Slightly OT for DIY but maybe someone here will know. Does anyone know about standardized tests for tools that allow tools to be directly compared? E.g. is there a standard concrete formulation for testing drills, or a standard slurry formulation for testing pumps etc.? Or are there equipment trials where all the manufacturers turn up with their latest product (drill, pump etc.) and it gets tested under controlled conditions? Do government procurement agencies etc. run trials whose results are widely shared and trusted?
I'm not looking to buy equipment myself, I'm doing some research into how industries measure improvements in technology. Any pointers would be much appreciated.
This used to be the domain of paper magazines. No matter what it was stereo systems, vacuum cleaners or drills, but seemingly not a lot of this is done nowadays, probably due to cost and instead we have the twitter and facebook generation doing subjective tests instead. Brian
But that follows directly on from 'the purpose of a consumer product is to part a fool and his money'
When you get to industrial and professional users, yes its a little bit different, but there again for the vast majority of cases its a question of 'if it sells make it'
If you buy a pipe cutter that is worse than the one you had before, you will be back at the trade counter complaining and you will get the old one. And that's what you will tell all your mates.
I am now using the style of razor I used back in the 60s. Basic bog standard safety razor. I have been through electric, multiblades, disposables...all utter junk.
Remember that there is very little real product development especially in the consumer product area. It is all FASHION.
The years when you could only buy silver domestic audio visual kit. The years when you could only buy black...
The years when all PC's were beige....or all cars had chrome and tailfins...
The world is driven by marketing, not genuine advances.
Industries don't measure improvements in technology, because by and large there either aren't any, or they are so obvious they don't need to, or they are so subtle it doesn't matter.
I recently replaced the motherboard in this computer with a new one that was 8 years newer than the last one. What difference? None, except that when editing a video it processes the video about 4 times faster.
Oh, and I had to disable all the UEFI bollocks that stops me installing Linux.
SSD is the last major advance in the PC world. People who care publish tests. I just know the damn thing boots 50 times quicker and launches programs 20 times quicker. Its a no brainer. I don't need the details.
I thought multiblades were bollocks when they came out.
With a few exceptions. Screws and fixings have leaped forward in the last 10 years. You have Rigifix, Fix-Its, all manner of Fischer products for difficult substrates. Wood screws have mushroomed and I love some of them (Screw-Tite, Spax in particular).
Yes. That's just fashion bollocks.
I am looking at a new Hyundai (get a big employer discount on their Affinity programme). The interior options were "black" (smart, but a bit boring, but yes, it's a good default) and "beige" which looked good on the web, but when I saw it in person gave me horror flashbacks to a Morris Marina! There's red, but only with certain exterior paints.
Have you noticed how most new cars look like SUVs now? Even tiny cars...
That can be got around - you need some funky tiny partition - forget the details, did it 2 years ago, once.
Well - except there's SSD and SSD. Some are dog slow (but faster than a spinning disk) and some die or do stupid stuff like earlier Samsung Evos (740 IIRC).
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