If I told you all that I learned at the Milwaukee Tools testing lab facility tour I’d have to kill you… then I’d have to turn myself over to authorities so that Milwaukee could prosecute me for violating their NDA agreement and letting out the secrets of their testing methodologies and procedures (yes, perhaps the murder trial would trump any NDA violations – but that’s not the point). The point is that I got a tour of their testing facilities and have committed all of their procedures and data to memory. In the event of my assassination, this information will be released to the news media along with the truth behind the JFK assassination and the location of Jimmy Hoffa (in case you’re wondering, he’s still alive).
Milwaukee Tools Testing Lab Facility
OK, back to the Milwaukee Tools testing lab facility. After donning wireless headsets so we could hear the “tour director”, we assembled in the material staging area. This is a room where the testing materials reside. We’re talking 4x4s with embedded nails, roofing material, EMT pipe, etc. We then took a look at the process for the various phases of testing that Milwaukee uses in the development and production of its accessories and tools. Their process is a mixture of extremely thorough and extremely fast-paced. There is an emphasis on rapid development as well as setting and meeting the specific design goals they have for their tools and accessories.
With respect to the testing facility, part of what Milwaukee tries to do is replicate real-world scenarios in the lab. Of course, there is also a suite of tests designed to baseline the competition from the industry leaders. It doesn’t do well to set goals without knowing what those goals should be. If you build an airplane and the competition is landing a rocket on the moon, you’re going to find yourself behind the times pretty quickly.
Milwaukee does both “controlled” and “uncontrolled” testing to get a better idea how accessories work in a variety of scenarios. In case you haven’t heard these terms before, controlled testing is done with machines and rigs that can exactly replicate a particular scenario or condition. Uncontrolled testing is placing the tool in somebody’s hands and letting them “have a go”. You can imagine which method we enjoy the most… Ultimately, this feedback helps develop new and more accurate testing methodologies that can be replicated with repeatable and quantifiable results.
With their SawZall Ax blade, for example, Milwaukee went through 1954 prototypes, 26,000 feet of lumber, 117,000 nails and 106,000 test cuts on wood. Yeah, that blade has some mileage under its belt. Think of that the next time you pick up an accessory from a well-known manufacturer… and the next time you pick one up from a no-name brand.
Within the Milwaukee Tools testing lab we saw racks and racks of test tools, all serialized and documented. It was more than a little impressive. It’s also humbling to think that all this work we saw goes into the development of both tools and accessories. Grabbing a tool and drilling through a few boards, or even taking the tool to a few jobsites, is nothing compared to the type of testing we witnessed. We need to remember that as reviewers when we pat ourselves on the back for our testing of tools. We certainly bring the experience in terms of use and ergonomics in the field, but we can’t forget the incredible amounts of testing each tool and accessory goes through before it ever gets to us – or the store shelves.
One of my favorite rooms in the Milwaukee Tools testing lab was one where automated tools were feeding conduit, black pipe, U-channel and threaded rod to Milwaukee blades which were basically being torture tested in near-continuous use cycles. This type of controlled testing was awesome to watch and it certainly gave us some ideas about how to do more repeatable accessory testing on our own as well.
We may not be able to show you pictures or tell you much more about the Milwaukee Tools testing lab facility, but it was an enjoyable experience and one that we wanted to share as best we could with our readers. In the event that we shared too much, you can look forward to more interesting articles as I test tools from the confines of the local penitentiary… Where I’ll undoubtedly develop a penchant for discerning the finer qualities of various files and rasps.
