Side by Side Comparison of: Fiskars vs Robert Larson

Purchased for grandson , easy to use, much better than the old style drills. Very pleased with it.

I use it all the time!

as advertised

For my purposes, this drill was perfect. I did have to order the 3/16 drill bit I needed. I am not a handy or tool-experienced person by any stretch of the imagination. I found a large plastic wall hanging of branches, leaves, and flowers made in the 1960s at the Goodwill. Kind of ghastly but I had an idea for it. I wanted to drill little holes in it, attach small cup hooks, spray paint it, and then hang it on my bedroom wall so I could hang jewelry from it. I was worried that the drill would crack the plastic, but it didn't. I was able to drill about 15 holes and attach the hangers without mishap. It's going to look awesome when it's spray painted and hung on the wall with necklaces and earrings hanging from it. I couldn't be happier with this drill and now I'm looking for other things to use it for. It's probably important to get the right drill bit. I found my online and they were intended for wood and plastics.

I bought this for my sister because I have owned two - (the second not because it broke, but because someone borrowed the first and kept it!) - This is a sturdy little hand-crank drill, and light weight, but well made. I've used it all over the house - and even drilling in the ceiling for a molly bolt (to hang a plant hook) - was no problem because it's so light weight. I have several cordless electric drills and a 1/4" electric drill - I hardly ever get them out any more because this little guy does the job!

My husband calls it stubborn - I call it traditional! I will use a ratchet screw driver over a power driver (when I can), any time. I also like to use a non power drill such as this on my craft projects that could break, if a power drill puts too much pressure on the materials. But, that does not mean that this handy little drill cannot do larger jobs. I'm not saying that you can use this all day long and not be fatigued, but if you have a small job or a light job, this can handle it. I purchased a box of bits, and keep them both in my tool bag. I love knowing that I have a drill ready and waiting should I need it when in the middle of a project. No wires, no batteries to run dry, just man made (or in this case, Lady made power), that is ready when I need to put it to use. It also weighs close to nothing making it much easier to use as well. And the ergonomic grip, helps apply pressure when needed on a larger job. I heard somewhere that they may stop making these - I don;t know if that is true or not - BUT - just incase it is, I may just get a back up for future use!

You can tell by looking, this is a drill for applications requiring stability and control of movement but, also, for those of us who have trouble using an electric drill. I always tilt to one side, due to arthritis I developed as a child. This allows me to be productive, in my home, doing chores I would otherwise have to outsource, but at a slower pace than if I used an electric drill. That is invaluable to me, as a person who is always tinkering and fixing things and who hates spending money I don't have to pay someone to do something I believe I should be able to do myself.

The device itself, a hand drill, also called a manual drill, is the perfect type. The handle is nice, solid wood, with a metal gear plate running along the metal gear-edged housing for the drill bit. Standard bits fit. The little dial/turn handle is easy to turn. And, in what may be the best feature for me, with my hands being what they are, Schroeder has kept to the old tradition of using a wooden handle that is long, which extends off the end of the metal unit, rather than the new style of turning downward.

There is an odd movement in the manufacturing of new "old things", which has been developing over the last couple of decades. We see terrible redesigns hitting the market all the time, as though reinventing the wheel makes sense. These hand drills, unfortunately, are often made with a gun-style grip, turned and aimed downward from the drill. Now that style of grip certainly looks nice, seems appealing, but, in the reality of use, a down-turned grip makes it difficult to hold this type of unit while you are drilling, given how long it can take to drill, by forcing you to hold the unit in a position that can start to hurt your wrist. This wonderful unit, being straight, allows you to hold it with your fist, thumb at the back end, pinky-finger gripping around the top of the handle, up near the metal parts, which results in aiming the unit easily and being able to press it, harder, against the wall or piece of wood, without hurting your wrist or fingers. Try to remember, if you can, the joy of eating food with a spoon sticking out between your thumb and forefinger, the handle held in your fist, how easy it was, how comfortable, before the world told you to start contorting your fingers in compliance with the conventional etiquette of silverware usage. This feels like that, easy, comfortable, safe, controlled and natural.

The Schroeder is the best I have found, just like my grandfather's little drill from the twenties, and it allows me to do the job carefully, correctly and without hurting my joints. Good luck in finding what you need and what will get the job done.

This tool was made in China, so if you have any concerns in that regard. I am using it for light construction tasks, for which it appears to be very well suited.

