Editorial policy

Editorial policy

Every featured product on this site was ordered and hands-on tested by our testing team. We do not publish a shortlist entry for an item we have not received and examined at the bench.

Scoring

Scores use a five-point scale, written as X / 5, with 5 excellent and 1 very poor. Hands-on scores run from 4.0 to 5.0. We do not use percentages or ten-point scales, and any figure converted from an older format is restated on five points.

Separation of roles

• The editor-in-chief sets criteria and signs off on shortlist framing.
• The reviews editor runs bench testing and owns fit and QC findings.
• The research editor owns fee, timing and landed-cost data.

No single editor both tests a product and approves the final score alone. Corrections are handled under our corrections policy, and commercial links never change a score after publication.