Questions about ScubaDiving.com??

[Chad Carney]

Larry,

The review *is* the ad. Do you think you can get a testers choice rating from Rodales without paying for it?

R..

Rodales sold Scuba Diving Magazine a few years ago.

Yes, you get the review in their publication without paying for it, and if you rate a testers choice that's free too, in that article. If you want to use their copyrighted "Testers Choice" in your own ad or elsewhere, you have to pay for that.

It's been years since we have advertised with them. Since then Flatheads, Envoys, Envoy Dlxs, Stilettos, and many accessories have been awarded "Testers Choice" ratings.

Sure there have been flaws in gear tests, it's obviously not easy. And many products are not scientific, like regulator breathing machine scores. Nobody is perfect, but they have consistantly done the best job I've seen, especially when compared to other publications that have stated they are testing or comparing products. Most publications will take the easier road of just writing product reviews, even if they do demo the products.

Chad
Zeagle Rep

 

[Diver0001]

Yes, you get the review in their publication without paying for it, and if you rate a testers choice that's free too, in that article. If you want to use their copyrighted "Testers Choice" in your own ad or elsewhere, you have to pay for that.

I see. Perhaps I'm much more cynical about these things than I should be.

I was under the impression that the reviews in "Scuba Diving Magazine" were written and paid for by the manufacturers ahead of time. I think this because I've seen too many reviews that looked like advertisements and one in particular that I can remember where the text in the magazine "review" was identical to text in the manufacturers brochure. It was a few years ago and I think it was an Aqualung regulator but I could be mistaken. Things like this made me think that (a) Rodales (or whoever) aren't writing the reviews and (b) that it has more to do with a form of advertising than it has to do with anything even remotely related to "testing".

R..

 

[Chad Carney]

You can get very good advice on a forum, but you often have to sift it out from plenty of inaccurate information as well, and that's hard for a novice to accomplish.

Publishers must endeavor to print only accurate information, unless it is stated as editorial.

Chad
Zeagle biased

 

[Chad Carney]

It's little wonder that there is confusion about publications and product reviews. The word review has many meanings.

Some magazines print product reviews or previews that just provide a look at products, and usually they are advertisers or potential advertisers. Often the information comes from the manufacturer. I've written plenty of these for Spearfishing Magazine, and often try to include some personal knowledge from demo diving the product. I avoid comparison to other products as it is not a gear comparison.

Scubadiving Magazine and a few others over the years, that also use the word review, use it in another way, and often interchange the word test or comparison. The line is drawn when there is a direct statement or assumption that the review is impartial.

Magazines are for profit businesses, like any other, and I see nothing wrong with giving an advertiser a perk, as long as there is no doubt about the presentation.

Anyway that's MHO from my experience.

Chad
(Not connected to Scubadiving Magazine in any fashion.)

 

[Diver0001]

Some magazines print product reviews or previews that just provide a look at products, and usually they are advertisers or potential advertisers. Often the information comes from the manufacturer. I've written plenty of these for Spearfishing Magazine, and often try to include some personal knowledge from demo diving the product. I avoid comparison to other products as it is not a gear comparison.

Yeah, this must be what I saw and thought was a "test".

Magazines are for profit businesses, like any other, and I see nothing wrong with giving an advertiser a perk, as long as there is no doubt about the presentation.

Very true. NO problem there but the key is what you said "there is no doubt about the presentation" Apparently there often is and i'm not all *that* convinced that the publishers really feel the need to clarify....

R..

 

[Bob3]

...I was under the impression that the reviews in "Scuba Diving Magazine" were written and paid for by the manufacturers ahead of time....

Nope, not at all. I regularly get notices of upcoming tests (I'm an importer/distributor) & I've never advertised with them.
Any notable variations you'll see in similar products will come from having different testers offering their own opinions. What may be important to one tester may not matter to another.
[inserting gratuitous plug]
For instance: The 4mm Endurotech gloves with the internal cuff are often more of a chore to wiggle into than a glove w/o the internal cuff. Where the extra work pays off is in warmth, so if a person isn't diving cold water, or doesn't need the extra toughness of all the the Kevlar, an el-cheapo glove may rank higher in spite of the fact of the Endurotech outlasting it by a factor of 100.

 

[ZzzKing]

Rodales sold Scuba Diving Magazine a few years ago.

Yes, you get the review in their publication without paying for it, and if you rate a testers choice that's free too, in that article. If you want to use their copyrighted "Testers Choice" in your own ad or elsewhere, you have to pay for that.

It's been years since we have advertised with them. Since then Flatheads, Envoys, Envoy Dlxs, Stilettos, and many accessories have been awarded "Testers Choice" ratings.

Sure there have been flaws in gear tests, it's obviously not easy. And many products are not scientific, like regulator breathing machine scores. Nobody is perfect, but they have consistantly done the best job I've seen, especially when compared to other publications that have stated they are testing or comparing products. Most publications will take the easier road of just writing product reviews, even if they do demo the products.

Chad
Zeagle Rep

Chad, I don't think I saw anywhere in your posting where you thanked Larry for calling you a "cheap %$^$#". Not very good manners...

 

[scubatoys]

Chad, I don't think I saw anywhere in your posting where you thanked Larry for calling you a "cheap %$^$#". Not very good manners...

That's because it's Scott that is the cheap %$^$#. Chad is a rep - Scott would be the one cutting checks to a magazine... and probably to Chad.

 

[ProfessorAronnax]

Scuba Diving Mag is who we look to for unbiased info on gear. They're the Consumer Reports of the Dive World! I use them all the time.

Rap

 

[Chad Carney]

That's because it's Scott that is the cheap %$^$#. Chad is a rep - Scott would be the one cutting checks to a magazine... and probably to Chad.

Larry,

You are absolutely right about Zeagle and Scuba Diving Magazine.

However, I've not known Scott to be cheap. (I'll bet he avoids the accounting department like it's the dentists office!)

Chad