One of the easiest ways to maximize productivity on the job is to match tool to task. For example, while a standard electric drill generally works fine for drilling holes into wood or metal, a hammer drill or a rotary hammer should be the tool of choice for setting anchors in concrete and masonry or otherwise drilling into those obdurate materials.
Hammer drills and rotary hammers not only rotate, but also add percussion action, causing the bit to spin and hammer concurrently. This boosts output and saves the worker some labor and potential injuries.
Because a hammer drill uses a standard drill chuck and round shank bits, it can be used in the drill-only mode to penetrate wood and metal, as well as in the hammer-and-drill mode to penetrate concrete and brick. But hammer drills can only generate fairly low-impact energy compared to rotary hammers, so they are less effective than rotary hammers for drilling larger diameters in hardened concrete or other hardened materials. Rotary hammers drill up to 10 times faster in concrete, depending on the bit size, and, in general, are more durable than hammer drills.
Nevertheless, among electricians, 3/16 inch hammer drills are far more popular than rotary hammers, manufacturers report. This is largely because they are less expensive and use the aforementioned chucks and bits for drilling into just about anything, while rotary hammers require more expensive specialized chucks and bits.