Every eager DIY’er knows that your drill is one of the most important tools in your arsenal, especially for drilling holes.
There is an endless list of jobs that can be aided by the use of your drill, so it is always handy to have one, and also to have a good supply of drill bits too.
If you do a lot of DIY, then you might own a hammer drill as well as a regular drill. But, if you are new to DIY, you might be wondering if you need to buy a hammer drill too.
Drills aren’t cheap, especially a cordless drill, or most hammer drills, so you might be wondering if you can simply use a hammer drill bit in your regular drill, rather than purchasing a new hammer drill.
Unfortunately, no you cannot use hammer drills in place of more ordinary drills.
In this guide, we’ll explain why and also look at how you can save money when purchasing drills. So, if you want to find out more, keep on reading!
What Is A Hammer Drill Bit?
First things first, let’s take a look at what a hammer drill bit is. Well, as the name suggests, a hammer drill bit is a bit that is intended to be used in your hammer drill.
It is designed to slot into your hammer drill in the same way a regular drill bit will slot into a regular drill in drill mode.
Getting a hole drilled with a normal drill takes a different technique than a hammer drill.
There are a number of different types of hammer drill bits, just as there are a number of different regular drill bits.
In order to understand what makes a hammer drill bit so special, you need to understand what a hammer drill is, and what it is used for.
So, let’s take a look at what a hammer drill is.
What Is A Hammer Drill?
A hammer drill is a drill that is sometimes known by other names. These include percussion drill and impact drill.
When you look at a hammer drill, you likely will be unable to tell the difference between this and a standard drill.
This is understandable because these drills do look incredibly similar to one another, and both can be used to drill into hard materials and softer materials like some wood, and can even be used to drill concrete, amongst other incredibly tough materials like brick.
However, a hammer drill is different from a regular drill because it is designed to be used on heavy-duty materials and other similar materials and can almost be used as a regular drill to create pilot holes when drilling.
It is a rotary drill, so it penetrates the material by spinning vigorously, like most drills do.
The spinning in a hammer drill is so vigorous that it essentially produces a hammering motion.
It is this hammering motion that allows a hammer drill to penetrate heavy-duty materials, and it is also this hammering motion that gives this drill its name and allows it to easily create holes, and even enable it to be drilling into concrete, brick, metal, and wood, better than other tools can.
Hammer drill bits are very similar to regular drill bits because the difference between the two drills is the motion of the drill itself, not the shape of the bit.
Hammer drills significantly reduce the time spent on smaller jobs that may require two tools or the perfect tool for drilling.
However, as they are intended for different drills, hammer drill bits often have different attachments to regular drills and corded drills that require steady pressure for heavy duty drilling.
Aside from this, these two drill bits are essentially the same.
What Is A “Regular” Drill?
Now that we have taken a look at what a hammer drill is, and what its hammer function can achieve, let’s take a look at what a regular drill is.
“Regular” drills are simply just standard drills that can be used for most jobs.
You can complete a lot of jobs with a regular drill, and they can essentially be used for everything other than drilling into heavy-duty materials.
This is what you require a hammer drill for.
Regular drills simply spin vigorously, allowing you to penetrate materials. They differ from hammer drills because they do not produce a hammering motion.
Instead they simply act as spinning machines. You fit a drill bit into the clamp of the drill, switch the drill on, and then the drill will spin, allowing the bit to penetrate the material.
What Is The Difference Between A Regular Drill And A Hammer Drill?
So, what is the difference between a regular drill and a hammer drill?
Well, we have already touched upon this briefly but the main difference between a regular drill and a hammer drill is the motion of the drill itself.
Both regular and hammer drills spin, but a regular drill will only spin. In contrast, a hammer drill will spin and hammer simultaneously.
This gives the hammer drill the ability to penetrate much harder materials than a regular drill.
This hammering motion is possible because of an additional mechanism in a hammer drill that is not found in a regular drill.
Other than this, a regular drill and a hammer drill are very similar to one another.
So it is understandable that you may think the drill bits are interchangeable. Let’s take a look at why they are not.
Can A Hammer Drill Bit Be Used In A Regular Drill?
So, can a hammer drill bit be used in a regular drill? Well, as we have established, the answer is usually no.
This isn’t because the drill bits are completely different from one another, it is simply because the drill bit connections are not compatible.
Hammer drill bits tend to have different connections to regular drill bits, so the hammer drill bit will not fit into your regular drill.
However, don’t stress because this doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to purchase a whole new drill on top.
Before you decide to purchase a regular drill, we would urge you to consider buying a hammer drill instead. Let us tell you why.
Hammer drills have the ability to be used on heavy-duty materials but they can also be used on regular materials too.
This is because the “hammer” feature can be switched on and off. So, you can essentially use your hammer drill as a regular drill as, and when, you need to.
This means that instead of faffing with trying to fit your hammer drill bits in your regular drill, and vice versa, you can simply use one drill for all your different jobs.
In the long run, this will not only save you money, but effort too. It means you won’t have to worry about searching for different drill bits and different drills in your home.
Instead, your hammer drill essentially becomes a one-stop shop for all your drilling needs.
Are Drill Bits Universal?
Finally, seeing as this guide is all about drill bits, it seems only fitting that we answer the question that everybody has about drill bits, and that is that “are they universal?”
Not all drill bits are universal, but a vast amount of them are. As long as you purchase the correct size drill bit, then most drill bits can be used in your regular drill.
Regardless of the manufacturer of the drill bits. However, as we have discovered in this guide, hammer drill bits cannot be used in your regular drill.
If you want to find out more about whether, or not, drill bits are universal you should check out our “are drill bits universal” guide.
Summary
In short, no hammer drill bits cannot be used in your regular drill. This is because the attachment for the hammer drill bit usually is not compatible with your regular drill.
However, you can use your hammer drill as a regular drill, check out the guide above to find out more.
Thank you for reading!