But traditional tests are coming under challenge. Researchers at some materials suppliers disparage these simple tests as low in accuracy and repeatability. New instrument modifications are offered to remedy some of these limitations. What's more, a movement has emerged to abandon Izod impact reporting (as per the ASTM D256 test protocol) in favor of the Charpy test (ISO 179), another pendulum impact method that is dominant in Europe. This shift is being driven mainly by the automotive industry as part of its global standardization efforts.

At present, sophisticated information from both instrumented impact and "real-life" testing is mainly used internally by material suppliers and compounders. Traditional Izod and dart impact tests continue to dominate material-specification data requested by processors and their customers. In fact, some sources see a growing number of plastics processors performing their own impact tests to ensure product consistency, rather than just relying on data provided by their material suppliers. Manufacturers of gas pipe, PVC siding, automotive components, sports helmets, ski boots, medical equipment, and even toys are typical examples of this growing user base.

Even traditional test instruments have seen some evolution in design over the past decade. There has been a trend from analog dials to digital readouts in pendulum testers, as well as more options for test automation, but the great majority of systems sold do not have all the bells and whistles. Instrumented falling-weight and pendulum testers incorporate more innovations. But fully automated systems with automatic specimen loading are still exceptionally rare, except in those very few labs where hundreds of tests are performed daily.