Guides
What we learned checking products against the things people actually own. Each guide is written from our own measurements, not from a retailer’s copy, and none of them shows a price or a rating we are not entitled to display.
- How we check that a part fits — and why "for your car" is not enough
A catalogue search for a 2003 Accord air filter returned three filters for the wrong engine. Here is what the listing said, why a keyword match cannot catch it, and what we read instead.
- Choose the battery platform before the tool
The packs outlive any one tool. Why "fits all M18 batteries" is the most important line on a cordless listing, and the order to decide in.
- Impact wrench torque, and what you are actually loosening
Fastening and breakaway torque are different numbers. Which one the listing quotes, why drive size comes first, and when more torque is the wrong buy.
- Size a cooler by days of ice, not by litres
Retention claims assume a full, pre-chilled box. What the number means, what thick walls cost you, and the two-thirds rule for sizing.
- A standing desk is a range — measure both ends before you buy
Two elbow heights, the desktop thickness, and why the quoted minimum is often the one that fails.
- Running shoes: what drop and stack actually change
The two stated numbers that matter more than the colourway, and why changing them suddenly is how injuries start.
- True unit cost: the cheapest sticker is usually not the cheapest
A single roll beats an 80-roll box on price and loses on every sheet. Why most listings cannot be ranked on unit cost at all, and what we do about it.
- Why "compatible with" is not a fit
A seller's "only" rules a part out; a seller's "compatible with" proves nothing. The asymmetry we use for filters, brush heads and cartridges.
- The return-risk checklist
Five things to read on a listing before buying anything that has to fit a space, a socket or a thing you already own.
- How ShopCursor ranks, and why commission cannot move it
Suitability first, price second, commission never — and what we refuse to show until we are authorised to.