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How I Review Gear

Real grows, real results, no fluff only means something if the standard behind it is written down. Here it is.

  1. Step 1

    How the product was acquired

    Every review states whether the gear was bought at retail, provided by the manufacturer, sent as a review sample, or discounted, along with an approximate date. If a review does not say a product was supplied, it was bought.

  2. Step 2

    How long it was used

    A real review states how long the product ran in an actual grow, and in what environment (tent size, medium, grow style). An unboxing or a setup walkthrough is labeled as exactly that, not as a full review.

  3. Step 3

    What was measured

    Where a claim can be measured, the measurement is shown: noise, wattage draw at the wall, humidity or temperature deltas, logging accuracy against a second meter, and so on. Numbers beat impressions.

  4. Step 4

    Strengths and weaknesses

    Both are listed. A review with no weaknesses is not a review.

  5. Step 5

    Who it is and isn't for

    Gear that is right for one grower is wrong for another. Reviews call out the best-fit and poor-fit user instead of declaring a universal winner.

  6. Step 6

    Alternatives

    Where a real alternative has been used, it is named and compared. Comparisons based only on published specifications are labeled as spec comparisons, not hands-on tests.

  7. Step 7

    Long-term updates

    Reliability shows up over months, not days. Reviews of gear kept in service get dated update entries when something changes: a failure, a firmware update, a warranty interaction.

  8. Step 8

    Disclosure

    Affiliate relationships and any supplied product are disclosed on the page. Compensation does not guarantee positive coverage.

This standard applies to new and updated reviews going forward. Older content on the site is being brought up to this bar over time, and not every existing page has been through the full process yet. When a page has, it will show a reviewed date.

Found something that looks wrong or out of date? Corrections are welcome at hello@218cultivation.com. See also the affiliate disclosure.