Schroeder Hand Drill 1/4-Inch Capacity
- Hand drill offers better control while drilling
- Works with 1/4-inch bits
- No electricity needed
- Includes 3-jaw chuck, smooth gear and comfortable wood handle
- 9 1/4-inches in length
Product Description
Hand drills offer more than just slower RPMs. They provide control, safety and management of woods prone to splintering. This quality hand drill is meant for real work and is handy for everyone from student to seasoned craftsman. See Diefenbacher Tools storefront for Standard Duty Hand Drill…. More >>
Schroeder Hand Drill 1/4-Inch Capacity
The day of the ‘eggbeater’ drill is not yet past. I want a child in my life to get started with tools, things her little-girl strength and hands can manage with reasonable safety – that rules out any cordless drill worth the name. I’m also aware that she, like any child, will probably trash at least her first set of tools. (“Experience is proportional to the amount of equipment destroyed.”) Still, I refuse to buy toy tools, not least out of respect for the child’s intelligence.
This meets all my requirements and then some. It’s moderately priced, its mass and size match small hands, there are no extra parts (other than drill bits) to lose or abuse, and it’s real. It’s not big, but the gears make this machine and they are rock solid. Turn the crank: the action runs smoothly and quietly, with the precision you expect of German engineering. The chuck looks undersized, but fits a 1/4″ bit comfortably and solidly. If you insist on a hollow handle for the bits – well, too bad.
People want compact tools for many reasons, and tools that don’t need power supplies for many others. This meets both needs. With care, I expect it to deliver years or decades of service. Under the circumstances, it probably won’t get good care – but I expect it to stand up as well as any under the loving abuse of an eager child.
– wiredweird
Schroeder makes a fantastic, rugged product. Provides exactly the kind of control desired… actually a little larger than Fiskars models that we’ve used for delicate/tricky drilling jobs. Have already used this model on all typical housing materials including a range of woods and with masonry and specialty bits on mortar, cement, brick, drywall, etc. with success. It has an excellent gear mechanism. Personally, I think this should be required use before folks ruin their projects with power drills they don’t know how to use, though this is not a replacement for a power drill. Just my thoughts.
As others have pointed out, this is a well-made drill but limited in its usefulness. Its limit, in my view, is that compared to either an electric drill or a bit brace, the torque it can develop in hard wood or with a large diameter bit is inadequate. In my hands it can drill a 3/16″ hole in walnut, or a larger hole in softer wood. This in my judgment makes it a very useful tool in certain circumstances, well worth having.
The torque limit would not be overcome with a larger (say 12″ long ) hand drill– i’ve tried one. Much like a bicycle crank, the torque output of a hand drill is essentially *zero* when the crank arm is parallel to the drill body. One has to let go of the crank and grab the gear wheel itself to get past the no-torque point.
This low torque is actually desirable in certain situations, where it’s too difficult to hold back the torque of a powerful 3/8″ electric drill.
If you’re so inclined, buy this drill and use it serenely for the tasks it can handle.
My dad had one of these when I was a kid and I finally got one for myself. It’s very handy for light work. For so many of those small jobs you don’t want to have to drag out that big heavy drill. Just leave this in your small tool bag or that ‘tool drawer’ in your kitchen, and you have a handy drill for those small jobs.
I tried to find one of these in a large hardware store, and they had no idea what I was talking about. So I was glad to get this one. It’s very, very handy for light, accurate, silent drilling without having to mess with electric outlets, rechargers, weight, awkwardness etc. that come with power tools. I wouldn’t want to use it all day, but for light household tasks, it’s great.