# Examples where old or antique tools work better than their modern counterparts **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 19, 2011, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-where-old-or-antique-tools-work-better-than-their-modern-counterparts/571911 "2011-02-19T14:55:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![stretch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@stretch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stretch)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-where-old-or-antique-tools-work-better-than-their-modern-counterparts/571911/21 "2011-02-20T18:04:03Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > When I get my own place with a yard to maintain, I plan to get an old-fashioned push-powered mower. Getting a little exercise is a small price to pay for never having to worry about refilling the gas or keeping the engine running or keeping the extension cord out of the way of getting run over. Plus, of course, they’re significantly cheaper. I hope you are able to do this. I have a push mower but it sucked to adjust. So I gave it to my co-worker, a nice young man who has a small in-town yard. A few weeks later, I had a power mower to find a home for, too. I gave that to the same nice young man who was already tired of the push mower. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-where-old-or-antique-tools-work-better-than-their-modern-counterparts/571911/22 "2011-02-20T19:52:04Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > When I get my own place with a yard to maintain, I plan to get an old-fashioned push-powered mower. Manual mowers are great! …as long as you have a very small, very even plot to maintain, and never let the grass grow high enough that it actually _looks_ like it needs mowing without mowing it first. No time to mow it this week? Sucks to be you _next_ week, man. I love my 1910 Gilette Safety Razor, though, and it provides a shave that you can never expect from any cartridge-based razor. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2011, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-where-old-or-antique-tools-work-better-than-their-modern-counterparts/571911/23 "2011-02-21T17:15:28Z")
Listen to \*\*Johnny L.A. \*\*and **Larry Mudd** about the reel mowers - they speak wisdom. I have one, and I do indeed love it. It’s not hard to push and it cuts well. But it must be used frequently - in summers where we’re getting adequate rain/moisture, I need to use it twice a week, otherwise the thing plain just does not work. Period. Now? I usually cut our grass with a gas Honda push mower. We don’t have much yard, but I’m lazy and can’t be asked (or don’t have the time) to mow that frequently. The Honda does it all faster and better than my old style reel mower. So much so that I’ve pretty much abandoned the green sensibility of the reel mower. ---
**Author:** ![SeldomSeen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ba0ec/32.png) [@SeldomSeen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeldomSeen)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2011, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-where-old-or-antique-tools-work-better-than-their-modern-counterparts/571911/24 "2011-02-21T21:15:59Z")
While it was more labor-intensive, the old-style 2-man crosscut saw was faster than a modern chain saw…at least with skilled operators. Of course a chain saw only takes one person to operate it, and doesn’t tire so easily. I once watched a couple of experienced crosscut sawyers give a demo…cutting a large softwood log, about 24 in. dia. in competition with a chainsaw. Don’t recall the exact times, but the guys on the crosscut made their cut in about 2/3 the time of the power saw. I’ve cone quite a bit of woodcutting nd never saw anything like it. They literally went through that log like a hot knife through butter. SS ---
**Author:** ![Snowcarpet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowcarpet/32/257_2.png) [@Snowcarpet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowcarpet)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2011, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-where-old-or-antique-tools-work-better-than-their-modern-counterparts/571911/25 "2011-02-21T21:47:21Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > So I found an easy solution: do not use a power drill to drill thread holes for wood screws! Instead, use an old-fashion had drill like [this](http://visual.merriam-webster.com/images/house/do-it-yourself/carpentry-drilling-tools/hand-drill.jpg). > > A hand drill is very light, and the rotational speed is slow enough to allow precise control of drill bit depth. 🆒 Very simple, very eloquent. > > After I started using the hand drill, I never accidently drilled all the way through the wood. I use my hand drill for more jobs than not, as it’s very easy for us weakling women, and also conveniently cordless. As a side effect, I’ve probably mangled my fingers in the gears a good dozen times. My planes are also ancient, and exquisitely sharp, use my wooden-base 12-inch Stanley for pretty much everything. Props to my dad for making me figure out how to use tools on my own, or to select what works best for me from all available tools, instead of just doing jobs for me. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Dalliard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Mr\_Dalliard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Dalliard)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2011, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-where-old-or-antique-tools-work-better-than-their-modern-counterparts/571911/26 "2011-02-21T22:10:00Z")
Vacuums. It’s like they’re disposable pieces of crap now. Bagged\>bagless. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2011, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-where-old-or-antique-tools-work-better-than-their-modern-counterparts/571911/27 "2011-02-21T22:44:54Z")
