Extreme tests - what would you like to see?

Have you seen an ‘extreme test’ like the one on this iPhone below?

We’re looking to do some extreme testing of our own, and we’re calling for ideas.

Are there any products that you would like to see put through their paces? Share your ideas in the comments below.

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We’d love to here from our @Safety-Campaigner group for any ideas.

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Helmets in real world scenarios - motorcycle, pushbike, skate … Helmets are an interesting topic all round given the inconsistent laws relating to standards they comply to (local, overseas) and in different jurisdictions/states/etc…

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7 posts were split to a new topic: Bicycle Hemets

Some people really do have too much time on their hands, along with lots of money, but not much sense!

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… maybe some extreme speedometer tests? :wink:

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It depends on what you mean by ‘extreme test’.

While it may be fun to find out if a phone survives running over with a car it doesn’t provide any useful information for the general consumer who realise that such is not what you are supposed to do with phones. The example provided hints that you mean trying absurd uses of products that they were never designed for. My 13 YO self would like that, similar to that TV series that crashes, burns and explodes stuff in the name of investigation. My adult self not so much.

If you mean testing at the extreme end of proper use that a product might experience to see where the failure point is it would be more value.

So you do want to provide useful information or entertainment?

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@syncretic, hopefully we can provide a bit of both :slightly_smiling_face: Your previous request on aluminium foil had been considered, so if you have any other ideas we’d like to hear them.

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Damn, will have to stop doing burnouts on my phone as the craze looks like it is taking off.

But seriously, things like temperature extremes for electronic devices…e.g. leaving a smart phone/laptop on the dash on a hot Australian summer’s day or placing the same devices in very cold conditions (say less than -30°C which devices could be exposed in in Siberia or northern Saskatchewan…

What happens if you don’t heed the operating warning of equipment, tools or appliances? There are potentially hundreds here as every manual/user guide appears to have more and more warnings…

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If I drive the car to work I leave the phone in it all day, under what is effectively a carport (no direct sun) and it is often off through heat at the end of the day even with the windows down an inch :slight_smile:

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I don’t know about extreme but how about testing the huge range of toilet cleaners that claim to “clean’ remove stains” and such but I have tried several but apart from putting a scent? in the air they don’t seem to do anything. I am talking about the ones that hang on the inside of the bowl as well as the liquid ones. Thanks

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Has been done by Choice recently.

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That was just the liquid toilet cleaners, not including

I would also like to see the ones that dissolve in the cistern in a test.

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Thanks for the suggestions everyone, please keep them coming :thumbsup:

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There are so many products out there with a “correct, according to the label” usage, and then how they are actually used. For example, how many people actually wait the 20 minutes after applying sunscreen before being exposed to the sun?
So, test in the way that they’re actually used - slopped on 30 seconds before running into the water, and jumping out of the pool wet, quick dry off with a towel, followed by jumping straight back in the water again.

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I agree.

Perhaps some of your testing could be done in other than the pristine lab conditions you use. Those of us who live near the sea notice a marked deterioration and shorter life span in all electrical and electronic devices from the airborne salt and humidity. So how about toughening up buttercup and adding a bit of real life to it by testing at conditions found at Cape York all the way down to what is encountered at the South East Cape.

My suggestions:

  1. Mobile phones, GPS/DVR etc devices, suction holders for these devices. (Cook them real good)
  2. What about watches? How do the various claims about water resistance/water proofness stand up? (Pressure pump them till them implode.)
  3. How do things (such as security cameras or flood lights) with IP ratings stand up to the claims? (Wind tunnel testing to replicate a tropical cyclone.)
  4. Can you test weather stations in weather conditions that may be encountered around Australia and see how long they last? The last one we had (approx $200 worth) lasted less than two years before it was totally corroded and completely dead. (Wind tunnel testing to replicate a tropical cyclone.)
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Testing by the 'seashore" would be unscientific because the environment could not be controlled day to day. Lab conditions can replicate salt water infused air and many other things, which is what I think you mean by[quote=“meltam6554, post:21, topic:15113”]
the pristine lab conditions you use
[/quote]
Well said, and 1 to 4, yes!

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I’d like hoses and outdoor plastic and fabric tested under extreme heat, cold, and UV. Some hoses after a day in the sun when used I notice have foam in the spray for a short time and they become brittle in very cold conditions. I have seen outdoor sunshades, umbrellas etc fade and disintegrate in rapid time. Plastics become brittle or powdery.

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Hearing protection - earplugs for motorcycling, rock concerts (not me, but some crazy people do :wink: ), gardening with power tools, wharever
Raises the question of other sorts of protection (leaving one category well alone) - eye, hand, etc

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Cut resistant gloves - often used in kitchens and by trades people. Will they really stop a sharp knife?

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