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SDS max tile chisel: angled or straight

Updated: 2026-10-23

The edge that lifts tiles is a wide blade run under them at a shallow angle. A point punches a hole. A 25 mm flat cuts a stripe and leaves the rest stuck. A 15 degree bend changes how you hold the hammer. It does not guarantee the screed survives. This page stays on that one job, from the amazon.co.uk listings we kept in October 2026. We did not lift a floor ourselves. The [SDS max chisel comparison](/hub/drilling-and-accessories/sds-max-chisel) is the product table. A qualifying purchase through our links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The edge that lifts tiles is a wide blade run under them at a shallow angle. A point punches a hole. A 25 mm flat cuts a stripe and leaves the rest stuck. A 15 degree bend changes how you hold the hammer.

Our top picks

Nucraft Nucraft angled tile chisel

Best overall

Nucraft Nucraft angled tile chisel
9.4/10about £11.04
View offer
Firecore Firecore wide tile chisel

Alternative

Firecore Firecore wide tile chisel
9.0/10about £17.09
View offer
Keewaki Keewaki 4-piece 450 mm

Alternative

Keewaki Keewaki 4-piece 450 mm
7.4/10about £36.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.A wide edge under the tile, not a point through it
  2. 2.Angled 15 degrees or a straight wide blade
  3. 3.What the reviews actually disagree about
  4. 4.Floor reach and dust

A wide edge under the tile, not a point through it

Ceramic on a sand-and-cement bed either pops, or the bed shatters and stays glued to the tile. A point drills a crater. A narrow flat does a longer version of the same mistake. You want something in the 75–80 mm band, kept almost flat, so the blows travel along the adhesive. The hammer has to be SDS max. An 18 mm shank will not lock in an SDS Plus chuck. That split is on the SDS max versus SDS Plus page. Bosch Professional GB prints a 30 per cent higher removal rate and a self-sharpening claim for its own angled tile chisel. Those figures are not a result for Firecore or Nucraft. Bosch’s PRO SDS max-4C tile chisel, 80 × 300 mm, is £46 including VAT and is not one of the seven ASINs here.

Angled 15 degrees or a straight wide blade

Nucraft’s NU-M06 states a 15 degree working angle and 300 × 80 mm, at £11.04, with 4.6 from 105 ratings and a listed weight of 322 g. The bend lets the hammer sit off the floor. Reviews do not prove the screed is protected. Treat the angle as comfort and access. Skip it for SDS Plus. It is one blade, and a case is not stated. Firecore’s FS18312 is the straight listing: about 30.5 cm with a 7.6 cm blade, title 300 × 75 mm, 700 g, £17.09, 4.4 from 599 ratings. You supply the shallow angle yourself. You are paying about £6 more than the Nucraft for the straight edge and the sample, not for a measured longer life. Keewaki’s 450 mm set includes an 80 mm wide blade and does not state an angle, at £36.99, with written reviews marked United States. GEINXURN’s title includes a bent chisel with no degrees, and the components line says SDS-Plus. Neither replaces the Nucraft angle or the Firecore straight label.
Nucraft Nucraft angled tile chisel

Testsieger

Nucraft Nucraft angled tile chisel
9.4/10about £11.04
View offer

What the reviews actually disagree about

On Firecore, a UK review describes about 50 m² of kitchen tiles. Other UK texts report the chisel breaking, including a shank that broke in the chuck. Believe both. They are not a vote you average into a lifespan. On Nucraft, UK reviews in the file are short and positive about tiles and render. Across the first 50 reviews, mostly not from the UK, one failure is about 6 m² of mosaic and another is about 80 m² of tiles and screed. A 15 degree bend does not settle that spread. If the shank snapped, the usual cause is side load. Do not keep striking a rolled edge because one review finished a kitchen.

Floor reach and dust

Three hundred millimetres is short on your knees. A Nucraft review calls that length hard on the back for floor work. Sets here that state 400 or 450 mm are not angled tile chisels. You trade the bend for length, or you stand up more often. Width in this pair is about 75–80 mm. If the bed is mortar or concrete, HSE treats a breaker in a poorly ventilated room as a high-dust job: H or M class extraction and respiratory protection at assigned protection factor 20. A tile chisel does not get a lighter rule. Gloves do not block vibration. Start at a grout line, keep the edge shallow, and stop when the steel is blunt.

Common questions

Do I need the angled chisel, or will a straight wide one lift tiles?
A straight wide blade can lift tiles. A UK Firecore review describes about 50 m² with the straight chisel. The 15 degree Nucraft, at £11.04, holds the hammer off the floor. The bend is comfort and access, not proof the screed stays intact.
Will an SDS max tile chisel fit my SDS Plus drill?
No. These tile chisels are 18 mm SDS max. An SDS Plus chuck is about 10 mm. A wider or more angled blade does not shrink the shank. If the drill says Plus, you need a Plus chisel or a different hammer.
What angle should I hold against the floor?
Keep the edge nearly flat so it slides under the tile. On the Nucraft the steel is bent at the stated 15 degrees. On the Firecore you supply that angle yourself. Steep is how you punch the bed. Start at a grout line.
Why do tiles shatter and the adhesive stay?
The edge is too narrow, too steep, or both. A point or a 25 mm flat breaks the ceramic and leaves the bed stuck. A 75–80 mm blade at a shallow angle spreads the blow. A hard bed can still come up on the back of the tile.
How wide is wide enough?
The tile blades that state a width here are about 75 mm (Firecore) and 80 mm (Nucraft, and the Keewaki wide piece, which has no angle). A 25 mm flat is a line. A 40 mm flat is still narrow for a whole floor tile.
The reviews praise 50 square metres and also report a snap. Which do I believe?
Both. Firecore has a UK account of about 50 m² and UK reports of breakage. Nucraft’s wider slice, mostly not UK, runs from about 6 m² of mosaic to about 80 m². Do not average them into one lifespan.

Related pages

SDS max chisel buying guide

How to use an SDS max chisel

Best SDS max chisel

SDS max chisel

SDS max versus SDS plus: which shank actually fits

Sources

Public UK sources from the research digest, last checked on 22 October 2026. Shelf prices and star lines are the amazon.co.uk figures in the display file.

  1. Heller Tools, SDS shank guide (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. TEH Tools UK, SDS Plus vs SDS max (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. HSE, INDG175 hand-arm vibration (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. HSE, vibration controls (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. HSE, construction dust CIS36 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. HSE, PUWER overview (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. Bosch Professional GB, flat chisels (retrieved 22 October 2026)