Should we write our own product reviews?

[Vana2]

I think it's a great idea. The only thing I would say is "which ammo" is a black hole. There's no way to check every ammo, so the only thing I would say there is just list the ammo you used and the results you got. The potential buyer will have to try their own ammo and see how it goes.

I think the "outline" you proffered is also a great idea. If every reviewer answered those questions it would be great.

To give some background, I had to go through dozens of reviews to see how the Garmin chrono worked and if it was what I wanted. This was back when the Caldwell Velociradar and the small Labradar came out and it looked like they might be contenders, which they are not.

I used to evaluate printed circuit designs (for adherence to design, manufacturing, assembly and testing standards) and had to write detailed reports... often several reports a day.

To make the report format and comments/suggestions consistent, clear and quick to navigate, I compiled a template of all the checkpoints and details. Then it was just a matter of editing to remove what didn't apply and add a few comments where specific information was required. Worked great for everyone.

I've started compiling an airgun report template which I'll sanitize with the forum members when done.

Cheers!

 

[Motorhead]

I work on them, then come to a conclusion if willing or ever wanting too again.
I shoot them, then decide or realize how much work it may require to get at some standard of acceptable operation or accuracy etc ...
If my overall sentiment of a brand or model etc ... is sub par in my eyes, generally stay out of conversations tho do get drawn in time to time

I'll offer help and suggestion on what I know by first hand experience & handing, all the stuff I don't have a clue of I typically don't have comment.

But then again by definition I'm not an influencer or of fanboy mentality when talking or sharing on the AG web sites.
Always the privateer doing my own thing in my own unique way.

 

[Vana2]

two things get in the way
opinions
lack of knowledge
i have said for many years now, it is a Buy to Try sort of world
i read all the time about a gun and i own that gun and the poster of the thread states it has a great trigger
and of course, it doesn't but compared to what he knows it does, so now everything that he says you have to take with a grain of salt
you tell him it doesn't or just turn the page

and i do believe we are always giving opinions about gun that we own

Hear you!

The professional reviews are one-sided in that they are published and there's little dialog.

Here on the forum there are people I know and trust. I figure that if someone starts making exaggerated claims (positive or negative) that other members have an opportunity to post their view on the facts.

I'm hoping that any Owner Reviews would be (mostly) objective with personal likes and dislikes aired for perspective.

Cheers!

 

[coastal drifter]

opinions are like belly buttons or other body parts, we all have one

 

[Vana2]

opinions are like belly buttons or other body parts, we all have one

No problem sharing opinions... not so much with body parts though

 

[bchannell]

I work on all kinds of guns including airguns. One problem I see, which was touched on above, for instance triggers. Take the Marauder as an example. From the factory the trigger is way too heavy. But it can be made fantastic by removing a spring and a few minor tweaks. So I would say, in a review it's possibly great. Others who are not savvy to that trigger might say it is horrible.

Skill level of the reviewer has a lot to do with how a review goes.

 

[Vana2]

I work on all kinds of guns including airguns. One problem I see, which was touched on above, for instance triggers. Take the Marauder as an example. From the factory the trigger is way too heavy. But it can be made fantastic by removing a spring and a few minor tweaks. So I would say, in a review it's possibly great. Others who are not savvy to that trigger might say it is horrible.

Skill level of the reviewer has a lot to do with how a review goes.

Agreed, the skill and knowledge of the reviewer has a bearing on the quality of the review - that goes for professionals and amateurs as well.

In your example about the Marauder trigger... say the reviewer reports at as being heavy (which is true) it flags other potential buyers of this fact. Knowledgeable people can comment that there is a mod that corrects the problem. So now the OP and other readers know there is a possible concern and how to fix it.

I see that as a win/win.

Cheers!

 

[Tumblinginflight]

Agreed, the skill and knowledge of the reviewer has a bearing on the quality of the review - that goes for professionals and amateurs as well.

In your example about the Marauder trigger... say the reviewer reports at as being heavy (which is true) it flags other potential buyers of this fact. Knowledgeable people can comment that there is a mod that corrects the problem. So now the OP and other readers know there is a possible concern and how to fix it.

I see that as a win/win.

Cheers!

I think therein lies the rub; if the review format is left open like a discussion topic many will quickly turn into discussions rather than reviews, nullifying the original intent. However, if a review section were created with dealer feedback or classified rules, then confusing (or flat out bad) reviews couldn’t get clarification. Not to mention that even if a perfect system was created, people will still have to start a thread and ask “what are your thoughts on the xyz in .22?”, even if there were already 100 reviews for the good old xyz. Human nature.

 

[jcbii]

Trapdoor2, I think I've followed your advice/thoughts on reviews without really thinking of it that way. If you put airgun reviews into a normal distribution curve, I always ignore the 5% skews on each side of the curve (highly critical & highly praising). I try to focus on the majority of the reviews which fall within the standard deviation and as close to the mean as possible. So basically, I focus more on the majority of opinions that are similar, if there are a lot of reviews. If it's some obscure airgun, then I just have to go with whats available and try to make an educated decision.