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Cordless drill for brick

Updated: 2026-10-23

You need a hole for a wall plug, and the kit says hammer. A cordless drill for brick, when it is a combi from this comparison, can manage a small plug in ordinary masonry. Hard brick, a deep hole and a wide bit are an SDS job, and reviews in this set already stopped there. Products Compared read the amazon.co.uk listings on 19 October 2026. We did not drill the walls. The kits are in the [cordless drill set comparison](/hub/drilling-and-accessories/cordless-drill-set). A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You need a hole for a wall plug, and the kit says hammer. A cordless drill for brick, when it is a combi from this comparison, can manage a small plug in ordinary masonry.

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What hammer mode can and cannot do

Hammer mode on a combi is percussion in a keyless chuck. The bit taps as it spins. An SDS rotary hammer uses a piston and a different shank. BS EN 62841-2-1 covers hand-held drills and impact drills. It does not cover rotary hammers. A hammer symbol on a domestic combi does not move that tool into the class the standard leaves out. The fair test is one small plug in ordinary brick or block, with a masonry bit. Masseys, on the Bosch EasyImpact 18V-40 family, draws the same line: general DIY masonry, not heavy continuous concrete. These listings do not print a vibration number. Without a declared emission, you cannot turn the HSE action value and limit into a time for these ASINs.

What these kits say about masonry

The EasyImpact 18V-40 bullets include impact drilling in masonry, with 40 Nm and a 13 mm chuck. BLACK+DECKER states 21,000 blows per minute. VOERJIA and Maxesla state hammer mode. The Stanley kit is a hammer drill at 50 Nm beside a separate impact driver. The 165 Nm number is that driver, not a masonry rating. The FADAKWALT title is a drill driver. The WORX WX183.2 is a drill driver, and a reviewer says it is not a hammer drill. Huini, DEKO and BETENST do not give you a hammer cell to quote. A masonry bit in a 99-piece box is not a stated mode. One BLACK+DECKER buyer could not drill some house brick. Maxesla buyers report walls the bit would not enter and a masonry bit stuck in the chuck.

If you still try a light hole

Use a masonry bit of the plug diameter, often starting smaller, then open the hole. Select the hammer symbol, not the clutch numbers. Keep the drill square and use short bursts. Hammer mode will ruin a chipboard screw. If you cannot locate a cable or pipe, stop. If the bit powders the surface and stops after about a centimetre, you have found harder material than this combi is doing. Raising a clutch number does nothing in hammer mode. A 21 V title does not change the technique. The BLACK+DECKER kit can state 21,000 blows and still meet brick a reviewer could not drill. If the bit walks or sticks, take the battery off and stop.

When to put the combi down

Put the combi down when the hole is deep, wide, or in hard brick or concrete. That is the SDS exit. None of these twelve listings is a rotary hammer. Hiring an SDS for an afternoon of fixings is often cleaner than burning a 1.5 Ah pack against a wall that has stalled. The Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations apply to paid work, and this kit does not arrive with a vibration assessment. The EasyImpact 18V-40 can still be the named kit for mixed home jobs, with Masseys’ masonry limit attached. That name is not a promise that it drills every brick. Whether hammer mode is even stated stays in the cordless drill set buying guide.

Common questions

Will hammer mode drill a plug hole in brick?
Sometimes, for a small plug in ordinary masonry, with a masonry bit and the hammer symbol. It is the wrong expectation for hard brick, a deep hole or a wide bit. Masseys limits the EasyImpact family to general DIY masonry. In this set, one BLACK+DECKER review says some house brick was impossible, and Maxesla reviews include walls the bit would not enter. A hammer symbol is not a guarantee.
Why does the hole stop after a centimetre?
The surface has given way to harder brick, the bit is blunt, or you are asking a small combi for a deep wide hole. A stall on a deep 14 mm hole is a reported pattern, not a reason to buy a higher voltage title. Stop rather than forcing the chuck. If you are already on hammer mode with a masonry bit, the next tool is an SDS.
When do I need an SDS instead?
You need one for hard brick or concrete, a deep hole, or many holes rather than one plug. An SDS is a rotary hammer. BS EN 62841-2-1 does not cover that class. None of these twelve kits is an SDS. A chisel mode on the Stanley impact driver is still not an SDS shank. Hire one for that afternoon if you do not want to own one.
Can I trust a 21 V kit that lists masonry bits?
The bits show what the seller packed. They do not show that the drill will make the hole. VOERJIA and Maxesla use 21 V in the title and mention hammer or masonry accessories. Maxesla reviews include a stuck bit and walls that did not yield. A 21 V label is not a measured advantage over an 18 V Bosch. If hammer mode is not stated, the bits do not create it.
What vibration number applies at home?
These listings do not print one, so no home exposure time can be calculated from them. HSE values of 2.5 and 5 m/s² A(8) matter for paid work, and they need an emission you do not have here. For one plug hole at home, the practical limit is the wall stalling.

Related pages

Sources

Public UK sources from the research digest, last checked on 19 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures in the display file.

  1. Electrical Safety First: drills (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. HSE: PUWER (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. HSE: hand-arm vibration (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. BSI: BS EN 62841-2-1:2018+A1:2022 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. GOV.UK: Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. OPSS product safety report 2511-0084 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. NFCC: lithium-ion batteries (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. Stanley Tools UK: FATMAX V20 18 V battery pack (retrieved 19 October 2026)