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SDS Plus vs SDS Max Makita

Updated: 23 October 2026

You already own a box of bits, or you are choosing between a 26 mm title and a 40 mm SDS-Max, and the shanks look similar until they do not fit. SDS Plus vs SDS Max Makita, in this amazon.co.uk set, is a one-tool answer: only the HR4013C/1 is SDS-Max. The listings that name a shank otherwise say SDS-Plus, and the bits do not swap. Diameter and the chuck are the whole of this page. Prices and scores stay on the [Makita rotary hammer comparison](/hub/drilling-and-accessories/makita-rotary-hammer). A qualifying Amazon purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. There is no lab test.

You already own a box of bits, or you are choosing between a 26 mm title and a 40 mm SDS-Max, and the shanks look similar until they do not fit.

Our top picks

Makita Makita HR2630/1 110 V

Best overall

Makita Makita HR2630/1 110 V
7.5/10about £158.50
View offer
Makita Makita HR4013C/1 110 V SDS-Max

Alternative

Makita Makita HR4013C/1 110 V SDS-Max
6.2/10about £730.00
View offer
Makita Makita HR166DSMJ 12 V kit

Rank 3

Makita Makita HR166DSMJ 12 V kit
7.6/10about £204.95
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Four listings name a shank, one does not
  2. 2.Plus and Max do not share a bit
  3. 3.An adaptor is a separate buy
  4. 4.Do not read joules across the shank

Four listings name a shank, one does not

Three titles say SDS-Plus. The HR2630/1 is the 110 V hammer with 26 mm in the title. A chuck cell says 1 inch beside that 26 mm title, so you trust the millimetres and the words SDS-Plus, not the inch cell. The DHR242RTJW names SDS-Plus, and a bullet states 24 mm in concrete and 2.0 J. The HR2663 names SDS-Plus and does not print a concrete diameter. The HR166DSMJ does not name a shank: the chuck cell says 16 mm, and only Makita UK's HR166D page puts that family in the SDS-Plus class. The HR4013C/1 is the only SDS-Max. The bullets say 40 mm in concrete and a 105 mm TCT core. It is £730.00 and the title says 110 V. Three modes on the DHR242 listing is still SDS-Plus. Two modes on the HR4013C/1 is still SDS-Max.

Plus and Max do not share a bit

SDS-Plus is the shank of about 10 mm. SDS-Max is the shank of about 18 mm. The bits are not interchangeable. A Plus bit will not lock in a Max chuck because you twisted it, and a Max bit will not enter a Plus chuck. Seat the bit until it clicks, then pull. If it comes out in your hand, it is the wrong shank or a chuck that is not holding. One UK review of the HR2630/1 says the bit came out and stayed out. That is a failed lock on the matching system. The HR2630/1 bits do not fit the HR4013C/1, and neither do the DHR242 bits for the 24 mm bullet. Supply and modes sit beside that choice in the buying guide.
Makita Makita HR2630/1 110 V

Testsieger

Makita Makita HR2630/1 110 V
7.5/10about £158.50
View offer

An adaptor is a separate buy

Retailers sell a step-down adaptor so an SDS-Plus bit can sit in an SDS-Max chuck. None of that puts an adaptor in these five boxes. No included line lists a bit or an adaptor. The HR4013C/1 includes bit grease and a carry case. Grease is not an adaptor. Use the Max tool for the hole its bullets name: 40 mm in concrete, or a 105 mm TCT core, on a 110 V title, at 6.4 kg. A homeowner drilling 8 mm or 10 mm anchors does not need that shank. The 12 V kit, via the Makita UK page rather than the amazon cell, is the 16 mm end of the Plus class. If you already own Plus bits, stay with a Plus chuck unless the diameter has outgrown them.

Do not read joules across the shank

The only joules printed on an amazon listing in this set are 2.0 J on the DHR242 bullets, next to 24 mm in concrete. The HR2663 prints 2 ft-lb. The HR2630/1 and the HR166DSMJ do not print joules. Do not paste 2.4 J from the Makita UK HR2631F family page onto the 110 V HR2630/1 row. The 1.1 J figure is the HR166D page. The HR4013C/1 does not print joules either. Makita UK's HR4013C page states 8.0 J and 40 mm, and that page is the 240 V model. This amazon ASIN is titled 110 V. Do not merge 8.0 J, or a rumour of 40 J, into this £730 listing. Max is not 40 joules because the bullet says 40 mm.

Common questions

Which of these five is SDS-Max?
Only the HR4013C/1. The title and the bullets say SDS-Max, with 40 mm in concrete and a 105 mm TCT core. The HR2630/1, the DHR242RTJW and the HR2663 name SDS-Plus. The HR166DSMJ amazon page does not name a shank. It prints a 16 mm chuck cell. Makita UK's HR166D page puts that family in the SDS-Plus class at 16 mm and 1.1 J. Say which page you are quoting.
Will the bits from the HR2630/1 fit the HR4013C/1?
No. The HR2630/1 is SDS-Plus, about a 10 mm shank, with 26 mm in the title. The HR4013C/1 is SDS-Max, about an 18 mm shank. The bits do not lock across those chucks. A pull test that lets the bit fall out is telling you it is not held. It is not an invitation to twist harder.
What does the amazon page say the HR166DSMJ chuck is?
The chuck cell says 16 mm. The listing does not print SDS-Plus, a concrete capacity, or joules. Wood and metal cells say 0.63 inch, and the speed cells print both 680 rpm and 850 rpm. Makita UK's HR166D page is where 1.1 J, 16 mm in concrete and two modes are stated.
Is 26 mm in a title the same as a 26 mm concrete rating from Makita?
Not automatically. The HR2630/1 title says 26 mm. The amazon page does not add a separate concrete-capacity line, and it does not print joules. Makita UK's HR2631F family page states 2.4 J and 26 mm. That is a different page from this 110 V listing. Quote the title's 26 mm as the title, and quote 2.4 J only with the family page named.
Does 3 mode tell me the shank?
No. Mode count and shank are different facts. The DHR242 listing refers to three modes and the chuck is SDS-Plus. The HR2630/1 names the three modes, including hammering only, and it is also SDS-Plus. The HR4013C/1 refers to two modes and the chuck is SDS-Max. You can have a chisel setting, or not, on either shank.

Related pages

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Sources

Public UK sources and Makita UK pages from the research digest, last checked on 21 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures in the display file.

  1. HSE INDG175, hand-arm vibration (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  2. HSE, Control of Vibration at Work Regulations (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  3. HSE HSG141, electrical safety on construction sites (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  4. HSE CN3, construction dust (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  5. Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, regulation 4 (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  6. Makita UK, HR166D (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  7. Makita UK, HR4013C (retrieved 21 October 2026)
  8. IET Wiring Matters, reduced low voltage (retrieved 21 October 2026)