Anyone notice this about magazine equipment reviews?

[Kharon]

It's gotten to the point where I don't even look at the equipment reviews in magazines anymore. First, they are all about pricy, spendy, expensive models. Do the words "sticker shock" come to mind? Second, you NEVER see a single significant criticism.

There have to be new inexpensive models that are worthy of review. And surely there must be some duds out there. If every model reviewed is great then it makes no difference which you buy and use so the reviews are meaningless.

The fact that it's only high end stuff that's being reviewed makes me suspect the integrity of the review process. It seems that reviews have degenerated into advertisements without the notification that they are commercials for the manufacturer.

 

[Lorenzoid]

It's gotten to the point where I don't even look at the equipment reviews in magazines anymore. First, they are all about pricy, spendy, expensive models. Do the words "sticker shock" come to mind? Second, you NEVER see a single significant criticism.

There have to be new inexpensive models that are worthy of review. And surely there must be some duds out there. If every model reviewed is great then it makes no difference which you buy and use so the reviews are meaningless.

The fact that it's only high end stuff that's being reviewed makes me suspect the integrity of the review process. It seems that reviews have degenerated into advertisements without the notification that they are commercials for the manufacturer.

My understanding is that the magazines generally review only gear that manufacturers have submitted to them for that purpose. So it's not like a manufacturer is going to submit anything but the gear they are most proud of.

I'm not sure I agree that it's only "high end" gear. Sometimes Scuba Diving mag will rate something a "Best Buy." Did you see the review of regulators where they rated the Edge Epic a Best Buy?

As far as the reviews never being super-critical or finding a "dud," I have two comments. First, see above. A manufacturer is not going to submit their low-performing bargain gear, knowing it's going to be compared with higher-end gear. Second, most scuba gear is pretty darn good quality. It has to be, in order to be safe to dive with and to be competitive with other manufacturers' gear. Is there really much gear out there that a reviewer would think are truly "duds"?

 

[Bob DBF]

I'm in the "it makes no difference which you buy" school of thought.

Once you understand that magazine equipment reviews are ads in flimsy disguise, you will feel much better.



Bob
-------------------------------
"If you don't like it, go on the internet and complain." Brian Griffin

 

[fjpatrum]

My understanding is that the magazines generally review only gear that manufacturers have submitted to them for that purpose. So it's not like a manufacturer is going to submit anything but the gear they are most proud of.

I'm not sure I agree that it's only "high end" gear. Sometimes Scuba Diving mag will rate something a "Best Buy." Did you see the review of regulators where they rated the Edge Epic a Best Buy?

As far as the reviews never being super-critical or finding a "dud," I have two comments. First, see above. A manufacturer is not going to submit their low-performing bargain gear, knowing it's going to be compared with higher-end gear. Second, most scuba gear is pretty darn good quality. It has to be, in order to be safe to dive with and to be competitive with other manufacturers' gear. Is there really much gear out there that a reviewer would think are truly "duds"?

While I agree to some extent, this whole comment really only applies to regulators. Any other piece of gear could quite easily be lower quality and get a true review if the magazines chose to actually do that. That, however, simply doesn't happen.

It's not just diving gear, though. I pretty much ignore reviews by magazines and only read reviews by real users and consumers.

 

[Skittl1321]

Second, you NEVER see a single significant criticism.

Not scuba, but review related. I have a friend who has a well read blog, and thus gets a TON of free stuff to review. She has never posted a negative review. If she doesn't like something, she just doesn't say anything at all. I think her disclosure page about her receiving free product actually informs readers of this.

Since magazines rely not on subscribers, but on advertising, to make money, it seems that this would apply as well. They don't want to upset a manufacturer, so they just won't say anything about a product they don't like. A magazine like Consumer Reports, who pays for all the things they test and does not take advertising can offer negative feedback because they aren't caught in this dilemma. But they are highly unlikely to do a scuba issue.

Note: I still think reviews in magazines are accurate. They really do love the product. The reviews aren't lies. They just aren't going to tell you about the products they didn't like. Those don't get mentioned.

 

[Lorenzoid]

While I agree to some extent, this whole comment really only applies to regulators. Any other piece of gear could quite easily be lower quality and get a true review if the magazines chose to actually do that. That, however, simply doesn't happen.

I think it applies to most gear of the type they review, though I admittedly did have regulators in mind because of the safety consideration. Are there really "dud" BCs, masks, fins and wetsuits out there? My impression has been that even the really inexpensive (a relative term, since the price range from high end to low end is surprisingly narrow to me) ones work well enough for the average diver to be satisfied with them. If there are some that are just horrible, I guess I've just never paid attention to them. Maybe I should go over to LeisurePro and do a sort-by-lowest-to-highest-price and see what comes up.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

If you look at the other pages in the magazine you will likely find ads from the manufacturer who's gear/location was reviewed. The larger the ad, the better the review.

 

[Lorenzoid]

Yes, there's no question that the reviews are hugely subject to advertising bias. That's a given.

 

[supergaijin]

You mean they're biased?

I'm returning my Nitrox-Jet-Fuel Split Fins straight away and demanding my $650 back!

 

[Bopper]

The fact that it's only high end stuff that's being reviewed makes me suspect the integrity of the review process. It seems that reviews have degenerated into advertisements without the notification that they are commercials for the manufacturer.

There's a publication called Undercurrent that prides itself on being independent of manufacturer induced bias. Not sure they do reviews but you might find it to be a refreshing perspective.