A good brace will have a universal chuck (will accept any bit with a square tang), a ratchet mechanize, and a ball-bearing head. Brace drills come in a range of sizes. The distance that the handle is offset from the frame is called the swing. The diameter that the handle travels around (twice the swing) is called the sweep. Generally, the sweep of different size brace drills is in increments of two inches. Most of the ones you’ll find are between 10” to 14”. The smaller sizes will fit smaller hands much better.
There are many places to find a brace drill but the best places will be antique stores and online auctions. You can find new ones, but they’ll probably cost more and be of far less quality. Be picky, there’s a lot of junk out there and there’s not much difference in price between the old rusted ones and the ones in good shape.
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