“One piece doesn’t make statistics”. Rawlplug’s strength tests of mechanical and power tools

What does it depend on then? The answer is: on the factors related to the way in which the tool is used. Take a drill bit for metal, for example. Its strength, namely the ability to drill a certain number of holes, is always specified by the manufacturer for ideal conditions. These conditions include the type of material to be drilled in, the supporting substrate, the rotational speed, the drilling depth, or the presence of coolant. While they are negligible in occasional home use, they assume key importance at the construction site. At the same time, it is precisely at the latter, where a lot of drilling takes place and where it is done rapidly, that the ideal set of conditions is kept least often, as dry drilling is most frequent, and the rotational speed is often high and does not match the drill bit diameter, which leads to a substantial reduction of the latter’s service life.

Hands-on, practical tests

How do we test our tools? 

It is worth mentioning that a key term in the case of power tools is service life, i.e. the assumed period over which the machine is expected to remain fully functional and safe to use. Although there is no legal obligation to set such a parameter for power tools used at construction sites, such as rotary hammers or nailers, manufacturers assume intervals at which specific device components should undergo maintenance or be replaced to ensure full functionality of the machine.

These are just some of the elements of the tool tests which constitute a fixed part of the process of improving existing products, developing new ones, and having them approved for use. We have different sets of tests for various products, adapted to the specific items and their intended use.