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Combi drill vs SDS

Updated: 22 October 2026

You have seen hammer drill on a cordless combi and on an SDS rotary hammer, and the boxes look like versions of the same tool. They are not. The choice is the chuck. A combi has jaws, a clutch and driver bits, for screws and a few soft-brick plugs. An SDS has a grooved shank and a piston hammer for concrete and, on a three-mode tool, for chiselling. The ten rows on the [cordless combi drill comparison](/hub/drilling-and-accessories/cordless-combi-drill) are jaw-chuck combis, from about £29.99 to £110.00 on 22 October 2026. This is not a lab test. A purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You have seen hammer drill on a cordless combi and on an SDS rotary hammer, and the boxes look like versions of the same tool. They are not. The choice is the chuck.

Our top picks

Ryobi Ryobi R18PD3 starter kit

Best overall

Ryobi Ryobi R18PD3 starter kit
9.5/10about £97.80
View offer
Bosch Bosch EasyImpact 18V-40

Best value

Bosch Bosch EasyImpact 18V-40
9.4/10about £64.97
View offer
Einhell Einhell TE-CD 18/40 Li-i

Alternative

Einhell Einhell TE-CD 18/40 Li-i
9.2/10about £110.00
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Two chucks, two hammers
  2. 2.Screws and a few plugs
  3. 3.Concrete, wide holes and a chisel
  4. 4.Which one to buy

Two chucks, two hammers

A combi holds a round or hex shank in a 10 mm or 13 mm keyless chuck, and the clutch only works in driver mode. Bosch DIY describes that hammer as two ribbed discs. An SDS chuck does not close on a smooth shank. The bit has grooves and slides as the piston hits. Screwfix splits SDS Plus, a 10 mm shank, from SDS Max, an 18 mm shank. Bosch DIY describes the SDS hammer as a piston compressing air. Where a brick bit stalls is on the combi drill for brick page.

Screws and a few plugs

Buy a combi from this set for screws, flat-pack, holes in wood or metal, and a few plugs in soft brick. Each kept row has a clutch and none has an SDS chuck or a chisel mode. The EasyImpact 18V-40 drill-type cell says impact driver. That is a listing conflict on a 13 mm jaw chuck, not an SDS. The Einhell highlight says 3-in-1 combi where other lines say impact driver. The combi stops being the right tool when the masonry bit stops advancing. Concrete and a wide hole are past a disc hammer, even at 120 Nm. Newton metres are not joules, and these listings do not print a joule figure.
Ryobi Ryobi R18PD3 starter kit

Testsieger

Ryobi Ryobi R18PD3 starter kit
9.5/10about £97.80
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Concrete, wide holes and a chisel

Buy or hire an SDS for concrete, a lintel, engineering brick, a wide masonry hole, or a chase. Screwfix points SDS at tough concrete and at chiselling with rotation off. SDS bits are mandatory. A round shank does not lock in an SDS chuck, and an SDS bit does not belong in these jaw chucks. A combi has no hammer-only mode, so it cannot chisel. Hammer-only is a three-mode SDS feature. A two-mode SDS is still the wrong tool for screws. For a house, SDS Plus is the class. SDS Max, with the 18 mm shank, is the demolition class, not a shelf drill.

Which one to buy

Buy a combi unless the job is already concrete, engineering brick, a wide hole or a chase. In this set that means a jaw-chuck kit with a stated hammer and a battery in the box. Do not buy an SDS as your only drill if you still need to drive screws. A rotary-only adaptor is not a numbered clutch. Add or hire the SDS when the combi has stalled, or when you already know the wall is concrete. Call a professional for a concrete lintel or work beside a consumer unit. A higher Nm cell on a combi is not the impact energy of a piston.

Common questions

What is the difference between a combi drill and an SDS?
A combi has a jaw chuck, a clutch and a light hammer, which Bosch DIY describes as ribbed discs. An SDS has a grooved shank, needs SDS bits, and uses a piston. The combi drives screws and a few soft-brick plugs. The SDS is for concrete and, if it has hammer-only mode, for chiselling. Both are often called hammer drills.
Can I put a normal round-shank bit in an SDS chuck?
No. The SDS chuck locks grooves, and a smooth shank does not lock. Toolstation's guide treats SDS bits as mandatory and a standard bit as not a safe substitute. The other way is also wrong: an SDS bit does not belong in the 10 mm or 13 mm jaw chucks in this comparison.
Can an SDS drive screws?
Not in any way that replaces a combi. There is no numbered clutch on an SDS chuck. A rotary-only adaptor, where a manual allows one, is not that clutch and will not slip at a set torque to protect a screw head. If you still need to drive screws, buy the combi. Do not buy an SDS as the only drill in the house.
Will one of these combis drill a concrete lintel?
No. Bosch DIY says a combi is not the tool for concrete or reinforced concrete. A lintel is a professional job if the fixing is part of the opening, and it is an SDS job if you are drilling it at all. The 120 Nm cell on one DCA row does not change the mechanism from discs to a piston.
What does hammer mode on a combi actually do?
It adds the ribbed-disc blow while the bit turns, so a masonry bit can enter brick. It bypasses the clutch, so it is the wrong mode for screws. It does not stop the rotation. There is no chisel setting on these ten tools. Blows-per-minute figures differ by listing and are not one shared rate.
SDS Plus or SDS Max for a house?
SDS Plus, if you need an SDS at all. Screwfix gives Plus a 10 mm shank and Max an 18 mm shank. Plus is the class for house fixings in concrete. Max is the heavier demolition class, not a shelf drill. A combi still does the screws. Plus does not replace it.
Why is there no SDS in this comparison?
Because an SDS chuck and a chisel mode are another category. The ten kept rows are keyless jaw chucks with a clutch. Impact driver in an Amazon cell, on the EasyImpact 18V-40 and in some Einhell bullets, is a listing error on a combi. It is not a hidden SDS.

Related pages

Cordless combi drill buying guide

Best cordless combi drill

Cordless combi drill

How to use a combi drill without stripping the screw

Combi drill for brick plugs, and when you should stop

Sources

Public UK sources, last checked on 22 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk listing figures.

  1. HSE, Control of Vibration at Work Regulations (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. HSE INDG175, hand-arm vibration (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. GOV.UK, Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. HSE noise advice for manufacturers (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. Screwfix, best drills guide (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. Bosch DIY EasyImpact 18V-40 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. Bosch DIY drills and screwdrivers (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. amazon.co.uk, Ryobi R18PD3 listing (retrieved 22 October 2026)