Hammer drills come in two types: a regular hammer drill and a rotary drill. They are used for standard in-home projects. A good use for the hammer drill is to pin wall framing in, and into material like concrete, masonry, or stone. 

DeWalt offers hammer drills that can be used similar to regular drills. In order to convert a hammer drill to a regular drill, you need to disable the impact mechanism and swap out the drill bit. DeWalt does not offer standard drills, and instead offers a drill driver, angle drills, magnetic drill presses, and speciality drills. 

You may be wondering if you can use the DeWalt Hammer Drill like a regular drill. We’ll cover that in more detail below.

Can a DeWalt Hammer Drill be Used as a Regular Drill?

Hammer drills aren’t typically something you would bring to a construction site, but they are useful around the shop. 

Instead of hammering into dense material, you can drill into regular wood or metal work with a hammer drill only if you can disable the impact mechanism to convert it into a regular drill. 

In order to use a hammer drill as a regular drill, you will need to be able to turn off the impact mechanism. To do so, you may need to turn the collar of the drill to the correct setting. 

So yes, a DeWalt hammer drill can be used as a regular drill. Just make sure you see “dual mode” or “regular/hammer drill” on the packaging or ad listing for your drill before you purchase it.

Some of the features of a typical DeWalt hammer drill are:

  • Three modes. There is a drill bit symbol for drilling metal, a hammer symbol for impacting concrete or masonry, and a regular driver mode for putting in screws.
  • Power control. To control the power, you can use the side handle tool. Gripping onto the tool will help control the tool more efficiently when drilling, hammering, or impacting.
  • Brushless motor. There may be a magnetic motor that prevents smoking and is more energy efficient. Check to see what your drill has, as a brushless motor is most safe.
  • Three speeds. There may be more or less speeds depending on the hammer drill you purchase, but if there are three: setting 3 is the fast, but setting 2 is a medium speed and most common. Setting 1 is a slower speed for drilling larger holes.

Check out this video that showcases a DeWalt hammer drill being used as a regular drill.  It details how to change the settings of the DeWalt 20v Hammer Drill, arguably the most popular DeWalt hammer drill on the market. In the video, brushless motors are explained as well as the various speeds the drill comes with.

DeWalt Hammer Drills and Regular Drills

Here’s a quick comparison between a top-rated DeWalt hammer drill, the DeWalt 20V Hammer Drill, and a top-rated regular drill, the BOSCH 12V Drill. 

SpecificationDeWalt 20V Hammer DrillBOSCH 12V Drill
TypeHammer DrillDrill Driver
Power20V12V
CordCordlessCordless
MotorBrushlessBrushless
Spotlight20 Minute Shutoff FeatureLED light
Speeds3 Speeds2 Speeds
BatteriesXR Li-Ion BatteriesLithium-Ion Batteries 
Modes3 Modes20+1 Clutch Settings

As mentioned earlier, DeWalt does not manufacture and sell a regular drill and it’s most popular drill is the hammer drill style.

To see a visual comparison between a drill versus a DeWalt impact driver, check out this video.

So what should you choose: a DeWalt hammer drill or a regular drill?

What Should You Choose: A Dewalt Hammer Drill or a Regular Drill?

It’s up to your personal preference. If you are looking for more of an impact due to the type of material or the type of job you are doing, then a DeWalt hammer drill is what you should opt for. If you are only drilling through sheet metal or need small holes drilled quickly, a regular drill is a great choice. 

Just know that hammer drills can be converted quickly, often with just a switch of a button or twist of the clutch, to function just as a regular drill would. This then gives you more versatility.


Additionally, DeWalt does not manufacture regular drills. Keep this in mind if you are wanting to stay within the same brand. 

If having multiple drills is important to you, perhaps because you feel that a regular drill will be more effective than a hammer drill at boring holes through metal, then consider that you will need to invest in a different brand.

Conclusion

A DeWalt hammer drill can be used as a regular drill. To use the DeWalt hammer drill as a regular drill, twist the clutch or disable the impact mechanism and swap out the drill bit.