My test lab

Testing doesn't happen at the kitchen table.

My reviews aren't written in isolation. My main job is at Bildungsinstitut PSCHERER gGmbH in Lengenfeld, in the Vogtland region — which gives me access to a well-equipped test lab with 3D printers, laser engravers, and a full electrical engineering workshop.

That's exactly where I test the devices I write about: under real workshop conditions, with measuring equipment instead of gut feeling. At the same time, the lab is my classroom. I teach students from grade 7 onward, as well as adult participants, in electrical engineering, soldering, 3D printing, and laser technology — theory and practice side by side. Anyone learning with me gets hands-on with the technology instead of just watching.

This dual role — testing and teaching in the same place — is also why I measure manufacturer claims myself rather than taking them at face value. In a classroom you find out immediately whether a device holds up, or whether students and participants get stuck at exactly the point the spec sheet glossed over.