The Village Drill can do all that other manual drilling technologies can, and much, much more.
In certain situations other manual methods (i.e. water jetting, auguring or cable tool) can be effective in providing a single point well with a known substrate and a high water table. However, because of design limitations they have limited ability to pass through shallow groundwater, sand, harder substrate or even drill past 30 meters.
If the goal is a sustainable, self managed drilling business, by all measurable indicators the Village Drill has proven to be the most cost effective and sustainable method of borehole development, available.
What problems arise using other manual drilling technologies?
One of the difficulties of drilling is no one is certain what lies below the surface. The more limitations your drilling method has the more abandoned or dry holes you will encounter. This is devastating on two levels. One for the drill crew that may not get paid since they have failed to complete their agreement and two for the recipients who had their hopes of receiving clean water dashed. Dry holes and non-penetrable surfaces is the primary reason manual drilling businesses fail.
Drill Comparisons Chart More AdvantagesWhat is the true value of The Village Drill?
Having looked already at the effectiveness of The Village Drill, now lets look at margins. A typical Cable tool or auguring system weighs between 150-200 lbs, the Village Drill is over 2,500 lbs. As you can see in the graph, the cost of material to build the Village Drill compared to a cable tool is over 13 times greater, yet it is only slightly more expensive. If a cable tool or augering system was sold by weight (which is an important part of drilling) at the same margin as the Village Drill, the cost of these simple tools would be between $66,000-$87,000 USD.
Cost vs. Capabilities vs. Sustainability
If the goal is to build one or two wells in a known area of medium soil substrate then a cable tool and/or augering system are likely good options. If the goal is to create long term, profitable drill teams with the ability to service the widest amount of people, and to drill in as many regions as possible, the Village Drill is your best option. In the long term the Village Drill is much less expensive on almost every level, but the level that is typically most important to a business is that of sustainability.
Trailer mounted, motorized drills have similar drilling capabilities as the Village Drill but with the added motors, pumps, switches, gears, hydraulics, chain’s, et al. it is nearly impossible to sustain any long term drilling operation in the field due to devastating breakdowns.
The other disadvantage is the constant vibration the drilling motor creates, causes many more cave-in’s compared to other manual methods. Add to that the “lack of feel” of the bit penetration and the cost of lost or stuck bits skyrockets.
Large truck drill rigs can drill 300+ meters through shallow groundwater and hard substrate, but unfortunately they cannot reach 75+% of the people who are the most desperate because their trucks cannot travel off improved roads or fit into tight urban areas.