AEAC Reviews - Process & Authenticity

Not sure where that came from. I have always considered AEAC to be the #1 review channel as far as trust and authenticity goes. No one dives into a gun like Steve. You can't fake that stuff!

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It came from me wanting to open an avenue of discussion with the public regarding the authenticity of AEAC process.

There seems to be a growing popularity among up-n-coming Airgun YouTuber's to campaign against established ones. Their value propositions & campaign messages of, "we give honest reviews because we don't get compensated and they give dishonest reviews because they are" aren't based in honesty in all cases.  

... and after hearing:

"rather than believe what some paid social media marionette tells you just to sell a product"

... it felt like a good time to open a door for people to be able to ask questions and get answers.

Steve

There may be no remedy for those questioning whether a video is real. I have watched far too many hours and prefer to see a well edited video that shows the meaty parts: gun setup, brief overview of the evaluation process, a look at the range, show a few shots, then cut to the chase to show what worked, what didn't, anything unexpected along the way, how it compares to / trade offs vs. the competition. If you must show the walk to the target, please do it in ff so I don't have to reach for my ff button.

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Haha, agreed! 

That was the plan... to speed up the reel to Charlie Chaplin pace for the long walks!

Steve

If I had one wish regards my Soon to be Reximex Ixia ( throne ), it would be that Reximex opt for a full AEAC tuning review.

Nobody does it better.

Cue, The spy who loved me theme .

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Reximex/Kral reached out to me just prior to all the Covid craziness and requested a bunch of reviews, SHOT & IWA Coverage, and a Factory Tour Video in Turkey. Since then, there have been some hurdles to overcome before we could get any of it going but they did request IWA coverage 2 months ago... but have again since vanished on me, lol. Sighhhh

Steve

Some people have attacked Steve because maybe he didn't review their gun of choice or pointed out flaws of their gun. It's popped up in the comment section of his videos.

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I see that too.

It may not be what people think.

It can be pretty difficult to get product sent for AEAC review. The industry knows what they'll get with me and not everyone is comfortable with that level of product dissection, testing, and honesty. Some also simply don't trust me, and they've voiced that.

I do send out a quarterly emailer inviting the ENTIRE INDUSTRY to participate in my process and the ones that respond are the ones you see on my channel. The popular brands you don't see that everyone wants to see make no return effort.

The brands you see me commonly host are very proactive in being a part of what I do.

Steve 

Steve,

Really appreciate the thought, impartiality and transparency that you put into your reviews. As I’m just entering this world of Airguns, I’m realizing that there are many on YouTube who seem to obviously be “sponsored” by certain manufacturers and others, such as yourself, who are not. And still others who are “aligned” with certain brands but who still carry a lot of authenticity because of their transparency and credibility/baseline experience. The two names that I follow consistently (because they seek to educate first and not to just “sell”) are you and Matt Dubber. Thank you for not talking down to us newbies and for helping to make this new found passion less overwhelming!! Keep up the great work.

-Joe

Btw, just found out today that one of the three largest shooting meets (Pyramid Air Cup) is actually held just outside my hometown of Columbus. So, I’ll definitely be coming up to spectate and learn.

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Hi Joe and welcome. Hope to see you in Ohio for sure! Come say hello.

For clarity, I am indeed sponsored... by over 30 organizations at this time. AEAC is how I earn my living so I charge appropriately for my time or to wave a banner in front of my audience.

Steve

I won't watch your videos because you don't use a scope cam.You take payments for reviews and your not paid to review ,your paid to make a product look good.I would rather watch nobodies shoot.And one other thing how do you feel about earnest rowe sorting though hundreds of barrels to find the shooters .To send to people like you and all the other people that get paid to shoot fx products .And we get the non shooters .And have to add carbon sleeves, harmonic tuners.And try to get a speed where we can get these poorly made barrels to get if we are lucky.2 inch group with slugs at 100 yards .I also say a gentleman on you tube fix the barrel . He put a bunch of slugs through the same hole at 100 yards.

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Hello jaycie4,

Thank you for speaking your heart.



"I won't watch your videos because you don't use a scope cam"

We all like different things so if that's the perspective you prefer to view impacts from, no heartburn on this end. For my audience, I prefer the image quality of an HD camera at the target. That being said, I do very much appreciate any flight path instability that the scope cams pick up when the lighting is just right… as I shared with my audience in the late Katran vid (where I utilized scope cam footage).



