Hammer drills: description, types, pros and cons

The mobility and versatility of the existing power tool is important to DIYers who often work outside the home.

Therefore, it is worth studying the description and types of Hammer brand drills, as well as considering their pros and cons.

The Hammer Werkzeug company was founded in 1987 in the German city of Frankfurt am Main and since then has been producing power tools for the home and household. In 1997, the company opened a representative office in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic, which gradually began to coordinate the production that was moved to China. Since then, the range of the company has expanded with power and measuring instruments.

All products of the German company are divided between 5 sub-brands.

• TESLA - high-precision measuring equipment and gift models of tools are produced under this brand.
• MILITARY - budget options for tools without additional functions.
• Wester - power, welding, automotive and compression semi-professional equipment.
• Flex - household power tools with extended functionality.
• Premium - models with increased reliability, intended mainly for use in construction.

A range of mini-drills equipped with a battery and produced by the German company Hammer Werkzeug, up-to-date and available for sale on Russian Internet sites and in construction stores, includes the following models.

• ACD120LE - the cheapest and most practical version of the drill (aka screwdriver) with a maximum speed of 550 rpm. It features a cheap 12 V nickel-cadmium battery.
• ACD12LE - an improved version of the budget model with a lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery.
• FLEX ACD120GLi - a variant with the same (Li-ion) power source and two speed modes - up to 350 and up to 1100 rpm.

• ACD141B - a model with a speed of up to 550 rpm and a storage voltage of 14 V, is completed with a spare battery.
• ACD122 - has two speed modes - up to 400 and up to 1200 rpm.
• ACD12 / 2LE - characterized by high torque (30 Nm) and 2 speed modes - up to 350 and up to 1250 rpm.
• ACD142 - battery voltage of this variant is 14.4 V. There are two speed modes - up to 400 and up to 1200 rpm.

• ACD144 PREMIUM - drill with a maximum speed of 1100 rpm and impact function. This hammer drill allows you to drill holes in durable wood, brick, concrete and other building materials.
• ACD185Li 4.0 PREMIUM - a powerful version with a torque of 70 Nm and a speed of up to 1750 rpm.
• FLEX AMD3.6 - cordless drill-engraver with a removable handle, a set of nozzles and a maximum speed of 18 thousand rpm.

In addition to stand-alone drills, the company also produces mini-drills with a removable handle and engraving function, which are equipped with different attachments, including drills, abrasive and polishing wheels, burs and brushes. It is possible to install a flexible shaft. Powerful models are equally well suited for carving, milling, engraving on wood, plastic and metal, as well as for drilling holes in these materials and for surface treatment.

The most popular drills-engravers on the Russian market are:

• FLEX MD050B - Simple 4.8 W model, only suitable for wood engraving;
• MD135A - has a power of 135 W at a maximum speed of 32 thousand rpm;
• FLEX MD170A - model with a power of 170 W, copes well with the processing of any materials.

An important difference between Hammer products and analogues is their compliance with the quality standards adopted in the European Union, which is confirmed by obtaining all the necessary certificates. All drills of the company are guaranteed for a period of 1 year.. Selected models come with an extended warranty period of up to 5 years.

Despite the European origin of the manufacturer, the assembly of drills is carried out in China, which allows you to achieve a relatively low cost of production. According to this indicator, Hammer compares favorably with the tools produced in the EU.

In addition, many models of the company, for example, ACD 182, have a noticeably higher maximum speed of revolutions than analogs close in price from other manufacturers - 1200 rpm versus 800 rpm. Another important advantage of the tools of the German company is the simplicity of their design, thanks to which, having mastered the use of one model, you can easily adapt to any other.

Finally, the battery charger used in the brand's products is of significantly higher quality than that supplied by Chinese manufacturers. Thanks to this, the drive charges twice as fast as that of analogues - and this is with a solid capacity of 1.2 Ah.

Some disadvantages are also inherent in German instruments. Thus, the simplicity of the design, combined with a high maximum RPM, especially in the case of the Flex sub-brand, often results in low wear resistance. For example, the brush holder in many models, with their active operation at maximum speed, wears out around the end of the warranty period.

The second drawback of the German brand's products is especially unpleasant - the need to use scarce unique spare parts for repair... And although there are about 120 service centers of the company in the territory of the Russian Federation, sometimes it is not possible to find the right part right away even in the head SC of the company in St. Petersburg.

In general, reviewers on Hammer drills who use them for situational work rate these tools as follows: comfortable, practical and affordable... But the craftsmen who use this tool for regular work at high speeds note its convenience, while not forgetting to note the high wear. Some owners of the company's products argue that instead of regularly repairing or buying expensive and inconvenient, but less prone to wear and tear, it is more economical to buy a new Hammer tool after the old one has worn out.

In the next video, you will find an overview of the Hammer ACD141B cordless drill / driver.