Dewalt has come out with a new Xtreme brushless SDS Plus rotary hammer, DCH072, their first for their 12V Max cordless power tool platform.
The new Dewalt Xtreme 12V Max cordless rotary hammer is said to be designed with a durable German-engineered mechanism that delivers 1.1 Joules of impact energy.
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The Dewalt DCH072 is designed to be compact and lightweight. The 9/16″ SDS Plus rotary hammer is designed for tasks such as mounting strut, installing conduit, hanging fixtures, anchoring pipe clamps, and maintenance or repair operations.
Dewalt says that the new rotary hammer is OSHA Table 1 compliant when used with their optional DWH200D dust shroud and DWH161D1 dust extractor.
Dewalt DCH072 Rotary Hammer Features & Specs
- 9/16″ drill capacity
- SDS Plus chuck
- Brushless motor
- 1.1 Joules impact energy
- Rotary + hammer and rotary-only drilling modes
- Weighs 3.7 lbs (without battery)
Price: $179 for the bare tool (DCH072B), $299 for the kit (DCH072G2)
The kit comes with a charger, kit box, and (2) 3.0Ah batteries.
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Buy Now: Bare Tool via Acme Tools
Buy Now: Kit via Acme Tools
Discussion
Around 9 years ago, when one of Dewalt’s competitors announced their first 12V-class cordless rotary hammer, they provided an interesting bit of background context, about how 4 out of every 5 holes drilled in masonry are with 1/2″ or smaller drill bits.
I doubt that a lot has changed since then, and so let’s assume that this figure is still true. Larger rotary hammers are of course necessary for heavier duty tasks, but for users who solely drill smaller sized holes, a smaller and lighter rotary hammer seems very desirable.
It has taken Dewalt quite a long time to finally launch their own 12V Max-class cordless rotary hammer, but they have made incredible progress given that their new Xtreme line of brushless subcompact tools launched just two years ago.
This is also the third Dewalt Xtreme 12V Max launch in recent months. Dewalt recently launched a new Xtreme cordless circular saw, an Xtreme cordless band saw, Xtreme Subcompact impact wrenches, and an Xtreme 12V Max 5Ah battery.
Dewalt has maintained strong momentum with their Xtreme 12V Max lineup, and more than that the tools deliver an excellent user experience (in my opinion so far).
I’m happy to see continued expansion of Dewalt’s Xtreme cordless power tool system, and there’s even more to come.
Nathan
first pass – size wise it wouldn’t be any larger with a 20V battery or if it was it’s negligible. so stepping up in battery volts would provide for perhaps a smaller motor and or longer run time.
So I just don’t see the benefit of it. Now on the opposite hand – what is the smallest 18V or 20V rotary hammer to compare it too.
Otherwise interesting idea just don’t think I’d buy one
Jared
Ha, seems like we have different takes on the same angle: why 12v?
Canyondust
The extreme compact 18v is the DCH172.
The 12V tools use either 3 x 18650 or 6 x 18650. This provides a smaller footprint battery and the potential to be the lightest.
For those who are invested in 12v tools not having to have a special battery for the sds is fantastic.
The DCH72 with 3Ah battery is smaller and lighter than the DCH172.
Jared
12 volt tools aren’t what I think of when I hear “rotary hammer”. I guess it makes sense given the size of hole you referenced though.
I think it’s an interesting move to have this be a 12v tool – not because that is a bad idea or option, just because I don’t think it HAS to be. If it were a 20v atomic tool, it probably wouldn’t be much bigger or heavier.
Releasing it as a 12v might imply a different philosophy for Dewalt’s 12v line – i.e. perhaps Dewalt envisions users adopting 12v tools as their complete cordless lineup (versus Milwaukee’s “hand tool replacement” concept – not that Milwaukee is any less complete).
What I’m getting at is that a rotary hammer isn’t a tool that has to be as small as possible. In that context Dewalt didn’t need this to be a 12v tool.
Canyondust
The primary requirement is platform compatibility; so it must be 12V.
Compare to the nearest cousin the DCH172 and it is a little smaller and lighter but the biggest plus is that is uses the same battery as all the other 12v gear.
Rx9
Good news for anyone on the Dewalt 12v system. When you need to put holes into concrete quickly (like when boarding up a concrete house/business/structure during hurricane/tornado/riot season) there is absolutely no substitute for a rotary hammer. My SDS got me through hurricane Irma. If you live in a state where hurricanes are frequent, and you don’t have dedicated shutters or storm proof windows, make sure you get a rotary hammer, as well as the necessary bits and masonry screws.
JD
I learned to love my hammer drill prepping for Irma. Then I went out and bought a real rotary hammer. Your dead on!
I had a 30min long “conversation” with a colleague who thought hammer drills and rotary hammers weren’t necessary. Didn’t convince him until I brought in my rotary hammer and drill a 1″ hole in cinder block in about 20 sec. After that… He got it 😉
Chris S
“…the new rotary hammer is OSHA Table 1 complaint when used…”
A Freudian slip I’m sure… 😁
Stuart
Whoops! Thanks, *fixed*.
Clay
About the time I first saw this circulating around the internet, it looked like they were putting out a 12v multi-head installation driver.
Do you have any inside knowledge on this?
Had some work done on my home not long ago and noticed the use of a Milwaukee 12v SDS, if I recall correctly.
Corey Moore
DCD703F1 it’s up on acme’s website
Canyondust
The DCD703 4-in-1 multi head will be launched in the near future.
