How We Review
This page used to be called "How We Test". We renamed it, because at the moment it would have been describing something we had not done.
The evidence behind a recommendation
We label what a guide is actually built on, rather than leaving you to assume:
- Specification and warranty research. Published figures from the manufacturer, warranty documents read in full — particularly what is covered in years three onwards, which is where brands quietly differ — and parts and dealer availability. This is what every guide on the site is today.
- Trade experience with the category. Working knowledge of how this class of equipment behaves once fitted: what fails, what is awkward to service, which spec numbers translate into a real difference and which do not. This shapes the criteria and the warnings, and it is not the same as having handled a specific model.
- Hands-on with a specific unit. Where this exists, the guide states what was installed or serviced, and over what period. We will not spread one unit's experience across a whole category.
Why there are no scores
A score like "9.1 out of 10" reads as a measurement. Producing one honestly means defining a rubric, measuring each product against it and publishing the workings. Anything less is a number chosen to look authoritative.
We publish no score. Each pick carries a plain description of what it is best for, which is the thing you actually need in order to choose. If we ever introduce scoring, the rubric and the inputs will be published alongside it.
What we weigh
- Correct sizing. The most expensive mistake in these categories is buying the wrong capacity, not the wrong brand. Every guide leads with the arithmetic and shows the working.
- Serviceability and failure points. What breaks, how reachable it is, and what the part costs.
- What the warranty really covers. Headline terms are similar across brands. Whether labour and travel are covered for the full term or only the first two years is where the real money is, and it is rarely on the marketing page.
- Who services it near you. A marginally better unit that no local technician will touch is the worse purchase. Dealer network reach is a specification.
- Total cost of ownership. Installation, running cost, consumables and the likely lifespan — not just the sticker.
Sourcing and corrections
Specifications are cited to the manufacturer with the date they were checked. Where a figure cannot be sourced, we write "no data found" instead of guessing. Manufacturers revise models without renaming them, so check the current manufacturer page before you buy — every pick links to it.
Found something out of date or wrong? Tell us. Corrections are made on the page, and material ones are noted with a date.
Independence
No manufacturer sponsors a placement here. We are not currently in any affiliate programme and earn nothing from the product links — see the affiliate disclosure. If that changes, links will be labelled and the disclosure updated, and no ranking will move because of it.