Alex Rivera

Lead Test Engineer · BuyingBench

Alex owns BuyingBench's test protocol and scoring criteria. Every head-to-head matchup on the site is built against that protocol — the same criteria applied the same way to every product, and a bias toward specs you can actually verify. If a claim can't be traced to a checkable figure, it doesn't make it into the article.

product testing consumer electronics test methodology measurement instrumentation
Editorial disclosure: Alex Rivera is a BuyingBench editorial contributor. Every article published under this byline states the sources behind it and whether the product was purchased or physically tested. More about our process.

Tests by Alex Rivera

Compact air fryer on a kitchen counter with a basket of crisped food

Best Air Fryers Under $100

COSORI Pro LE (5 Qt) is our top pick at $99.99 — three compact air fryers compared for small kitchens and one- or two-person meals.

Dash Tasti-Crisp Digital Air Fryer (2.6 Qt)
Instant Vortex Plus Mini Air Fryer (4 Qt)
COSORI Pro LE Air Fryer (5 Qt)

KitchenCategory Test

8.8/10 top score

5 min read

How Alex works

Every head-to-head on BuyingBench starts from a written protocol — the same criteria, applied the same way, to every product in the comparison. Power draw, capacity, build materials, battery life, noise: each one has to come from a figure that can be pointed at and checked, not a subjective impression.

Where an article is a hands-on lab test, that means measurements taken from the unit itself. Where it is a research-based comparison — which is what BuyingBench’s current coverage is — it means manufacturer-published specifications, aggregated verified-buyer feedback, and cited third-party sources, compared against those same criteria. Every article states which kind it is on the page.

What Alex won’t write

  • A comparison that doesn’t disclose whether the product was physically tested
  • Marketing claims passed through uncritically
  • “Winner” calls that come down to a vibe instead of a number

If a product’s datasheet and the aggregated real-world reports disagree, that disagreement goes in the article rather than getting smoothed over.