BOSCH RH328VC 1-1/8 Inch SDS-plus Rotary Hammer with Variable Speed, Vibration Control

excellent quality compact light weight very good power goes through concrete and stone effortlessly

I was using a Ridgid R7121 Drill, 1/2-Inch Spade Handle Mud Mixer to drill holes in freshly poured concrete for rebar for a large garage I was building. One hole would require me putting all my weight on the drill for about 10 minutes as it vibrated my wrists. Of course spade drills are designed for mixing wet mud, not drilling into hardened mud. And it would make the drill hot. I got tired of abusing my big mixing drills, and my wrists like that, so I got this Bosch SDS. I got it factory reconditioned from CPO. I could not tell it had been used other than the box was open. It drilled the same hole my spade drill took 10 minutes to do in 15 seconds. I've run this drill for hours doing nothing but 1/2" rebar holes and it doesn't get hot, just keeps going. No problems yet after a few buildings. SDS stands for slotted drive system. It uses a special kind of drill bit. Normal bits will not work without an adapter which I cover in the next paragraph. Basically you click a bit on, and the chuck locks it in place. Then only the bit is impacted in the chuck, instead of the entire chuck being impacted. Or to put it another way, only the bit moves while the chuck stays in place. This makes it a more efficient transmission of power, which is why SDS drills are all more powerful than traditional hammer-drills. Traditional hammer-drill chucks have more weight they need to move up and down. The drill has three settings. Drill only. Impact only. And drill and impact, like all SDS drills. And like all SDS drills the handle has vibration absorption. I won't lie and say Dewalt or Milwaukee are better or worse, I think those 3 brands stand hand-in-hand at the top, with Hilti standing above them, but also with a price tag twice as high. Since SDS drills are built to take abuse and high torque applications, they are also great candidates to use a hole saw with. But to use a hole saw you will need to buy the Bosch 1618571014 SDS-plus Shank 3 Jaw Chuck with Integral . That "traditional" chuck will basically lock into the SDS chuck, so you will have two chucks doubled up. But then you can also use any other normal drill bit. Keep in mind if you have lots of smooth-shank-masonry-drill bits that you will need this chuck adapter if you want them to work in any SDS drill. And those traditional bits will not work as well as SDS bits, because then the drill has to move an entire chuck, just like traditional hammer drills. SDS max is not compatible with SDS+, MAX is basically for demolition and massive boring jobs. SDS plus and SDS+ is the same thing and is compilable with SDS.

I use this hammer drill for work (rough & finish carpentry, remodeling). I use it primarily for drilling holes into concrete or masonry block. I've used the chipping only function once to remove some old ceramic tile floor, worked exceptionally well. The anti-vibration is great and easy on your hands. The case is ample sized for bit storage. I also picked up a Bosch SDS-to-adjustable-chuck adapter so I can use the drill only function for large holes in wood my cordless drill is not up for. If you're considering this drill versus a Hilti (like I was), save $200 and get the Bosch. It's made in Germany and has one year less of warranty compared to the Hilti (no biggie, all tools break and you get them repaired). *****update 12-30-2012****** Still using this hammer for my work tasks. It shows that the tool has been worked. The rubber impact cushion on the tip of the SDS chuck has cracked and needs replacing. I've done 3-4 tile floor demo jobs with the hammer in chip mode, so this is probably the reason for the crack. Using a Bosch tile scraper bit, I pry up with the hammer. I've done window, door, and sliding glass door installations. Chipped stucco and concrete. Drilled out 3/4" holes for epoxied 5/8" dai. anchor bolts in concrete tie beams and through wood plates with a long auger bit. I like the size of this drill because it fits into smaller spaces (between floor joists or wall studs) during framing applications and also is easier to install smaller windows with it (think 24" x 24" fixed glass windows or smaller). I use the depth rod quite often. The hard case has held up. I've got it jammed full of bits etc. The cord doesn't kink up and folds away well each time. The drill itself shows signs of wear on the body from being dropped and dragged. None of this effects it's performance. This tool is definitely professional grade.

Needed a hammer drill to bore a few holes in concrete, nothing super heavy duty, just a middle of the line hammer drill. This drill meets all these requirements and quite easily got the job done.. Rated 8 Amps there is little chance of tripping a 15 amp breaker. A medium duty extension can be used, the SDS-plus bits are not too expensive. The auxiliary handle can be adjusted with a twist, the depth gauge can be retracted, the variable speed is built into the on/off trigger. The reverse switch is a plus if/when bits get stuck and flips to either position verily easily. The multi function switch has 3 selections, rotation with hammer, hammer only or rotation only. With the purchas of a SDS-Plus shaft chuck, the drill will function as a normal drill with a 3 teeth 1/2 inch chuck so normal wood boring drill bits can be used. The SDS plus bits fit easily into the drill with just twist and push. A small tube of lubricant is included in the case to be applied to the slots on the SDS bit. A pull down on the chuck releases the bit. It has an integral clutch to minimize torque reaction. This high quality hammer drill meets all requirements without breaking the bank. In retrospect a purchase of a BOSCH SDS "MAX" hammer drill along with a SDS "MAX" to SDS "PLUS" chuck would allow the use of both SDS PLUS or SDS MAX drill bits. By purchasing the SDS PLUS drill only SDS PLUS bits can be used, I know of no adapters allowing for an SDS PLUS to SDS MAX chuck adapter - hope this suggestion is helpful.

