Reading the Spec
Duty cycle is the number that decides whether a tool survives the job
A duty cycle states how much of a fixed period a machine can work at a given output before it must rest. It is a thermal limit, and…
Reading the Spec
What the numbers on the box mean, and which of them predict anything.
21 articles · updated August 11, 2026 · page 1 of 2
Reading the Spec
Water-resistant, weatherproof and splashproof are words, not ratings
Some water claims point at a defined test with a number behind it. Others are adjectives a marketing department chose because nothing stops them.
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Reading the Spec
Peak ratings describe a moment, continuous ratings describe the product
Peak, maximum and surge figures are usually real measurements taken over intervals too short to matter. The continuous rating is…
Reading the Spec
Lumens are counted at the emitter and light is judged at the wall
A lumen total says how much light a source makes in every direction combined. It says nothing about where that light goes, what…
Reading the Spec
A decibel figure was measured in a room you do not have
Noise ratings on appliances are real measurements taken under standardised acoustic conditions. Almost everything that makes noise…
Reading the Spec
The cells inside a battery pack decide more than the amp-hour number
Two packs with the same voltage and capacity can behave very differently under load. The difference is cell count, cell format and…
Reading the Spec
Every category has one number that is cheap to increase
When a market settles on a single figure to compete over, engineering effort moves to that figure. The number keeps rising long…
Reading the Spec
Up to is a legal phrase and it changes what a number means
Qualified claims are drafted to be defensible rather than descriptive. Learning to read up to, typical, maximum and nominal turns a…
Reading the Spec
An energy label rates a test cycle, not the way you use the thing
Efficiency labels are measured under standardised programmes with defined loads. That makes them comparable between products and a…
Reading the Spec
Advertised weight leaves out the parts that make it work
Weight is one of the few specifications that is hard to fake and easy to omit. What gets excluded from the figure is a consistent…
Reading the Spec
Stainless steel is a family of alloys and the grade is the specification
Two products described as stainless steel can be made of metals with completely different corrosion resistance, hardness and cost.…
Reading the Spec
Cycle life depends entirely on where the maker draws the end of life
A cycle rating looks like a durability guarantee. It is a test result that depends on a chosen failure threshold, a defined load…