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If you can read German, I have come to really appreciate Stiftung Warentest, see test.de. [1] They conduct rigorous product reviews and try to simulate wear an

If you can read German, I have come to really appreciate Stiftung Warentest, see test.de. [1] They conduct rigorous product reviews and try to simulate wear and tear usage of the products. To this end, some reviews take them months. They also come up with their own test suites that are tailored to the product that they are testing. Even though it is quite costly (sometimes I pay 5€ for a review), I have started to rely on their ratings more and more, as they are completely independent and usually not far off with the end result. As it stands, currently, their review quality beats internet reviews. [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stiftung_Warentest https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stiftung_Warentest

shimonabi 3y ago
When I was in the market for a new washing machine I tried to purchase a review, but the online system wouldn't let me, because I'm not a German resident. It may be because the foundation recives German public money.
koenneker 3y ago
They are a non-profit foundation which can't be bought up, have been around since 1964, don't run ads in any way and buy every item they review in a retail setting. It's a very nice set-up for high quality results and makes it hard for them to be corrupted. The closest U.S. equivalent is probably consumer reports
BellsOnSunday 3y ago
In the UK the Consumer's Association and Which? fulfil the same role, and has been going since the 1950s. Before the internet the magazine was a part of everyday life for many - if my parents were going to buy something like a new washing machine my mother would go to the library and find the relevant issue. Online you can see some of their reviews but I think you need to subscribe to get all the (very rigorous) detail. The CA is a charity and has a sort of NGO status, able to issue a "super-complaint" if some industry is not working for consumers. I suppose I'm a lot less careful with money than my parents were, I never use it.
solarkraft 3y ago
I'm a fan as well. Their review process can be a bit opaque and sometimes feels like "5 of our people fucked around with these things for a week and here's what they think". This would be a problem if there was any hint of bias, but (miraculously) there hasn't been so far. I do wonder whether any of their (anonymous, AFAIK) reviewers have been personally corrupt, even if the organization may not be.

shimonabi 3y ago

When I was in the market for a new washing machine I tried to purchase a review, but the online system wouldn't let me, because I'm not a German resident. It may be because the foundation recives German public money.

koenneker 3y ago

They are a non-profit foundation which can't be bought up, have been around since 1964, don't run ads in any way and buy every item they review in a retail setting. It's a very nice set-up for high quality results and makes it hard for them to be corrupted. The closest U.S. equivalent is probably consumer reports

BellsOnSunday 3y ago

In the UK the Consumer's Association and Which? fulfil the same role, and has been going since the 1950s. Before the internet the magazine was a part of everyday life for many - if my parents were going to buy something like a new washing machine my mother would go to the library and find the relevant issue. Online you can see some of their reviews but I think you need to subscribe to get all the (very rigorous) detail. The CA is a charity and has a sort of NGO status, able to issue a "super-complaint" if some industry is not working for consumers. I suppose I'm a lot less careful with money than my parents were, I never use it.

solarkraft 3y ago

I'm a fan as well. Their review process can be a bit opaque and sometimes feels like "5 of our people fucked around with these things for a week and here's what they think". This would be a problem if there was any hint of bias, but (miraculously) there hasn't been so far. I do wonder whether any of their (anonymous, AFAIK) reviewers have been personally corrupt, even if the organization may not be.