How Product Review Benchmarks Are Derived?
This isn’t any magic formula that we use when benchmarking products.
Below is a sample benchmark we use for reviewing surge protectors and they are based on a 100% scoring system if the criteria (e.g. Joules rating) are fully met against the standard we set. As I mentioned earlier, there isn’t any magic formula, it is just a simple mathematical formula we calculate based on the below criteria that we set.
Expert Score is where we provide an average rating for the product reviewed based on many aspects, primarily based on the average of the criteria scores.
Example: Review of Model X Surge Protector
If there are 5 criteria we base the review on, the average score will then be the total score divided by 5.
In this case, based on the standard criteria table below, the total of all 5 criteria is 410 out of 500 which amounts to an average score of 82.
Standard Criteria Table
Below is a list of standard criteria that we typically use for reviewing surge protection or similar devices:
| Criteria | Standard |
| No. of Outlets | > 10 outlets |
| Joules Rating | > 3000 Joules |
| No. of USB A ports | >= 3 |
| No. of USB C ports | >= 1 |
| Power Cord length | >= 8 feet |
| Other Features | Safety certifications | Fire-resistant housing | Coaxial/ Phone / Network port availability | Widely spaced out outlets | wall mount-ability, among other things |
| Amazon Review Rating | 5/5 |
| Warranty | < 24 months |
Note: there is no hard and fast rule on how many outlets must a standard surge protector have, coming out with 10 is just what our team derives as most suitable in the current market.
For example, based on the above, we would give a particular brand and model of surge protector that comes with 10 outlets a 100% rating for its number of outlets and only 80% for Joules Rating if it only comes with 2400 Joules.
Physical Review
Most of the time, the final score might be adjusted if Marc and I discover minor faults that might be a deal breaker for some people. For example, some models of surge protectors do come with tight sockets which makes it a pain to plug in any electrical devices.
Perfect Product Does Not Exist
While it is almost impossible to find a perfect product that satisfies the entire suite of criteria that we have, we always try to review those that strike a fine balance across the criteria that we set.
Different Criteria for Different Types of Products
The criteria we set will always be different depending on the product being reviewed. For example, gaming PC surge protectors will be reviewed based on a different set of criteria as opposed to that of a travel surge protector. This is for obvious reasons since a travel surge protector will not require any power cord hence it would not be appropriate to benchmark it based on power cord length.
Hope this will help provide a basic understanding of how we derive and rate our product reviews. Marc and I do our best to fact-check and proofread our reviews and information articles but sometimes human errors might happen and we are always appreciative whenever readers point them out to us. 😬
Free feel to contact us if you have feedback or suggestions that might help us improve. 🙂
