The method

How things end up on this list

Anyone can paste a hundred product links on a page and call it a store. That is not what this is. Every entry here has been through the same four steps, and things get removed as readily as they get added.

Replace this block with your own intro

Write two or three sentences here in your own words: who you are, what you actually do, and why you started keeping this list. Mention the thing that makes your recommendations worth trusting — the setup you run, the hours you have put in, the mistakes you have already made so readers do not have to. Keep it specific and keep it true. This paragraph does more work than anything else on the site.

The four steps

I buy it myself

No free samples, no review units, no brand relationships. Everything on this list was bought with my own money, which means nobody is owed a favourable write-up.

I live with it for a while

First impressions are worthless. Things that feel great on day one fall apart by week six, and things that seem dull turn out to be the ones you reach for every day. Nothing gets listed until enough time has passed to tell the difference.

I write down what is wrong with it

Every pick names its downsides. Not a token complaint, the real one — the thing that would make me hesitate before buying it again. If I cannot think of a genuine drawback, I have not used it long enough to be writing about it.

It stays only while it earns the spot

The list gets pruned. When something breaks, gets discontinued, or is beaten by a better option, it comes off. A recommendation list that only ever grows is a list nobody is maintaining.

Things I will not do

Take payment for placement

No brand can buy a spot on this list, at any price.

Chase the commission

Rates differ by category. The cheaper thing wins if it is the better thing.

Recommend what I have not used

If it is here, it has been in my hands. No spec-sheet reviews.

Pad the list to fill space

A short honest list beats a long padded one. Always.

This site earns a commission when you buy through its links, and that is what pays for the next thing that gets tested. It never decides what gets recommended.

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