Jake S., General Contractor (15 years experience)

Let’s be honest. Nobody wakes up excited to read a tool manual. We are cavemen; we see a red-grey box, we pull out the 20-pound beast inside, and we start chipping concrete. However, the Hilti TE 55 is not a toy from Harbor Freight. It is a 20-pound, 1,550-watt demolition hammer that can punch a 2-inch hole through reinforced foundation like a hot knife through butter. When you are dealing with that level of power, skipping the manual isn't "manly"—it's stupid.

That said, if you follow this manual to the letter, your TE 55 will outlive your grandchildren. I’ve seen TE 55s from the 1990s still running on job sites because the owners read the manual.

Download the PDF onto your phone. When the AVR light starts blinking on a Friday at 4:30 PM, you will thank me.

The Rosetta Stone of Rotary Hammers: A Deep Dive into the Hilti TE 55 Manual

I bought my TE 55 used from a demolition site. It came beat up, caked in dust, but still humming. It did not come with a manual. After a minor scare (the AVR light started flashing red), I downloaded the PDF from Hilti’s website. What I found was surprisingly impressive.