A Word on Reviews and Procedures

Although we strive to create a body of original knowledge as our primary product, equipment evaluations and reviews remain a part of what BFE Labs does. Conducting evaluations and publishing reviews presents several advantages and opportunities that otherwise wouldn't be available.
Primarily, it gives us a venue in which to elaborate on certain products without detracting from articles and tutorials. There are products and tools which merit significant attention, that cannot (and should not) be given in more general articles where it would distract from the main thesis. Many of these products, by themselves, have such a significant impact on the field that not making the effort to fully evaluate and report on them would put BFE Labs behind the power-curve – If knowledge is our product, we do a disservice to our readers and clients if we lack knowledge of a potentially life saving, or potentially dangerous, product.
Another advantage to evaluations and reviews is that they sometimes allow us access to tools we might not otherwise be able to field. When purchasing equipment for our own work, expeditions and training, we prioritize what we need the most urgently and consequently a large part of the evaluations done, and gear discussed, is our personal equipment. But, we are open to manufacturers supplying testing and evaluation samples, and in many cases will seek out those opportunities for special items. These evaluation opportunities allow us to access a range of products than may not be practical for us to purchase in the near-term. Manufacturer cooperation gives us the ability to provide more in-depth and relevant coverage of our chosen fields, more rapidly, than we might otherwise be able to. It also presents the manufacturer with opportunities for new, and sometimes different, feedback from our unique environments and experience, and the chance to reach our readers with their product.
We seek to provide both the end user, and the manufacturer, with evaluations that will contribute positively to what they know, what they do and how they do it. We greatly appreciate the manufacturers who've supplied us items for evaluation, and the relationships of cooperation and mutual respect that've been built from those experiences.

However – Reviews are not advertisements. We evaluate everything impartially, and without favor or dis-favor save what is incurred due to performance of the product being evaluated. We do not play favorites or give preference to those who give us products. Manufacturer submitted equipment and gear gets no easier a ride for being submitted, than it would if we purchased it.
If something sucks, we're going to say that it sucks, why it sucks and (generally) what we feel could be done to make it not suck. Our goal is to improve the field – Making end users aware of good products, warning them of bad, and contributing to the knowledge of manufacturers and suppliers.
Vice that, we are also not going to say something sucks if it does not. Whatever personal feelings we, or friends/associates of ours, may have about individuals or companies they have no bearing either way on our evaluations or reviews. Our goal is not to take-down manufacturers, or imply any qualities (positive or negative) about anything other than the product in question. We're not in the business of manufacturer or character assassination and pursue no agenda in our evaluations or reviews other than to provide bias-free testing and reporting on a given product while in actual use.
Similarly, we're not Twitter – There is, and will remain to be, a dearth of news releases and un-evaluated product announcements on the BFE Labs pages. There are already several excellent blogs in the field which specialize in that type of publication, and they are an excellent resource. BFE Labs is about proven solutions, not attractive ideas – If the attractive idea proves out in our use, then we'll report on it. We seek to be an experienced voice, that can be trusted to provide information grounded in actual use – End users, who can be trusted by end users.

In conducting evaluations and publishing reviews, we make our experience and knowledge freely available in the hope of bringing good things to life in these fields – Awareness of good products, greater knowledge of use of equipment and gear, and improved performance among end users, innovators and manufacturers.