Stanley Defiance Hand Drills – Eggbeater, Breast, and Brace Types
Defiance Hand Drills, Breast Drills & Bit Braces
The Defiance drilling-tool line went far beyond the familiar eggbeater hand drill. Stanley offered simple hand drills, hollow-handle models with stored drill points, double-pinion drills, breast drills, combination hand-and-breast drills, several grades of bit brace, auger bits, expansive bits, screwdriver bits and extensions. Unfortunately for collectors, Stanley also reused model numbers and changed classifications over time, which makes this one of the more entertaining sections of the Defiance research archive.
Catalog No. 139 Gives Us a Strong 1939 Baseline
The 1939 Stanley Tools Catalog No. 139 devotes substantial space to Defiance drilling equipment. Unlike some tool categories where surviving information is fragmentary, these pages describe both construction and intended differences between several models.
The catalog documents Nos. 1218, 1219 and 1220 as hand drills; 1247½ and 1265 as breast drills; 1255 as a combination hand-and-breast drill; and 1237, 1246, 1250, 1251 and 1253 as 10-inch-sweep bit braces.
The following page continues the drilling system with No. 1227 auger bits, Nos. 1228 and 1229 expansive bits, 1226½ screwdriver bits, the 1226½A assortment, and the No. 1263 extension bit.
The Four Main Drilling-Tool Families
Breaking the tools into functional families makes considerably more sense than trying to understand them as one long run of recycled Stanley model numbers.
Hand Drills
These are the classic gear-driven drills often casually called “eggbeater” drills. The line ranges from simple solid-handle models to hollow-handle versions designed to store drill points, and eventually to double-pinion designs with wider gears and more substantial gearing.
The 1939 catalog specifically emphasizes machine-cut teeth, cast-iron speed gears and steel pinions rather than die-cast components.
Breast & Combination Drills
Breast drills add a plate that allows the operator to put body pressure behind the drill. This made them better suited to larger holes and heavier work than the small one-handed drills.
The 1247½ is the more sophisticated two-speed model, while the 1265 represents a lower-priced single-speed design. The 1255 occupies the middle ground as a combination hand-and-breast drill with an adjustable plate.
Bit Braces
The brace family ranges from heavy box-ratchet models with ball-bearing heads to inexpensive open-ratchet braces. Different chuck designs, finishes and head construction gave Stanley several price points within the same basic 10-inch-sweep format.
Later documentation adds No. 1262 as a Defiance latch-pawl ratchet brace, providing a useful example of how the line changed beyond the 1939 snapshot.
Bits & Accessories
Stanley did not stop at selling the drill or brace. The Defiance system included auger bits, expansive bits, screwdriver bits and an extension, allowing the economical tool line to handle a surprisingly broad range of boring and fastening jobs.
Original bit sets and packaging are particularly useful to collectors because loose bits can be difficult to identify after decades of use.
The 1939 Hand & Breast Drills
These models are especially well documented because Stanley described the mechanical differences between them rather than merely listing model numbers.
Solid-Handle Hand Drill
The simplest of the three closely related hand drills. It uses a solid hardwood handle and omits the detachable side knob found on the more expensive models.
Hollow-Handle Hand Drill
Adds a hollow hardwood handle with a metal shutter top, allowing small drill points or accessories to be stored inside the handle.
Double-Pinion Magazine Drill
The most elaborate of this group. It has a hollow handle with a large red screw cap holding eight drill points, a wider gray-iron gear and two steel pinions.
Two-Speed Breast Drill
A substantial two-speed drill with an all-steel frame, machine-cut gearing and a breast plate for applying additional pressure during heavier drilling.
Economy Breast Drill
Stanley described the 1265 as “low priced but practical.” It uses a steel frame, machine-cut gear and pinion and a three-jaw chuck, but without the two-speed mechanism of the 1247½.
Hand & Breast Drill
A lighter combination tool with an adjustable breast plate, large crank handle and removable side knob. It bridges the gap between the small hand drills and full breast drills.
