When pros need to drill seriously gaping holes in masonry, they put the hammerdrill back in the truck and reach for a rotary hammer. And Hitachi recently updated their 1-1/2″ spline-shank hammer, shaving off just shy of three pounds of weight while retaining an 8.4 amp motor that delivers a whopping 5.9 ft-lbs of impact energy and an impact rate of 2,800 BPM.
They’ve put some effort into further reducing vibration as well, claiming a full-tilt-boogie vibration level of 18.8 m/s2 and 95.2 dB. (Admittedly, I’ve never seen a manufacturer publish a vibration level measurement before, so I’m not quite sure how that measures up to others. But I have tested a previous model Hitachi hammer and was surprised at how well it cushioned the blows.) The new model, the DH38YE2 (pictured), also includes a safety clutch that stops rotation when the bit binds.
Of course, lighter is a relative term. Rotary hammers are massive, and this one’s no exception, weighing in at 14.1 pounds. It’s about 16″ long, too. Pricing should check in around $400 street.
DH38YE2 Rotary Hammer [Hitachi]