Sometimes it’s easier to do things the hard way.

Some useful products seem to have been forgotten after an “improved” version comes along, and one of those is the hand drill, shown here in an ad in Science and Invention 100 years ago this month, June 1925. These tools were ubiquitous back in the day. But at some point, an improved version, namely the cordless electric drill, came along. And the humble hand drill was forgotten. I’ve gone to big-box home improvement stores, and the salesman earnestly asserts that there is no such thing. (The other case where this happened was for the basic car-top carrier.)

The cordless electric drill certainly is better, especially if you need to drill hundreds of holes. But if you have only one hole to drill, then the hand drill can’t be beat. Invariably, when you need to drill a single hole, after you find the cordless drill, the battery is invariably dead. So before you can drill the hole, you need to charge the thing. It would be much simpler just to grab the hand drill and do the job. You’ll burn a tiny amount of calories turning the crank with your muscle power. But the convenience far outweighs the added labor if only a few holes are involved.

Fortunately, like everything else, hand drills are still available on Amazon. And just like a hundred years ago, it’s a valuable tool to keep around the house.

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