DEWALT DW5807 Review

Most holes drilled into masonry are shallow — 30 to 80 millimetres for a wall plug, an anchor bolt, or a pipe clip. But occasionally, a job demands a hole that passes all the way through a thick wall, a foundation, or a structural column — a penetration that might be 500, 700, or even 900 millimetres deep. Running services through existing buildings, installing ground anchors, core-drilling for structural ties, and creating through-holes for ventilation or drainage in thick concrete structures all demand drill bits that are not just the right diameter but long enough to reach through the entire thickness without the drill body or chuck fouling on the near surface. A standard-length SDS-Max bit — typically 300 to 500 millimetres — simply will not reach. Long-reach SDS-Max bits, with overall lengths approaching a metre, are the specialised tools that make these deep penetrations possible with a handheld rotary hammer. They are precision-ground from high-grade steel, engineered to stay straight and resist whipping under high-RPM rotation, and built with carbide tips that maintain their cutting edges through metres of abrasive concrete, brick, and occasional encounters with steel reinforcement.

SDS-Max is the larger of the two common SDS tool-holding standards — SDS-Plus handles bits up to approximately 26–28 mm in diameter, while SDS-Max steps up to handle bits from roughly 12 mm to 52 mm and transmits significantly higher impact energy from heavy rotary hammers and demolition tools. Long-reach SDS-Max bits take this large-format interface and extend the drill body to overall lengths that can exceed 900 mm. At these lengths, the engineering challenges multiply: the bit must be straight within tight tolerances to prevent runout and vibration that would destroy the hole geometry and damage the rotary hammer's chuck; the carbide tip must be precisely centred and brazed to withstand the increased bending moment at the tip when drilling deep holes; and the flute design must efficiently evacuate drilling dust from the full depth of the hole — a 900 mm column of compacted dust will stall any bit, regardless of how sharp the tip is. DeWalt's DW5807 is a 16 mm diameter SDS-Max bit with a 787 mm overall length and 914 mm usable drilling depth, designed for professional deep-drilling applications in structural concrete, masonry, and natural stone.

In this product overview we examine the DeWalt DW5807 SDS-Max long-reach drill bit: the 16 mm diameter and 914 mm usable depth, the four-cutter carbide tip geometry, the flute design for deep-hole dust evacuation, and the applications — from through-wall service penetrations to structural anchoring — where a bit this long is not a luxury but a necessity. We also address the practical considerations of drilling deep holes with a handheld rotary hammer and how to maximise bit life in these demanding conditions.

The DeWalt DW5807 is an SDS-Max shank rotary hammer drill bit with a 16 mm (5/8-inch) diameter, a 787 mm (31-inch) overall length, and a 914 mm (36-inch) usable drilling depth. The SDS-Max shank is the standard interface for heavy rotary hammers in the 5–15 kg class — machines like the DeWalt D25600, D25700, and D25800 series, the Makita HR4000 and HR4500 series, the Bosch GBH 8 and 11 series, and equivalent professional rotary hammers from Hilti and Metabo. The 16 mm diameter is a versatile size for structural applications: large enough for M12 and M16 anchor bolts, threaded rod for chemical anchoring, and service penetrations for cables and small pipes, yet not so large that it demands excessive impact energy to drill at a reasonable rate. The four-cutter carbide tip — rather than the simpler two-cutter design found on basic bits — provides more cutting edges engaging the material with each rotation, which distributes wear more evenly, produces a rounder hole, and is more resistant to chipping when the bit encounters steel reinforcement or aggregate in the concrete.

At 787 mm overall and with 914 mm of usable depth, this is a genuinely long drill bit — approaching the practical limit of what can be controlled in a handheld rotary hammer. The length enables through-drilling of thick structural elements: a 600 mm reinforced concrete column, a 500 mm foundation wall with render and insulation, a 700 mm brick-and-block cavity wall with multiple leaves. In each case, the usable depth exceeds the total wall thickness, so the operator can drill through from one side without needing to core from both sides and meet in the middle — a technique that requires precision alignment rarely achievable on a construction site. The bit body is manufactured from high-grade alloy steel, hardened and tempered to maintain straightness under the combined stresses of rotation, axial impact, and the bending loads that occur as the unsupported portion of the bit extends further from the chuck with each centimetre of drilling depth. The SDS-Max shank features the standard drive slots and retention groove geometry, ensuring positive locking in the chuck and efficient impact energy transfer from the hammer's anvil to the bit tip.

Deep-hole drilling with a long-reach bit demands a considered technique to protect both the bit and the rotary hammer. The cardinal rule is to clear the flutes frequently: drill 100–150 mm, withdraw the bit completely to allow dust to fall clear of the flutes, then re-insert and continue. Drilling continuously to full depth without clearing loads the flutes with compacted dust that dramatically increases friction, generates heat, and can seize the bit in the hole — a seized long bit in a deep hole is a difficult and potentially dangerous situation to resolve on site. Using a rotary hammer with adequate power is essential: a lightweight SDS-Plus combi drill cannot drive a 787 mm SDS-Max bit effectively, and attempting to do so will overheat the hammer mechanism and produce extremely slow progress. A machine in the 8–12 kg class with at least 8–10 joules of impact energy is the minimum practical specification. The bit's four-cutter tip design helps here — by spreading the cutting load across four edges rather than two, it reduces the instantaneous impact force required to fracture the concrete at the hole bottom, making the most of the hammer's available energy.

The 16 mm diameter covers a precise set of applications. For chemical anchoring — increasingly common in structural engineering where high pull-out loads are required — a 16 mm hole is the correct diameter for M12 threaded rod with most two-part epoxy and polyester anchor systems, providing the annular gap the resin needs to bond effectively to both the concrete and the rod. For through-bolting, a 16 mm hole provides clearance for M12 bolts and a tight fit for M16 bolts in some fixing systems. For service penetrations, 16 mm accommodates individual electrical cables, small-diameter pipes, and data cables — and multiple 16 mm holes in a line can be joined to create a larger opening for conduit or ducting. The bit is a single-piece consumable with no replaceable parts; when the carbide tip eventually dulls or the shank drive slots show significant wear, the entire bit is replaced.

The DW5807 weighs 635 grams and has been available since 2013, making it a long-established product in DeWalt's SDS-Max accessory range. It carries a 4.5 out of 5 star rating from 12 customer reviews on Amazon.fr — a small but positive sample that reflects the specialised nature of this tool. At approximately €105, this is a premium-priced consumable, reflecting the engineering required to produce a straight, durable drill bit nearly a metre long with a precisely brazed four-cutter carbide tip. For the professional contractor, structural engineer, or service installer who needs to drill deep, straight holes through thick concrete and masonry, the cost of the bit is measured against the alternative: an expensive diamond core drill, a specialist contractor with stitch-drilling equipment, or the time and risk of attempting the hole with an inadequate shorter bit and damaging both the bit and the rotary hammer in the process.

The DeWalt DW5807 SDS-Max long-reach drill bit is designed for professional contractors, structural engineers, service installers, and specialist drilling companies who need to drill deep, straight 16 mm holes through thick concrete walls, foundations, structural columns, and multi-leaf masonry for anchor installation, service penetrations, and through-bolting applications.