Working Defiance Drilling-Tool Registry
This combines primary catalog documentation with the broader Idle Hands Workshop collector registry. Models marked “Research” are kept visible because a physical example, secondary reference or later catalog lead exists, but some part of the identification or chronology still needs work.
| Model | Type | Details | Research Notes | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 / 118 | Eggbeater Hand Drill | Small geared hand drill | Surviving tools are known marked No. 18, while the 118 designation appears in catalog/reference material. | Research |
| 1214 | Eggbeater Hand Drill | Homeowner hand drill | Documented in the Defiance No. 890 tool-chest inventory along with drill points. | Documented |
| 1216 | Eggbeater Hand Drill | Geared hand drill | Present in the current collector registry; additional catalog detail needed. | Research |
| 1217 | Eggbeater Hand Drill | Geared hand drill | Present in the broader documented registry; production details remain under study. | Documented |
| 1218 | Hand Drill | Solid hardwood handle | Simplified version of the 1219 without hollow storage handle or detachable side knob. | 1939 Catalog |
| 1219 | Hand Drill | Hollow handle, shutter top | Single-pinion design with 3-jaw chuck. | 1939 Catalog |
| 1220 | Double-Pinion Hand Drill | Hollow handle; 8 drill points | Wide gear, two steel pinions and detachable side knob. | 1939 Catalog |
| 1221 | Eggbeater Hand Drill | Solid-handle variant | Another example of Defiance number reuse; the 1939 catalog also uses 1221 for a try-and-mitre square. | Research |
| 1237 | Heavy-Duty Bit Brace | 10″ sweep; box ratchet | Ball-bearing metal-clad head and self-opening spring alligator jaws. | 1939 Catalog |
| 1246 | Heavy-Duty Bit Brace | 10″ sweep; box ratchet | Ball-bearing head and chuck with universal jaws; premium Defiance brace in the 1939 listing. | 1939 Catalog |
| 1247½ | Two-Speed Breast Drill | 16″; ½” chuck | All-steel frame and two-speed gearing for heavier work. | 1939 Catalog |
| 1248 | Brace Drill | 10″ sweep in working notes | Documented in collector research; exact catalog configuration still needs stronger primary sourcing. | Research |
| 1250 | Bit Brace | 10″ sweep; open ratchet | Ball-bearing head, self-opening spring alligator jaws and nickel-plated finish. | 1939 Catalog |
| 1251 | Bit Brace | 10″ sweep; open ratchet | Nickel-plated version. Model number 1251 was also reused for the Defiance socket-butt chisel family. | 1939 Catalog |
| 1253 | Bit Brace | 10″ sweep; open ratchet | 1939 catalog calls this the polished version. Earlier working notes used several different names. | 1939 Catalog |
| 1255 | Hand & Breast Drill | Adjustable breast plate | Combination drill with ⅜” chuck, large crank handle and removable side knob. | 1939 Catalog |
| 1262 | Bit Brace | 10″ latch-pawl ratchet | Later Stanley price-book evidence identifies 1262 as a Defiance bit brace, correcting older hand-drill classifications. | Price Book |
| 1263 | Extension Bit | 18″ long | Explicitly cataloged as a Defiance extension bit in 1939. A separate breast-drill lead using the same number remains unresolved. | 1939 Catalog |
| 1265 | Breast Drill | 16″; ½” chuck | Lower-priced single-speed alternative to the 1247½. | 1939 Catalog |
From Heavy Box Ratchets to Price-Leader Braces
The 1939 catalog shows that “Defiance bit brace” did not mean one generic budget tool. Stanley offered several levels of construction and finish, allowing buyers to spend more for better heads, chucks and ratchet mechanisms.
Heavy box ratchet, ball-bearing metal-clad head and ball-bearing chuck with universal jaws.
Heavy-duty box ratchet with ball-bearing head and spring alligator jaws.
