OUR RESEARCH PROCESS

The only reason that we are in business is to serve as a guide to our readers. We want our readers to find the best products and services that are tailored to them. When our readers tell us that our recommendations have made their lives better, we feel that we have accomplished our goal. We do not want our readers using products or services that are anything less than the best.

We appreciate the weighty responsibility we have when recommending products or services that our clients will use in their homes, with their family, and with their friends. Shortcuts are not an option for us. We demand a lot of ourselves when it comes to our product review process.

Bike Hacks is a business, and all businesses are there to make money. However, from the beginning, we made the decision that making a profit would never take precedent over seeing to it that our readers were given honest and accurate advice. This was our motto when we first started out, and it has continued to be the standard we set for ourselves as our team has grown in size.

We are not so arrogant as to believe that our opinion is the only one out there. We respect the intelligence of our readers and that is why we encourage you to do your due diligence. From time to time, you will notice that our opinion on a product or service is not what other reviewers have. But you can be sure that our opinion is genuine and that it is based on what we feel in our heart about the product or service we are reviewing.

We appreciate contradictory opinions. If someone does not agree with us, we want them to tell us why.

An Explanation of Our Research Process

At BH, we use a multi-pronged approach to testing products and services. We strive to present the information, including all pertinent details, in a way that’s easy for our readers to understand. We never claim to physically test every product ourselves. However, we do collect data from other tests that have been done and then present you with a factual analysis.

When you read our reviews, you will see that in most cases we cover the topics that are most important to you, including:

  • Ease-Of-Use
  • Design
  • Value
  • Performance
  • Features

Depending on the product we are reviewing, we might include other categories as well. Regardless of the process that we use to gather information, we are committed to seeing to it that every finding we present has been verified using multiple sources. We analyze the key information so you don’t have to. The following is a breakdown of the five techniques we use when conducting research.

  • Purchase and Test Products

We enjoy buying new products and then running them through their paces. We like to get products in our hand before others, so that means that whether it’s a new Ninja blender or any other product, we are probably pre-ordering them from Amazon.com or waiting in line at retailers early in the morning to be the first to purchase them.

As a group, we have compiled a list of the products or services that we want to buy and test. Usually, we just go down the list one product after the other. If there is a product that goes viral, it might jump to the top of the list. We rely heavily on customer feedback. If there is something that you would like us to purchase and review, let us know and we will see if we can add it to our list.

  • Read Reviews by Third Parties

When there is a new product that’s released, a number of reputable publications will review it. Each does their review from an angle that’s particular to them. One review may focus on certain features, and another review may focus on ease-of-use. At BH we digest that information ourselves first, get rid of the fluff, and then present you with the most important information so that you can make an empowered and effortless purchasing decision.

Experience has shown that readers get frustrated going through multiple reviews and trying to find the one feature they want to learn about. We do that for you and present it in a clear and understandable format.

  • Talk to People Who Have Purchased the Product

BH has developed a network of trusted home product enthusiasts. They are usually first in line when a new product or service is unveiled. We have detailed discussions with our network of home product buyers. We ask them about particular aspects of services or products that they are using. If you are interested in working with us as a firsthand tester, let us know. We are always looking to expand our network of enthusiasts.

  • Amazon.com

We absolutely adore Amazon.com. They are a great source of information. On Amazon we can find thousands of third-party sellers who purchase their product for manufacturers and then resell them on the marketplace. These resellers create their own content, and so we earnestly read and delve into what they write to get as much information as we can, be it from their videos or from their copy.

Next, we turn to the reviews. Does a product have a flaw that just one person is complaining about? Or are there scores of people complaining about the same flaw? This will impact how we review the product.

  • Review Videos on YouTube

YouTube is a treasure trove of review information. Sitting through hours of content isn’t exactly exciting for the average buyer. We take that stress off of your shoulders. We compare what we see in countless videos, we cross reference that with what we have learned through our own research, and we compile this so we can give you relevant information.

We have found that video reviews are a good way to find aspects of a product that are not frequently mentioned in written publications. Sometimes we will use all five of our review techniques for one product. Other times we will select the methods we feel are most appropriate for the product or service we are reviewing.

What Makes BH Different?

We call our content writers wizards. This is because they do more than write content. They are full-time product testers and researchers. We feel this is an art that takes a little bit of wizardry. We don’t want our writers writing about something they don’t understand.

As a result, we might test a product for days or weeks. Many times we have tested services for months. There was a time when one of our wizards took a whole year to fully test out a product. We are not testing these products in a secret lab. We are testing them in the same way that you would use them, in our homes.

What we like about using these products in our homes is that if it’s a good product, we hold onto it. If it’s a bad product, it soon comes to light via real world testing. This is why from time to time we will revisit a review to update it based on how well the product has held out. If we have reviewed the product in the past and you want us to update our review, let us know. We will try to move it to the top of the queue.

The Way That We Make Money

As we said at the outset, we are a business, and businesses need to make money. We have a staff that needs to eat.

If you visit one of our sites and you click on a link to a website that takes you to a store, we get a small commission for each purchase you make. This revenue model is referred to as revenue via affiliate links.

We mention this here because if you do not want us to make money off of you, you can open up a new tab and search for the product and the store yourself. However, if you are interested in supporting us, you can do so through the link on our page.

We have monetized Bike Hacks as a way to help us give our readers the best reading experience possible. We know how annoying it can be to read a page covered in ads.

How We Research Products - BikeHacks