March 8, 2007

Metabo BHE20 Compact SDS Rotary Hammer

Metabo has recently released the BHE20 Compact SDS Rotary Hammer, which, if what they say is true, is the first of a new era of small hammer drills. When Metabo says ‘compact,’ they really mean it. The BHE20 extremely light, weighing only 4.7lbs compared to the Bosch Bulldog which is 6.7lbs. In fact the BHE20 is lighter than the regular DeWalt 18 volt cordless drill, which comes in at 5.2 lbs.

Although we can’t get a number on how long the BHE20 is, it appears to be short enough to fit in a standard joist bay as well as other hard to deal with spaces, which give it a huge advantage over other hammer drills, which tend to be either long or bulky.

The tool also comes with a shock absorbing handle, a quick change SDS chuck, and a holder for a tool hook (sold separately). The BHE20 operates like other hammer drills with both a hammer and a hammer drill setting.

Metabo makes quality tools, and if this one measures up to the name it could be quite an item.