Milwaukee breaker hammers use their heft and power to break up large areas of concrete, chisel grooves into pavement, and drive grounding rods. Also known as jackhammers, they are held vertically to focus their weight downward and pound their bit into floors, sidewalks, and roads. Their T-handle provides a balanced grip to support the tool during use. These breakers accept hex-shank bits and provide higher impact force than demolition hammers. They run on Milwaukee batteries of a compatible series and matching voltage. The batteries can also power other Milwaukee tools.

Makita demolition hammers perform light chiseling, especially where the goal is to avoid damaging surrounding areas. They are held horizontally and used on walls and other vertical surfaces. Also known as chipper hammers, their L-shape orients the motor and transmission vertically to make the hammer more compact than other styles and center the weight of the tool for optimal balance. Their grip positions the hand behind the bit to keep the tool steady and control the amount of pressure applied to the bit. These demo hammers accept SDS-Max bits and are used for applications such as cleaning up concrete and removing tile and brick.