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How We Compare

Last updated November 6, 2026 · Published by the iPickOne editorial team

iPickOne comparisons are research-based: we compare manufacturer specifications, user manuals and published test data, and say plainly where a source is a manufacturer claim. We do not test products in a lab, and we never imply that we did.

What we use

  1. Manufacturer specifications and manuals. Capacity, dimensions, power, warranty, replacement-part availability. We label these as manufacturer-stated.
  2. Published standards and test data. Where a category has a standard — for example AHAM CADR ratings for air purifiers or ENERGY STAR listings — we use it as the common yardstick and name the source of every number.
  3. Official notices. Where a safety notice or recall applies (for example on CPSC recall pages), we say so on the page.
  4. Owner reviews. Our picks are based on the sources above, not on owner-review sentiment. If a page ever cites a pattern from owner reviews it will say so, and we do not display star ratings.

How we choose picks

  1. Start from the shopper's situation — budget and how the product will be used — then set the key criteria in order of importance, with units.
  2. Compare every candidate on the same criteria in one table.
  3. Give each pick a role and a reason ("Why we'd pick it") and always state when to skip it ("Skip it if…").
  4. Say when not to buy, including when a pricier upgrade is not worth the extra money.
  5. Count the extras: ongoing costs, installation and compatibility.

How we use AI

We use AI tools to organize notes and draft text. Model names, specifications, sources and conclusions are checked by a person against the primary sources before a page is published.

What we do not do

  • We do not claim personal use, measurements or long-term ownership that we have not done.
  • We do not present a manufacturer's figure as our own measurement.
  • We do not show prices, star ratings or review counts unless they come from an official Amazon data feed, and then they are labelled.
  • We do not let commissions decide a recommendation. See the Affiliate Disclosure.

Keeping pages current

Every page shows its published date, last reviewed date, an update log describing what changed, and the date of the next scheduled review. If you find an error, tell us and we will correct it and log the change.