Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
For tool purchases, Which? would be the last place I'd look for
comparisons.


I'm curious about those who knock Which. It receives no public money,
and describes the methods they use for testing. And can't be influence
by advertising or having specially prepared products presented for
testing. The publishing world is littered with examples of the
commercial press getting things very wrong through just these reasons.

I usually take their advice when buying the sort of thing I'm not
terribly interested in - washing machines, vacuum cleaners etc. And
have always been happy.


I have too... but an uneasy feeling is growing on me.

The Which? formula for making product reviews and reporting them has
been tried-and-true for a very long time. But during that time, all
kinds of products have become much more complex. In order for consumers
to decide what will be the "best buy" for them, there are so many
technical aspects that they now need to understand, and try to balance.

With products that I do know about, I'm noticing that Which? reviews are
being increasingly forced to skim the surface, and are having to miss
out details that could be really important for some readers. That is
gradually draining confidence about their reviews of other products that
I understand less well - especially complex, technical financial
products.

I don't have an immediate solution, and wouldn't dream of
unsubscribing... but there does seem to be a growing problem.


--
Ian White
Abingdon, England