Draper Expert T- Handle Hex Breaker – Breaking up is so easy to do

NOWADAYS, small building companies seem to need the kind of equipment that was out of their league only 20 years ago. Around, me it is not uncommon for white vans to be towing mini diggers onto sites where they make short work of digging foundations. And, as for earthmoving, they achieve in hours what might have taken a couple of labourers several days and lots of barrowloads to achieve.

It is a similar picture when it comes to demolition. The pneumatic drill/breaker with noisy compressor has been replaced with electric ones that are affordable and quite capable of breaking up a concrete floor slab.

Economical?

To underline the points above, a quick internet search revealed that, for around £450, I could buy the Draper 56413 22.5kg T-Handle Hex Breaker. This makes it well within the budget of many small companies because it will save on potential hire costs and the collection/return hassles of hire.

This breaker also qualifies for a Draper three-year warranty which will surely be most welcome on a product that, by definition, will have a hard working life.

Weighty matters

I felt slightly sorry for the delivery man because he had to deliver all 22.5 kgs of heavy machine to my door without the aid of a trolley. But the point of a big breaker is that it needs some weight in order to do its job. It needs some inertia so that the chisel point can be driven into solid masonry without simply bouncing off as the breaking action is working.

To be fair, Draper has tried to ease the handling as much as possible because the breaker comes in a custom fitted nylon case with some rigid panels, wheels and generous loop handles.

In the case, and using the wheels on smooth-ish surfaces, one person can move the tool fairly easily then lay it flat to access it. Two people can manage to lift it up stairs and out of a van by using the loop handles. A burly bloke could probably manage the weight on his own, but I have never been called burly and it is a bit late now. Ooh my back…!

The case has been well thought through too. The handles are well placed for easy use and inside there are five hook and loop nylon straps that hold the breaker firmly in its place when stored.

Extras

Because bits can be expensive, it is quite unusual that included in the kit are two bits, a chisel and a point, that will do for most breaking jobs. They are very easy to fit into the breaker’s ‘chuck’ by simply twisting the tool retainer by 180 degrees and inserting the bit into it. By twisting the tool retainer another 180 degrees, the bit is held securely. It is always a good idea to check that the bit is retained because it is designed to move up and down with the hammer action of the breaker.

I don’t quite know what to make of the extra pair of carbon brushes supplied in the bag of accessories – suffice it to say that the brushes seem to be easy to replace.

It is also necessary to fill the oil reservoir situated on the main head of the breaker before starting work – and checking it regularly before use. A small bottle of oil is supplied along with the spanner needed to remove the sight glass so that the oil reservoir can be filled. All very easy stuff to do, so the overall impression of the tool is that it is a non-temperamental work horse.

Attached to its fairly generous 3.2m of HD electrical cord is a standard British plug. Again, no hassle with transformer plugs, etc. The only note should be the safe use of the extension cord that will be needed on the average worksite.

Breaking BAAAAD!

To get started on this breaker, the full range of safety gear is recommended i.e. ear, eye and dust protection along with padded gloves and a hard hat.

A builder friend promised me a generous area of concrete to test the Draper on, but I was a bit late to the party and ended up having to navigate some smaller jobs that tested my ability to control the breaker for accuracy as well as power. The presence of an oil feed pipe leading to the boiler meant I had to keep strict control of the machine.

In real life, the Draper breaker was a lot easier to manage and control than I originally thought. The weight of it means that the bits are driven with some force and the breaking action is very efficient. It easily managed to break up a 60-75 mm thick concrete slab quite quickly. I soon learned the ways of getting the best results and the job was quickly done, so I tried digging out some concreted-in fence posts that were set more than 40 cm deep. It was quite hard to always get the right angle of attack but there was no doubting how quickly the concrete was broken up and the posts freed.

I reckon we saved about three hours of extended work with an SDS plus smaller breaker/drill by using the Draper hammer.

I did fine on a couple of occasions that I managed to start the breaker by accidentally leaning on the prominent trigger in the right-hand handle. I wondered if there could be a safety interlock somehow built in to prevent this.

Practical and price sensitive

Draper has put in a lot of thought into this breaker. It is heavy and hard for one person to move around, so Draper has provided a case with wheels that makes it easier to manoeuvre, even up and down steps. The case is tough with rigidity bars built-in and designed to hold the tool securely with its hook and loop straps.

The price makes a decision to hire or buy a difficult one. However, many users will choose to buy because to have your own breaker in the van can save time, money and effort, and increase the range of tasks that can be done in a working day.

[You can currently get this model without the carry case at Toolstation for under £300 or The Draper T-Handle Hex Breaker has been designed with the demolition function to break through any surface with the high motor rate of 85Joules. With this breaker you will also be supplied 1x 30x104mm point chisel, 1x 30x140mm flat chisel, 1x carbon brush, 1x oil box, 1x spanner and 3x inner hexagon spanner. This product is an expert power tool and qualifies for an extended 3-year warranty HERE: https://amzn.to/3AhBRex – Ed]

www.drapertools.com