Cordless SDS-Max Drills

Cordless SDS-Max drills do something that was unthinkable a few years ago: genuine heavy demolition and large-diameter concrete drilling with no lead and no generator. Built on high-output platforms like DeWalt 54v FlexVolt, Makita 40v XGT and twin-18v LXT, these machines deliver corded-class impact energy from batteries, which transforms jobs on roofs, in gardens, on infrastructure sites and anywhere else that power is awkward or a 110v transformer is one more thing to lug.

The SDS-Max shank takes the same big bits and chisels as the corded machines, so one set of steels covers your whole kit. Expect impact energy in the 5 to 13.5 J range across this group, brushless motors as standard, and the same safety kit you would demand on mains tools: anti-vibration systems for HAVS control, rotation-stop chiselling modes, and clutches that protect you when a bit snags rebar. Several models here also support Bluetooth-linked dust extraction, which matters now that silica dust control is taken seriously on site.

The trade-offs are honest ones. Batteries big enough for this work are expensive, runtime under constant breaking is measured in minutes rather than hours, and the tools are no lighter than their corded cousins. For all-day demolition a corded SDS-Max is still the sensible buy; for mixed days where you drill a run of big holes, break out a section and move on, cordless is a genuine liberation.

We list 7 cordless SDS-Max machines from Bosch and DeWalt, priced from around £590 to £860, each reviewed in plain English with pros, cons and a current price link.