Review Methodology

Last updated: August 16, 2026

Tool Bench Data does not test tools. No dynamometer, no cut-count trial, no runtime stopwatch. Our method is documentary: we read manufacturer specification sheets, record what they say and what they omit, convert everything into consistent units, and present the result so two tools can be compared on the same terms.

1. Where every figure comes from

Specifications are sourced in a fixed order: the manufacturer’s specification sheet or manual first, its official product page second, a retailer listing last and only when nothing better exists — retail feeds are frequently stale and routinely carry figures for a superseded variant of the same model number.

Where two manufacturer sources disagree, we say so rather than choosing the more flattering number. Where a figure does not exist, we leave the field empty. An absent specification is information in itself, and filling it with an estimate would make the comparison look more complete while making it less true.

2. The fields we record

The core specification set varies by category, but these are recorded wherever a manufacturer publishes them:

• Torque — maximum torque in Nm and in-lbs, plus the measurement condition where stated
• No-load speed — RPM as a range per gear, not a single peak figure
• Impact rate — blows or impacts per minute (BPM/IPM)
• Chuck — capacity in mm and inches, keyless or keyed, single- or dual-sleeve, or hex drive size
• Motor — brushless or brushed
• Battery platform — nominal voltage, pack format and brand rail
• Capacity and runtime — amp-hour rating, and any claimed runtime with the pack size and load condition it was quoted at
• Weight — bare-tool weight, separated from kit weight with a pack fitted
• Warranty — tool and battery terms, which frequently differ, plus any registration requirement

3. Why torque numbers get the heaviest caveat

Maximum torque is the headline specification in the drilling and fastening categories and the least comparable figure on the page, because manufacturers measure it inconsistently and are under no obligation to disclose which method produced the number on the box.

A hard-joint measurement drives the fastener against sudden, unyielding resistance; a soft-joint measurement lets resistance build gradually as the fastener draws into compressible material. The same tool yields materially different figures under the two conditions. Impact drivers and wrenches compound this, because some brands publish fastening torque and others nut-busting torque, and those differ substantially on identical hardware.

So we publish the manufacturer’s figure with its units intact — 1 Nm is approximately 8.85 in-lbs, and careless rounding between the two is where many published errors originate — and treat cross-brand torque as a weak signal. Speed ranges, impact rate, mechanism type and gear count indicate more reliably what a tool will do.

4. The platform-cost model

The analysis that distinguishes this site is the multi-year cost of battery-platform lock-in. It is arithmetic, not opinion, and we run it the same way every time: tools expected over five years, the pack capacities those tools realistically require, spare packs implied by high-draw duty cycles, and replacement as the original cells age.

On a mid-size collection the batteries and chargers frequently cost more than any single tool in it. That total, not the specification of the first tool you buy, should drive the brand decision — and it regularly reverses a ranking built on headline tool figures. The working is on the battery platforms hub.

5. What we refuse to publish

• Star ratings, review counts and aggregate reviewer sentiment. That data belongs to the retailers that collected it, and an averaged score conceals the tradeoffs a buyer needs to see.
• Exact prices. Cordless pricing changes too fast for a written figure to stay accurate. We use tiers and ranges.
• Claims we cannot source. If no manufacturer document supports it, it does not appear.
• Implied hands-on experience. We do not write as though we have used a tool we have not.

6. Updates and corrections

Manufacturers revise tools without always changing the model number, so figures decay. Every page shows a last-updated date, and we re-check specifications when a revision is published or a reader reports a mismatch. Corrections arriving with a manufacturer source attached are applied quickly — send them through contact. Funding arrangements are described on the disclosure page.