The 18-Volt OCTANE RIDGID Rotary Hammer Drill

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This RIDGID rotary hammer drill review is brought to you by The Home Depot. All opinions belong to Thrift Diving.

I started using power tools in 2013, wielding my first circular saw and reciprocating saw after attending the Haven conference, which is an annual blogging conference for do-it-yourself and decorating bloggers.

My DIY toolbox slowly grew. Over time, though, as my confidence and scope of projects widened, I’ve noticed that my collecting of tools have also expanded to include tools I never would have considered adding to my DIY collection. 

Being a part of The Home Depot’s ProSpective program, I have the opportunity to review a variety of tools, which broadens my contact with tools I wouldn’t have considered before.

One of those tools I received to review is the RIDGID 18-Volt OCTANE Cordless Brushless Rotary Hammer Drill.

 

 

What This Rotary Hammer Is Used For

A hammer drill is one of those tools that looks somewhat similar to a power drill, but with many different features, all for the purpose of drilling into concrete and masonry. A standard power drill doesn’t have enough power and lacks the hammering action needed to efficiently drill through concrete or masonry.

Although I had once used a power drill for reattaching a shutter to the brick veneer of my home (before I owned this rotary drill), and it worked okay, typically a power drill can only do very light duty drilling into concrete or masonry, with the right masonry drilling bits. 

But for more powerful drilling into concrete and masonry, a rotary hammer drill such as this RIDGID gets the job done efficiently.

 

Who This Rotary Hammer is For

If you’re the everyday homeowner, there may be a few instances where you would need a hammer drill:

• Drilling into the brick veneer of your home.
• Drilling into the poured concrete of your foundation in the basement (e.g. to hang a hand rail).
• Drilling into your walkway, driveway, or sidewalk (for a variety of reasons).

If you’re a homeowner who will be doing more heavy-duty drilling projects, you’ll definitely need a rotary hammer drill for the power and hammering action.

If you’re a professional doing lots of concrete and masonry drilling, you have already own a hammer drill and are looking to upgrade. Let’s cover the features of this RIDGID hammer drill to see why it may be a good bet for your tool box.

 

 

Features of the Rotary Hammer

This rotary hammer drill is:

• Capable drilling, hammering, or chiseling, with the switch of a dial. 
• Over 50% faster when drilling compared to the previous model (…time for an upgrade of your existing rotary hammer drill, perhaps…??)

 

 

• Able to set a drilling depth with the use of the included depth stop rod and auxiliary handle.
• Backed by free parts and service for life with registration.
• Able to run up to 50% longer and has a longer motor life due to its brushless motor technology.

 

 

I’ll admit that a rotary hammer drill isn’t a tool that I would have ever considering buying simply because the nature of the DIY projects I had done around my home. But as a carpentry student at my local community college, and the increasing complexity of the projects I am doing, I am thankful to include this tool in my arsenal of tools.

I’m also planning to buy an investment property in the next 6-12 months. There will be a variety of projects I’ll be doing myself that may involve chiseling, drilling, or hammering concrete or masonry. 

And if there is one thing I have learned over the last several years of venturing into using tools: you can never have too many tools. 😉

For more info on the RIDGID 18-Volt OCTANE Cordless Brushless Rotary Hammer Drill, you can find it at The Home Depot or online at HomeDepot.com.

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