Recommendations for hand held electric pavement breaker please

[newbury]

I have had excellent luck with the Bosch Brute, but at the current pricing, I’d give serious consideration to the Harbor freight at less than half the cost.
Back when I bought the Bosch (over 20 years ago) there were no other viable options as far as performance or durability.

Which HF?
Fatjay mentioned the

I bought the bauer 70lb electric jackhammer from harbor freight

linky (that was $410 back in 2020)
Which seems to have been replaced by a HERCULES15 Amp 66 Lb. 1-1/8 in. Hex Breaker, Hammer for ~$650.
There's also the HERCULES 15 Amp 42 lb. 1-1/8 in. Hex Lower Wall Breaker Hammer for $500 and the BAUER 15 Amp 35 lb. 1-1/8 in. Hex Lower Wall Breaker Hammer for $450.
The wimpy Bauer 35 lb looks like it would do for me but for $50 more I get to lift 7 more lbs.
Couldn't quickly find specs on the actual motors. But they all run off 120/15 amp.

I assume the difference in weight is mainly the weight of the "piston" inside the respective machines.

Right now the 42 lb. Hercules looks like a good tradeoff.

Comments?

 

[bigtiller]

That's what I thought back in post #8. I have ran an air powered 90lb and an electric 60lb. years ago. I wouldn't want to hang on to either one of them now but the HF 42lb would probably be manageable. AND the price is right.

 

[Popgadget]

When it comes to breaking concrete or rocks, there is no substitute for weight. The Bosch is 60-65 lbs as I recall. I’d get the equivalent Hercules or Bauer from HF.

 

[fatjay]

When it comes to breaking concrete or rocks, there is no substitute for weight. The Bosch is 60-65 lbs as I recall. I’d get the equivalent Hercules or Bauer from HF.

This right here. The bauer I have is 70lb, I just hold it upright, the weight does the work. Once it's through, I just lift it and reset it and start again.

 

[newbury]

I've been happy with my Vevor; however, the case is terrible, made of paper thin ABS.

This is the only mention I've seen of what I would consider 3rd rate brands.
There seem to be many variations on this, all under the $200 price point. One youtube vid I found

shows a teardown and it looks like (to my untrained eye) it's designed to last for hours of use.
I hope the HF is a step up from that assembly, but it may only be a step up in price.
The extended warranty for the 42LB HF Hercules is ~ $180 for 2 years, almost the cost of the Vevor new.
Decisions, dedcisions, decisions.

 

[paulsharvey]

So, for Vevor, I've been happy with everything I've got from them. Not saying it's Bosch quality, but so far, out of maybe 8 things from them, I think I got Baur quality at Chicago Electric/warrior pricing.

You can buy Vevor either directly or through Amazon, if you are worried about DOA stuff, and the ability to return.

 

[ponytug]

This is the only mention I've seen of what I would consider 3rd rate brands.
There seem to be many variations on this, all under the $200 price point. One youtube vid I found

shows a teardown and it looks like (to my untrained eye) it's designed to last for hours of use.
I hope the HF is a step up from that assembly, but it may only be a step up in price.
The extended warranty for the 42LB HF Hercules is ~ $180 for 2 years, almost the cost of the Vevor new.
Decisions, dedcisions, decisions.

I watched that video and it is what sold me on the Vevor.

At some point I sure that the Vevor longevity will come down to materials (alloys) and workmanship, but when I disassembled mine to have a look see, the fit and finish seemed fine, and in line with the video. I'm using a high quality oil and I added some Teflon fluid to the grease. I'm not breaking concrete regularly; I just need it for the occasional bit of random work. I've seen the Bosch version, and no question that it is better made. At the end of the day though, the basic design of a chisel hit by a free floating piston driven by an air cushion is over a hundred years old.

I am actually looking forward to driving two new ground rods. I watched a contractor put in two shortly before I bought the Vevor, and with one of these, it is a piece of cake.

All the best,

Peter

 

[GeneV]

This is the only mention I've seen of what I would consider 3rd rate brands.
There seem to be many variations on this, all under the $200 price point. One youtube vid I found

shows a teardown and it looks like (to my untrained eye) it's designed to last for hours of use.
I hope the HF is a step up from that assembly, but it may only be a step up in price.
The extended warranty for the 42LB HF Hercules is ~ $180 for 2 years, almost the cost of the Vevor new.
Decisions, dedcisions, decisions.

Ahh, well about one of them Vevor demo hammers or the like, I got mine this past summer. To give you an idea how efficient it would be for demoing a 100' driveway...

 

[not2old]

I used to replace several driveways in a condo complex annually. If they were doing one or two, I would have my crew do it with a Hitachi similar to the Vevor that has been mentioned. They were double width, from 15 to 30 feet long each. I would sub out the removal only if we were doing more driveways at once and speed was important as having all done in one pour was most economical. Be sure to have at least two bits available and know where you need to take them for sharpening. You can just use a hand grinder a few times, but getting them retempered by someone who knows what they are doing is most important. Before I retired I had four chisel bits, one point bit and one spade bit for asphalt.

 

[oosik]

A little back story. I have some 660 fence posts around my 80 acres. About 65 of them are wooden contraptions. The remainder are steel T-145 posts. And four strands of barbed wire. Slowly but surely - with my neighbors help - the wooden posts are being replaced with T-145. The wooden sit directly on absolute basaltic bedrock.

So.....with his commercial jack hammer we bore a 2" diameter hole - knock the fluke off the steel post - insert - backfill with a dry sand/cement mix. Moisture pulled out of the ground and rain/snow will set the post.

His jack hammer comes with a four wheel trailer and a large gas driven air compressor. 40 feet of air hose and the jack hammer itself. HE LET ME TRY IT ONCE. It's a whole lot more than just boring a hole. Must be careful that the "bit" does not get stuck in the hole with all the fines. Must guide the drill, keep it straight, know when to clear the fines. Stop the hammer/drilling action and let the total volume of air blow thru the hammer and bit. This clears the fines out of the hole. My hole - looked more like the Grand Canyon than a 2" hole.

And then there is the hammer. It's not so bad when not in use. Turn on the air and it becomes the devil himself. It's heavy - hard to hang on to - difficult to guide correctly - shakes the living crap out of my shoulders and arms.

100 foot of cement to break up. No question - I would find some way to get it done with heavy equipment.

I've been there with a commercial air driven jack hammer. I'll never return................