18V Hammer Drill: 5 Checks Before You Buy UK

1 - Do you actually need hammer mode?

For UK homes the answer is almost always yes. Most internal and external walls are brick, concrete block or plaster on masonry. A standard drill driver spins only - it relies on the cutting edge of the bit to scrape brick. That is slow, hot and ruins carbide-tipped masonry bits in a few holes.

A hammer drill adds a forward pounding action as it spins. The chuck pulses a few millimetres while rotating, so the carbide tip bites and the flutes clear dust. You switch it on with the mode ring near the chuck. Hammer on for masonry, hammer off for timber, metal and driving screws. A combi drill is just a drill driver that includes that mode.

If you only ever drill plasterboard and wood - flat-pack, light shelves on stud walls, craft projects - you can save money and weight with a pure driver. If you will put up a curtain pole, a TV bracket, an outdoor light or any shelf on a brick wall, hammer is not optional. For dense or reinforced concrete, a SDS rotary hammer is faster, but the 18V combi covers most houses.

Check before you buy: the listing should say 'hammer drill' or 'combi drill' and show a hammer icon on the mode ring. If it only lists 'drill' and 'screwdriver' modes, it is not a hammer model.

2 - Batteries and charger: the bit that decides if you finish the job

Cordless means battery, and the battery decides runtime as much as the motor. The headline number is amp-hours (Ah). A 2.0Ah pack holds roughly twice the energy of a 1.0Ah, so it runs about twice as long for the same task at the cost of a few grams on the handle.

The pattern in purchaser reviews is universal: people who buy a single-battery kit like the drill, then complain they had to stop mid-wall to wait for a charge. A second battery turns that pause into a ten-second swap. One pack charges while the other works. For most rooms and flat-pack jobs you never stop.

The price gap is modest. On Amazon UK the jump from 1 x 2.0Ah to 2 x 2.0Ah is typically £30 to £50 and bundles a spare that costs £35 to £55 on its own. You are effectively getting the second battery at a discount plus the convenience. The Makita 18V Cordless Combi Drill with 2 Batteries and Charger is the classic example - Makita LXT batteries fit more than 300 tools on the same platform, so the packs keep earning after the drill job is done.

The Bosch UniversalImpact 18V-60 with 2 x 2.0Ah is the compact home-DIY alternative built around brick walls. If you are on a tighter budget, the Ryobi R18PD3 ONE+ Starter Kit covers 200-plus tools on ONE+, so the batteries stay useful as your workshop grows.

What to look for in the kit:

• 2 x 2.0Ah with a charger that does a full charge in 40 to 60 minutes. Avoid listings that mix 2.0Ah and 1.5Ah or include a slow 90-minute charger unless the discount is steep.
• A case or bag included. Kits that ship as 'body + battery' in a cardboard box leave you hunting for storage.
• Honest runtime expectations. Expect roughly 15 to 30 holes in brick per 2.0Ah charge, or 150 to 250 screws in softwood. Concrete halves that.

Buy a bare body only if you already own healthy batteries on that platform. Do not buy bare to save £40 then spend £50 on a single battery the next week. If you are still deciding between voltages, our 12V vs 18V guide helps, but for hammer drilling brick, 18V is the right start.

3 - Brushless vs brushed: should you pay the premium?

Brushed motors use carbon brushes that rub on the commutator. Brushless replaces them with electronics. In practice brushless runs cooler, gives 25 to 50 percent more runtime per charge, and tends to last longer because there are no brushes to wear. It also produces slightly more torque for the same battery, which shows when hammer drilling masonry.

Brushless costs about £20 to £40 more at the same spec. If you drill most weekends - shelves, decking, garage projects - that premium pays back quickly in runtime and motor life. If you drill a few holes a year, a brushed kit is fine and the money is better spent on decent bits.