I can’t post images here but can show you a real unit.
Stuart
Coming soon, official details and ETAs aren’t available yet.
tjb
I only recently bought the Milwaukee M12 sds. It’s awesome. They’re right – a ton of what an electrician (for example) uses an sds for is anchors: drop-ins, tapcons, plastic anchors, etc. So it’s perfect when running conduit all day and so forth. If you need to blast a big hole, get the corded.
I would have bought this dewalt one instead, if it had existed at the time. I have the M12 subcompact bandsaw, too, so it’s not a huge deal having two M12 tools on top of my DeWalt arsenal. Still, woulda rather got this than M12 if I’d had the choice.
I’d really like to see a head-to-head between the two 12V sds offerings! I need to look up Milwaukee’s specs to compare with this new dewalt one!
blocky
My team has been running the Makita CXT rotary all week. Holes are super clean, and it’s easy to one-hand it. It’s been a godsend.
We also have an 18v Bosch rotary that is rated at 1 Joule, but that one was blowing out the diameter of smaller holes so we shelved it.
blocky
(Wonder how this one compares with the shorter 9/16″ travel but the higher power rating.)
Rob
Getting blown out holes with a 1 joule tool means bad things about that Bosch. I had this 2.6 j one:
https://www.acmetools.com/shop/tools/bosch-gbh18v-26k24?feeds=shopping&cm_mmc=Google-_-PRODUCTFEED-_-Bosch-_-GBH18V-26K24&gclid=CjwKCAjwj8eJBhA5EiwAg3z0m2_KzPr2Ii9w3xKq-xamXHNJsONauqMA3GY3Ly3i0NHWM6kgljS-0BoCWBcQAvD_BwE
And it made some of the cleanest holes out of everything I have owned, from Metabo to Makita to even trying out that Festool one. I say some of because they little subcompact Makita (comparable to the CXT) is clean…I thought by virtue of it not being powerful . 😮
blocky
Hmm. That’s really good to hear. I had that the same thing…
Well, on our side, the particular tool in question was the 18v Flexiclick with SDS attachment so I’m not surprised that it would be bested by a dedicated tool, but I didn’t expect it to perform so crudely. The aggregate was probably 100 years old and not as dense as we anticipated; maybe it would have fared fine in a modern block of cement.
NZTom
I’ve used an AEG (Ridgid) 12V with 0.9J a lot, and convinced my brother to buy an M12 brushless unit for his mountaineering expeditions. The M12 battery charger/ power source can also be hooked up to a USB solar panel.
The lower weight makes up for the lower impact energy when you’re holding them overhead, for sure.
Philip
Awesome to see dewalt expanding the 12v line so fast. I’ve used almost every one of their 12v tools and they do not disappoint. Really hoping for a 12v multitool and a barrel grip jigsaw next.
JoeM
…I’ve never used a Rotary Hammer/SDS Hammer before… so I am just not sure… but… From a Computer Technician standpoint… I can see this going right along side a standard Drill/Hammerdrill for running hard lines. Maybe what looks like Cinder blocks, is really filled in concrete for some reason… and the usual installation drill you favour just isn’t up to the job. I can see this being used to run short conduit installations for hard wires related to Networking and Telecom applications. I dunno… someone takes over an older building, and renovates to add a full blown server room… WiFI won’t cut it for that application… So… Fiber, OC3, good ol’ CAT5/6… You gotta run them through a conduit of some sort, and that conduit isn’t going to be as big as most electrical conduit… So I can see this little version being one of those “I just need a couple small holes to get the job done” situations. Leaving the bigger models for full construction, and yes, emergency preparation for such things like Hurricanes.
Again… I’ve never used one of these kinds of drills before, but the smaller(?) size may make it more of an installation bridge tool, of sorts… if it’s as small as I… think?… it is. I really need to see one side-by-side with the 20V XR and FlexVOLT editions to be sure… otherwise… it’s all speculation on my part.
Rob
The petite 1 joule cordless hammers will fit in tight spaces where you can’t fit the 1.8-3.2 j variety. I’m used to 3/8” and 1/2” wedge and sleeves anchors at about five to six inch depth per hole. When anchoring store fixtures and shelving that impatient employees already began to merchandise, the petite hammer may take three to four times as long, but that’s still thirty seconds vs taking everything down and setting it back up how they had it.
As for electricians and working at height. I’ll take their word for it. I would naturally presume by default that they’d take the lighter tool anyway. If I’m going into a wall or a ceiling, it won’t be hundreds of holes, so I can get away with using the fastest and largest boom boom machine at my disposal.
MC
I have a variety of sizes of SDS Rotary hammers for a variety of materials. I think some people just think ‘concrete’ when they think SDS…..but there are lots of other materials these are used on. I often drill dozens of 3/16″ holes in stacked stone which consists of quartzite and other materials. Using the larger 20v SDS will often cause the pieces to split in half because the impact energy is just too strong. Using the DeWalt hammer drill (non-SDS) tends to eliminate breakage but it’s definitely slower and audibly annoying. In day case, a 12v version might be a better fit.
That being said, the 20v DeWalt Atomic SDS (which I just recently purchased) has 1.3j of impact energy and the 12v has 1.1j. So are these essentially equal? Does the .2j make enough of a difference to justify having both? If you have both the 12v and 20v platform, I’m not sure I see the need for both, although it’s nice to have the option I guess.