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Female-friendly power tools or tools for small hands

Submitted by xanatje on Wed, 02/06/2013 - 03:55

Hi, I wonder if other women have also difficulties
using a drill to make a hole in the wall or in tiles? A jig saw to make something out of wood. A buzz saw for tiling? A sander.? From Black and Decker they have got a sander they call it the mouse. That mouse looks easy to work with but it is to big for me an I have got an average womans hand. I don't want to ask a guy to do that for me. I want to be able to do it myself without the suffering of holding a grip that is to large.
I investigated the sizes of different male electric tools. The grip of an for example an Iron is 4 1/4 inches. The grip of a drill is at least 6 inches. (that was the smallest ones, only one brand) The other brands where round 6,5 inches.
Are there other women that have the same problem? Or have you found a brand with suitable power tools?
Kind regards.
Xana

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General Getting Started Questions

katiesommer

Thu, 02/07/2013 - 11:06

Hi Xana. Have you tried out a driver? I have a Dewalt DC825 and it is WONDERFUL for me. I'm on the small side (5'7" and 125 pounds), too, and I have no problems at all using it.

Tsu Dho Nimh

Sun, 02/10/2013 - 03:32

I have hand strength issues, and do not have large hands.

I use AC-powered tools whenever possible because they are lighter than the battery-powered ones.

My drill has a handle that screws into the side for stabilizing it. I won't buy a drill that doesn't have this (look for a threaded hole in the side of the drill).

Look for a sander that has a "nose" that you can hold as well as a handle. Two-handed is easier than 1-handed.

www.amazon.com/Makita-BO3700X6-Sander-Sheets-Sandpaper/dp/B0002HC46O is an example.

claydowling

Thu, 02/14/2013 - 08:55

I also avoid the battery powered tools, which reduces size and price. Not that cordless drills and drivers don't have their place, but they don't offer any real advantage for the work I'm doing.

I also try to use hand tools whenever I can. They're smaller, generally more precise, and a whole lot less likely to try to take off a finger. Most importantly, I'm not trailing a cord or hauling around batteries. They are often cheaper, but since I spent just about $150 on two new saws over the holidays, it's clearly not a universal truth. On the other hand, there is no substitute, powered or not, for a quality joinery saw, and they both paid for themselves immediately.

Korlad

Sun, 05/19/2013 - 20:07

I'm 5'4 and 106 lbs and have built a house in the tropics in middle age. Some tools give me a harder time than others and I agree that that a lot of times battery operated tools are unwieldier. For me, sometimes the solution is to use two hands! My 18 volt set from Ridgid seems to have a reasonably sized grip for me. Maybe go to big orange and fondle all of them and see what feels good for you.

mikepattenson

Sat, 03/21/2015 - 17:15

Women are usually intimidated by power tools...but you can achieve the same standards as men buy continuously doing the craft.

There aren’t (many) mass-market tools that are smaller and easier to grip with small hands. That’s one of the main reasons my wife (yes, she's doing woodworking also) like the Festool CXS drills – the grip is small, and the tool is well-balanced (and she almost never likes 18V tools when 12V are available – for WW, 12V is plenty of power, and they weigh less) . And grip absolutely affects her choice of hand tools – or causes her to reshape totes etc to fit (some makers, such as Bad Axe, offer saw handles in smaller sizes – and many boutique makers can accommodate such requests).

Always be motivated! Good luck!