In order to be completely transparent, I’d like to share our review process here at A Fellow Fisherman, starting with how we go about picking products to review and how we choose to rank them within our product review pages.
How We Choose Products to Review
Before we even get into testing and ranking products, we first much pick which products to start with.
We typically aim to test at least twice the amount of products that we are going to end up ranking with our product review pages.
We select products to test by starting with the most popular manufacturers for certain product categories and narrowing down their products by user ratings, price points, and release dates, among other factors.
Next, we go to top marketplaces like Amazon, Bass Pro Shops, BackCountry, Fish USA, West Marine, Tackle Warehouse, and other sites, then sort by product category to find which product suits the product review that we are undertaking.
How We Review Products
Once we have the products in hand, we begin field-testing for a few days and sometimes a few weeks. We test in both freshwater and saltwater applications while we pursue different species of fish. A lot of the products require to be tested aboard a vessel, so in those cases, we use my 21′ Center Console on the coast of North Carolina to test such gear in saltwater.
Freshwater gear guides are done at nearby lakes in NC, SC, VA, and MD by myself, as well as Midwest states by Randy Tucker, our Midwest author.
How We Choose To Rank Products
After days or weeks of testing by our team, it’s time for us to rank and review products before publishing pages.
Ranking factors will always be different for each review, but in most cases, we use the following criteria:
- Overall performance
- Durability
- Reliability
- Price
- User Experience
- Customer support
- Warranty Policies
- User reviews
Not all reviews will include the aforementioned ranking factors, and some reviews will include other factors that have not been listed.
One thing I can guarantee is that all of our reviews are done with the user in mind and in the best interest of readers.
Also, we DO NOT change our rankings because one product pays a higher affiliate commission than the other.
Affiliate Disclosure
Most of the products we review do indeed have an affiliate link associated with them. Affiliate links are links from our site to a retailer that helps us earn commissions while supporting our work. This does not affect what we cover, nor does it affect the price that you may pay for a product.
Learn more by reading our disclaimer.
