Executive Report:

High-powered hammer

Hilti is making considerable claims for the performance of its new TE 80 rotary hammer, which supersedes the popular TE 76. EHN’s power tools specialist, Phil Mist gives his hands-on assessment.

In the past ten years or so there has been much new legislation, guidance notes, Codes of Practice and the like affecting power tools and equipment. Government departments have issued new Health
& Safety standards, commercial organisations have produced their own criteria for particular industries, and there is now a much higher level of expectation from customers. To their credit, manufacturers have generally reacted positively, regarding this as an opportunity to develop new products with dramatic improvements in quality and performance.

Just pick up any hammer drill or demolition hammer of 5-10kg in weight, and the improvements are simply amazing. Indeed, every so often a product appears on the market that sets the standard, and in recent times Hilti’s TE 76 rotary hammer did just that. However, it has itself now been superseded by the first of a new generation of machines from the manufacturer.

Faster rates of drilling and breaking

New tools emit less vibration because of better design and improved engineering. In the case of rotary hammer drills, this enables faster rates of drilling and breaking. They are less noisy, often lighter in weight and complete tasks more quickly with less risk to the operator. All these points apply to Hilti’s new TE 80, which is claimed to outperform the iconic TE 76. Whilst weighing 10.2kg including the cable and 110V plug, the TE 80 is only 1.4kg heavier, yet is almost 30% larger in size. Some of the weight is added by a more powerful 1,700watt motor, which offers an increase of 30% in single blow energy, at a mighty 11 joules. To further help in drilling or breaking hard concrete, the operating speed of the new tool has been upped by 30%, from 280 to 360rpm. Finally, the impact rate has been increased from 2,700 to 2,760bpm.

The result is a reduction of 40% in the time taken to drill a 20mm diameter hole, 100mm deep in hard concrete (down from 21 seconds to 13 seconds), or so Hilti claims. It is very difficult to either prove or disprove such statements, since it is almost impossible to faithfully reproduce the test. To cite just two reasons, there will always be variances in hardness of any concrete used and, of course, the drill bit may differ substantially from that originally used.

However, what can be checked, given sufficient time, is the level of vibration that would normally be experienced by the operator and, therefore, the amount of work that would be possible until the permitted exposure limit value (ELV) is reached. The reduction in vibration emissions claimed for the TE 80 is so substantial as to raise eyebrows, and enables a huge increase in the total number of holes that can be drilled before reaching the ELV. Hilti’s research shows that, whereas the TE 76 can drill 148 20mm-diameter holes before the ELV is reached, the TE 80 can drill an astonishing 716,
an increase of almost 400%.

At 8.8m/s2, the TE 80 sets a new standard in vibration emissions for a 10kg rotary demolition hammer. Some of this improvement is due to a floating rear handle (Hilti calls it a decoupled rear grip). The machine also boasts a newly designed AVR (Active Vibration Reduction) system that is contained in a sealed and lubricated housing, and which is said to last the lifetime of the machine.
This utilises an internal counter mass which, together with other features such as large padded handles, reduces vibration.

Active Torque Control

Perhaps an even more significant feature is Hilti’s ATC (Active Torque Control) system. Safety clutches are, of course, a standard requirement on rotary drilling hammers but are generally regarded as a last line of defence, and even experienced operators can be injured after a machine has snatched when the drill bit has become jammed. However, on the TE 80, the ATC system, which totally isolates the operator from any potential harm, is a standard feature. It usually works without the user even knowing, and Hilti believes it is typically activated on average 5-6 times/week on a machine, even if it is used properly. Whilst there is a cost implication, the UK hire industry has apparently thus far opted almost exclusively for the TE 76 version with ATC, and Hilti believes this will be the same for the TE 80.

I enjoyed testing the TE 80. It felt comfortable and performed brilliantly whilst completing a variety of tasks. Unlike some machines, no extra effort from the operator was required to achieve top performance. Comparative testing against similar machines has been carried out by the manufacturer and the results suggested that the tool can be used to drill up to almost 50% more 32mm diameter holes, to a depth of 100mm, before reaching the ELV than its nearest competitor, for example.

The TE 80 is the latest in a long line of superbly designed and engineered machines from Hilti. How much further can designers go, and what can we expect from future rotary demolition hammer drills? Since it is a competitive market, the answer will probably be tools with even more features and enhanced performance, together with less noise and lower vibration - a trend that will be welcomed by hirers and their customers. •

T 0800 886 100
W www.hilti.co.uk

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