Old style manual pencil sharpeners. The kind that you had to bolt to studs in the wall, that probably had 10 lbs of steel in em, and could perfectly sharpen a tungsten rod. Not all of em were good, but the good ones were a thing of beauty. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2011, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-where-old-or-antique-tools-work-better-than-their-modern-counterparts/571911/28 "2011-02-21T22:45:54Z")
Musical instruments. It’s by no means all across the board - there are some lovely instruments being made today. BUT - In the making of classical guitars, we are now well into a crisis in terms of sourcing wood for backs and sides. Brazilian rosewood is all but extinct, and the only wood available is either recycled from previous uses, old stock or reharvested from stumps. Tone woods are getting scarce as well. Other materials are being experimented with, but if you have a 1965 Hauser, that’s extremely likely to be a much better guitar than can be made in 2011. Pianos - straight-grained wood for the soundboards is becoming scarce. Ivory is no longer an option; the plastic keys have a different feel, especially as the pianist sweats a bit. Good quality grand pianos are still being made, but they’re becoming more expensive for the start of a dip in quality. The digital keyboard that is now becoming standard in schools is a barely adequate substitute for a real piano - it has its place in the cost/benefit analysis, but it is not up to the job of playing a concerto. Strings - some good instruments are being made today; new materials being used and worked with. The best instruments remain the Stradavarius, Guarneri and Amati instruments which were made in the mid-18th century. The whole original instruments movement was a response to exploring the difference in playing style when one plays the actual instruments of the time with the bows of the time and the techniques of the time. I am open to performances on both period and modern instruments, myself, but I know of many musicians and aficionados who are adamant that the modern instruments (in modern tunings, especially) are vastly inferior to their period ancestors in the interpretation of early music. [Fun wiki list](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_period_instruments) of instruments used in ‘authentic performance’. You will find there is lots of controversy over period instruments - my point, as it applies to this discussion, is that you will find a large faction of musicians who feel that their old or antique instruments work better than the modern equivalents. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2011, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-where-old-or-antique-tools-work-better-than-their-modern-counterparts/571911/29 "2011-02-21T23:14:24Z")
I found a beautiful old hand drill that was being discarded, a real fancy one with two different gear ratios and a cast plate on the end you can lean against. I saved it as a pretty antique. But this past weekend I needed to carry a drill out to the fence, and then needed one in the attic, and both times this thing was perfect. Cordless drills always seem to have issues, or the charger’s come unplugged and the batteries are dead. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-where-old-or-antique-tools-work-better-than-their-modern-counterparts/571911/30 "2011-02-22T00:43:47Z")
While we’re referring to drills: Augers, aka brace and bit. The kind with the crank handle like an old Model T., and bits with little screws in the center and chisel-like edges. They will cut a cleaner hole in wood than anything powered - just look for the screw point to break through the other side, then move the auger to that side and go back in. The chisel edges will cut through each and every fiber of the wood, leaving a sharp edge all around on both sides, no tearing or splintering. Even a Forstner bit on a drill press can’t do that without using a backer board to go into. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-where-old-or-antique-tools-work-better-than-their-modern-counterparts/571911/31 "2011-02-22T01:07:19Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > While we’re referring to drills: Augers, aka brace and bit. The kind with the crank handle like an old Model T., and bits with little screws in the center and chisel-like edges. They will cut a cleaner hole in wood than anything powered - just look for the screw point to break through the other side, then move the auger to that side and go back in. The chisel edges will cut through each and every fiber of the wood, leaving a sharp edge all around on both sides, no tearing or splintering. Even a Forstner bit on a drill press can’t do that without using a backer board to go into. QFT. My grandfather’s tools are some of my most prized possessions, and the auger and Yankee drill are the most used. They are a century old and still do the job better than powered tools. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-where-old-or-antique-tools-work-better-than-their-modern-counterparts/571911/32 "2011-02-22T03:40:17Z")
