new video from Gadget Review Videos
Jon, thanks for the post.
I just want to be clear this is not a review as stated in the description and text in red at the beginning of the video. This was far from planned, just a fast edit to break the monotony from the other videos I’ve been working on. It’s just a quick unboxing and initial thoughts. I mention this because of all the dislikes. If your waiting for a review then please wait a few more weeks, or maybe longer depending on different factors with life in general taking up my time.
My policy has always been to use the product for at least 2 to 4 weeks before doing my review. I do this so I know the product I’m reviewing and try not to miss anything, and this way I also know that I trust and like the product I’m reviewing. I’ve only done one video amendment from missing a bug on the original review to date.
I realize when my videos get posted on other sites and that not all the viewers know me, or know my style of doing things. I’ll try to explain this for new people that have not seen my videos in the past. I’ve debated on starting my own thread on EEVBlog like Joe Smith and his great videos and thread support. I just don’t have the time to answer questions or follow a thread like he does. I do try to answer all comments on the YouTube video, so if you have any questions or constructive feedback leave a comment. I try to help others the best I can and when I can.
My lab is my hobby that I’ve built up over time, although sometimes mistaken for a professional lab or repair shop I have never claimed to be a EE or do repairs for money. I try to keep my reviews to just the facts, my opinion, and personal experiance using the product to help people decide if it’s something that will fit their needs and something they would want to buy.
My logic in what I review is simple, if it’s not something I would use or recommend/buy for family member or a friend then I don’t review it.
I try to stay away from negative reviews. A negative review based on a software bug that can be fixed with a firmware update in the future can hurt the company, even once the issue is corrected. And since videos on YouTube stay around forever this could still affect the company after the issue is fixed. I might release a video that might seem like a negative review, but it’s more of a public service announcement that probably concerns the safety of a person or a video showing a bug so it can be fixed. Once and if it’s fixed at a later date then I will delete the video, or change the title from a “PSA” to “Recalled Safety” and update the video description.
Reviews, testing, video recordings, editing videos all take time and I can’t always do a professional video. I’m a one man shop that does videos as a second hobby and I’m currently juggling three other review edits.
Amazon and other links in the videos description are for the viewers convenience to find the product. These are not affiliate links and I don’t get paid for them. I removed all ads from my videos despite meeting YouTube’s minimum requirements for monetization. I don’t ask for donations or use patreon. This YouTube channel and the items I review, cameras, microphone equipment, video editing software is 97% paid by me despite being on a limited budget. A few items are occasionally donated and they have to agree to mt strict terms. If the item is donated I will mention this in the video. I try not to accept free items since it makes the review look biased and paid for.
I have tested pre-production products also, but I dint do videos until the product is officially released. I do this to give feedback and help find bugs. Sometimes I don’t release the review until a new firmware fix is released. This helps make products better for the consumer when it’s released. A few pre-production items I’ve tested have also included a product review. Most pre-production units don’t get reviewed since this is not the reason they contacted me.
Free items I’m offered (more then you may realize) are usually ignored with a few exceptions. If I think its something people want to see reviewed and they agree to my terms in advance like “Having NO say over the final review” then I might make an exception. If they don’t agree, then I will not accept the product. If they still ship it without agreeing to my terms then I assume by default they agree to an open and honest review. Just because it was shipped to me does not guarantee a product review.
Thanks,
Scott