Editorial Policy

Our editorial standard is to earn your trust with clear methods, consistent scoring, and transparent updates. We separate revenue from recommendations and document why we pick what we pick.

Independence and Ethics

• No paid placements or guaranteed coverage.
• Brands cannot preview or edit reviews.
• Affiliate revenue never influences scores or pick status.
• Conflicts of interest are disclosed, and staff avoid outside consulting for covered brands.

Review Process

• Scope by task: we define jobs-to-be-done first, then select tools that realistically compete.
• Standardized testing: we follow our published methodology and log setup details for reproducibility.
• Comparative context: results are discussed against class peers and adjacent voltage classes when relevant.

Scoring and Recommendations

• Scores blend objective metrics (runtime-per-Wh, torque-per-gram, thermal behavior) with human factors (balance, trigger, vibration).
• Picks are laddered: Starter Kit, Daily Driver, Heavy-Duty, and Value/Seasonal options.
• We call out warranty, service access, and platform breadth to protect long-term investment.

Product Sourcing

We purchase many items at retail. When we accept loaners, they are returned or donated. Acceptance does not guarantee coverage, positive or negative.

Updates and Corrections

We retest when major revisions ship (motors, packs, firmware) or performance meaningfully changes. Corrections are time-stamped with what changed and why.

Advertising and Affiliates

Display ads (if used) are placed to minimize distraction. Affiliate links are added after conclusions are written. If a retailer has poor availability or pricing, we say so—even if it reduces commissions.

Community and Feedback

We welcome replication. If you can’t reproduce our results, email your materials, bits, and pack health details, and we’ll investigate. Reader requests inform our test queue, and we publish rationale for inclusions and exclusions.