A few of the lightweight cement breakers are designed with a D shaped handles that allow the operator to pick the breaker up and operate it horizontally as well as vertically. Like chipping hammers, concrete breakers can be powered either hydraulically, electrically, or pneumatically. The constant pounding action of breakers is normally slower than that of chipping hammers, ranging from 800 blows per minute to close to 2,000 blows per minute in comparison. Pavement breakers weigh from 30 to 100 pounds on some models. A good indication of a breaker's power is its weight. Pavement breakers weighing between 40 and 50 pounds are particularly useful for removing concrete for partial-depth pavement repair. The weight of these tools gives them the power needed to break up a just a few inches of concrete without being so heavy that they demolish the entire pavement area.
The pavement breakers weighing more than 60 pounds can easily handle heavy demolition jobs with even reinforced concrete with rebar, and are used to demolish roads and very thick concrete. One example of the type of work that the heaviest breakers do is demolition of high strength reinforced concrete found on airport runways.
