Garrett Wade Brings Back The Push Drill
By Sean O'Hara
Since before I was born, my father had an old Stanley push drill out in the shop. When I was a kid, I carried it around and used it to bore holes in anything I could get my hands on. Stanley discontinued it a few years back, but Garret Wade offers a Taiwan repro model that looks pretty close. I’m a sucker for a classic.
Classic Yankee push drills sre made of chrome-plated solid brass and are beautifully finished. The Garrett Wade version is made of the same materials and furnished with the same original double-fluted bits that the Stanley came with. The bits store in the handle (just like they used to). In short: it looks like the same item, but everything is shiny and new.
Operation is so simple even a five-year-old (like me) could handle it. As you push down on the handle, the bit rotates clockwise to cut the hole. When you stop pushing, the handle springs up and the bit rotates in the other direction — so it’s essentially self-clearing. It can make a hole up to 1-1/2″ deep.
It’s not the fastest way to make a hole — and probably not the most accurate, especially if you’re a kid — but it’s a handy tool to have around even today. Street pricing starts at $50.
Push Drill [Garrett Wade]
Street Pricing [Google Product Search]
August 9th, 2007 at 3:41 pm
A tool that should be, and remain in every toolbox.
August 10th, 2007 at 1:48 am
Cordless, battery free, non-polluting, classic. Perfect for small holes and the tool belt.
August 10th, 2007 at 2:02 am
They’re really great for small electronics work. No static, no outlet, no battery, and no heat.
August 10th, 2007 at 7:34 am
I have the version that Sears sells as a screwdriver. It takes hex drive bits, but a regular twist drill doesn’t work worth a damn in it. Anybody got any idea if someone sells the straight flute bits in a hex drive?