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Cordless drill for brick

Updated: October 2026

The curtain pole is marked on a brick party wall, and the kit includes masonry bits, so it is easy to assume the drill will make the holes. A masonry bit is a piece of steel. The hammer is a mechanism, and several listings in this comparison never state one. A cordless drill for brick, for a few plug holes, means a listing that says hammer or impact drilling, a bit you trust, and a point where you hire an SDS. Prices are the 15 October 2026 capture. The [cordless drill comparison](/hub/screws-and-accessories/cordless-drill) is the twelve-row table. Products Compared did not drill these walls. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The curtain pole is marked on a brick party wall, and the kit includes masonry bits, so it is easy to assume the drill will make the holes. A masonry bit is a piece of steel.

Our top picks

Bosch Bosch EasyImpact 18V-40

Best overall

Bosch Bosch EasyImpact 18V-40
9.4/10about £75.23
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JYGMPRO JYGMPRO DZL00010

Best value

JYGMPRO JYGMPRO DZL00010
8.6/10about £42.99
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KELNOW KELNOW KL1

Rank 3

KELNOW KELNOW KL1
8.0/10about £33.98
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On this page
  1. 1.A masonry bit is not a hammer
  2. 2.The listings that actually say hammer
  3. 3.A few plug holes, then stop
  4. 4.Hire an SDS for repeated hard concrete
  5. 5.Find the cable before the hole

A masonry bit is not a hammer

Drill mode spins the bit. Hammer mode adds a short blow so the bit chips brick instead of polishing it. Without that blow, a masonry bit in a drill driver rubs, overheats and snaps. Homebuilding’s account of a drill driver on brick is that lesson. The bits in the case do not change it. The BLACK+DECKER BCD001C1-GB does not claim masonry. The two-battery Rivlox set, ranked in Combi Drills, says it has no impact or hammer function. MHPRO ships masonry bits and does not state a hammer. Which? treats a higher printed voltage as a hint, not as torque.

The listings that actually say hammer

Four listings state a hammer. The Bosch EasyImpact 18V-40, at £75.23, says impact drilling in masonry, lists 40 N·m and a 13 mm chuck, and includes two 2.0 Ah packs. It holds 4.7 stars from 517 reviews. Our spec block has no blows-per-minute figure, and the type field says Impact Driver. Reviewers say drill bits are not in the box. It is a combi for a few holes, not a rotary hammer. The BLACK+DECKER BCD700S1K-GB, at £65.99, states hammer drilling and 21,000 BPM, then prints 1 inch pound in both torque fields.
Bosch Bosch EasyImpact 18V-40

Testsieger

Bosch Bosch EasyImpact 18V-40
9.4/10about £75.23
View offer

A few plug holes, then stop

Maker UK says a combi is for occasional holes in soft brick or aerated block, and that an SDS takes over for engineering brick, concrete, holes above about 8 mm, or more than a handful of plugs. BuildWiz says to stop if a hole takes more than about 30 seconds with no progress. Both figures are rules of thumb, not a test of these ASINs and not a British Standard. Set the collar to the hammer symbol and fit a masonry bit. The screw that follows the plug is on the how to use a cordless drill page. Do not leave the drill in hammer mode for that screw.

Hire an SDS for repeated hard concrete

An SDS rotary hammer uses a different chuck and a piston to strike the bit. BS EN 62841-2-1 does not cover rotary hammers, and none of these ASINs is one. A stated combi can chip a few plugs in ordinary brick. It is the wrong tool for a row of fixings in concrete, engineering brick or a lintel. Mammoth Hire lists SDS drills, so the hire route exists. This page does not invent a day rate. If you are still deciding whether you needed a hammer, the combi drill versus drill driver page is that fork.

Find the cable before the hole

Bosch’s UK DIY guidance is the sequence to follow. Scan with a detector before you mark the hole. A live load, such as a lamp that is switched on, helps some detectors see the cable. Then isolate that circuit at the consumer unit. Detectors miss cables behind metal and in damp walls. A clear scan is not a guarantee. If you strike a cable, stop. Do not pull the bit out if it is still on the cores. Call an electrician. The same stop applies to a pipe. The other checks are in the cordless drill buying guide.

Common questions

Can a cordless combi drill make a plug hole in brick?
Yes, if the listing states a hammer mode and you use a masonry bit, for a few holes in ordinary brick or lightweight block. The Bosch EasyImpact 18V-40 states impact drilling in masonry. A drill driver, and any kit that only includes masonry bits, is the wrong tool. If the hole makes no progress, stop. These combis are not SDS rotary hammers.
Which of these listings actually state a hammer mode?
Four. The Bosch EasyImpact 18V-40 states impact drilling in masonry. The BLACK+DECKER BCD700 states hammer drilling and 21,000 BPM, then fails to give a newton-metre figure. JYGMPRO states hammer drilling, with two 2.0 Ah packs. KELNOW states a hammer drill and does not state amp-hours. The drill driver and the two-battery Rivlox set are explicit nos.
Do masonry bits in the box mean it will drill brick?
No. MHPRO includes masonry bits and does not state hammer mode, and a reviewer found the hammer useless on a hard wall. A bit without a hammer mechanism rubs. Read the mode sentence. If it is missing, treat the bits as accessories, not as a brick drill.
When should you hire an SDS instead?
Hire when the wall is concrete, engineering brick or a lintel, when you need many holes, or when a hole is not moving. BuildWiz’s about 30 seconds with no progress, and Maker UK’s above about 8 mm, are rules of thumb, not tests of these drills. None of these twelve ASINs is a rotary hammer.
How do you avoid a cable in the wall?
Use a detector first, with a live load on the circuit so the cable is easier to see, then switch that circuit off before you drill. Bosch’s UK guidance is that sequence, and detectors can miss cables behind metal or in damp walls. If you hit a cable, stop and call an electrician. A clear scan is not a promise.

Related pages

Screws and accessories

Cordless drill

Best cordless drill among these twelve UK listings

Cordless drill buying guide: hammer, packs, torque

Combi drill vs drill driver when the wall is brick

How to use a cordless drill without stripping screws

Sources

Public UK sources on machinery marking, drill standards, chargers and battery disposal. Listing prices, stars and review counts are from the amazon.co.uk extracts kept for this comparison on 15 October 2026. Prices move.

  1. Which?, How to buy the best cordless drill (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  2. BSI, BS EN 62841-2-1:2018+A12:2022 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  3. GOV.UK, Supply of Machinery (Safety) Regulations 2008 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  4. GOV.UK, UKCA and CE by sector (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  5. HSE, INDG271 Buying new machinery (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  6. HSE, Hand-arm vibration regulations (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  7. Electrical Safety First, Chargers (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  8. Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016, regulation 35 (retrieved 15 October 2026)