The IBM Model M Keyboard. A programmer’s favorite, it’s practically the only computer part made in the 1980’s that’s still in demand today. Examples can fetch in the hundred dollar range. For those who type all day, it’s that good. ---
**Author:** ![Waffle\_Decider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/77aa72/32.png) [@Waffle\_Decider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waffle_Decider)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-where-old-or-antique-tools-work-better-than-their-modern-counterparts/571911/33 "2011-02-22T04:02:06Z")
Not OLD old tool, but… Calculators. I love my HP-20S scientific calculator. It has a ton of functionalities with the right form factor. Computers are not nearly as portable, and those calculator apps that run on the your phone are just not the same. And talking about phone, the quality and reliability of landline still beats mobile phone. It’s not too terrible where I live, but it’s completely unuseable in my workplace. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-where-old-or-antique-tools-work-better-than-their-modern-counterparts/571911/34 "2011-02-22T10:39:49Z")
Modern tools tend to work much better than their ancestors because they are all designed to use standardised components etc. You’ll find files, screwdrivers drills and bits all made to work with modern sizes, even chisels are pretty much standardised to that they chase out the right width and depth, and the sharpeners are also set for modern chisels. This is pretty much true for all hand tools, you could extend that right through to machine tools too, from bearing sizes, through to final packing size of product - the supply chain goes much further and much deeper than most folk realise. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-where-old-or-antique-tools-work-better-than-their-modern-counterparts/571911/35 "2011-02-22T16:42:39Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > I know a lot of people still use VCR’s to tape shows. Sure, but nobody’s really going to argue that there’s much advantage to a VCR over a DVR, with the sole exception of portability / ease of exchange. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-where-old-or-antique-tools-work-better-than-their-modern-counterparts/571911/36 "2011-02-22T16:46:21Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > The IBM Model M Keyboard. A programmer’s favorite, it’s practically the only computer part made in the 1980’s that’s still in demand today. Examples can fetch in the hundred dollar range. > > For those who type all day, it’s that good. Didn’t realize those are worth anything… I think I have one of those at home. It’s an IBM keyboard from the mid 1990s (PS/2!) that I still use. I’d say that a lot of older small electric appliances, especially kitchen ones were better- hand mixers, blenders, etc… than they are today, at least in the standard consumer range. A modern-day blender sucks vs. the old standard ones from 1970. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-where-old-or-antique-tools-work-better-than-their-modern-counterparts/571911/37 "2011-02-22T17:10:06Z")
> [@SeldomSeen](#): > > While it was more labor-intensive, the old-style 2-man crosscut saw was faster than a modern chain saw…at least with skilled operators. Of course a chain saw only takes one person to operate it, and doesn’t tire so easily. I once watched a couple of experienced crosscut sawyers give a demo…cutting a large softwood log, about 24 in. dia. in competition with a chainsaw. Don’t recall the exact times, but the guys on the crosscut made their cut in about 2/3 the time of the power saw. I’ve cone quite a bit of woodcutting nd never saw anything like it. They literally went through that log like a hot knife through butter. > SS But that was a racing saw on carefully prepared wood, and it was probably an M-tooth since nothing else has been used in competition in the past 20 years. They’re a new type of saw tooth pattern, not something that has been around when cross cuts were used in the woods. While they are great for competition, they wouldn’t last 1 hour in the field, they can’t handle bark or any grit, they cost a fortune, and take forever to sharpen. When you watch an unlimited class competition chainsaw against a cross cut the chainsaw will always win. But neither of them are anything close to what you would use in the field. Stock saws used in competition are relatively small so they showcase the skill of the operator. ---
