How we test
The protocols, the rigs, the minimum test periods, and the arrangements that make our obvious failure modes harder. Read this before you trust a number on this site.
Dana Whitlock
Editor-in-chief. Sets the test protocols, signs off every score, and keeps the spreadsheet where a product's price stays hidden until the testing is done.
7 articles · 2 reviews · Average score awarded 8.9
The best noise-cancelling headphones
We measured isolation across the band on a fixed rig, then wore all fourteen pairs on the same commute for a fortnight each. Two are worth your money.
Kestrel Meridian 14 review: the laptop that stops apologising in the second hour
It loses the benchmark and wins the afternoon. Eight weeks with the machine that holds 94% of its clocks after half an hour under load.
Lumenar Vista R7 review: autofocus that finally keeps up
Fifteen years of Lumenar owners have complained about one thing. The R7 fixes it, and changes almost nothing else.
Your next lens matters more than your next body
A body is a five-year decision and a mount is a twenty-year one. Almost everyone buying a camera has this the wrong way round.
Why we stopped recommending the cheapest thing that works
For three years we had a budget pick in every guide. Then we went back and measured what happened to them, and changed the policy.
The best home office setup, in the order you should buy it
A chair, a desk, and a lamp, tested for eight weeks each. The order matters more than the products, and almost everybody gets it wrong.
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