SDS Max rotary hammer buying guide

Updated: 2026-10-23

You already own a drill that copes with brackets, and the next job is a larger hole in concrete or a short spell with a chisel.

You already own a drill that copes with brackets, and the next job is a larger hole in concrete or a short spell with a chisel. Walk the checks in order: shank, modes, joules, steel in the case, then the plug and the weight. The three amazon.co.uk listings in the SDS Max rotary hammer comparison are the Enventor at £118.99, the Einhell TE-RH 40 3F at £169.00, and the Makita HR4013C/2 at £608.93. 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	Impact in the bullets	Steel in the box	Voltage on the table	Note	Price	Offer
Best overall	Enventor Enventor SDS Max 1500 W	12 J	16 mm bit and pointed chisel	Not printed	7.4	about £118.99	View offer
	Einhell Einhell TE-RH 40 3F	10 J	Pointed and flat chisels, no bit	18 V, power source AC	8.5	about £169.00	View offer
Alternative	Makita Makita HR4013C/2	Not stated	Grease and a depth stop. No bit or chisel.	240 V	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.Confirm it is SDS Max
2.It has to drill and chisel
3.Read joules, then the box
4.Plug, weight and what the stars cannot prove

Confirm it is SDS Max

SDS Max is an 18 mm shank with five grooves. SDS Plus is the 10 mm, four-groove system, and the two do not seat in each other. UK Drills states that split directly. A label that only says SDS almost always means Plus, so a bit you already own may not click into any of these chucks. The SDS Max vs SDS Plus page is that decision, without ranking the hammers.

It has to drill and chisel

A rotary hammer both rotates and hammers. Hammer-drilling makes the hole. Hammer-only drives a chisel once the angle is locked, and you change mode only with the motor stopped. The Enventor bullets name hammer only, hammer drilling, and chisel adjust. Chisel adjust only turns the steel. The Einhell bullets name hammer drilling and chiselling with and without lock. The Makita bullets name two modes and do not name drill-only. Draper's 81077 is a one-function breaker at 25 joules. It was removed from this comparison because it does not rotate. If you will never drill, hire or buy a breaker, which the breaking concrete page separates from hole technique.

Testsieger

Enventor Enventor SDS Max 1500 W

7.4/10about £118.99

View offer

Read joules, then the box

A breaker near 1,050 W can be specified at 25 joules because it does not rotate. SDS Drill UK tells most people to stay on Plus up to about 26 mm. That is a leave-rule for fixings, not a reason to ignore a 10 or 12 joule listing when the hole is in the 40 mm class these bullets claim. The Enventor bullets state 12 joules and 40 mm. The Einhell bullets state 10 joules and 40 mm in concrete. The Makita bullets state 40 mm and a 105 mm TCT core, and they do not print joules. A manufacturer figure of 8.0 joules appears in the UK manual. It is not an Amazon fact, and a US 11.4 joule line does not belong here. The Enventor bullets list a 16 mm bit, an 18 mm pointed chisel, grease, and a case. The Einhell line lists an E-Box M55, a side handle, and a pointed and a flat chisel, both 40 cm, with no bit. The Makita line lists grease, a case, a depth stop, and a handle, and no steel. Einhell's own UK page listed the same hammer at £195.95 including VAT. That shop price does not replace the raw £169.00.

Plug, weight and what the stars cannot prove

A UK house needs nominal 230 V and a BS 1363 plug. Sites often use 110 V centre-tapped supplies, and HSE treats ordinary DIY leads as unsuitable there. The Makita title prints 240 V. The Enventor table prints no voltage, though a UK review describes a fixed cable and a 3-pin plug. The Einhell table prints 18 V beside power source AC. The bullets state 1,050 W and no battery. The manual says 220 to 240 V. Do not buy it as cordless because one cell says 18 V. If the only power is a yellow site transformer, none of these 13 A listings fits. The listings weigh 10.1 kg, 7.2 kg, and 6.9 kg. Stars do not prove impact. The Enventor is 5.0 from 13 ratings. The Einhell is 4.3 from 447. The Makita is 4.3 from 227, and those stored texts are largely not from the United Kingdom. Thirteen perfect scores are thinner evidence than several hundred at 4.3.

Common questions

What joule figure is enough for 40 mm holes in concrete?

Where joules are printed, the Enventor states 12 J and the Einhell states 10 J, beside a 40 mm claim. Read that figure, not the wattage. A 40 mm line is a maximum in the bullets, not a promise for every dense slab.

Why does the Einhell table say 18 V if the bullets say 1050 W?

The stored table prints 18 V and power source AC. The bullets state 1,050 W and no battery. The manual for model 4257935 states 220 to 240 V. Treat the 18 V cell as a conflict, not as a cordless hammer.

The Makita listing does not print joules. What can you still check?

Check the 240 V title, the two modes, the 40 mm line, the 105 mm TCT core, the 6.9 kg weight, and a case that holds grease rather than a bit. Do not paste a US 11.4 J line into the gap. The UK manual's 8.0 J figure is not an Amazon cell.

Does the box include a bit, or only chisels?

The Enventor names a 16 mm bit and a pointed chisel. The Einhell names two chisels and no bit. The Makita names no steel. A point will not lift a tile the way a flat chisel does.

Will a 13 A plug run on a 110 V site?

No. A UK 13 A plug does not fit a 110 V centre-tapped site supply, and HSE does not treat DIY leads as site kit. If the job has only site power, hire a 110 V breaker.

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