Drool For ToolsJerry's bench · Rocko, chief inspector

Method

How the tags work

Every tool has an ownership or measurement tag. The writing identifies Jerry's firsthand notes, listed facts and research conclusions so you can see what supports each claim.

We own this one

An ownership record

An order or inventory record supports ownership. Jerry's firsthand notes are identified separately when he has shared them. We do not publish order numbers, prices or purchase dates. This tag carries no measurement claim or score.

Spec sheet

The listing says so

The listed details come from the product page: its title, model and item number as we recorded them. Sourced research may explain the features and their tradeoffs. This tag makes no claim of firsthand use or measurement. Specs change between production runs and between stores, so check the maker's page before you rely on one.

Tested

We measured it

We measured something, with a named instrument, on a stated date, and the page shows the raw numbers. No tool on the bench has this tag yet. When one does, its page lists what we measured, what we measured it with, how, and when.

Jerry's firsthand notes

These describe Jerry's experience with the particular tool, using observations he has actually shared. An ownership record alone does not supply a story about using it. Where no firsthand notes are available, we say so.

Research conclusions

We synthesize the product documentation and reviews collected in our research archive into explanations of features, compatibility and tradeoffs. Published research sections link to the supporting sources and distinguish a source's claims from our interpretation. When sources disagree or leave a question unanswered, we keep that uncertainty visible.

A review written by someone else stays attributed to that source. A claim about performance stays attributed to the person who reported it. Measurements earn the tested tag only when the page supplies our measurement evidence.

Who pays for what

Nobody pays for a tag. If a maker ever supplies a unit, that page says so near the top, in plain words, for as long as the page is up. That is the rule in the FTC's Endorsement Guides (16 CFR Part 255), and it is ours. For brands has the rest.

What you will not find here

Where the numbers come from

Listed specs on the tool pages and on Compare come from each product's listing as we recorded it. Store listings change, so a size or count may differ on the store's page today. Energy figures are our arithmetic from the listed amp-hours and the pack's nominal voltage, and Pack math shows the working. The maker's page is the authority.

Corrections

If a tag or a listed spec is wrong, tell us and we will fix the page.