Tool Box Buzz

Metabo 18V SDS-PLUS 1” Brushless Rotary Hammer Drill w/HEPA Vac Attachment 600211900-K4 Review

Metabo 18V SDS-PLUS 1” Rotary Hammer Drill

4.5/5

Manufacturer: Metabo
Model number: 600211900-K4
Power source: 18 Volt
Motor size: Brushless -0-1200 RPM, 4,500 BPM and 2.2 Joules
Weight: 9.9 lbs

SDS Rotary Hammer Drills are no small investment. Whether this tool is your workhorse in a commercial setting or your life-saver in the residential setting a 1″ SDS- plus is always a “nice-to-have” for professional remodelers whether for demolition, framing applications, or basement renovations.

SDS stands for Special Direct System and these heavy-duty tools can make quick work of concrete demolition, speed up your foundation work, and be a lifesaver when working in a basement and need to effectively bolt to or chip concrete.

At ToolBoxBuzz were avid believers in the right tool for the right job. We recently took a look at the Metabo KHA Cordless Hammer Drill and applied it to our residential and light commercial job sites.

Metabo SDS-PLUS Rotary Hammer Features

The Metabo KHA Cordless Hammer Drill is extremely lightweight and easy to handle SDS-plus cordless hammer with the integrated suction interface. This interface [ISA 18 LTX 24] works off the tool’s battery and provides dust-free drilling.

The Metabo KHA Cordless Hammer Drill has 3 functions:

1. Hammer drilling
2. Drilling
3. Chiseling

The Metabo KHA Cordless Hammer Drill is powered by an efficient Brushless Motor with variable speed that delivers.

Metabo’s 2^nd generation brushless motor is completely sealed to prevent abrasive material from getting into the motor and damaging the rare earth magnets. Originally developed for grinders in metal cutting environments this motor housing has been carried over and used to protect masonry tool motors as well.

The separate vacuum motor also increases suction efficiency without sacrificing the performance of the rotary hammer.

The Occupational Safety and Health Agency (OSHA) has determined safe noise levels and has made recommendations that specific ear protection devices be worn within sound levels of 85dB. This tool emits 91 dB(A) so hearing protection is recommended.

The Metabo weighs 9.9 lbs. including the battery pack.  This puts this tool in a sweet-spot for above shoulder and overhead drilling.

Metabo Anti-Vibration Technology

Metabo uses what they call Metabo VibraTech (MVT) which reduces vibration in the tool resulting in less fatigue to the user. The side handle has vibration dampening properties and the rear handle has an internal pivot and spring. If you keep the tool from bottoming out, the spring will assist in absorbing vibrations created by the tool.  The thing to remember here is “let the tool do the job.”

Metabo Quick Change Chuck

One feature that we really like is the Metabo Quick fast drill chuck which allows you to exchange chucks on this tool from the SDS-plus to straight shank drill chuck for drilling wood or metal. This feature allows you to use the rotational only mode effectively giving you two tools in one.

The Metabo drill is listed as a 1-inch SDS-plus hammer but its optimal range for drilling is 3/16 to 5/8 SDS-pls bits.  When the vacuum unit is attached [diam port on vac] limits to 5/8 diameter bits. Larger bits will require a wall suction-mounted dust attachment.

Metabo Vario Tacho Constamatic (VTC)

The VTC mode drives additional voltage to the motor as drilling or chipping load is added to the motor this keeps the number of blows constant throughout tools application.

Metabo SDS-PLUS Rotary Hammer Bit Capacity

• capacity in concrete with hammer drills 1 “
• capacity in masonry with core bits 2 5/8 “
• capacity in steel 1/2 “
• capacity in softwood 1 “

Metabo Ultra-M Charging Technology

The Metabo charger is air-cooled. A fan system draws cooling air through the hot [recently used] battery. The lithium-Ion battery will not accept a charge when hot. The battery charger cools the battery cells down so it can start the charging process 30% quicker. The charger fan also blows over the internal charger electronics keeping them cooler as well.

It’s because of this charging system that Metabo is confident to offer a 3-year unconditional warranty on the battery pack and chargers.

Metabo SDS-PLUS Rotary Hammer Dust Collection

The separate vacuum motor attachment works great. It quickly and easily attaches to the tool. It increases suction efficiency without sacrificing the performance of the rotary hammer. The HEPA Dust Extraction Vacuum Attachment is trigger-activated and dust is channeled into the clear dust container with HEPA filter, which captures 99.98% of dust particles (size 0.3 microns).

After the trigger is released, the 3-second extended suction collects remnant dust and particles as the bit is being pulled out of the work surface, making this ideal for overhead drilling.

The dust attachment does not have a filter cleaning feature so it technically does not meet OSHA Table 1 requirements. It does have objective data available.  Metabo tells us they are working on a manual cranking system to be able to clean the filters.

The dust attachment arm only works with 6-inch long drill bits and allows you to drill approximately a 4-inch depth. Lots of people point out that they often want to use a longer bit but the dust attachment doesn’t work. The solution here is to use the shorted 6-inch bit first, to drill a 4-inch deep hole. Then attach a longer 8 to10-inch drill bit to drill deeper holes with the dust attachment attached.

Using the Metabo 18V SDS-PLUS 1” Rotary Hammer Drill

What I liked about the tool the most is its power, versatility, and balance. It’s a small enough tool to fit into tight spots and it packs a punch.

When the vacuum is attached it balances the tool out perfectly.

This is a tool that is perfectly designed for contractors working overhead installing things like 3/8” or ½” drop-in anchors, electronic channels fire suppression systems or Unistrut channel.

Metabo SDS-PLUS Rotary Hammer Cost

I’m NOT sure you’ll find a better deal than this!  Ohio Power tools have a pretty aggressive sale going on now – check out the purchase link below. This price should be good for at least a week or two so be sure to jump on this while supplies last.

The Metabo SDS-plus hammer sells for $169 bare tool (originally $399) and $269 with 1x 4.0Ah Kit (originally $499).

Sure they make great grinders and metalworking tools BUT they’re really big in concrete work.

Final Thoughts On The Metabo SDS-PLUS Rotary Hammer

The Metabo hammer is sized-right for remodeling and general construction. It handles 80-90% of what we do with hammer drills. Its lightweight, powerful and built-in vacuum contains the silica dust.

Metabo SDS-PLUS Rotary Hammer Video Review

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