The Philosophy Behind My Device Reviews

Most product reviewers are corrupt and just looking for a commission. Immerse yourself in any hobby and you will find that the reviewers are talking straight bullshit about devices you own, inventing imaginary scenarios in which any e-waste device is good to push unsuspecting idiots to buy so they can collect their commission.

My job as a reviewer is not to find a reason for you to buy something. My job is to determine whether a device deserves your money at all.

That means I am going to be much more willing to tell you not to buy something than many reviewers are. I will not look for the good aspects.

The answer can be: Do not buy it. Save your money. Wait for something better.

A cheaper product can justify some compromises. Minor flaws and somewhat lower quality are acceptable when the price reflects them. But there is a limit. A product should not get a pass merely because it is inexpensive if something else at a similar price does the same job substantially better.

Price matters, but value matters more.

Critical Flaws Make a Device Garbage

I do not believe in pretending a product is good overall because its list of strengths is longer than its list of weaknesses.

A critical flaw can invalidate an otherwise impressive device.

That flaw could be in the hardware, software, reliability, usability, performance, or anything else that makes the product meaningfully worse to own. The specific flaw matters less than its impact.

A critical flaw is a critical flaw.

I am not interested in telling someone to spend hundreds of dollars and then quietly accept that they will have to deal with something fundamentally broken, frustrating, unreliable, or poorly designed.

You should not have to.

A review should make those problems impossible to miss.

Do Not Buy Something Just Because It Is Available

One of the biggest differences between my philosophy and conventional reviewing is the willingness to recommend waiting.

There is always pressure to buy something now. A new product comes out. A reviewer gets early access. Readers want to know which version to buy. Stores are selling it. There is a constant expectation that the conclusion must end with a purchase recommendation.

I reject that.

Sometimes the correct answer is to keep the money in your account. Sometimes the correct answer is to wait six months. Sometimes the correct answer is to wait for the next generation. And sometimes the correct answer is simply to wait until manufacturers produce something that is actually worth buying.

Patience is key.

Do Not Compromise Just Because You Want Something Now

People are often encouraged to accept compromises because the perfect product does not exist. That is true. The perfect product probably does not exist.

But that does not mean you should buy a bad one.

There is a difference between accepting a minor imperfection and accepting a product with a serious flaw because you want the thing immediately.

You do not have to settle.

If nothing currently available meets your standards, keep what you have, save your money, and wait. A device that is merely acceptable today can become an obviously bad purchase when a substantially better option arrives shortly afterward.

That is why future-proofing matters too. Before buying something expensive, I want to know that it is unlikely to be immediately superseded by something that makes the purchase look foolish.

Why My Reviews May Sound Harsh

I think the technology review industry is generally too eager to recommend products. There is a tendency to find something positive to say, soften major criticisms, and eventually arrive at some version of "it's good for the right person."

Sometimes that is true. Sometimes it is just a polite way of avoiding saying that a product is bad.

I would rather be heavy-handed with disapproval than send someone toward an expensive mistake.

That means you will see Never Buy when I believe a product genuinely deserves it. You will see E-Waste when another product makes the same purchase difficult to justify. You will see Niche when a device is only worthwhile for a very specific demographic. And you will see Wait when the best decision is not to buy anything yet.

Those are not failures to recommend something. They are recommendations.

Patience Is Key

Wait. Save your money. Let better products arrive.

Patience is key.