Before diving into this I want to clarify that I do not claim to be an
expert on this but I do want to share what I believe to be important
when looking at a gear review to help you in a purchase of new gear. I
am also not attacking anyone for the way they may do gear reviews nor am
I saying that I do the best gear reviews out there. I am just sharing
what I think is useful in reviewing a gear review. I believe this information could be useful for both consumers as well as for companies looking for people to perform gear reviews.
As an online blogger I see a lot of "gear reviews" done by other
bloggers that have caught my eye. Some times the things that catch my
eye make me not believe a single thing on the review and in some
incidences even discredit the whole blog. Once again that is just my
opinion and I have my own reasoning for such conclusions. Other times
the things that catch my eye make me overly excited about the gear.
Reviews that are done right sell people like me on trying out new gear!
Below are some things I look for when reading a review.
How/Where they tested the gear:
It is important to look at how the reviewer tested the gear. When I was
talking to
Ribz Front Packs about their gear and possible doing a
review, the owner expressed a frustration of how some people doing a
review just wore the pack around the house. Be sure the review actually
FIELD tests the gear! Anyone can try something on inside a store but
the purpose of a review is to tell people how the gear performs in the
field. So when reading a review check for
WHERE they tested the gear
(if the reviewer does not specify if they used it in the field, it was
probably tested in their living room). Also look for how intense the
gear was tested. If you want gear that is durable and quality you need
to check to see if the gear was tested for a few days or if it was a
quick 5 minute "test" just so they could write a review and snap a few
pictures. By checking for these things you protect yourself from buying
something that isn't going to suit your needs or wasting money on
something that is going to fall apart the second time you use it.
How often they use it:
Another thing to look for is how often the gear was used. If the
reviewer only uses the item once for the review then the gear may not be as
valuable as they are claiming it to be. Look through the reviewers other
posts to see if they mention the product multiple times. With this I
know that you may not use some items as often as others but if a product
is worth it the reviewer will often mention it in other posts as well
as on their other social network accounts (ie. Facebook, twitter,
Instagram, etc...).
Pictures:
A quick easy way to see if a review is worth while is to take a look at
the pictures provided. If the pictures have houses, sidewalks, or
kitchen counters in the background then that may be a sign that the
review is lacking in quality field testing. Once again this isn't a
guarantee but be sure to check it out. If the reviewer says they took
the gear on an intense hunting trip and all you see are pictures with
kitchen cupboards in the background I would question the validity of the
review. Do take into consideration the time of year the review was done
also. If I sent out a review of my ice fishing gear in mid July then
the review would even cause myself to question how accurate it
would be.
Pro-Staff or not:
This is one of the items I struggle with the most. A pro staff member is
asked to promote a companies products so it is inevitable that they are
going to say the product is a good one. At the same time, most
pro-staff members are quality outdoors men who have worked hard to be
where they are in their social networking. Be sure not to be easily
convinced the product is good just because a pro-staff member says it
is. Be sure that the pro-staff member can chat with you about the
product, how they tested it, and what the products strengths and
weaknesses are. Many of the online bloggers have a twitter or Facebook
account where they would gladly chat with you about their review. This
is your way of making sure there aren't any inconsistencies between what
the review says and what the pro staffer has to say about the gear. It
is also important to ask the pro staffer if there are others who have
done a review on the same gear this way you can base your decision off
more than just one opinion.
Remember, these are just some things to look for and be aware of when using a review while searching for new gear. There are a lot of good bloggers out there who share some great information. Even with the best blogs out there, it is important that you do your research and not just take someone's word on it. This keeps us bloggers honest with the companies we promised to give their product a good review. If you are aware of these things you will be able to tell the difference between those who do gear reviews because they like to test the gear and give it an honest review and those who agree to do a "gear review" just to get their hands on some gear.
Like I said I don't claim to do the best gear reviews out there but I try to make sure my review gives the consumer as well as the producer the most honest opinion I can to ensure the product is accurately tested and reviewed. Some of the other bloggers I have see write and produce good reviews are:
SoCal Bowhunter,
Sole Adventure,
High Country Bowhunter,
The Will To Hunt, and a few others. Remember that This information is to protect yourself from buying a product that will not be good for you in the future. This is not information that is meant to bash or criticize anyone's blog or their efforts on gear reviews.
