How We Test

We buy what we write about at retail price. We accept no samples, no loans and no payment from anyone whose products we cover.

What we assess

Our focus is materials and construction: what something is made of, how it was finished, and how that holds up. That means examining threads, coatings, seals and tolerances rather than making subjective judgements about how an item feels.

Our method

• Items are used normally for at least six weeks before we describe how they wear.
• Coatings are checked for wear at contact points and threads, which is where anodising fails first.
• Cleaning methods are tested for compatibility with the material before we recommend them — including deliberately testing what damages a finish.
• Where a manufacturer states a material specification, we assess whether the item's behaviour is consistent with it.

What we cannot do

We do not have access to alloy composition analysis or coating thickness measurement. Where alloy or anodising type matters, we report what the manufacturer states and describe the observable behaviour, and we distinguish clearly between the two.

Marketing language

Terms like 'aircraft grade', 'medical grade' and 'food safe' are used loosely in this category. Where we encounter them we explain what the term means in industry and whether the claim is meaningful.