Great little drill, similar to the one Grandma had. I tend to put off projects that involve drilling a hole since I can never seem to find my drill when it's needed, then when it reappears the battery is dead, then when the battery is charging I get distracted by some other shiny object. This little guy can fit in my tool bag so I know where it is. I put up a small shelf unit using it and it took only a few minutes. Wish I'd bought one long ago!

Like any hand drill you have to pick it up a bit to relieve pressure. It works great for me as an adult, but I bought this in the hopes that my 5 year old could use it. I think about the time she is 8 this will be great, but for now it is just too cumbersome and frustrating. However, she loves it and gives it a mighty effort.

I didn't want to buy an electric drill for a one-time household project. I needed to drill starter holes for some cup hooks. This hand drill was perfect for the task. It can't handle heavy duty jobs. The drill bit is held in place using a hand-tightened collar. The collar loses its grip if there's too much stress. The drill bit gets stuck, requiring a pair of pliers to pull it free. This hand drill is perfect for small jobs or crafts projects. It's light and the handle turns smoothly.

I haven't used it yet, but I have had it in my hand and it looks to be exactly what I wanted, to wit: a drill that I can use for the occasional minor repair at home or office when I don't want to bring the power drill and all its attachments and cords. I am quite happy with it.

Saved the day for me in a pinch...I always keep it in my tool bag for emergencies and works well for smaller jobs.

Reading previous posts about the gears stripping out worried me, but gave it a try anyways. I bought it to use on my kayak, so primarily plastic material to drill through, although I did also do some odds and ends around the house into drywall and wood. The drill performed great, and had no issue with the gears whatsoever. The drill performed great, and it was used consistently on and off for a week. I would have given 5 stars if there was a better way to tighten the chuck. I was a little worried that holding the handle and cranking down on the chuck would strip the gears, but I was able to tighten the chuck to a decent level.

I bought one of these years ago and have used it constantly. It's still working just fine. Obviously, you don't use it for heavy drilling, but it's great for when you have a light job and you don't want to run to the basement and dig out the heavy-duty drill. When I realized it was still available, I bought a second to travel with. Be aware that the one they sent out this time does NOT have the slots for storing the drill bits. That is a really handy feature and has downgraded the rating from 5 stars to 4. I'm still very pleased to have a second though, I'll live with the lack of storage.

I've used this drill before when it was branded as a Sears product, and I sought this item to have one for myself. From the picture, it's exactly the same except for the branding on the handle.In reality, this product differs from the picture in that no drill bits are included, and the notches to hold the bits in the neck of the tool have been removed, along with the rubber band, leaving a smooth grip.While it's disappointing to purchase something that does not match what you expected to get (even the product packaging shows the previous design), and you'll have to purchase drill bits separately, this is an improvement in the design of the drill. I was often hesitant to use the previous drill without first removing all four bits from the handle, because it seemed too easy to get cut accidentally while holding the drill. Also, this leaves you free to purchase better drill bits than would have been included with this product.The drill itself is a valuable addition to any toolbox, allowing better fine control than any power drill. Don't worry about having charged batteries ready for the occasional drilling task.

Works as it should.

Seems like it's good quality. I have to admit the tool itself was smaller then the old broken hand drill of unknown brand I was replacing. The thing that opens and holds the drill bits will hold all the sizes I usually use. I'm not sure how well this will hold up for the next 40+ years but hopefully everything will prove to be sturdy and long lasting.

I find hand drills like this to be very useful for fine work, hitting exactly your spot and drilling to a controlled depth. However, this one is a bit of a disappointment; the drive wheel is too small and the crank handle too short to give good leverage for drilling into hard woods. I have a couple of these from the first half of the twentieth century that are much better, even though they are quite worn. Bigger wheel, longer handle, more powerful and therefore easier to control.

Schroeder makes a good quality hand drill, it works well for what it is intended for, but it is much smaller than what I was expecting. The 9 1/4 total inches includes the handle with the chuck unscrewed as far as possible. We also bought a Schroder Heavy-Duty 1/2-inch Rotary Breast Hand Drill at Sears for 55 dollars, which we use more than this smaller one. Unfortunately Amazon does not currently list this larger two-gear model with a chest plate and large hand grip. With that said, for those who want a small, good quality, light-weight hand-powered drill, this is the best units that we could find for under 30 dollars.

