Features of Hand Tools

The hand tools are available in varies shapes, sizes and designed for specific purposes. There are hundreds of hand tools available in the market serving different purposes. From hammer to axe, from knife to chisels, from saws to wrenches, there are different hand tools serving home repairs, industries, construction and many other tasks.


While purchasing hand tools, certain features are to be considered. Not necessary that all the features will be available in a single tool. All hand tools must provide means for accurately controlling the depth of a cut or striking an object or punching or moving any hard to move items etc. From a simple home repair task to a big task in an industry, hand tools are in great use and hence certain ergonomic features should also be considered in the designs of hand tools. Comparing hand tools with respect to various design characteristics helps to a great extent to reduce physical stresses on the user.

You should always consider the following:

• Do you want to go for traditional designs or opt for new tool designs?
• Evaluate the benefits of different designs .
• Choose the right-sized and shaped tool for the task.

Designing comfortable hand tools
For proper designing of hand tools, it is very essential to know about the level of comfort and discomfort in using hand tools. Research studies have shown that there are six comfort factors to consider. They are as follows:

Posture and muscles Functionality Pain of hand and fingers

Irritation of hand surface Handle characteristics Aesthetics

These six factors can further be classified into three main groups:

• Functionality
• Physical interaction and
• Appearance

Various features available in hand tools are:

Adjustable	All Purpose	Automatic	Basic
Combination	Disposable	Cordless	Curved
Electric	Flat	Flexible	Laminated
High Heat	Insulated	Heavy Duty	Lead Free
Left Hand	Magnetic	Portable	Outdoor
Ribbed	Rigid	Rotary	Self Closing
Sliding	Tee	Tubular	Telescoping
Twisted	Waterproof	Wet Cutting etc.

A hand tool which can be considered as a perfect or optimal include the following characteristics:

• Available in multiple sizes
• Can be used with both hands simultaneously.
• Have low tension or spring loaded.
• Adjustable.
• Trigger activated by multiple fingers.
• Handle bent so wrist can be straight.
• Ambidextrous.

The perfect or optimal hand tool handle characteristics include the following:

• Length is around 4 to 5 inches and you can add 0.5 inches more if glove is used.
  
  
• Shape is either circular or oval.
  
  
• The handle should be composed of non-porous, non-slip, non-conductive, little compressible, with good insulation and some texture.
  
  
• Handle span should be around 2.5 to 3.5 inches.
  
  
• Size of the handle for precision tasks should be around 0.3 to 0.6 inches and for power tasks1.2 to 2 inches.