"You take payments for reviews and your not paid to review ,your paid to make a product look good.I would rather watch nobodies shoot"

This is a judgement you've made about me without having included myself or my past & present sponsors in the conversation, so naturally it's missing important information. Let me begin by sharing that you are in part correct, I get paid to go to work just like anybody else. However, the conjecture that I get paid to make a product look good is false. I've been openly critical pointing out shortcomings in many reviews over the years, so much so that I've taken my share of audience heat from doing so, as well as lost some good paying sponsors along the way. In other words, all 170 vids I've made since 2015 have been sponsored and in a good bit of those, the truth I spoke was upsetting enough to the sponsor that they've since discontinued their affiliation with AEAC. The current group of sponsors I carry are pretty okay with my rule of, "please don't send it if you aren't okay with me being honest about it." Some fuss at me afterwards more than others but in general, they all know what they're getting with me and are overall happy with it.



"how do you feel about earnest rowe sorting though hundreds of barrels to find the shooters .To send to people like you and all the other people that get paid to shoot fx products .And we get the non shooters .And have to add carbon sleeves, harmonic tuners"

I feel like once again, you have part of the story and have again passed judgement on me without having included me in the conversation. FX is indeed a good sponsor of mine. I'm proud to have them in the rotation as my audience's demand for my reviewing their products is insatiable. They're also a very respectful sponsor. I never get the post video phone call from them fussing about any criticism I'd made… maybe they're too busy to watch, lol. In reference to Ernest, what you're describing hasn't been my experience with him. For instance, he was one of the guys I phoned for help when I was struggling with the late Maverick reviews. His words to me when I let him know that I had a pellet fussy 700mm were, "not all barrels are created equal." So I have no reason to believe that FX USA (SC) cherry picked me a barrel (or Ernest who lives in New Jersey). Also, anyone that saw me work through those 2 vids could plainly see that I had a very good barrel but not a great one. Referencing your feelings on the general public getting barrels that aren't as good as the ones reviewers get, that again has not been my experience. I've reviewed about 10 FX guns over the past 7 years and if you go back and read the hundreds of audience comments in those reviews, the ownership reports mirrored my accuracy experience. I would certainly expect the Pro FX Shooting Staff to cull barrels for competition use, that to me would seem a normal practice… actually, thinking back, I've shared many photographs of bundled spare barrels while covering international shooting events... but who's to say if it's privilege or spares. On the topic of CF sleeves and Harmonic Tuners, those indeed have the potential to improve performance but not in all situations. With a 700mm, I'd certainly invest.

Hope this all helps.

Steve

Steve, Thanks for your excellent reviews. I've watched and enjoyed a lot of your work. 

I offer this as a general comment: I think a confidence booster for any reviewer would be to explain what they did to the rifle prior to testing--cleaning, tuning, tweaking, tightening, etc. Also, did the reviewer buy the rifle anonymously or did a manufacturer or retailer loan the gun for review (and may therefore have selected and tuned the gun before providing it). Otherwise, the reviewer leaves the impression that most every gun shoots MOA groups out of the box. Also, how about mentioning some of the negatives? "This rifle is built like a tank" may also mean "this thing weighs a ton!"

I appreciate the fact that you have already done a lot of this. I recall for example a video you made of how to clean an air rifle. You explained how much time you took to clean each rifle before your review.

Just my 2 cents as a non-expert and relative newbie. Keep up the good work. Thanks.

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Hi! Thanks for the all the feedback!!

I feel as if I cover most of the above across the process (AEAC Instagram, AEAC Vlog, AEAC Home) but let's touch on it here. 

I'll work on doing a better job of speaking in the vids about any preparations I've made in reference to barrel cleaning... although I frequently do so on AEAC Instagram (as I did with the Kalibrgun last week) and do on AEAC Vlog, to which I always direct the viewer in the full review. I actually never do anything special other than clean with Ballistol & Patchworm prior to the cull, and once again before film day. Always, if I discover a gun performs better at a certain point of dirtiness, I try to film my groups at this point too (usually a 10-20 shot seasoning on a fresh cleaned barrel). If ever I make a change to the tune, I without fail make sure this is known to the audience... but I could do a better job of making sure the audience knows I've made no changes. For me these guns never shoot great out of the box. They always take a large amount of learning to get there... and I work hard to share that journey with the audience.

In every review and in every instance, I tell the audience who provided the review product. That information is spoken in the video's beginning and again in the end. Reference any special tuning having been done by the manufacturer/retailer prior to me receiving it, my message to them is always, DO NOT. Because if my sample of one portrays a tune that's different than what the masses receive, we're gonna have a major problem. This actually happened to me once with the first Gauntlet I reviewed and since then, I've learned to be certain before I get to work.

