SDS Max rotary hammer for breaking concrete

Updated: 2026-10-23

Hammer-only can open a small, unreinforced patio patch, screed, or short chase. It is not a demolition breaker.

Hammer-only can open a small, unreinforced patio patch, screed, or short chase. It is not a demolition breaker. The Enventor, the Einhell TE-RH 40 3F, and the Makita HR4013C/2 are the three listings in the SDS Max rotary hammer comparison. None is the 25 joule chisel-only machine removed from that set. Grease and the first hole stay on the how to use page. This is not a lab test. A qualifying Amazon purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Our top picks

Badge	Product	Modes stated	Impact in the bullets	Steel in the box	Note	Price	Offer
Best overall	Enventor Enventor SDS Max 1500 W	Hammer only, hammer drilling, chisel adjust	12 J	16 mm bit and pointed chisel	7.4	about £118.99	View offer
	Einhell Einhell TE-RH 40 3F	Hammer drilling, chiselling with and without lock	10 J	Pointed and flat chisels, no bit	8.5	about £169.00	View offer
Alternative	Makita Makita HR4013C/2	2 modes. Drill-only not named.	Not stated	Grease and a depth stop. No bit or chisel.	6.2	about £608.93	View offer

Best overall

Enventor Enventor SDS Max 1500 W

7.4/10about £118.99

View offer

Rank 2

Einhell Einhell TE-RH 40 3F

8.5/10about £169.00

View offer

Alternative

Makita Makita HR4013C/2

6.2/10about £608.93

View offer

On this page

1.Hammer-only is not a demolition breaker
2.A small patch versus a slab
3.Time and dust
4.When to stop

Hammer-only is not a demolition breaker

Hammer-only stops the rotation and drives the steel once the angle is locked. You select it with the motor stopped. The Enventor bullets name hammer only, plus chisel adjust, which only turns the steel. The Einhell bullets name chiselling with and without lock. The Makita bullets name two modes. Draper's 81077 is a 230 V SDS Max breaker at 25 joules with one function. It was removed because it does not rotate. If you will never drill, that class of machine, or a hire, is the honest tool. If you still need holes the same week, chisel mode on a rotary hammer is the compromise, at lower impact than 25 joules. The Enventor includes a pointed chisel and a 16 mm bit, and no flat chisel. A point can start a crack. A flat chisel lifts a tile. The Einhell lists a pointed and a flat chisel, both 40 cm, and no bit. UK reviews say it breaks concrete and block. One verified UK reviewer said those chisels broke quickly and bought replacements at Screwfix. The Makita case lists grease, a depth stop, and a handle, and no chisel. The Enventor bullets state 12 joules and the Einhell states 10. The Makita page does not print joules.

A small patch versus a slab

A small patch means a limited area of non-structural concrete, a thin screed, or a chase you can see the edges of. Hammer-only can do that in short spells. A slab, a reinforced footing, or a day of breaking is the point to hire. Hireload's London notes point heavy breakers, often 110 V with a transformer, at slabs and driveways, and they keep an SDS Max hammer for tiles, walls, and lighter break-out. Hire prices are local. An HSS Toolshop page in Surrey listed light-duty SDS Max breakers from £16 a day and medium-duty from £20 a day, excluding VAT. Hireload listed a light 110 V SDS Max breaker from £24.99 plus VAT for one day. Those are two shops, not a UK rate. This Makita is the 240 V HR4013C/2. The Einhell manual is 220 to 240 V even though the Amazon table prints 18 V beside AC. A UK Enventor review describes a 3-pin plug. None of those is a 110 V site tool. If the only power is a yellow transformer, hire the 110 V breaker. The SDS Max rotary hammer buying guide is the plug and weight check.

Testsieger

Enventor Enventor SDS Max 1500 W

7.4/10about £118.99

View offer

Time and dust

The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 set an action value of 2.5 m/s² A(8) and a limit of 5.0 m/s² A(8). A rough time to the action value is about 8 times (2.5 / a) squared hours. On the Makita manual's 5.0 m/s² for hammer drilling, that is about two hours of trigger time. On the Screwfix figure of 17.1 m/s² for the Einhell, it is on the order of ten minutes. Those sums use declared numbers, not a measurement on your patio. Let the steel work, and do not hike the tool up on the chisel. Noise sits in the same afternoon. Action values are 80 and 85 dB(A). Declared sound pressure is 92 dB(A) for the Makita family and about 97 dB(A) in the Einhell manual. A dust cap is not extraction.

When to stop

Stop for structural or reinforced concrete, for services you cannot trace, for a motor that smokes, or for a chuck that will not release the steel.

Common questions

Can hammer-only mode break a patio slab?

It can start a thin, unreinforced patch. It is the wrong plan for a full slab or a driveway. Where the bullets print joules they state about 10 or 12, against 25 joules for a chisel-only breaker such as the Draper 81077. If you can see mesh, hire or call someone.

Will a 13 A hammer run from a 110 V site transformer?

Not by forcing the plug. Site supplies are 110 V centre-tapped, and HSE does not treat a 13 A lead as site kit. Hire the 110 V machine that matches the transformer.

Are the chisels in the box enough?

Often they only start the job. The Enventor has a pointed chisel and no flat chisel. The Einhell has both at 40 cm, and one UK review said they broke quickly. The Makita box has no chisel. A Plus chisel is not the set to hammer on.

What if the concrete is reinforced?

Stop, and get someone who breaks reinforced concrete for a living. Mesh catches a chisel and trips a torque limiter. None of these three boxes is a rebar cutter. If you strike steel, switch off and unplug. Do not keep the trigger down while the clutch slips. A smoking motor or a jammed chuck is the same stop, whether or not you can see the bar.

Is a dust cap extraction?

No. A dust cap is not an extractor. Respirable crystalline silica has a workplace exposure limit of 0.1 mg/m³. Do not dry-sweep a broken floor through the house.

Best SDS Max rotary hammer