Here you’ll find honest reviews of products I USE. To date, I get nothing for free, and so far I’m not using affiliate links.
Whenever possible, I’ll really use a product before reviewing it. If I’m reviewing shoes, I’ll at least wear them for a season, if not a full year, before writing a review. There’s a place for professional reviews comparing multiple brand-new products. “We bought these shoes, took them straight out of the box, threw them in a cooler full of water and they didn’t leak!” That’s great, and is helpful, but really most of us want to know whether they’re waterproof after 20 (or 200) miles of hiking. We want to know how a product has held up over at least a year, not someone’s first impression, straight out of the box.
If I do rush a review for some reason, I’ll be up-front about it, and I commit to always update those reviews after I’ve broken in the item.
If I receive a free product or somehow get paid, I’ll disclose that up front. My intention here is to take products I buy because I want or need them and feel inspired to write a review out of excitement, disgust, or some other burning desire.