Thread: What is the best drill for women???

You are making a serious mistake asking men not to reply. We would have many good ideas for you - but obvioulsy you don't want them

Originally posted by drillin away
PLEASE ONLY WOMEN RESPOND!!!

I don't know about the USA but in the land of Oz we are not sexist and would seek advice from all.

However if you want to be sexist maybe you should place your query on the yankee BB devoted to women only
http://www.womeninwoodworking.com/dc...conf=DCConfID1

Peter

im sorry, i just never thought that men would be able to help me. I just wanted to know problems/ideas that women had about drills. I honestly dont care who answers, i just need help. Im not sexist, i just wanted to know womens opinions. im sorry if i offended anyone, but if people would still like to help that would be great...

When my wife uses my 18v Ryobi she says its too heavy. Maybe women only need light duty drills?? :confused:

I guess it depends on what women would normally use a drill for. If its for drilling a few small holes and screwing then carefull you don't design a cordless screwdriver.

I find when woodworking the extra grunt the bigger 18v gives is very good but having said that Dad has a handyman 12v Bosch that works great also. It just limits you to what holes its can drill in what materials etc.

Have fun desigining

sorry, cant resist....


first of all it should be pink, no, red, no green, no blue, no, green, no maybe pink.. yes i think pink... yeah ok "DARK pink".

secondly it should come in a shatter proof case of a nice matching colour lets say "Lavender" or a pasty hue of some kind.

thirdly it should have a trigger that has a nice "flame" decal on it.

next - it should be marketed in a shoe store.

it should also have a hard bit at the end that can be used as a hammer

it should be sold complete - attached to a man

Its marketing name should include the term "Gucci" or "Hot"

seriously - I know you dont want "man-feedback" but here is some anyway :

small handle grip for womens grip,
Small capacity battery permanently incorporated into drill (so it dont get lost and cuts down on weight)
plastic gears & internal components (for weight)
keyless chuck (so the chuck key dont get lost and cuts down on weight)
instead of F & R signifying forward and reverse clear label stating clockwise & anticlockwise.
speed control built into trigger instead of an obscure flick switch.


I'm sure my comrades will add more value even though you specifically dont want it - note my wife uses my batt drill without any issues and she's not huge - and she likes fashion too by the way....

A few ideas from a man.

I would consider weight and balance to be critical issues. Newer cordless drills tend to balance the weight of the front of the drill (chuck end) with battery weight at the other end.

The ideal drill for women would be as light as possible - look at relative battery weights - be innovative with materials inside the drill such as plastic vs metal gearing. Also look at the shape of the drill - dont get locked into the traditional shape - drills can easily be straight or angled less than the traditional 90 degrees.

Also look at handle size. These should be smaller than those traditionally made for men.

A must is a spirit level on the top and back of the drill for drilling alignment horizontally and vertically.

The chuck also needs to require little force to secure the bit - keyless chucks would be better than the traditional keyed chuck. If a key is to be used make it bigger so more leverage can be applied.

forgot to add - the instruction book should be very detailed and consise for first time users.

perhaps a label on the machine that says "this way up"

Gwen, the fellas here have a wealth of experience that would be valuable for you. It could be beneficial to read their input. For myself(as a woman) with an AEG SBE 630 R (not cordless), I would look at what your target audience will be drilling.
Are they female renovators? for whom technical features are more important, such as the ability to go through concrete,steel,aluminum and wood, percussion or hammer action, reverse action and multispeed/gear features or are you aiming for those smaller household jobs, such as making storage boxes like those on the home improvement shows, building a trellis for a climber or a frame to aspail camelias. Some must have features in my opinion are Keyless chuck(common anyway), an auxillary handle, (+ or - depth gauge) for extra support as women do have smaller hands and reverse action to remove screws. 3 speeds for a basic drill would do.(This is where the fellas could definitely help out with advice). Storage wise a case that includes somewhere for a basic set of drill bits and screws as well as the drill, spare battery and charger. Making it all in one may be appealing to customers, though possibly heavier? good luck Gwen

Now that you are willing to accept advice from a mere male.......

I have a few cordless 12V drills, some with keys and one with a keyless chuck. When my wife uses one it is always a key chuck as she has not got big or strong enough hands to hold the chuck to open and close it. When my daughter uses one it has to be the keyless one because she would loose the key.

Thus my advice is to use a smaller keyless chuck for these smaller and weaker hands or with a keychuck and a larger key that is permanently fixed to the drill. Or maybe a model with both options.


Peter.

BTW Zed, may be also a label that says " If in doubt ask any male"

get it right Zed, its not pink, its fuscia or some other name just to confuse us blokes

I thought those palm drills would be suitable for a woman to use.

Maybe do away with the traditional chuck and just have a snap in hex chuck like the "snappy system" There is already an array of drills/sockets/screwdriver bits available that could just snap in.

Wonder Drill? Enhances your clevage....

Drill with a moisturising handle....... two jobs at once.......

Comes with blending, whipping, stiring attachments....

A drill that is guaranteed not to make your bum look big.....


*cough* ahem.... I don't know what came over me.
Sorry.

But seriously Drillin, have you seen this little beauty?
It could provide some insperation to think outside the box.


Ben.

Or this one...




BTW Zed, love your work (in this thread).

I would recommend one of the Makita's 7.2/9.6 cordless drill, these seem to hold well in smaller hands as well as not being too heavy. I have an Metaco SBT12V cordless, which requires quite large hands and also is heavy.

Hope this helps.

With tools the key is balance... if the tool is balanced then it will perform as intended with little effort from the user.

regards

Tony

P.S I also agree that being a woman has no bearing on what I think rather I enjoy the woodworking craft as a whole.