Whilst hand drills are a fairly standardised piece of kit, there are some small differences that allow the hand drill to operate slightly differently. The two most common types are explained and outline below. We want to make it easy for you to shop our range of hand drills, so we've outlined and explained some key terms to allow for a confident purchasing decision. Breast drills - Breast drills are functionally similar to hand drills; yet they boast an extended plate which is pressed against the operators chest to apply more pressure to the drill point. Breast drills are ideal for manual drilling into harder materials. Around 1937, Stanley acquired the British J. A. Chapman company, a British manufacturer of carpentry tools and other items (including bayonets during World War I) formerly located in Sheffield, from Norman Neill. This helped Stanley to enter the British market. Hand drill - Standard hand drills use a manual crank system to rotate the jaw and therefore the drill bit. They are ideal for more precise drilling into softer materials.

As users have complete control over the speed and depth of their drilling, users can be far more precise with a hand drill than they can be with a standard power drill. Type - As described above, there are two common types of hand drill which share similarities, but can handle slightly different hardness of materials. A highly adaptable and reliable manual tool, hand drills are the ideal drilling tool for when power drills are inconvenient or impossible to use.

If you're looking for the right type of manual hand drill for your usage but aren't sure about the best choice for your needs, feel free to ask our experts for specialised advice. Handle material - Most hand drills possess either a plastic or wood handle. It's worth considering which one you would find more comfortable in use to ensure ease of use.