Editorial Standards

Every American Buyer recommendation is backed by measurement data.

The American Buyer scoring system

Every product receives a score from 1.0 to 10.0 across five category-specific criteria. The overall score is a weighted average, with weights determined by each criterion’s importance to the real-world experience of American consumers.

How we test

1. Product acquisition

We purchase every product at full U.S. retail price from the same channels available to our readers. We do not accept free review units, pre-production samples, or sponsored products.

2. Controlled testing

Each product category has a standardized testing protocol developed by our editorial team. Protocols specify exact test conditions, measurement instruments, sample sizes, and evaluation criteria.

3. Panel evaluation

Subjective criteria are evaluated by a panel of at least three testers. Individual panelist scores are averaged and weighted equally.

4. Long-term durability

Our minimum test period is two weeks, extending to six months for products where long-term performance matters.

5. Competitive benchmarking

Every product is compared against at least five direct competitors available to American consumers.

Corrections

If we make an error, we correct it prominently. Report errors to [email protected].