EDITORIAL STANDARD
How I test
Jon Tests is built around one rule: reviews come from products I genuinely own or use, with long-term experience whenever it matters and evidence clear enough for you to judge.
Real-world testing, not a pretend laboratory
Different products need different tests. A shoe, kitchen tool and electronic device should not be forced through the same scoring formula. I use practical methods that fit the product and state the limitations.
What qualifies as a review
For a single-product first-hand review, I must genuinely own or have used the product. When useful, the review states how long it has been used, how it was acquired and the conditions in which it was tested.
Evidence I look for
- Original photos: the product, details, wear, measurements or use context whenever practical.
- Relevant measurements: weight, dimensions, battery behaviour or other checks when they improve the decision.
- Repeated use: not just an unboxing impression when durability or learning curve matters.
- Comparisons: only with products I can discuss credibly and in the same context.
Claims, observations and uncertainty
Manufacturer specifications are identified as manufacturer claims. My observations are described as such. If I cannot verify something, I say so instead of filling the gap with a guess.
Strengths and weaknesses
A useful review reports both. I explain who a product suits, who should skip it, and which trade-offs affected the verdict.
How star ratings work
When a Jon Tests review has enough genuine first-hand evidence, I may use a site-owned rating on a 5-star scale. That number is not copied from Amazon, another retailer, or an average of customer reviews.
For each rated product, I choose 4–7 criteria that actually matter for that category, such as core performance, usability, durability, consistency, maintenance, design or value. The criteria are weighted to a total of 100%, with the most important buying factors receiving the most weight.
Each criterion is scored from 1.0 to 5.0 using documented first-hand experience and verified factual context where relevant. The overall rating is the weighted average: sum of each criterion score × its weight, rounded to one decimal place. If I do not have enough evidence to judge a criterion fairly, I leave it out and redistribute the weights rather than guessing.
Rated reviews show the criteria, weights, scores and the reasons behind them so the calculation can be understood and reproduced. Durability is not given strong weight after only short-term use, and a score may change after longer ownership, a failure, replacement or another material finding.
Research-only pages do not receive a Jon Tests star rating just to look more authoritative or to pursue search-result stars.
Legacy note: Reviews published before October 1, 2026 may use an earlier editorial rating format. When those reviews are materially updated, I will migrate them to the weighted method above rather than pretending the older number was calculated this way.
Updates and long-term use
Long-term ownership is a core part of Jon Tests. Reviews may be updated after more use, a failure, a software change or a meaningful durability finding. When months or years of ownership reveal something an initial review could not, that evidence should become part of the page.
Products received free
If a brand ever provides a product, that relationship will be disclosed clearly in the review. Free products do not buy a positive conclusion or editorial control.
Affiliate links
Some links may earn Jon Tests a commission at no extra cost to you. Affiliate relationships do not determine which strengths, flaws or conclusions appear in a review.