Independent Gear Reviews

[bkraushaar]

Is there any good place that does truly independent gear/equipment reviews? It seems like the more you hear the more you realize that the majority of reviewers are somehow connected to the company they're reviewing (free gear/swag, cash, paid trips, whatever), just looking to get honest, unbiased reviews, if that's even possible. (For example, from what I can gather, Exo Mt Gear podcast are not sponsored, so -- in theory -- they can be independent in their evaluations.)

 

[Shraggs]

Rokslide forums are the best source

 

[DavePwns]

Exo is going to be fairly unbiased, they actively refuse affiliates so that they can use the gear that they want and pick what they think is best. Sorting though the various comments on gear on rokslide gives you a great overall picture as well. I'd say most of my current gear list has been vetted somewhat from other roksliders experiences and has worked out so far. For starters, all you need to know is SWFA, Tikka, darn tough, knight muzzleloader, spot hogg, hammer bullets, Easton Axis, crispi and steripin

 

[arlenmyles]

Mindful Reviews on Youtube and any podcast streaming

 

[V2Pnutrition]

Backwoods Pursuit.

Full disclosure: I write reviews for Gabe, but have followed his reviews long before I started doing so. He does a great job being unbiased, candid in his thoughts, and VERY thorough. He expects the same from everyone who writes for him as well.

 

[hereinaz]

I find that it is best to look at all the available sources, and just use it for what it’s worth. Rokslide is a good place to look for reviews and ask users.

I also like to look at reviews and see the three star reviews for products. What’s the complaints?

It’s hard, because even an unbiased review can be done in one context by one person. Even the most awesome gear is a personal choice and gets used differently. Or, gets used wrong or abused.

 

[BRobertson]

When I was manufacturing aluminum gun cases many years
ago my neighbor was the owner of one of the more popular
makers of rifle scope rings and bases .
He told me that ”gunwriters are whores”. Give them something
and they will do something for you. That is just the way things work!
I learned early on that it was very true!
Of all the gunwriters that I dealt with, only two were above reproach!

The only reviews that I fully trust are when the reviewer declares
up front how they received the product. Ideally, the reviewer should
purchase the product through normal channels.

Bob

 

[ProbablyHunting]

Look no further than Rokslide's own backpack test for this. What gets given gets reviewed. If you want real reviews, look for people that paid real money for something.

On the other hand, be wary of people's ability to rationalize. Surely I wouldn't have spent $800 on a backpack if it wasn't immensely better than all the cheaper options I never tried or used. People will recommend what they have to justify the fact that they bought it.

 

[hereinaz]

People will recommend what they have to justify the fact that they bought it.

Don’t trust comments on suppressors for this reason… very few, including me, have time behind lots of suppressors.

He told me that ”gunwriters are whores”. Give them something
and they will do something for you. That is just the way things work!

True. As a small company, my partner and I have thought about this aspect of marketing. It’s a two way street, you can’t be successful if you criticize a product. And, gunwriters need content.

My partner and I prefer to get product into regular people’s hands to review, especially on Rokslide, and will do discounts or give a product for testing. Anytime someone gets something, I ask they have to tell them how they got it and give an honest review.

Ultimately, we decided to offer a free return policy to Roksliders so that you can test it to see if our claims are true. And, maybe the stuff doesn’t work for you. Other companies can’t do that, but it works for us.

 

[dirtytough]

RS is one of the better sites for reviews. Even still it’s easy to see some reviewers are biased or only say the positives. If you only give a good review that company is likely going to want you to do another review of its next new product.

You continue getting free gear and the company continues getting positive reviews.

 

[Lawnboi]

If it’s posted as a “review” take it for what it’s worth. 99% of reviews are one season or less on a product. Usually compensated for, and usually with an end goal in mind, ie clicks.

I’d rather hear the experience of other hunters who successfully use their gear for years. This forum is one example of a place you can find some of that if you know what to look for.

 

[robby denning]

thanks for those who've given our review process props.


For those who don't know, we try to keep it as unbiased as possible this way:

If an advertiser supplies the gear to our staff, the agreement is staff can say whatever they want and supplier doesn't see the review before the members.