I discovered several large hand drills at a garage sale, bought them and have been discovering the surprising benefits of using the 'armstrong' drills ever since. I wanted a smaller size so I got this one, chosen over a couple of others due to price and faith in German made tools. I've used it to drill 1/8"holes through 12 ga. copper sheet stock with astonishing ease. I've also used it with a 1/4" bit to enlarge the diameter of pieces of bamboo that was really not much larger...a procedure that required considerable control. Trying the same thing with a cordless power drill always shattered the bamboo's side walls. I also found centering a drill bit and starting a hole exactly where I wanted it without a pilot hole or punch very easy to do.The drill seems well made, decent materials, smooth operation, the chuck works smoothly, etc. The ONLY problem is that bits don't insert very deeply into the Chuck, so regular sized drill bits seem to extend out really far which gives them the feeling of being slightly wobbly when in use. It's like they're not supported rigidly enough...a greater percentage of their length needs to be clamped in the jaws of the chuck. I'm going to look around for a small set of short bits. I think a set of 2 " long bits would be good. And even with this going on using this provided far more control than power tools. Now I just need a mid-sized unit. Very pleased.

Like most of the things I buy online, this was for my classroom. It wasn't the cheapest hand drill, but wasn't the most expensive either, and I love the sturdy metal construction. It was really built to last. The wooden handle is very comfortable to hold and fits well into little hands (my students). I was a little worried that it wouldn't have the power to go through hard wood, but I was wrong. So far we have used it to drill holes in oak, maple and red bud (a very hard red-bed) and the kiddos have had no complaints. The only thing I wish was different is the chuck is a turn type and is hard for the little ones to use without pinching fingers on the gears, so I have to do that for them, and because it is a screw to tighten chuck sometimes it becomes lose when they back up out of a drilled hole. Other than that I am looking forward to a few years of classroom wood working with these little beauties.

The old drill came with 4 drill bits cleverly held in place with a rubber band. Simple, elegant and incredibly useful. The new one lacks the grooves to hold bits, lacks the bits, and the rubber band. A giant step backwards.

I've only used it once--I bought it to use with Cub Scouts, but I'm disappointed compared to other non-powered drills that I've encountered. The chuck (that tightens to hold the drill bits) is awkward to use--it's hard to get a good enough grip on the two separate parts (one that you hold stationary and one that you twist) to adjust and change bits. I also accidentally took apart the chuck when taking the drill bit out. Once you've got the drill bit in, it does turn it around and you can drill holes with it. It seems a bit flimsy--not a tool I want to use very much.

Bought this to be a nice compact drill for small projects. No power cord, control of every fraction of a turn. Attracted to the price and the fact that it seemed to replicate the ergonomics of a power drill.Well, that didn't turn out so well. First, you hold with left hand and turn with right - I am in the majority that is right handed, so I have less control than with a power drill. Next, you don't get to eye up the top of the drill - your hand is in the way. Finally, the spindle seems like hardware store quality threaded rod. Nothing particularly rigid or precise. Pretty sloppy until you tighten it all up, making you wonder if things are really straight. Jaws are held in place by weak springs - easy to see this getting broken, jammed up, etc. And finally, the permanently closed plastic shell. No means that I can see to open it up for maintenance. The seam does flex and contaminants can get in. No way to tell what kind of bearings and gears are inside. Might have boosted my opinion if I could see metal gears and ball bearings.So in short, I think I'll be getting a more traditional bit brace, and an eggbeater style drill. But the pistol-grip still appeals to me over the broom-handle grip of the eggbeater style. For that I still have to give this one credit.3/5 for the fact that it functions and is an attractive concept.

I wanted the model that had self storing bits, which was pictured when I purchased it. The drill is a handy item of decent quality. The delivered drill did not have the self storage. So I am disappointed ... I ordered three drills. The problem is with Amazon, not Fiskars. Wrong Picture.

It worked good for the most part. After several wholes to drill, then through oak it began to break down. It's great if you want to go through drywall to prehang a anchor and even cheap woods. But, after going through oak it began to break down. After that, I just bought a 12 volt drill to do the job.After a few months the handle broke. Opted for a real drill this time.

This is a great tool for easy jobs, such as drilling into drywall to insert anchors for curtains. It's light-weight and handy. I've been using one for years, and recently purchased this one for my daughter. The one that I have came exactly as the one pictured, with four drill bits that nest on the shaft of the drill and are held in place with a stout rubber band. The one that I purchased came without the bits and there are no indentations on the shaft in which they would rest. I bought the drill from Grady's Hardware, rather than directly from Amazon. When I reported the difference between the drill in the picture and one that I received, their customer service representative replied that the picture was only an "interpretation" and that I should read the product description. I don't know whether or not the one that Amazon sells includes the bits, but you should be prepared to purchase bits separately to go with the drill.