On the topic of weight, I always share the shoot-ready weight and sometimes the outta-da- box weight too. I recall many a times saying that a gun is especially heavy, lol. Several come to mind, hehe.

Steve

I only watch andys airgun reviews.He doesn't get paid by any manufacturer, he buys his own ammo.The very fact that you get paid by companies make inherently dishonest. I have watched you do it.People just really need to listen and pay close attention and they will see it.

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"The very fact that you get paid by companies make inherently dishonest"

That wouldn't be the case if the "job" promised up front was to relay all experiences both unfavorable & unfavorable. This is the expectation & standard I set going in. If you've "watched me do it," as you say, let's discuss further to address the negative assumption. You will find no instances where I've been dishonest or deceitful, ever.

Steve

Anyone has the right to decide the veracity of what they see, based on their own personal criteria.

Steve is honest about who pays him. My guns shoot in line with the ones he tests. My Cricket, my Dads Avenger both shoot in line with what he shows on his videos. Not exactly, some pellets better some worse. My guns don't have specially selected barrels. I know tuning for slugs can be finicky. Lots of different factors. Not the least of which is accuracy of a gage showing the pressure of the regulated air. I have at my disposal 4 regulated PCPs none of them agree exactly. This can make a difference.

Clamp that gun in a weighted rest, at an indoor range. Check it taking out other factors.

Jim

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... barrel lottery. I have a great one for sure in my Avenger .22 but I don't feel like Tyler Patner would have cherry picked one for me, if that were the implication. It's not in his personality at all. Perhaps he'll chime in.

Steve

Where did my post go steve .Mike This is all being recorded .Steve can you answer to 2 things how can you be impartial. when you get paid by some manufacturers for reviews .And can you answer the question i asked,about earnest rowe going through hundreds of liners to find the shooters to give to youtube shooters.Mike Wendt THIS IS ALL GOING ON YOU TUBE. I REALIZE YOU ARE DAMAGE CONTROL FOR YOUR SPONSORS. ITS NOT ADVERTISING THEY PAY FOR .ITS YOUR GETTING RIDE OF TRUE POSTS THAT WILL COST THEM MONEY .YOUR COMPANY MADE 5 MILLION LAST YEAR AND YOU STEAL THE PEOPLE VOICE.

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I'm not part of the AGN moderation team so I cannot speak as to the whereabouts of the missing post that you're making reference to. Yes, I am happy to help with all of your questions. Done. Scroll to find.

Steve

He shoots certain pellets because he get thousands of dollars of them free.Now people only see him mostly using them ,and some other ammo here and there.And your going to tell me thats not leading people to that ammo.I can start watching his videos and tell you alot of situations were he is misleading. First one is why no scope cam , that is so he can throw accuracy even if it is just a little.

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I'm not certain if this answers the question being asked but my current ammo sponsors are as follows:

H&N Sport, JSB Diabolo, Predator International, Crosman, Altaros, Nielsen Specialty Ammo, Seneca, FX Hybrid, and new as of this year Zan Projectiles and Rifle Ammunition Brazile.

(and all subsidiaries) 

Nobody else has contacted me regarding wanting to provide ammo for use on AEAC.

The results I share in my vids are what I get. The gun always chooses the ammo, never me. These giant cull results are always documented publicly on AEAC Instagram, "hookedonair" and are always re-shared on AEAC Vlog.

Steve

Steve, your videos were some of the first I saw when I got heavily into airguns a couple of yers ago.

I never had any issue with the fact that you were paid to do the reviews, since I understood the business model and I also understood that there was absolutely no way you could go into that kind of detail if you weren’t being compensated for your time. I also do not agree that the fact of compensation means that you are being paid to ***** the product. In fact, given the number fo negative, or at least, less than positive, comments I am sure that some of your clients are, on occasion, quite dismayed

Compared to some of the rubbish I see on YouTube, your videos are head and shoulders above many others. I have to say that I completely disagree with jacie4. One really telling thing for me is the fact that my guns generally perform completely in line with what your outline in your reviews. Similarly, I remember your original FX Crown review, when you went through the pellets you tested and outlined what the gun liked and which didn’t do so well. After trying a few different pellets and finding that things were in line with your statements, I simply just used the pellets you said worked well. Saved me a bunch of time, effort and money.

I applaud your effort for more transparency. Keep up the good work.

Chris

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Hi Chris,

Thank you for understanding my message in its entirety. I feel like the place you're in is the healthy result of carefully observing my process end to end (AEAC Instagram, AEAC Vlog, AEAC Home) through the years.

Steve