How this site makes money

Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. If you click one and buy something, I may earn a small commission. It costs you nothing extra, and the price you pay is the same either way.

I want to be plain about it, because you are about to spend money on the basis of what I write, and you deserve to know how I am paid.What it does not change

What it does not change

It does not change what I recommend. I pick what I would tell a friend to buy, and then I look for a programme, not the other way round. If the best answer for you is a cheaper kit, a second hand one, or nothing at all until your circumstances change, that is what the page will say.

It does not change the order things appear in. Nothing on this site is ranked by what it pays.

It does not mean I have been given the product. Where a company has sent me something, the page says so, in the place where it matters rather than in a footnote.Tested, or researched: I will always tell you which

Tested, or researched: I will always tell you which

I have not personally owned every product I write about, and I am not going to pretend otherwise. So every recommendation on this site carries one of two labels.

Hands-on means I have used it myself. I will tell you what it was like to live with: how loud it was, how often it needed cleaning, what broke, what I would do differently.

Researched means I have not used that exact model. In that case I compare manufacturer specifications, replacement part availability, and the patterns that come up repeatedly in owner reports, and I show you my reasoning instead of handing down a verdict I have not earned.

A researched pick is not a worse pick. It is an honestly labelled one.

What I will not do

I will not recommend anything I would not be comfortable putting in my own kitchen. I will not write about products for growing anything other than food. And I will not tell you a system is easy to live with if I think it will beat you: my whole approach is to find the smallest setup that fits your space, your budget, your strength and reach, the noise you can live with, the parts you can actually buy, and the time you have. If none of the popular options passes those checks for you, the page will say that too.

Where the money goes

The site costs money to run, and the commissions help cover that. Nothing more complicated than that.

Questions

If you ever think a recommendation on this site is not straight, tell me. Use the contact form and I will look at it again.