With hands it faster, and you'd get more than with the pump. When I resumed from my maternity leave, I wanted to keep up with my exclusive breastfeeding, so I bought the pump. After pumping for so long, I'd end up getting 4oz, that's was when I read about using hand on Google. But the side effect in using hand is that you'd be exerting so much pressure on the breast and it can... Fall. Lol I was able to do the exclusive till 4months and a week.