Open ratchet with ball-bearing head and self-opening alligator jaws.
Simpler open-ratchet brace with pin alligator jaws and nickel-plated finish.
Similar open-ratchet brace with polished finish and red-lacquered hardwood trim.
Later Stanley documentation identifies this as a Defiance 10-inch latch-pawl ratchet bit brace.
The No. 1253 is especially useful historically because it is also documented among the tools supplied in the Defiance No. 890 homeowner tool chest, alongside a No. 1214 hand drill and a 5/16-inch auger bit. That gives us evidence for how Stanley combined drilling tools in complete homeowner sets, not merely how they appeared individually in a catalog.
The Bits Were Part of the System Too
A complete drilling-tool collection goes beyond the visible hand drill or brace. Catalog No. 139 gives us a surprisingly useful picture of the consumable and accessory side of the Defiance line.
No. 1227 Auger Bits
Stanley advertised the Defiance 1227 family as drop-forged special-steel auger bits with extension lips, spurs and two cutting edges. The 1939 catalog states that the series was made in thirteen sizes and packed six to a box.
Nos. 1228 & 1229 Expansive Bits
Clark-pattern adjustable bits supplied with two cutters. The 1228 covered smaller boring ranges while the 1229 expanded the system for larger holes.
No. 1226½ Screwdriver Bits
Tempered and polished screwdriver bits intended for use with the brace. Stanley also offered the 1226½A assortment, turning the bit brace into a large manual screwdriver when needed.
No. 1263 Extension Bit
An 18-inch extension with forged replaceable jaws, a gun-blue sleeve and polished shank. This catalog entry is especially important because it establishes that at least one Defiance No. 1263 was unquestionably an accessory, not a drill.
The Model Numbers That Keep the Research Interesting
Several older Defiance lists were assembled from surviving tools, secondary references and marketplace discoveries before all of the primary catalogs were available. Those conflicts are useful evidence rather than something to hide.
Catalog No. 139 clearly identifies 1263 as an 18-inch extension bit. A separate Montgomery Ward-related research lead identifies a 1263 breast drill. Until that second identification is firmly dated and documented, both records should remain separate.
Older working checklists placed the 1262 among ratcheting hand drills. A later Stanley list-price book instead places Defiance No. 1262 under bit braces and describes it as a 10-inch latch-pawl ratchet.
Working notes have called 1253 a ratcheting auger-bit brace and a corner-ratchet brace. The 1939 catalog lists it much more simply as the polished version of the open-ratchet 10-inch bit brace.
The small eggbeater drill remains an identification wrinkle. Surviving examples are reported with No. 18 markings while the 118 designation appears in catalog and collector references. Both are retained in the registry until the chronology is fully reconciled.
Identifying Defiance Drilling Tools
A model number is useful, but construction details often tell more of the story—especially when Stanley reused numbers in different periods or even across completely different tool categories.
The 1220 uses two steel pinions and a wide gear. The 1219 uses a single pinion. That difference is more reliable than judging a worn drill by paint alone.
Solid handles, hollow magazine handles, shutter tops and screw caps all help distinguish related hand-drill models. The 1220 originally stored eight drill points in its handle.
The 1247½ and 1265 are full breast drills, while the 1255 uses an adjustable plate on a smaller combination tool.
Ball-bearing heads, metal cladding, universal jaws, spring alligator jaws and simple pin jaws separate the various brace grades much more effectively than finish alone.
Natural wood, red gears, red handles and bright metal parts appear repeatedly in Defiance descriptions, but repainting and later Stanley/Handyman relatives make color an supporting clue rather than a final identification.
Original drill points, envelopes, auger bits and tool-chest inventories can establish relationships that are impossible to recover once a set has been broken up.
Continue Through the Defiance Archive
Several of these drills and braces also appear in complete Defiance tool sets, making the drilling section particularly useful when identifying incomplete chests and cabinets.