**Author:** ![machv5](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@machv5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/machv5)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2016, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-where-old-or-antique-tools-work-better-than-their-modern-counterparts/571911/38 "2016-02-17T11:37:36Z")
> [@Daylate](#): > > Make a bet with you. You’ll replace that push mower after about three lawn mowings. > > I come from the era before power mowers, and those push thingys were bloody hard work. Dad would never buy a power mower for some years after they came out - why would he, I was providing the push. Well, in 1952 the Army called, and I went off to Korea. When returning home after some eighteen months, I found that Dad had bought not one, but two of the newfangled power mowers. > > Another thing. If your push mower is the slightest bit out of adjustment, it will look like you mowed the yard with a hacksaw. And trying to fix the adjustment often results in a reel that is so tight against the cutting blade that no amount of push will make it turn. > > Hated the horrible things. Designed by Satan himself. I had to use one as a kid and it sucked. But then I used one a few times as an adult. One that had been properly maintained, i.e., rinsed off and patted dry, and lightly oiled after each use, then oiled up a bit more before use. Oh and kept sharp too. It was a heck of a lot easier to use especially if you don’t let the grass get too long it’s hellish if you do. ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2016, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-where-old-or-antique-tools-work-better-than-their-modern-counterparts/571911/39 "2016-02-17T11:54:14Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > I just finished building a rec room in the basement. There were countless instances when I had to drill a pilot hole (a.k.a. “thread hole”) for a wood screw. In most of those cases, I did not want the hole to go all the way through the wood. So I marked the required depth on the drill bit with a piece of masking tape. This told me when to stop. > > The biggest problem was controlling the drill. I had to be _ **very** _ careful not to push too hard, else the drill bit would go all the way through the wood. ☹ This happened quite a few times, unfortunately. > > So I found an easy solution: do not use a power drill to drill thread holes for wood screws! Instead, use an old-fashion had drill like [this](http://visual.merriam-webster.com/images/house/do-it-yourself/carpentry-drilling-tools/hand-drill.jpg). > > A hand drill is very light, and the rotational speed is slow enough to allow precise control of drill bit depth. 🆒 Very simple, very eloquent. > > After I started using the hand drill, I never accidently drilled all the way through the wood. My drill has variable speeds, and drills quite nice pilot holes. Old-fashioned hand drills are problematic unless you are drilling straight downward. YMMV. I’m a woman with small hands. > [@Chronos](#): > > When I get my own place with a yard to maintain, I plan to get an old-fashioned push-powered mower. Getting a little exercise is a small price to pay for never having to worry about refilling the gas or keeping the engine running or keeping the extension cord out of the way of getting run over. Plus, of course, they’re significantly cheaper. > [@Daylate](#): > > Make a bet with you. You’ll replace that push mower after about three lawn mowings. > > _ **-snip-** _ > > Hated the horrible things. Designed by Satan himself. If the grass is long at all, it winds around the axle, so you have to mow much more often. I hated the damn thing too. It rains so much in Indiana in the spring that sometimes I couldn’t mow for four days because of it, and it made the grass grow. I kept having to borrow a power mower. > [@xoferew](#): > > I’m going to also say, for me, sewing by hand with a needle and thread rather than using a machine. I’m sure if I had to make all my own clothes I would think differently, but when I sew it is a hobby, for my own amusement. I’d rather sew by hand in the living room while chatting with my family than sit in a room alone operating a noisy machine. And I much prefer the “warmth” of hand stitching to the machine’s identical stitches. Hand-stitching is great for patches and darns, and sometimes getting something like a pant leg under the machine to patch it is hard. However, if you are making a garment from scratch, machine stitches hold better. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2016, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-where-old-or-antique-tools-work-better-than-their-modern-counterparts/571911/40 "2016-02-17T12:16:28Z")
Back when I was a cobbler for shoe and boot repair, where you had to precisely place stitches on odd-shaped objects, hand stitching was the usual method. We also used antique treadle and hand powered sewing machines that allowed precise speed and position control. It was a case where accuracy was more important than absolute speed. For _production_ automated machinery is the go-to, but for repairs handwork is still the norm. About the only time we used electrical power was for resoling. Repair on uppers almost never. Oh, and electrical buffing after polishing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-where-old-or-antique-tools-work-better-than-their-modern-counterparts/571911.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/examples-where-old-or-antique-tools-work-better-than-their-modern-counterparts/571911.md?page=3)