Good tool.

While reasonably well made, this hand drill is just too small for general household or workshop use. Since new hand drills are not readily available anymore, I recommend going to eBay or similar site and searching for "vintage eggbeater hand drill" and picking up a used double pinion hand drill from 1930's thru 1960's in good condition. There are plenty of more substantial old hand drills available for a similar price than you will find looking for a new product.

Knocked a start off bc it came slightly damaged in the mail... poor packing. And another star off bc the you can't put a bit in the chuck very far. Maybe 1/2"

Doesn't turn that easily.

This tool is smaller than it looks and not really what I expected for $31 dollars. It does what its advertised for but, I suspect there are better buys for the money.

That little plastic turning handle seems quite insufficient for drilling with. I'm affraid it's gonna break on me when I need it most and cut my hand. Other than than it seems well made.

I had a previous version of this drill and it had an elastic band around the neck and slots for several drill bits and screwdriver heads. Fiskars has completely eliminated 1/2 the usefulness of this tool...having the bits right where you could find them. I didn't notice when I ordered it or I'd have tried to repair and save my old one. Bummer...

The drills I received are not the drills pictured on the web site. The product number appears to be correct, but it is a different model. The ones I ordered (like the one I already own) have drill bits attached. I had to go out and buy drill bits for this product. Because they were intended as gifts, I had no time to return them.

My product received was NOT as pictured. There were no bits sold with the drill, nor are there any indentations to hold the bits as pictured. Granted, I knew I'd need to buy more bits, but it should come with items pictured, or say something like 'bits sold separately'. Neither this ad, nor the packaging stated this.

Worked for a while, great for small drill jobs, then the s*** can't dance anymore. Damn, after attaching the bit and you rotate the handle, the tip of the bit wobbles!! Strongly suggest you save this $$, top up and invest in a friggin' cordless drill instead(dewalt, makita, bosch,etc). I have a dewalt for 6 months and never regretted getting it - reliable and gets s*** done.

This is very poorly built and wouldn't recommend to be used on thick wood or metal, after using it 5 times, it broke. As they say, on the long run cheap is more expensive.

I give it a point for a much more ergonomic design than the old style hand drills. The handle is much more comfortable to grip while drilling. Even then, there's a problem with insufficient clearance between the grip and the crank, so you have to be careful how you hold it to avoid skinning your knuckles.But after maybe a dozen uses, as I was tightening the chuck on the bit, something went pop inside, and it barely worked any more. Apparently the internal gearing is plastic, a cheap plastic that's not strong enough to hold up under hand power, and one or more teeth broke. There's no obvious way to get inside, and it's not worth my time to saw it open to verify what happened. As it's been a couple of years since I bought it, it's going in the trash.I don't expect such a tool to stand up to having a power tool attached to it, or to be able to drill half-inch holes 6" deep in seconds. But I see no excuse for its being unable to withstand normal hand use by someone whose arms are no stronger than average and has significant arthritis in his fingers which limits how hard he can twist it.

Not what I expected, I thought it would have been more of a real tool, for what it cost.Will keep it for the grandkids.

This drill is pretty small, it is OK for drilling 1/8" diameter holes but it does not perform well with 1/4" bits.

The gears jam with even light downward pressure on the hand crank, something difficult to avoid when you're working. It became worse over time, across 3 small projects with minimal usage. It's basically useless to me now--as soon as I really get cranking, so to speak, it freezes solid. I'm an amateur only doing very simple projects, but I never abuse my tools, and I know when something isn't working properly. And, FWIW, I'm drilling maple, not plastic or metal.The problem seems to be a combination of the shape of the crank wheel or inconsistency of the depth of the teeth (only the teeth on one side appear to jam), combined with too much play along the drive shaft axis (the gears slide across each other too much). I read on another forum that there may have been a bad run of these tools, and I guess I was an unlucky winner. But the manufacturing defects surely don't give me much confidence.I recently visited an Ace Hardware in Malaysia of all places and discovered a Stanley-branded double-pinion hand drill. It had significantly less play along the driving axis. I never purchased it, though, so maybe it would have become unusable, too. Nevertheless, I would recommend buying a double-pinion drill, as they're not much more money but seem to have better tolerances, almost by necessity. If a double-pinion drill had as much play along the drive axis as my single-pinion Schroeder, the top gear might not engage at all.The Stanley-branded drill looked exactly like the 3/4" Schroeder hand drill. The 3/4" Schroeder is widely marketed as a single-pinion drill, but I'm fairly certain that's an error in the marketing literature from the OEM, unless I'm misunderstanding what pinion means. The 3/4" must be double-pinion. Heck, in some pictures you can even see the two pinions.I'm also convinced that many of these hand drills, including Schroeder, Malaysian-region Stanley, and some others, are the exact same design, perhaps even being sourced from the same supplier. The only differences appear to be in the type of handle attached to the cranking wheel--plastic or wood.

