The two basic types of rotary hammers are horizontal and vertical. This is classified depending on the engine location. In the horizontal rotary hammers, the engine is located parallel to the impact axis and in vertical ones the engine is placed perpendicular to the impact axis. Horizontal drills are used to work on narrow slots, because they are more elongated and narrow. Vertical hammers has the advantage in terms of cooling of their motor and their power. Most of the professional hammers are vertical.
You can also choose the various rotary hammer modes like drilling, drilling with a punch, impact mode. In drilling mode, the rotary hammer resembles the conventional electric drills which can be used on softer materials like wood. In drilling with a punch mode the rotary hammer performs circular and translational motion simultaneously. This mode is used for harder materials. In impact mode, there are no rotational movements hence making it a jackhammer.