Editorial Standards & Methodology
AO Picks is founded and edited by Alan Orther, who is personally accountable for every recommendation on the site. We are transparent about how we work: we are a research-driven publication, not a hands-on testing lab, and we never publish invented reviewer personas, fabricated testing anecdotes, or made-up ratings.
How We Research Our Picks
Every category guide is built from evidence we can point to, not personal hands-on testing of each product. For each category we:
- Survey the field of leading options and the published reviews and product coverage written about them.
- Compare manufacturer specifications side by side, translating marketing numbers into what they mean in real use.
- Map features to real needs, identifying which specs matter for which kinds of buyers.
- Note recurring themes — common praise and complaints — in the publicly available customer feedback on retailer listings, attributed to that source rather than presented as our own testing.
What We Don't Do
We are upfront about our limits. We do not operate a testing lab, and you will not find fabricated "I used this for three weeks" anecdotes or invented star ratings on this site. When a guide says a product suits a particular buyer, that is our researched editorial judgment based on specifications and the documented landscape — clearly framed as such.
Editorial Independence
AO Picks earns affiliate commissions when readers buy through our links, at no extra cost to the reader. Those relationships never influence which products we recommend — in many cases our top pick is not the highest-commission option in its category. Read more on our About page.
Corrections and Contact
If you spot an error or have feedback, email hello@aopicks.com. We update pages as products are discontinued, prices change, and better options reach the market.