Zillow for Machine Tools?

One of the most valuable tools for navigating the housing market is the ability to bookmark houses during online research and cross-reference important specifications and features (e.g., no fireplace, no deal). Buying a house is one of the most significant — and expensive — decisions most people make in their lifetimes. But for manufacturers and shop owners, the purchase of a new machine tool is just as significant, often as costly, and every bit as stressful.

This is because the number of variables among brands and models are overwhelming, and side-by-side comparisons between different makes and models can be difficult or impossible to find. This functionality — the ability to make spec-by-spec comparisons between several brands of machines — is partly why the machine tool research site Techspex.com became so popular when it launched in the late 1990s.

Today, Techspex is the largest machine tool database in the world, containing detailed information and specifications on nearly 8,000 machine tools (for milling, turning, grinding and EDM) from hundreds of builders and brands. Companies from Tesla to Rolls Royce, Northrup Grumman to one-person garage shops use the site as a research tool.

A free research tool.

Why am I mentioning this? Because as the technological sophistication of machine tools advances, the variables that shop owners must consider when making purchasing decisions become more complex. And because Techspex is a product of Gardner Business Media — the publishers of Modern Machine Shop — I have been able to witness the evolution of Techspex over the years, including several recent updates to the site that have significantly increased its power and ease-of-use. These updates include:

Third-Party Authentication
- Third-party authentication through existing Google, Microsoft, LinkedIn or Facebook logins simplifies account creation and reduces the number of credentials you have to manage.
Updated Spex
- In recent weeks, the site has been updated with specifications for more than three hundred machine tools from leading builders. Techspex administrators are currently surveying machine tool builders and distributors to make sure their company information is accurate and up to date.
A New User Interface
- Updated specification filters narrow results to the machines that fit your requirements, while a revamped page layout enables comparison of machine options at a glance. You can also request a quote or save a search as a short URL to easily share it with colleagues.
A Simplified Request for Quote (RFQ)
- Cross-referencing machine data is an excellent capability to have during the search process for a machine tool, but most buyers will want to obtain multiple quotes to help refine their selections by cost. In any Techspex machine model listing, users can click the “RFQ” button to generate a detailed form that requests quotes from relevant machine suppliers and distributors. Over recent weeks, this RFQ process has been greatly simplified. Users only need to provide half as many details as before for Techspex to connect them with the appropriate sales representative.
Machine Tool Buying Guides
- The site now includes buying guides for all machine types to help users and provide key considerations when researching and purchasing a machine.

Other upgrades to the site include the ability to easily toggle between imperial and metric measurements, and a vastly updated catalog of videos from machine tool builders. Coming soon will be a direct tie-in between this publication’s “Modern Equipment Review” section to machine tool specs on the Techspex site. Then, users who read about new machines in Modern Machine Shop will easily be able to compare those machines with other models.

I encourage you to check out the revamped Techspex site when you have a chance. Even if you are not in the market for a new machine tool, the buying guide section alone presents a wealth of information that will be especially useful for people who are new to the industry. When you’ve had a chance to dig in, send us your feedback and let us know what tools or functionality you would like to see on the site. As always, feel free to email me at bdonaldson@mmsonline.com.