Can A Cordless Drill Go Through Concrete?

 H2: What kind of drill will go through concrete?

Although a corded drill has often been the preferred choice for carrying out tough tasks with, many (although not all) cordless drills can now easily match them for power.

 

Despite there being many types of cordless drills available, there are four types that can be found in most good hardware shops.

 

1. Drill / driver - This type is usually used for inserting screws or drilling holes in metal, plastic, or wood.

 

2. Hammer drill - This is similar to a standard drill or driver, but it has an additional setting called a hammer setting that is selected when drilling into tough materials such as brick or concrete.  The hammer setting creates a hammer action, almost as if the drill was getting hit by a hammer, which creates more vibrations and allows the drill bit to move in and out of the hole and drive into the tough surface much faster.

 

3. Rotary hammer drill - this is a much tougher and more superior hammer drill and is a professional-grade tool.

 

4. Impact drivers - This type of drill is only used for loosening bolts and inserting screws.

 

Generally, the drill that you have will be either a hammer drill or a driver.  If you plan to drill into concrete then the hammer drill would be the better drill to use as its hammer action is an asset to the job.

 

H2: Features of a cordless drill that are needed for the job

It’s important to consider the features of the cordless drill you plan to drill into concrete with, whether it’s one that you already own or one that you are considering buying.  You should never overlook any of these factors as otherwise it could easily lead to you damaging your drill.

 

The top things that you should consider when choosing a drill for the job are:

 

1.  Battery power

2. Type of drill bit

3. Torque settings

4. Hammer action

 

Whether or not your drill is a mains powered drill is also another factor to consider, and a corded hammer drill would definitely be the best drill to use for the job if you had it, but right now we are only talking about cordless drills.

 

H2: 1.  Battery power

It’s always important to have a powerful battery on your drill, regardless of the job you are doing with it, as it can make a big difference.  Tougher drilling jobs, such as concrete can quickly drain the battery and you can often have to wait until it’s charged up again to resume drilling.

 

Therefore, you need quite a large battery on your cordless drill for drilling into concrete, and one that is 18-20 volts is recommended.  However, your drill is probably more likely to only be 12-14 volts, and that will still be suitable for the job, but it will require charging quicker than one with a higher voltage would.

 

Generally, drills come with two batteries as standard when you purchase them, but if yours only has one then it would be a good idea to purchase an additional battery so that if one runs out then you can switch to the fresh battery and continue drilling.

 

It is also possible to buy fast-charging batteries.  These work as the name suggests and charge much quicker than other batteries which still being as powerful.

 

H2: 2.  Type of drill bit

Having the correct drill bit for the job can make a big difference to your project as it’s important to make sure that you are using a masonry drill bit when drilling into a hard material such as brick or concrete.

 

It’s easy to distinguish a masonry drill bit from other types as their tips are different - they have a wide, flat tip that is wider than the shaft of the drill bit.  They are plenty of different sizes available and the most frequently used sizes are 8mm, 10mm, and 12mm.  Masonry drill bits that have tungsten carbide tips are much stronger and usually last much longer, although they are often more expensive.

 

If you are unsure which drill bit to buy then it’s always better to ask an employee in the store than to risk buying the wrong thing.  It’s also always a good idea to use drill bits that are of a high quality and if you don’t already have any then a set of DeWalt masonry drill bits are available on Amazon and are recommended.

 

H2: 3.  Torque settings

It’s quite easy to misunderstand exactly what a torque setting is, and generally, people assume that a higher torque setting makes the drill spin faster, but actually, the torque represents the power of the drill, rather than how fast it spins.

 

It’s always a good idea to check your drill’s manual to find where the torque settings are, but usually, it will be a ring with numbers on it that is located on the chuck.

 

You should always use a higher torque setting on your drill when you are drilling into concrete as it will mean that your drill has much more power for drilling into the tough material.  However, not every drill has torque settings, and if yours doesn’t then you can assume that it is on a high torque setting anyway.

 

H2: 4.  Hammer action

There are some cordless drills that have a hammer setting as well as a standard drill setting and are often called “combi drills”.

 

The hammer setting causes the drill bit to move backwards and forwards in the hole, with a “hammer action” and this makes it much easier and faster to drill into particularly tough materials.

 

Although a drill with a hammer setting would make drilling into concrete much easier, it is possible to do the job without the hammer setting.  Without it, it will take a lot longer to drill the hole and you will probably use several drill bits.

 

Therefore, when buying a drill, a good one to choose is a combi drill as it has several uses and is a good drill to have on hand for most projects you would wish to do.