The Bosch Professional GBH 2-21 is the best balanced SDS drill here for most home renovators. Its corded power, compact format and supplied masonry bits make it a sensible step up from a combi drill when brick and concrete become regular jobs.
We have not hands-on tested these machines. We compared current retailer information, manufacturer information, bundle contents and the practical compromises that matter during home renovation. Availability and bundles can change, so confirm the product details before ordering.
Our top pick
Bosch Professional GBH 2-21
A compact, established corded model that avoids battery-platform cost and includes useful starter bits.
Best SDS Drills at a glance
| Product | Best for | Power format | Best use | Main compromise |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bosch Professional GBH 2-21 | Best overall | Corded SDS Plus | Routine masonry drilling | You need maximum mobility or sustained heavy breaking power. |
| Bosch UniversalHammer 18V kit | Best homeowner cordless kit | 18V kit | Mobile household renovation | You need trade-level duty cycles or already own another battery platform. |
| DeWalt DCH273NT bundle | Best premium cordless option | 18V brushless bundle | Frequent renovation work | You only need occasional holes and would be better served by a cheaper corded machine. |
| Makita DHR202Z | Best for Makita owners | 18V bare tool | Existing LXT users | You need a complete first kit; this version is a naked body. |
| Einhell Herocco | Best-value brushless bare tool | 18V bare tool | Power X-Change users | You do not own Power X-Change batteries or want a ready-to-use kit. |
| Bosch Professional GBH 18V-21 | Best compact professional bare tool | 18V bare tool | Bosch Professional users | You need batteries and a charger included or expect demolition-hammer performance. |
On a phone, swipe the table sideways to compare every column.
How we chose these products
The shortlist favours recognisable tools with distinct use cases rather than six cosmetic variations. We checked whether each product was available from the linked retailer at the time of review and distinguished corded machines, bare tools and complete battery kits. We excluded unavailable products and did not use temporary prices as a ranking factor.
Best overall
1. Bosch Professional GBH 2-21
Why it made the shortlist
A compact, established corded model that avoids battery-platform cost and includes useful starter bits.
Mains power avoids battery compatibility and charging decisions, although cable routing needs care around the work area. It is aimed at routine masonry drilling, rather than being the automatic answer for every buyer.
Format: Corded SDS Plus
Best use: Routine masonry drilling
What to check before buying
You need maximum mobility or sustained heavy breaking power. Check the box contents, compatible accessories and manufacturer limits on the current product page; similarly named variants can include different batteries, cases or blades.
Choose it if
A compact, established corded model that avoids battery-platform cost and includes useful starter bits.
Skip it if
You need maximum mobility or sustained heavy breaking power.
Best homeowner cordless kit
2. Bosch UniversalHammer 18V kit
Why it made the shortlist
The complete battery kit is easier to buy correctly than a bare tool and adds drill, hammer and chisel modes.
This version is presented as a kit or bundle, which makes the initial cost easier to judge than a naked tool. It is aimed at mobile household renovation, rather than being the automatic answer for every buyer.
Format: 18V kit
Best use: Mobile household renovation
What to check before buying
You need trade-level duty cycles or already own another battery platform. Check the box contents, compatible accessories and manufacturer limits on the current product page; similarly named variants can include different batteries, cases or blades.
Choose it if
The complete battery kit is easier to buy correctly than a bare tool and adds drill, hammer and chisel modes.
Skip it if
You need trade-level duty cycles or already own another battery platform.
Best premium cordless option
3. DeWalt DCH273NT bundle
Why it made the shortlist
A low-vibration brushless platform choice for buyers who value cordless handling and already understand DeWalt kit compatibility.
This version is presented as a kit or bundle, which makes the initial cost easier to judge than a naked tool. It is aimed at frequent renovation work, rather than being the automatic answer for every buyer.
Format: 18V brushless bundle
Best use: Frequent renovation work
What to check before buying
You only need occasional holes and would be better served by a cheaper corded machine. Check the box contents, compatible accessories and manufacturer limits on the current product page; similarly named variants can include different batteries, cases or blades.
Choose it if
A low-vibration brushless platform choice for buyers who value cordless handling and already understand DeWalt kit compatibility.
Skip it if
You only need occasional holes and would be better served by a cheaper corded machine.
Best for Makita owners
4. Makita DHR202Z
Why it made the shortlist
A proven three-mode LXT body for users who already own suitable Makita batteries and a charger.
The important buying check is the bundle: this is a bare-tool-style choice, so allow for a compatible battery and charger. It is aimed at existing lxt users, rather than being the automatic answer for every buyer.
Format: 18V bare tool
Best use: Existing LXT users
What to check before buying
You need a complete first kit; this version is a naked body. Check the box contents, compatible accessories and manufacturer limits on the current product page; similarly named variants can include different batteries, cases or blades.
Choose it if
A proven three-mode LXT body for users who already own suitable Makita batteries and a charger.
Skip it if
You need a complete first kit; this version is a naked body.
Best-value brushless bare tool
5. Einhell Herocco
Why it made the shortlist
Brushless SDS Plus capability at a more accessible platform price, with four operating functions.