We link every review to the forum so members can chime in about their experience with same gear, good or bad. Only posts we've ever deleted is if they're downright nasty, or obviously not true

and we review non-advertiser gear when possible, from both members and staff, like these

HHA Tetra Max RYZ Review

HHA Tetra Max RYZ Every summer, I severely get the itch for the upcoming fall hunting seasons. As a dedicated archer, that means bow seasons arrive first. While I try to shoot year-round, midsummer always marks the beginning of a severe ramp-up in arrows downrange, gear prepped, and general...

www.rokslide.com

Elite Era Bow Review

Elite Era Bow Review. Kyle tells us how the Elite Era performed during his testing and hunting. Should you consider it? Find out here.

www.rokslide.com

Alpacka Packraft Review

The New Alpacka Packraft Ranger will be released in 2021. Alpacka Packraft provides mobility in remote waterways that would otherwise be impossible.

www.rokslide.com

not to mention all the posts we don't edit when our members say they've had a bad experience with an advertiser, again--unless it's downright nasty or not true.

Always some bias as we like our advertisers or they wouldn't be here. But we show the warts if they're there.

 

[5MilesBack]

There is a lot of stuff that I have that is the best I have found in my lifetime.......FOR ME. I'm extremely picky about stuff, but a lot of the stuff I use others may not like at all. I'm sure that goes both ways though, because I've seen very positive reviews or comments on gear that I hated. So take reviews with a grain of salt, and verify for yourself with your own experience.

 

[realunlucky]

I just wanted to chime in and add anyone can do a review for Rokslide. If you have your process dialed, I'd love to read your review. Simply follow the instructions https://rokslide.com/forums/threads/rokslide-article-submission-guidelines.25114/

Sent from my SM-G996U using Tapatalk

 

[hereinaz]

There is a lot of stuff that I have that is the best I have found in my lifetime.......FOR ME. I'm extremely picky about stuff, but a lot of the stuff I use others may not like at all. I'm sure that goes both ways though, because I've seen very positive reviews or comments on gear that I hated. So take reviews with a grain of salt, and verify for yourself with your own experience.

This is so true. The "I love X" and "I hate X" can be chalked up to personal preference many times. I try to ask about quality and durability, because that isn't entirely based on preference (although it can be based on amount of use.) This is one reason why reviews have to be taken with a grain of salt.

Even between competing products, I might find them "best" for different purposes. I might carry two different knives in my kill kit depending on whether I am going to do a gutless or field dress.

I have different gear load outs depending on when and what I am doing. I make choices and sometimes get "good enough" cause they work just fine and the extra money doesn't buy me an equal amount of "better."

Whenever someone asks a generic question, "what's the best" I frequently ask for more specifics about them, the hunt, the goals, etc.

Some of my gear choices are between two really good products, and my height might make me choose a "lesser" product. I have items that I would prefer, but spread that money across multiple products and get a "cheaper" but good enough replacement.

 

[Justin Crossley]

It's really hard to be 100% unbiased, and most people who say they are are lying or unaware of their biases.

Typically, the worst place to get an unbiased review is from someone sponsored by or part of a company's pro staff. The next worst place to get an unbiased review is from someone who bought a product themselves. As mentioned above, we all want to justify to ourselves and others why we spent good money on something, and the last thing we want is to feel like we made a mistake.

In my experience, the best source for an unbiased review is someone who can get a bunch of competing products for free and test them against each other without strings attached. It doesn't mean they won't have a personal bias, but typically, it's as close as you can get.

 

[Erict]

In my experience, the best source for an unbiased review is someone who can get a bunch of competing products for free and test them against each other without strings attached. It doesn't mean they won't have a personal bias, but typically, it's as close as you can get.

I think Project Farm is a "role model" of unbiased reviewers. He's not specific to outdoors/hunting stuff, but sometimes has related reviews like this SAW Review:

 

[Desk Jockey]

outdoor gear lab is pretty solid but backpacking focused. They have a few hunting brand clothes but not a lot. Mainly helpful for crossover gear Between backpacking and hunting.

 

[JohnJohnson]

I tend to read threads/comments on Rokslide and Sniper's Hide. My general rule is if there's a seemingly overwhelming consensus something is good, get it. People on forums will argue about literally anything so if 90%+ of people agree on something that's a pretty good indication.

I'll say for the actual optics side of scopes/binos (NOT DROP TESTING), Ilya Koshkin's youtube channel (dark lord of optics) is very good. 99% of people reviewing "glass" have absolutely no idea what they're talking about. He's an actual career optical engineer who has worked with several scope companies including Leica. I trust what he says regarding the actual optics of scopes/binos and how they compare to others near their pricepoint.

 

[cowdisciple]

outdoor gear lab is pretty solid but backpacking focused. They have a few hunting brand clothes but not a lot. Mainly helpful for crossover gear Between backpacking and hunting.

Second this. Don't always agree with their scores but they're likely to give you most of the best options and a lot of good information if you read the whole thing.