Our Testing Methodology

How We Test

Every product we review goes through the same standardised testing protocol. No shortcuts, no special treatment, no exceptions. Here’s exactly how it works.

Purchase & Setup

We buy every product at full retail price from public retailers. We never accept free samples, sponsored units, or early-access products. This ensures our tests reflect the exact experience a regular customer would have.

Products are unboxed, charged (if applicable), and set up according to the manufacturer’s instructions before testing begins.

Testing Protocol

Each product is evaluated across four scoring dimensions, each rated 0–10:

Build Quality (25% of overall score)

We assess materials, assembly precision, seal integrity, and durability indicators. Specific checks include:

• Materials: What plastics, metals, or composites are used? Are they food-safe? BPA-free?
• Assembly: Do parts fit tightly? Any rattling, wobble, or misalignment?
• Seal test: Can the product be inverted without leaking? (Where applicable)
• Stress indicators: Flex points, thin spots, or areas likely to crack under repeated use

Performance (25% of overall score)

We test the product’s core function against standardised benchmarks. For blenders, this means blending identical ingredient batches. For other products, benchmarks are category-specific and disclosed in each test article.

• Primary function: Does the product do what it claims? How well?
• Speed: How long does it take to complete the task?
• Consistency: Does it perform the same way every time?
• Edge cases: What happens at the limits of its capability?

Value (25% of overall score)

We evaluate price relative to performance and build quality. A $20 product that performs adequately scores higher on value than a $60 product that performs marginally better.

• Price-to-performance ratio
• Included accessories and extras
• Warranty and support
• Cost of consumables or replacement parts

Ease of Use (25% of overall score)

We assess the full user experience: setup, daily use, cleaning, and storage.

• Setup complexity: How long from unboxing to first use?
• Daily operation: How intuitive is the interface? How many steps per use?
• Cleaning: Dishwasher-safe? Self-cleaning? Easy hand-wash? Or a nightmare?
• Storage: Compact? Comes with a case? Accessories that get lost?

Scoring

Each dimension is scored 0–10. The overall score is the unweighted average of all four dimensions, rounded to one decimal place.

What We Don’t Do

• We don’t accept sponsored products. Every product is purchased at retail price.
• We don’t accept payment for reviews. No brand can pay for a higher score or a favourable write-up.
• We don’t let brands preview or edit reviews. Tests are published without prior approval.
• We don’t hide negative results. If a product fails, we say so and explain why.

Affiliate Links

Our test articles contain affiliate links to the products we review. If you click a link and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. This is how we fund product purchases for testing.

Affiliate relationships have zero influence on our scores or recommendations. A product with a higher affiliate commission does not receive a higher score. See our affiliate disclosure for full details.

Questions?

If you have questions about our methodology or want to suggest a product for testing, email us at [email protected].