Four evidence labels
- Source-reported: a claim from an official product page, manual, support document, pricing page, software vendor, or rules body. The guide links to the source.
- Independently corroborated: a claim supported by a relevant third-party test or dataset. The guide identifies and links the evidence.
- First-hand: an observation from documented use. The notes must identify the product, date, firmware or software version, setup, conditions, and comparator where relevant.
- Analysis: our judgment about buyer fit, total cost, constraints, or tradeoffs. Analysis may use sourced facts, but it is still labeled as judgment.
Source-led review process
- Define the buyer question and the constraint that actually changes the answer: budget, room depth, device support, subscription tolerance, portability, or required metrics.
- Check current official prices, product status, manuals, setup requirements, compatibility, and recurring costs.
- Record a checked date and link material claims to their primary sources.
- Separate measured metrics from calculated or estimated outputs when the vendor documents that distinction.
- State who should buy, who should skip, and what new fact would change the recommendation.
Hands-on publish gate
A page may claim hands-on testing only when its underlying notes document the device, test date, firmware or software, environment, ball or target setup, sample size, and comparison method. Without that receipt, the page remains source-led and says so plainly.
What we evaluate
The recurring mechanisms are accuracy claims, measured versus calculated data, setup friction, room requirements, subscription costs, required balls or accessories, platform compatibility, portability, data export, warranty, and support limits.
Freshness and corrections
Prices, subscriptions, firmware, and availability move. Material updates receive a new checked date. If a source disappears or a claim can no longer be verified, the claim is removed, qualified, or held from publication.