The important buying check is the bundle: this is a bare-tool-style choice, so allow for a compatible battery and charger. It is aimed at power x-change users, rather than being the automatic answer for every buyer.
Format: 18V bare tool
Best use: Power X-Change users
What to check before buying
You do not own Power X-Change batteries or want a ready-to-use kit. Check the box contents, compatible accessories and manufacturer limits on the current product page; similarly named variants can include different batteries, cases or blades.
Choose it if
Brushless SDS Plus capability at a more accessible platform price, with four operating functions.
Skip it if
You do not own Power X-Change batteries or want a ready-to-use kit.
Best compact professional bare tool
6. Bosch Professional GBH 18V-21
Why it made the shortlist
A compact professional-system choice for repeated drilling where cable-free working matters.
The important buying check is the bundle: this is a bare-tool-style choice, so allow for a compatible battery and charger. It is aimed at bosch professional users, rather than being the automatic answer for every buyer.
Format: 18V bare tool
Best use: Bosch Professional users
What to check before buying
You need batteries and a charger included or expect demolition-hammer performance. Check the box contents, compatible accessories and manufacturer limits on the current product page; similarly named variants can include different batteries, cases or blades.
Choose it if
A compact professional-system choice for repeated drilling where cable-free working matters.
Skip it if
You need batteries and a charger included or expect demolition-hammer performance.
When an SDS drill is better than a combi drill
A combi drill is convenient for screws, timber, metal and occasional masonry holes. An SDS rotary hammer uses a dedicated pneumatic hammer action and locking bit system, so it is normally faster and less tiring in hard brick and concrete. It is not automatically the right tool for every hole: use the mode, bit and speed specified for the material, and never assume a detector has made drilling risk-free.
Corded or cordless SDS?
Corded tools give uninterrupted runtime and often represent better value for occasional whole-room renovation. Cordless tools are easier on ladders and around properties with limited sockets, but bare-tool pricing can hide the cost of batteries and a charger. Choose around a battery platform you genuinely plan to keep.
Impact energy, modes and size
Impact energy helps indicate hammering ability, but a higher figure also tends to mean more bulk. A compact SDS Plus machine is usually the useful household sweet spot. Rotation stop enables compatible chiselling; hammer stop permits ordinary rotary drilling where the manufacturer allows it. SDS Max is a different, heavier system intended for larger work.
Safe drilling and chiselling
Scan the wall, check drawings and safe zones, isolate services where appropriate and stop if readings or resistance are uncertain. Wear eye, hearing and respiratory protection suited to the task. Control silica and other construction dust at source; an SDS drill and ordinary vacuum are not a complete dust-control plan.
Buying checks that prevent expensive mistakes
- Confirm the exact variant: a model family may include bare tools, kits, cases and accessory packs under very similar names.
- Price the whole system: include batteries, chargers, blades, bits, extraction adapters and safe work support, not only the headline tool price.
- Match the accessory to the material: the wrong blade or bit can cut badly, overheat or create a safety risk even when the machine itself is capable.
- Plan dust control: construction dust is not ordinary household mess. The HSE construction-dust guidance explains why prevention, extraction and suitable respiratory protection matter.
- Read the instructions before first use: guards, handles, clamps and operating modes are part of the safety system, not optional extras.
What we would buy for a typical renovation
The best-value choice is rarely the cheapest body on the page. For occasional work near a socket, a good corded machine usually gives more capability per pound and can sit unused without leaving you with ageing batteries. Cordless makes more sense when you already own the platform, move constantly between rooms or work where a cable would be a genuine nuisance.
Buy for the next two or three credible projects, not an imagined future workshop. A more expensive model earns its place through better handling, lower vibration, useful capacity or compatibility you will actually use. If those gains do not change the work, keep the money for high-quality accessories, extraction and stable support.
The bottom line
The Bosch Professional GBH 2-21 is the best balanced SDS drill here for most home renovators. Its corded power, compact format and supplied masonry bits make it a sensible step up from a combi drill when brick and concrete become regular jobs.
Continue building your renovation toolkit with our best cordless drills, best oscillating multi-tools, best wet and dry vacuums, best laser levels, best random orbital sanders.
Frequently asked questions
Can an SDS drill replace a normal drill?
Not completely. It excels in masonry, but a combi drill is usually handier for screwdriving and small holes in timber or metal.
What does SDS Plus mean?
It describes the common slotted bit shank and chuck system used by compact rotary hammers. SDS Plus and SDS Max accessories are not interchangeable.
Do I need a corded or cordless SDS drill?
Corded models suit occasional long sessions and tighter budgets; cordless models suit mobility and existing battery-platform owners.
Can I use an SDS drill to remove tiles?
A three-mode model with rotation stop can use a suitable tile chisel, but follow the tool instructions and work carefully around services and substrates.
Is more impact energy always better?
No. Extra energy can mean more weight and less control. Match the machine to the hole sizes and light chiselling you actually expect.
Can I drill where a wall scanner shows clear?
A clear reading is not a guarantee. Detectors have material and depth limitations, so also consider safe zones, plans and professional help where uncertainty remains.
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