Right i'll do a wee review on these machines just to straighten things out.
First of all this is a dedicated diamond drilling machine. It has absolutely no use for anything else. If you want a drill that will do most things just buy an sds.
If you are serious about what vyou do you will have at least half as dozen drilling machines, each with a dedicated use.
As most of you know i've been doing this nonsense for a long time and my time is not only money but i would rather get the job done and back to my own time asap.
Ever since flues became round and i more or less hung up my 4lb mash hammer i searched for a decent diamond drilling machine at a reasonable cost.
I've bought a couple of Makitas, a dewalt, an industrial ryobi and another one i can't remember which make, all costing in the 2 -3 hundred price range and also many times used my standard sds gun for cores.
They would all do the job reasonably well, some better than others but all took their time.
The guy who lives next door to my dad has a diamond drilling company and they will drill holes up to 4ft dia and more
I was standing having a chat to him one weekend and he said to me why don't you try a marcrist. They are doing a machine which is near enough the same quality of hand held as we use so i looked it up and bought a DDM2.
Your first impression will be this is one heavy beast of a machine (it is an all metal construction) and it is. It is a solid built machine.
It comes with 4 spanners that fit all the sizes of cores, extension bars and the adaptor and a wet drilling attachment which most won't use but if you ever do you will find it speeds things up even more.
Plug it in and turn it on and you will feel the back kick as it starts. Its a powerful machine but don't be scared of the weight or power. It is easily handled due to the hydraulic clutch.
Personally i don't use a pilot hole. I have used these things enough to be able to start the hole with the core bit straight onto the wall to be accurate to within a mill or 2. (dig in at an angle)
That is an experience thing but if you feel the need to drill a pilot/guide hole then use your sds to drill a 10mm hole. Stick the K taper guide rod in the end of your diamond core bit and away you go.
The DDM 2 has 2 speeds and the DDM 3 has 3 speeds and they recommend different speeds for different sized cores. So you get your 117 mm core on and it tells you to use speed 1 with that sizw core.
I did that for a while and it did the job better than any drill i had used previously then one day when drilling a particularly deep hole i thought fk it i'll try speed 2. Big difference and much quicker howwever you can't push the machine so hard. So me being me i've left it on speed 2 ever since (and speed 3 on the DDM3). Just don't push it so hard
It is not only the machine that makes the difference. Good core bits are a must.
The marcrist 850 cores are definitely top of the range stuff. They will cost you around a ton for a 117mm but they are worth the money. PTS do a similar core bit to the marcrist 750's A decebt bit and if you talk the talk you will get them for under 30 quid. I've bought the cheap sets from merchants and Aldi etc thinking fior £30 /100 quid a set it will do a turn. They won't, They are junk. Save your money for something better.
Knock off hilti cores from ebay are just as good (make sure the are not the quick fit only ones)
Talking of Hilti. Their core guns are very good but you will be paying £800 plus for a machine that does the same as a marcrist.
Best advice: never skimp on tools. they save you time and money.
So a summary of a marchrist core gun.
It certainly does what it says on the tin better than most.
You won't get a better gun unless yo0u spend 5-6 hundred more
It is heavy but once it bites the weight is irrelevant.
As said above somewhere; it is the best money you will spend if you do cores.
Btw some facing brick or engineering brick are just so hard no diamond drill will be quick on them. After drilling 2mm in 2 minutes just lay it down, drill a 7mm pilot then get the old 4lb hammer out. 4 or 5 hits and its sorted.
Another btw for the brave.
Try a core bit on your 9" grinder (you will need to buy an adaptor). No clutch and speeds of up to 7000rpm. Live life on the edge :lol:
