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SDS Max vs SDS Plus

Updated: 2026-10-23

You searched for a heavier hammer, or you are holding a bit that will not click into the new chuck. SDS Max vs SDS Plus is a shank question first. If the steel in your hand is 10 mm, it is Plus, and it does not seat in the Max chucks on the Enventor, the Einhell TE-RH 40 3F, or the Makita HR4013C/2. Those three belong in the [SDS Max rotary hammer comparison](/hub/drilling-and-accessories/sds-max-rotary-hammer) only after you need the larger shank. It does not rank the three hammers. This is not a lab test. A qualifying Amazon purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You searched for a heavier hammer, or you are holding a bit that will not click into the new chuck. SDS Max vs SDS Plus is a shank question first.

Our top picks

Enventor Enventor SDS Max 1500 W

Best overall

Enventor Enventor SDS Max 1500 W
7.4/10about £118.99
View offer
Einhell Einhell TE-RH 40 3F

Rank 2

Einhell Einhell TE-RH 40 3F
8.5/10about £169.00
View offer
Makita Makita HR4013C/2

Alternative

Makita Makita HR4013C/2
6.2/10about £608.93
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Look at the shank, not the word SDS
  2. 2.Stay on Plus when the hole is a fixing
  3. 3.When the hole has left fixing work
  4. 4.An adaptor is a compromise

Look at the shank, not the word SDS

SDS Plus is about 10 mm across, with four grooves. SDS Max is about 18 mm across, with five grooves. UK Drills states that the systems do not fit either way. A Max bit will not enter a Plus chuck. A Plus bit will not lock in a Max chuck. SDS alone, on a UK listing, almost always means Plus. Heller's notes add a rough weight cue: Plus under about 5 kg, Max over about 5 kg. Weight is a hint. The shank is the check. Hilti's UK page calls Plus TE-C and Max TE-Y. TE-C is the system they describe for anchors and light chiselling, commonly about 4 to 30 mm. TE-Y is the higher-energy system, often from about 12 mm upward. A TE-C bit is still a Plus bit. If a Max shank will not enter without force, stop. Do not grind it to fit.

Stay on Plus when the hole is a fixing

Most UK fixing work never leaves Plus. Frame plugs, brackets, and a batten in brick sit on the 10 mm system, usually under about 26 mm, which is where SDS Drill UK tells most buyers to stay. The cordless hammers deleted from this scrape were Plus tools at about 2 joules. They are not a quiet version of the Einhell or the Makita. If that is the job, you do not need a 7 to 10 kg mains hammer. One awkward hole in a lintel is not automatically a Max purchase. A hired hammer for a morning can be cheaper than a new bit system when the rest of the year is still 8 mm plugs. The expensive mistake is buying Max because a result said SDS, then finding every bit you own is the wrong diameter.
Enventor Enventor SDS Max 1500 W

Testsieger

Enventor Enventor SDS Max 1500 W
7.4/10about £118.99
View offer

When the hole has left fixing work

Move toward Max when the hole and the material have left fixing work behind. The kept listings claim up to 40 mm in concrete where they print a capacity, and the Makita bullets claim a 105 mm TCT core. A short chase can justify hammer-only on a Max rotary hammer. A thick slab is hire, not a longer afternoon. The SDS Max rotary hammer buying guide is the order of checks once you know you need Max. This page does not rank the three hammers.

An adaptor is a compromise

Bosch Professional GB sells an SDS Max to SDS Plus adaptor, part 1618598159, at £46.72 including VAT on the page checked for this research. Other UK shops were about £54 to £62. Hilti's TE-Y adaptor was listed at £127.20. Both run one way. A Max bit still does not go into a Plus drill. Hilti says a Plus bit belongs in a Max tool only with an adaptor, and that the matching bit is still the preferred approach. The hammer's blow is built for 18 mm steel. A Plus bit on the far side of an adaptor is a smaller section taking that blow. One UK review on the Enventor file says Plus adaptors should not be knocked hard. Use an adaptor for a bit you must finish today. Do not build the working set out of it. If Plus is enough, leave the Plus bits in their own drawer.

Common questions

Can a Plus bit click into a Max chuck?
No. The Plus shank is too small for an SDS Max chuck. Do not force it or grind it down. The Enventor, Einhell, and Makita chucks in this comparison are Max. Your 6 mm, 8 mm, and 10 mm Plus bits stay in the other case. The only exception is a purpose-made adaptor, and that is a compromise, not a second chuck.
Can a Max bit go into a Plus drill?
No. An 18 mm shank will not enter a 10 mm chuck. The sources used here do not show an adaptor that runs Max bits in a Plus tool. Hilti states the adaptor in one direction only. If the bit is Max and the drill is Plus, one of them is the wrong purchase. Do not modify the shank.
Is the Bosch or Hilti adaptor the same as buying Max bits?
No. Those adaptors hold Plus bits in a Max hammer. They do not turn those bits into Max bits, and they do not change the blow. Keep an adaptor for a one-off.
Are the cordless SDS hammers in this scrape actually Max?
No. The cordless hammers removed from this category were Plus tools, around 2 joules. A 20 V label does not change the shank, and their bits will not lock in a Max chuck.
When is 40 mm capacity the reason to leave Plus?
When you need holes toward that diameter in concrete, or a core in the 105 mm class the Makita bullets state, Plus has usually run out of comfort. A 40 mm bullet is still a maximum, not a target. If your largest real hole is a 10 mm frame fixing, that capacity is unused weight. Stay on Plus until the hole, not the advert, demands the change.

Related pages

Best SDS Max rotary hammer

SDS max rotary hammer

SDS Max rotary hammer for breaking concrete patches

SDS Max rotary hammer buying guide: checks in order

How to use an SDS Max rotary hammer for the first hole

Sources

Public UK sources from the research digest, carried onto this page on 22 October 2026. Prices, stars and review counts are the stored amazon.co.uk figures in the display file, not a fresh shelf check.

  1. HSE vibration regulations (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. HSE L140, hand-arm vibration (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. HSE construction electrical systems (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. HSE CN3, drilling with a rotary hammer (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. UK Drills, SDS Plus or SDS Max (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. Einhell TE-RH 40 3F manual (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. Makita HR4013C manual (retrieved 22 October 2026)