stress testing tools

[Kracin]

i see a lot of back and forth about quality of tools, but has anyone put tools through their paces through standardized (as much as possible in a garage setting) stress testing? ratchets, wrenches, air tools, screwdrivers, whatever you can possibly do to see how things really hold up?


haven't seen too much so far.

 

[diesel research]

in order to really do this, you need something like an MTS or other torque loadcell test stand.

BUT "quality" goes waaaay beyond sheer strength or durability. subjective ergonomics, fit/finish, "usability", etc.

"my ratchet never broke" does NOT mean it always worked, worked efficiently, or comfortable.

there have been a few tests done on sockets or wrenches, not much conclusive. famous socket contact test and german wrench test come to mind.

 

[Kracin]

in order to really do this, you need something like an MTS or other torque loadcell test stand.

BUT "quality" goes waaaay beyond sheer strength or durability. subjective ergonomics, fit/finish, "usability", etc.

"my ratchet never broke" does NOT mean it always worked, worked efficiently, or comfortable.

there have been a few tests done on sockets or wrenches, not much conclusive. famous socket contact test and german wrench test come to mind.

true but i'm not talking about subjective quality, because i prefer smooth circular handles on my ratchets, and some people prefer hard plastic, and some like craftsman style. this is about raw data as much as possible to say that the tool will fail after X amount of pressure.

other things like, how dirty can you get the ratchet before it stops working can be done fairly easily. i was looking more for people who might have tested the quality of the metal used, because honestly if you have ever worked in different facilities that use commonplace tool and die press machines to make things, there isn't much difference when it comes to how the tool is made.. the difference comes in the special processes that each uses to harden and finish their product. ie, difference in open end wrench designs, how each wrench stands up to open end flexing.



there is a lot of personal preference when it comes to tools for sure, more than i like to hear when i see the words thrown around like it was research done in a controlled environment

 

[diesel research]

if you have ever worked in different facilities that use commonplace tool and die press machines to make things, there isn't much difference when it comes to how the tool is made

i do work in a controlled environment, but am not paid to test hand tools with these machines and processes.

one issue is inconsistency in these processes, and the quality control in place to weed out these inconsistencies.

that is one way cheaper manufacturers make a profit margin even at lower price ranges. these are the tools that seem to have vastly different reviews. simply scrapping/reworking less, by way of looser "go/no-go" tolerances, reduces production costs. that makes "shootout" testing highly unreliable, as the product varies vastly batch to batch, piece to piece, shift to shift. sometimes the same product may be coming from multiple plants or even companies. talk about a real **** shoot.

im not mentioning any brand names, but you are well aware some brands have a love-hate fanfare due to inconsistent mfg processes.

 

[helterskelter]

One quickie method would be to scan the wrenches and model them and run FEA analysis to see which fails first. But I'd guess the cheapie wrenches would win because of additional metal (all else being equal). The truth is in the metallurgy and you'd need to test a boatload of wrenches to draw a reasonable conclusion.

I did recently hardness test a set of chinese vice grips and they were in the low 40's HRC. Compared to a knipex set of pliers in the 55+ HRC range. The quality of steel used is a huge factor, and quality tool steel is substantially more expensive than junk grade steels.

So stress testing wrenches is impractical due to the costs. Bottom line is you get what you pay for :-/.

 

[sberry]

I have done a version of it. Last time we bought a big sears set put bolt heads in the vise and tested each socket, did it by mechanic feel but we broke a few and they were faulty right off. As I recall someone here dis somne stest similar to some ansi ?// stuff on wrenches, seems some of the cheap stuff scored the same.

I think in miodern mfg some of it is the same as top brands, its cheaper to use the same product, sort it in to different boxs, add some finish or features to change the brand and price, cheaper to give some hiden quality away than to make whole other product line and stock to save 20$ a ton on raw metal cost.

Some of the cheap torx bits seem to work as good as some of the best, same for screwdriver bits, some sockets and wrenches and seen some adjustables in off brand knockoffs I know are the same wrench as the branded. I found some cheap combo wrenches today, real junk and its obvious and they were older, no one claims they are foolers but I have seen others that are perfect clones, they come from the same blank.

As I mention want to see this in action look over all the hand can openers at Walmart some time. Pay attn to model price and brand. The cheap and the expensive were the same unit, all the ones in the middle cheaper made.