Best cordless rotary hammer
Updated: 22 October 2026
You have a row of plug holes to drill in a UK brick wall, and the combi drill you already own has started to stall. Roundups often name a Makita or a DeWalt that is not among the eleven listings this comparison can link on amazon.co.uk. The pick is conditional: a kit you can run today if you own no packs, a body that takes batteries you already have, or a Bosch Professional kit with two batteries in the carton. If the job needs a different battery family, skip that row. Prices and box contents sit on the [cordless rotary hammer comparison](/hub/drilling-and-accessories/cordless-rotary-hammer).
You have a row of plug holes to drill in a UK brick wall, and the combi drill you already own has started to stall.
You have a row of plug holes to drill in a UK brick wall, and the combi drill you already own has started to stall. Roundups often name a Makita or a DeWalt that is not among the eleven listings this comparison can link on amazon.co.uk. The pick is conditional: a kit you can run today if you own no packs, a body that takes batteries you already have, or a Bosch Professional kit with two batteries in the carton. If the job needs a different battery family, skip that row. Prices and box contents sit on the cordless rotary hammer comparison.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | In the box | Impact | Skip it if | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Ryobi Ryobi R18SDS-0 body | No battery, no charger | 1.3 J on Ryobi UK | You have no ONE+ pack | 9.0 | about £90.29 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Bosch GBH 18V-22 X kit | 2 x 5.0 Ah, charger, L-BOXX | 2 J on Bosch UK | You already own 5.0 Ah GBA packs | 6.4 | about £319.20 | View offer |
| Best value |  Dong Cheng Dong Cheng 2.1 J kit | 4.0 Ah, charger, four bits, case | 2.1 J | You already own Bosch or Ryobi packs | 8.5 | about £79.99 | View offer |
On this page
A kit you can use today
A bare tool looks cheap until you price a battery and a charger. The listings you can use on the day they arrive are the Dong Cheng kits, each with that brand's own 20 V pack. The best value SDS kit in the table is the Dong Cheng DCZC22 at £79.99: 2.1 joules, a 4.0 Ah battery, a charger, four bits, and a case, with 4.5 from 100 reviews. One reviewer returned the pack after it lasted under five minutes. The 2.8 joule Dong Cheng kit is £99.99 on the same 20 V family. Skip both if you already own green Bosch PBA packs or Ryobi ONE+ packs.
If you already own the batteries
Once the platform is settled, the best cordless SDS drill is the body that takes those packs, even when a boxed kit has a lower shelf price. If you already have Ryobi ONE+ packs, the R18SDS body is £90.29 on amazon.co.uk and shows 4.7 from 2,755 reviews. Ryobi's UK page, not the Amazon row, states 1.3 joules and four modes, with the battery excluded, and lists the body at £149.99. Ryobi rates the tool to 16 mm in masonry. Without ONE+ packs the £90.29 price is only the body. Bosch green and Bosch blue do not share batteries. The UniversalHammer 18V kit is £132.60, with 2.0 joules in the title, one 2.5 Ah PBA pack, and a case. It runs green PBA packs only. Bare bodies are on the SDS drill body only or kit page.
If you want the Professional kit in one box
The listing with two Professional batteries in the carton is the GBH 18V-22 X kit at £319.20. It includes two 5.0 Ah packs, a charger, and an L-BOXX, and it shows 4.7 from only four reviews. One reviewer said the kit was £479.99 when they wrote, so today's price is not fixed. £319.20 makes sense when you have no GBA packs and you want the blue platform in one order. It is a poor spend when you already hold 5.0 Ah Professional batteries. Bosch Professional UK also sells a GBH 18V-26 at 2.6 joules for £271.70 including VAT, as a body that is not one of the eleven rows.
Who should skip the cheapest bodies
The lowest prices in the table are not the best buys. The NailHsing body at £34.67 is sold as a Makita 18 V fit and has no star rating. A blank review field is a gap in the evidence, not a quiet recommendation. The ConBlom at £59.99 is sold as a DeWalt 18 V or 20 V MAX fit, with 4.2 from 14 reviews, and one review describes a cut-out on a 14 mm bit. Neither listing is a Makita or a DeWalt tool, and this comparison has no maker's joule sheet for the NailHsing. If you are not sure the stalled combi is a mechanism problem, read SDS plus versus a combi drill.
Common questions
What is the best cordless rotary hammer if I own no batteries?
Buy a kit with a pack and a charger, or the shelf price is not the cost of the first hole. In this set that is the Dong Cheng DCZC22 at £79.99, stated at 2.1 joules with a 4.0 Ah pack, or the 2.8 joule Dong Cheng kit at £99.99. Both use Dong Cheng 20 V packs. Skip them if you will stay on Bosch or Ryobi, because those batteries will not interchange.
What if I already own Ryobi ONE+ packs?
The best cordless SDS if you already have Ryobi batteries is the R18SDS body at £90.29, not a kit from another brand. Ryobi states 1.3 joules and a 16 mm masonry capacity, with four modes and no battery in the box. Amazon's price sits below the £149.99 on Ryobi's own page, with 4.7 from 2,755 reviews. Without ONE+ packs, a complete Dong Cheng kit costs less once you add a Ryobi battery and charger.
Is the £35 Makita-fit body a best buy?
The NailHsing at £34.67 claims a Makita 18 V fit and shows no star rating on the listing we hold. It is not a Makita tool, and we have no maker joule figure for it. A low price without reviews is not a tested best value SDS kit. If you want a Makita-platform hammer, look for Makita's own body, which sits outside this table.
Which listing includes two Professional batteries?
The GBH 18V-22 X kit at £319.20 is the row with two 5.0 Ah Bosch Professional packs, a charger, and an L-BOXX. Only four reviews sit on that listing, and one buyer recorded £479.99 at the time. If you already own GBA packs, pay for a body instead of a second pair of batteries. Green DIY packs will not run this blue kit, and a UniversalHammer will not take these GBA packs.
Is the UniversalHammer kit enough for home brick?
For plug holes in house brick, the UniversalHammer kit at £132.60 is in the right class. The title states 2.0 joules, the box has a 2.5 Ah PBA pack and a case, and Bosch's DIY page puts the tool at about 16 mm in concrete. A 2.8 joule kit is less strained on a larger bit. It is the wrong kit if your batteries are blue Professional packs, or if the work is regular chiselling.
Why do other sites say Makita or DeWalt?
They are ranking tools that are not in this eleven. A February 2026 Guardian drill test named a Makita DHR202, and amazon.co.uk results mix corded hammers with third-party bodies sold as for Makita. A pick on this page can only be a listing we can link, and it changes with the job. No single tool covers a Dong Cheng kit, a Ryobi body, and a Bosch Professional kit at once.
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.
- HSE, Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- HSE, vibration risk groupings (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- HSE, CN3 drilling with hand-held rotary tools (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- HSE, noise duties (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- GOV.UK, Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- SDS Drill UK, advice when buying an SDS drill (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Bosch Professional UK, GBH 18V-22 X (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Ryobi UK, R18SDS-0 (retrieved 19 October 2026)