Manual steering

Just curious, does a manual 16:1 box still require less effort than a factory power steering box with no assist? Because I had to drive my Duster around (briefly, just a few miles to get back home) when my old P/S pump failed and there were times I was afraid I might rip the steering column out from under the dash. The smaller Grant steering wheel obviously didn't help but I figure most of you here aren't using a giant factory 'school-bus' wheel anyway.