The DeWalt DCD778S2T 18V XR Brushless Hammer Drill is the popular brushless upgrade in the UK because the XR platform is widely stocked and the bare body is easy to find when you want to add a second tool without another charger. For a full comparison across budgets, see best cordless drills UK.

4 - Chuck, clutch, speed and weight: the details that matter when you hold it

These specs are easy to skip and annoying to get wrong:

• Chuck size: 13mm is the DIY standard. It grips masonry bits up to 13mm and any screwdriver bit. 10mm saves weight but caps you at smaller bits. For UK wall plugs you will use 5.5mm and 7mm most often, so either chuck works, but 13mm gives more headroom.
• Clutch and torque settings: Look for 15-plus clutch positions plus a drill mode that bypasses the clutch. The clutch stops you stripping screws in softwood and plasterboard.
• Two speeds: Speed 1 gives more torque for large holes and masonry, speed 2 gives more RPM for small drills and driving. A hammer drill without two speeds is limiting.
• Weight and balance: A 1.5 to 1.7kg bare weight plus 400g per 2.0Ah pack is typical. Lighter drills are less fatiguing overhead, but very light budget kits often use weaker chucks that wobble.

Pair whatever you buy with the right bits. A good drill bit set with carbide-tipped masonry bits for 5.5mm and 7mm plug sizes covers most UK fixings, and you will need a masonry drill bits set if the kit does not include one. Our how to drill into brick guide shows the technique that stops the bit skating and protects the plug.

5 - Kit contents and ecosystem: the lock-in you want to get right first time

The cheapest way to buy an 18V drill is not always the cheapest way to own one. Once you buy into a battery platform, every other tool on that platform gets cheaper because you can buy bare bodies without batteries or chargers.

• Ryobi ONE+: 200-plus tools on one battery, best value for a growing home collection.
• Makita LXT 18V: 300-plus tools, pro build quality, highest upfront cost but deepest range.
• DeWalt XR 18V: wide UK availability, strong for site and home.
• Bosch Home & Garden (Power For All) / Einhell Power X-Change: budget-friendly ecosystems with 100-plus tools each.

Think one step ahead. If you plan to add a jigsaw, sander or leaf blower in the next year, pick the platform that already has the tools you want at the price you will pay. A Ryobi starter kit makes sense if the next purchase is a garden tool. A Makita two-battery kit makes sense if you want the widest choice later.

Finally, check what is actually in the box photos, not just the title. Some listings show two batteries in the image but ship one, or show a carry case that is 'case not included'. The honest kits list '2 x 2.0Ah + charger + case' explicitly.

Which kits are worth checking right now?

You do not need to read every listing - most cluster around the same specs. Based on purchaser feedback and specifications, these keep coming up well for UK buyers:

• Makita 18V Combi Drill with 2 Batteries - safe default with the widest tool range and proven LXT packs.
• Bosch UniversalImpact 18V-60 with 2 x 2.0Ah - compact home-DIY pick designed for brick.
• DeWalt DCD778S2T XR Brushless - the upgrade if you want brushless and a widely stocked platform.
• Ryobi R18PD3 ONE+ Starter Kit - best value if you will add more ONE+ tools.

Already own batteries? A bare DeWalt DCD778S2T or Bosch GSB 18V-55 body saves cash, but only if the packs are healthy and on the same platform.

Frequently Asked Questions

The short version

If your walls are brick or block, buy the 18V combi hammer drill as a kit with 2 x 2.0Ah batteries and a decent charger. You will use hammer mode for masonry and drill mode for everything else, and the spare battery removes the only real drawback of cordless. Pick the platform you want to stay on - Makita LXT, DeWalt XR, Bosch or Ryobi ONE+ - because the next tool gets cheaper once the batteries are in the drawer.

For the odd job into concrete, add a set of carbide masonry bits and read how to drill into brick before you start. The hole will be cleaner, the plug will hold, and you will not be hunting for a charger halfway through. See the full shortlist in best 18V hammer drills and the battery deep dive in kit with 2 batteries.