Leader comment: Power tools vs hand tools

Power tools are ubiquitous in the DIY world. To many, the idea of using something like a hand drill may seem almost unacceptably onerous.

Power drills have taken over but hand drills like these are still remarkably effective (Picture: SWNS)

And that’s understandable when you can simply press a button and the job is done. For professional carpenters and builders, modern machinery has made a real difference to their working life.

But, still, there is an almost magical quality to working with hand tools, described by one woodworker who tends to use power tools as a “comforting, peaceful [and] very satisfying” process. So, for those of a similar mind, the “secret museum” in Bill’s Tool Store in Glasgow – home to implements dating back to the 1850s – will be a place of wonder.

Anyone new to hand tools may be surprised at just how effective they are. A few brief turns of a hand drill and a hole as good as any created by a power drill is made, with a much lower risk of accidentally drilling through part of yourself. And there is no battery to run out at an inconvenient moment.

Power tools are here to stay, computer-guided ones are arriving, but let’s not forget hand tools.