Our Evaluation Process Explained
Whether you are just starting your fitness journey or are a seasoned athlete, our evaluation will help you make the best decision before purchasing any at-home fitness equipment available in Australia.
In order for a product to make it to our list, it needs to go through these five core requirements. They are explained below:
1. Shopping experience
Almost all of the products we test whether it is a large and bulky item like the treadmill or a small item like the activewear bike pant, are available for purchase online. We go through the whole process of browsing the retailers’ websites, receiving the package, and using the products just like you would. (In the exceptional cases where we are unable to access the product for us to do a proper evaluation, our researchers will carefully research and take note of customer reviews.)
From there we start assessing how easy it is to browse for an item, whether detailed descriptions of the products and other information you might want to know are easily found. We also compare how close the product images on the website are to the real thing. You will see some photos and videos our product testers take in our full review articles.
We are committed to only working with brands that are true to their customers and care for them.
2. Delivery and assembly (if applies)
The next step would be the delivery experience. Sometimes larger items need special delivery so we will also assess the service of the delivery person(s). And if an assembly is required from the expert, how long do they take, are they tidy, are they experienced and knowledgeable.
If an assembly is required but no professionals are needed, meaning it’s a DIY assembly like a product from IKEA, then we will attempt to assemble it ourselves. In this case, we will assess how easy it is to assemble by oneself and whether the instructions provided are clear enough.
3. Design and specifications
This is where we take up a lot of the time in our evaluation. Most of the time, we compare a product to others in the same category. Also, we test to check if the specifications on the seller’s website are correct.
For example, a retailer may state on their website that their massage gun has the highest operational decibel of 55 dB but when tested, it is 60 dB. With this information on hand, we will put it in our review so you and other readers will know what we experienced. We might have gotten unlucky and received a defective item but the decision is yours as a buyer. Our job is to test, assess and let our readers know what we got from our tests.
4. Experience in using
This is a crucial aspect of our analysis because you as a reader and potentially buying an item to keep in your home need to know what is our experience of using the product.
Our product testers will use the items for about 3 weeks and share their experience so you get to know how they feel using the products. Occasionally, they will also share their height and body size you can estimate the proportion of them to you when they use the product.
To give you an idea, Jessica is quite petite at 163 cm so if she uses a compact treadmill and the running surface fits her stride length perfectly, then you know this treadmill model may not suit you if you are much taller and your stride length is much longer than hers.
Note that we purchase the products for reviews. Occasionally, we borrow the products directly from retailers or manufacturers. Where it is not possible for us to access these products for us to do a proper evaluation, our researchers will carefully research and take note of customer reviews.
5. Quality of customer service (if applies)
Sometimes we also speak or interact with the manufacturer or retailer’s customer service agents. This is so we know how responsive they are and whether they are helpful with the queries or not. This is also part of the shopping experience that we try to replicate for you so you know before purchasing from them.
Even though we gain a small commission at no cost to you when you click on our links to make a purchase, we want to be 100% transparent and truthful to our readers. This is why we test and assess at-home fitness equipment available in Australia to help you make the best decision before purchasing any.
