, DeWalt D handle. These drills will all be rated for 1" bits or less. You are correct, the bit's shank is much larger than the drill portion. Here is a picture:
Guess so. Dang. That's quite a neck down. My SDS is on a Makita Rotohammer, and I have bits up to 1.5". Chisel points, etc. I just had a hard time imagining that being used for a Tapcon. I'd just use a small hammer drill for a tapcon. If you snap one off, it surely has to cost less than an SDS of the same diameter. (?)
Steve
I have had very little problem with the Tapcon things. If I hit rebar or a hard piece of aggregate, that's about the only thing that will smoke a bit. I have a piece of rod from a Bommer spring. It is approx 5/32". It cannot be bent easily. It is used to tension the coil in the Bommer spring assembly. (A self closing spiral spring assembly for pool gates.) I take the rod and sharpen it to a chisel point. If I hit a point where the drill is not progressing, I stop, and insert the rod into the hole. A few light taps with a hammer while rotating it usually does it. I proceed with drilling. Every bit I have smoked while drilling with a masonry bit of any type, I did so by putting pressure on it when it would go no farther. Friction takes over.
Pay attention. If the drill bit stops, there is a reason. Find it out, or just press harder.
Steve
One word, precision!
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