How we test
We separate hands-on tests from source-based buying assessments. When we publish a measured score, we explain the test behind it; when a page is source-based, we label it clearly and avoid claims we have not verified ourselves.
Why there are no stars
Five stars cannot show the distance between two products, and distance is the only thing you want when you are comparing two open tabs. So we use a rail: a fixed scale, tick marks, and a marker where the unit landed. When we compare products, the markers sit on one shared rail, so the gap is something you see rather than something you calculate.
The faint band behind a marker is the range of every unit we have tested in that category. A score of 8.4 tells you little. A score of 8.4 sitting near the top of a band that runs from 3.1 to 9.2 tells you what you came for.
The bench
One flat, 118m², hardwood and 40mm shag carpet across two floors. Same rooms, same furniture, same thresholds, every time. A test that moves is not a test.
Carpet recovery. 20g of graded sand worked into a 1m² patch of 40mm shag, three passes, weighed recovery. Every unit gets the same carpet, the same sand and the same three passes.
Noise at maximum power. Measured 1m from the unit on hardwood with a calibrated meter, in a room at 32 dB ambient. Reported as the mean of three 30-second runs.
Runtime on mixed floors. Our own 118m² of hardwood and carpet across two floors, run to a flat battery. We report what we measured, not what the box claims.
Sample sizes, stated plainly
Hands-on reviews state the product tested, the test period and the measurements behind the score. Source-based pages state that they are source-based, cite the store or product pages used, and do not claim real-world performance, durability or checkout results that were not independently tested.
What we do not do
- We label whether a page is hands-on tested or source-based.
- We do not let a brand see a review before it is published.
- We do not change a score because a commission rate changed.
- We do not quote a price we have not checked in the last 24 hours. If our reading is older than that, the page says “check current price” instead of showing a number that may be wrong.
How we make money
When you buy through a link on this site, the store pays us a commission. It costs you nothing and it does not change the price you pay. It also does not change what we recommend: the buy list on every review shows every store we found, marks the genuinely cheapest one, and keeps out-of-stock stores visible rather than hiding them.
The full statement is on our affiliate disclosure page.