Bits and Braces (Bit brace or Hand Drill review)

[Tom Walz]

I wanted a couple of braces for myself and for my grandsons. I also thought about selling them so I bought a few.

The Great Neck are really bad in just about any way a tool can be bad. They are flimsy, poorly designed, poorly made. The action is rough and there is a pin that pokes you in your hand when you try and adjust it.

The Fuller are better than the Great Neck but they are still not very good.

Far and away the best braces were Stanley and Keen Kutter from a private seller on Sawmill Creek or from eBay. Even the worst of these units were better than the best of the brand-new units. In addition every tool I bought from the private seller or from eBay was at least as good as described and most were better.

[frank shic]

that adage "they don't make them like they used to..." applies readily to hand and power tools

[Tom Walz]

It works both ways, of course.

In my industry, carbide tools, peole are getting 10 to 20 times the life out of a sawblade for much less money than they did 30 years ago.

Power hand tools and are also much better and much cheaper.

Hand braces seem to have fallen out of fashion except with Boy Scouts, old farts and missionaries.

That is a really cute baby in the avatar and dad looks pretty proud.

tom