Marcrist PC850 Diamond ‘Percussion’ Cores

The Marcrist PC850 percussion diamond core is something that genuinely changes how you approach coring on site. Before this came along, dry diamond coring meant switching to a dedicated core drill, which is fine when you’ve planned for it, but a pain when you’re already mid-job with a rotary hammer in your hand. The PC850 changes that. It’s the first dry diamond core range built to run on percussion drills, meaning you can drive it with the same machine you’re already using for anchor holes, without swapping out to specialist equipment.

That’s not a small thing on a busy site. Time spent changing machines, hunting for the right adaptor, or waiting for the core drill to come free from another operative adds up fast. These cores cut that dead time out of the equation.

What Makes the Marcrist PC850 Different from Standard Diamond Cores

Standard dry diamond cores are designed for rotary-only or rotary-plus-water setups. Running them on percussion hammers would typically damage the segment bond and destroy the core quickly. Marcrist engineered the PC850 specifically to handle the impact loading that percussion mode generates. The segments are bonded and formulated to absorb that shock without breaking down prematurely, so you’re not burning through a core every few holes.

The range covers a solid spread of diameters from 38mm up to 152mm, which handles most of the common requirements you’d hit on a typical build: back boxes, pipe penetrations, cable routes, ventilation sleeves and structural openings. Whether you’re a sparky needing 52mm back box holes or a plumber pushing 110mm soil pipe through a blockwork wall, there’s a size in this range that fits the job.

Dry Coring Without a Dedicated Rig

Running dry means no water feed to manage, no mess on finished surfaces, and no mucking about with water supply on sites where it’s not close to hand. The PC850 cuts cleanly through brick, block, and similar masonry. For trades who are constantly moving around a site and need to core occasionally rather than continuously, the ability to use your percussion drill is a genuine workflow improvement rather than a marketing claim.

Available individually or in case sets, the PC850 range suits both one-off purchases and those who want a full kit ready to go. Worth having a couple of sizes in the van if you’re regularly doing first-fix masonry work.