We try it first. You buy it once.
Every product on this site lived for weeks in a real kitchen, a real bedroom or a real rucksack before it earned a place in a ranking. We hold on to what works, we tell you what fell apart, and you save yourself the guesswork.
Just finished testing
Our latest rankings. Each one comes at the end of a complete test cycle, so the verdict reflects the second month of use, not the first five minutes.
New tests are on the bench right now. Check back soon.
Choose a category
Begin with what you're shopping for. Each category has its own scoring sheet, because you judge a pillow and a blender on very different things.
Why you can trust our picks
Six rules we stick to, whatever the product and whichever brand makes it.
We pay the shelf price
Our test units come from the same shops you use. No specially chosen samples posted to us by a brand's PR team.
Weeks, not an afternoon
Nearly everything looks brilliant on day one. We keep using it until the weak points appear, usually around week three.
We publish the flaws
Every pick comes with a list of cons. If we can't find a genuine one, we haven't tested it for long enough.
No paid places
Brands can't pay for a higher spot. We earn the same commission whether a product is number one or number five.
Criteria written down first
Before any test begins we note what matters in that category and how much each point counts. We score against that list, never the other way round.
Retested when things change
A new model, a big price rise or a run of reader complaints sends the ranking straight back to the bench.
How a product earns its place
The same six steps whether it's a £15 gadget or a £750 appliance.
We draw up a shortlist
Best sellers, up-and-coming brands and the models you email us about. Usually 12 to 20 candidates per category.
We buy them
From ordinary retailers, with our own money, delivered to our testers' homes like any other order.
We use them every day
Three to six weeks of daily use in real homes and flats. Children, pets and British weather included.
We measure
Noise, battery life, temperature, time saved. Whatever the category calls for, logged on the same sheet for every model.
We read what buyers say
Thousands of verified customer reviews, filtered for long-term faults we might miss in a few weeks.
We rank and check back
Weighted scores set the order. Then we return every few months and update whatever has changed.
Latest from the blog
Buying guides, test diaries and the handy tricks we learn along the way.
New tests are on the bench right now. Check back soon.
Thinking of buying something?
Tell us what's on your wish list. When enough of you ask for the same thing, it goes on the bench next.