Just wish it was little more powerful. My last Bosch hammer drill lasted only 2 years, a little disappointed, but the one before that lasted about 12. I purchased this model only because I wanted the drill only option for core bit use. If the hammer drill selection is used when core drilling it will destroy the core bit. I needed it pretty quickly for a job so I purchased this model. I usually research options thoroughly on purchases like this, but time was of the essence. I'm guessing Bosch has a more powerful model that offers the 3 selections this model has. We core drilled with a 2" bit through a pool wall 12" thick with 1/2" rebar. The bit I purchased is designed to go through the rebar and it did. It took a little effort but with a little water from a hose to cool and clear the bit, it worked fine. A little more amperage would have been nice. I do like the fact this model is compact and lightweight. My previous models were spline shaft type and were rather heavy but powerful. I am told spline shaft models are not as popular any more. It's evident as Home Depot and Lowes don't carry spline bits. The SDS plus and SDS max are the new in. I purchased the Bosch SDS plus to 1/2" keyless chuck to open my options to use this tool over my Porter Cable 1/2" drill which is a hulk. So far I'm satisfied with this model and would recommend for use.

I had never used a real hammer drill before. Not sure why. I wanted to split an overhanging end of a granite step, so I ordered some 1/2" feathers and wedges and borrowed a neighbor's Bosch Bulldog drill. OMG! That was so easy I couldn't believe it. I just had to get one for myself. I didn't do too much research, but I did discover that the "1-1/8" size is the maximum drill bit size that the drill is rated for. I don't know what material they rate that, but it's all relative, so the larger the more powerful the drill is. This drill seemed like a good price point for me and I liked the vertical format over the horizontal of the Bulldog. I've now drilled and split a number of granite blocks, some 10" thick using this drill and a 1/2" carbide bit (Bosch HCFC2081 1/2-Inch by 4-Inch by 6-Inch SDS-plus X5L Drill Bit) that I also got from Amazon. I've also drilled and split a number of foundation stones in front of my barn. Those were difficult to split, but each hole took about 30 seconds to drill. Let me assure you that this drill and a 1/2" carbide bit will drill a six inch hole in a stone or a block of granite in 30 seconds. I drill 18 holes down the middle of a six foot block in a matter of minutes. What's more, there's no need to push on the drill. I just hold it upright and let the weight of the drill and the hammer action do all the work! This means you can work for hours drilling with no fatigue. I also used the chisel action to remove a 100 square foot area of pavement with an asphalt/stone underlayment. For that i used a chisel (Bosch HS1470 SDS Plus Viper Long Life Chisel) that I got from Amazon. I think this was pushing it for the drill. It's not really a jackhammer, of course. I got the job done, but it took quite a while and was a tiring job. The chisel bit sacrificed its life for the job, as well. My neighbor says it should have been easier with a pick, but it's too late for me to know. I don't think you should expect a drill this size to handle hard code chiseling demo work. The SDS PLUS chuck is "ok". It's a bit tricky to get the bit seated, but it's not enough of a problem to influence my recommendation. I didn't realize there's an SDS MAX chuck. Not sure if it's just in more expensive drills, but it might be worth a look for you. I suspect bit price and availability should play a big role in your decision of chuck, though.

This is another top notch tool by Bosch. I will admit, I am a homeowner/serious DIY type and not a contractor who uses this tool daily. However, with that said, this is still a quality tool. Very comfortable due to the vibration isolating design. It is somewhat loud though, so if drilling a lot of holes or chipping a lot of tile then ear protection would be good. The side handle is easy to position as is the depth gauge rod. I like that the chuck can be positioned in several different places to allow a chipping blade to be oriented properly. If you've used a regular hammer drill in the past you'll be amazed how fast a rotary hammer drills. I did several 1/2" holes in concrete to a depth of 8" and each one took less than 10 seconds. Granted, this was with a new bit but even still this is fast. A hammer drill would have taken forever, and not really been able to drill that deep efficiently. I've read that rotary hammers are not best suited to a lot of chipping duty, especially regular SDS tools like this. I've used it lightly in this application and I think for small jobs like chipping tile, or some concrete this tool wouldn't be harmed at all. I don't use this tool for regular drilling as it is best suited to hammer drilling and chipping. I have several other regular drills both corded and cordless for drilling so I can't comment on regular drilling capabilities here. The cord is quite long as with most Bosch tools I've purchased lately. Certainly a plus here. The ergonomics are good and the size relatively compact so it can fit into some tighter areas. Made in Germany.

Good price and works great for drilling into concrete.

Muy buena herramienta. Excelente desempeño.

Purchased a few weeks ago and used it to take up 400sq ft of tiled floor. Did the job.

The power rating for this drill is 120volts. Most transformers on the market are 110volts, and quite costly when you factor extension cables. Rather buy the South African model GBH3-28.

Excelente calida de producto y muy durable

Quality product Made in Germany , not like the other cheap low quality stuff Bosch is now making in China