You might wonder how I rate the products I test and review here. And, to be honest, I want to be 100% transparent and up front about it so there will be no questions.

I use a 5 star rating system. With that in mind, see the breakdown below so you will better understand what each rating means.

A Breakdown of The Rating System:

5 Stars – excellent product for the money. I found little or nothing that I didn’t like about it.
4 Stars – good product.for the money. It had some quirks, but still worth buying.
3 Stars – an OK product for the money. I probably won’t buy this product again.
2 Stars – not worth the money spent. I ran into big problems with it and won’t buy it again.
1 Star – absolute junk. I do not, under any circumstances, recommend that you buy this product.

I choose a rating based on many factors. It’s not based solely on the price of an item or the item’s features or specs. I take into consideration what each product costs and then use that to determine whether that product is a good value for the price.

Let’s face it. Comparing a $40 reel to a $140 reel isn’t a fair way to judge a product. So a rating given is based on how well that piece of tackle performed for the money spent. Sometimes I find products that cost $40 that perform nearly as well as one costing double that price. In cases like this, I will surely mention this fact in my review.

This system helps to make sure items are rated fairly within their respective price range.

How I Pick Products

First, I tend to do a lot of homework before buying most products. This keeps me from buying products that are junk. And let’s face it; nobody likes to waste their money on junk fishing tackle. So, for me to buy a product, knowing up front that it’s junk, makes no sense at all. Instead, I tend to buy products that I know will perform well.

This is the reason so many of the reviews I write get 4 or 5 star ratings, because I purposely buy good stuff. Even with the 4 and 5 star rated products, I will always be sure to mention anything that I don’t like about a product, even if it’s something very minor. I want to make sure you know about those little quirks or annoyances up front.

There will be some cases where I buy a product without doing any research whatsoever. And that will usually be reflected in my rating. Such was the case with some of the products I have reviewed, like the Vicious Fishing Fluorocarbon line. I bought it on the spur of the moment. I got less than what I paid for, and the rating reflected this.

This also happened to a lesser degree with the Abu Garcia Pro Max 3 Baitcasting Combo. Although this product still garnered a 4 star rating based on the overall value, I was disappointed with the feel of the rod because I ordered it online and didn’t get to handle it before buying it.

So, hopefully this has shed some light on how the reviews here at TackleTest.com are written and what the logic is behind them. And this is the reason that so many of the reviews we write have 4 and 5 star ratings. Homework almost always pays off with better products being purchased.

Good Fishing <><