This is a very solid drill, but the torque needed to drive it has in a short period caused a slight offset in the pin that the crank rides on, to the point where it causes the whole thing to bind up and seize. It's nice to have a quiet, nighttime drill, but you'll likely be better off getting one that is a single solid piece with a standard chuck.

gears are sloppy, binds and makes it hard to keep straight. I much prefer a brace.this would work in a pinch. if it did not have so much slop in it, it would be good for small detail stuff.

When applying more force, cog wheels get 'unsynchronized'. I mean, orange wheel is not fixed very well, thus cogs pop out sometimes and drilling is seizes.

It broke down on the very first day I attempted to use it. Save your time, money and invest a little bit more for something of a decent quality for a higher price.

By the second time I used it the gears were slipping so badly that it wasn't working. I would not recommend this. I only tried it on wood. I can't imagine it working at all on hard plastic or metal.

I really wanted to like this little hand drill, but true to the warning of those who bought it before me, it's not made for durability. After using it a few times, something happened to the internal mechanism where the crank no longer turned smoothly and I could hear a dull clicking sound. I think during the process of tightening up the bit or loosening it, too much force is applied to the internal cranks.

The drill was simple enough to use, but fell apart the second time I tried to use it. The drill bit caught in the plastic I was drilling and instead simply catching, the chuck on the drill came completely undone. The springs inside went flying and I have not been able to find them all to repair the drill. This was undoubtedly partly user error, but simple plastic should not have ripped the drill into pieces.

I bought this item because I needed a cordless drill to take on a boating trip and because I respectED the Fiskars name as a quality brand. On the very first attempt to use the drill, the internal gears failed rendering the tool totally useless. I had to resort to drilling with a vice-grip holding the drill bit. That worked better!Now I question whether the Fiskars brand is quality.Don't buy this tool.

Got this, shipping was fast. This guys is the perfect little drill for small home improvement projects. It beats the hell out of a power drill for just putting holes in the wall to mount something. The control is great, you can get just the depth desired and the drill bits are easy to load. You've got to tighten the hell out of the thing or when you start to crank it might come undone. I don't know why they engineered it that way but the standard clockwise motion will loosen the drill bit housing if it's not tight enough. Still though, great drill. I haven't used it enough to know if the plastic housing and crank handle can take a good bit of abuse but be sure if it breaks I'll edit this review.EDIT TO ABOVE REVIEW!!! IT BROKE!!!I've used it enough now and it's not the plastic housing or the crank handle but the inner components of the crank itself... Okay so after this broke I took it apart and found that one set of teeth on the inner gears is plastic and one is metal. Needless to say after a while of use one of the plastic teeth will strip and then you'll start to notice it stripping more and more and sooner rather than later it'll be completely useless. It doesn't last, don't waste your time buying this, find something more rugged with better components.

This hand drill broke during the first time using it.

Sending it back...Product actually contains lead, and has a warning to wash hands after use...In what world would my hand tools be toxic to the user..Garbage

not what I expected. Very small and hard to use, can easily pinch your fingers in the mechanism. I expected better from a german made tool.

Very gentle use just countersinking holes for drills. I might have drilled 15 holes before it broke and will no longer turn. Would not recommend.

Chuck can't be tightened enough to keep from spinning uselessly around the bit. I was able to drill less than a quarter of an inch into a piece of alder before the drill stopped working and the bit was left in the wood, stuck tight, with no way to be removed that wouldn't ruin the partly drilled hole. I'm still looking for an acceptable hand drill.

I love to use manual tools. I had a hand drill for many years and sadly it broke. I had high hopes for this. It won't hold a bit. I have to remove bits from the wall by hand when the drill loses it's grip