Rockwell H3 12 Volt Rotary Hammer
No that was not a typo, Rockwell is really going to be offering a 12 volt rotary hammer drill as part of their new 12 volt line. This is the same line that also features their new 12 volt cordless SoniCrafter.
The new H3 #RK2513K2 is the first cordless 12 volt hammer drill I am aware of that makes use of an SDS Plus chuck. Most hammer drills in this class are limited to a standard drill chuck. SDS Chucks and bits are great for drilling, but are pretty much useless for driving. But do not fear, for the H3 has the ability to change between both the SDS Plus chuck and a drill/driver chuck. The Drill is called the H3 because it can be use as a rotary hammer, a drill, or a driver.
Obviously this is not going to be a tool used for heavy duty concrete drilling, but it does have some pretty promising stats. In hammer drill mode, it offers 0-4800 blows-per-minute and has a drilling capacity of 3/8” in concrete. This is plenty of power for most home owners, and for many jobsite applications. At 3lbs. I would much rather use this over my head then a heavier corded tool.
The question we all have is how many holes we can get out of one battery. The spec sheet states up to 15 1/4” holes in 4800 psi concrete. This is not a huge amount holes, but it is what can be expected from such a small tool. The 12 volt lithium-ion battery used can be full charged in about 30 minutes, and can reach a 75% charge after 15 minutes. The H3 Drill is also part of program Rockwell calls Free Batteries For Life, where registered users can get free replacement batteries for the life of the tool. Lets just hope the tools last a long time.
The H3 is coming this spring, both online and in hardware stores for $179.99.
