Independent tool testing?

[Patrick123]

Just curios are there any organizations that test and compare hand tools? I notice I always see on here just personal opinion and anecdotal evidence. If any one knows of any scientific tests done on things like wrenches and ratchets etc I would love to look at them. Always interested in that kind of thing.

 

[Monte]

combination wrenches tested by a research institute for tools and materials:
http://wiesemann.eu/_UPLOAD/files/Oldtimermarkt.pdf

 

[Patrick123]

Very interesting wish I could understand more of it. Wish there was a an orginization that compared tools ever year and gave them ratings etc kinda like they do with cars.

 

[bob15]

Very interesting wish I could understand more of it. Wish there was a an orginization that compared tools ever year and gave them ratings etc kinda like they do with cars.

And what, tell us this year's Snap On 9/16 wrench has more options or chrome over last year's wrench? Or the latest PR screwdriver tips are better than last years?

As for the car ratings that magazines publish, I think those are a joke as well; they would have you believe that every GM car and truck are junk and every Volvo is great.


bob

 

[demographic]

Very interesting wish I could understand more of it. Wish there was a an orginization that compared tools ever year and gave them ratings etc kinda like they do with cars.

Basically it says that Snap On combination spanners aren't as strong in the open end as Hazet, despite costing considerably more.

 

[Monte]

impact bit comparison ( max torque/ lifetime)

part 1:

http://www.wiha.com/germany/content/download/62569/8015557/file/EN_VPA_Test_Report.pdf

part 2:

http://www.wiha.com/germany/content/download/62570/8015560/file/EN_VPA_Test_Graphs.pdf

 

[Patrick123]

bob15 even your example is wrong. GM as a brand ranks above Volvo on the charts. And American car companies have turned the quality around and now have many models that rank at the top. Today quality amoung cars manufacturers is very even around the world. And you do get some good informtion from these companies. And I know American car quality did go down for a long period. Being American does not garantee it is made well. Neither does being made in Germany or Japan for that matter.

And the post after yours talking about the study answers your other point. It would tell you what wrench really was the strongest for example. And it would show if you quality of a product from a company is going up or down. If one product is lemon or a gem.

Any way if the studies are done correctly they would be very informative.

 

[pipsters]

Popular Mechanics should do this test. I would love to read a whole issue on tool testing. For example,

Buy several combo wrenches (say 5 for a good sampling) of each major brand - Craftsman, Snap-On, MAC, Matco, Husky, Kobalt, Harbor Freight, Northern Tool. Test the wrenches on the open end side for spreadage and or breakage to a ft-lb. Do the same for the box end. Test sockets the same way, up to a breaking point, with a ft-lb rating - of several different sizes and drive sizes. Do the same for ratchets, different kinds and styles. Test impacts to see which are the most powerful. Harbor Freight, Northern, Craftsman, IR, Snap-On, Aircat, etc. Maybe throw some extensions in there to see if they break. They could do a pretty big series on it.

 

[Patrick123]

I agree pipsters that would be a very good thing they could do every year with popular mechanics.

 

[nick__m]

combination wrenches tested by a research institute for tools and materials:
http://wiesemann.eu/_UPLOAD/files/Oldtimermarkt.pdf

I don't think the results from this study are indicative of the true performance of the tools.

I can't read the articles but from looking at the pictures it looks like they are taking new wrenches and turning them on a fixed bolt a measure the maximum torque applied before they fail.

First the weakest wrench failed at 135Nm (excluding the outliar) which is about 100 ft.lbs and more than anyone in their right mind would put on a 13mm wrench. So the failure mode that they are testing for could only really be achievable with a cheater bar.

I would like to hear what you guys think causes most wrenches to fail (besides abuse). I think that over time they begin to fatigue so that eventually applying a torque that would not break it when new now breaks it.

 

[Patrick123]

Well I think it does tell us something just not everything. That is why it would be nice to have lots of tests. Like applying force over tens of thousands of times to see if it fatigues like you mentioned.

And I do think most wrenches fail because of abuse.

 

[MellyVan]

We could each sponsor 5 dollars, make a test team, buy one size socket, wrench, spanner of the same size from every brand and do the test. Otherwise it wont happen....

I'm in.... Who follows me?

 

[Hiball]

I've got 20 years of "personal" testing, started out with "Buffalo" branded tools, moved up to craftsman and over the years I've adapted my collection to fit my needs and preferences, which on a personal level can't be filled by "1" brand or test.

Yep .. Still have some buffalo tools and lots of craftsman along with cornwell, wright, snap on, Matco, SK, Gw, Hf, Mac along with probably other brands both domestic and abroad.

Just my opinion... I suspect to get a true torque rating on a wrench you would need test multiple wrenches from different production dates to get a average. There entertaining to read, but offer little influence on my purchases.

 

[Patrick123]

I agree I think you have have to test different batches to see how much each brand varies.