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Contra Wirecutter on the IKEA air purifier

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Re: Contra Wirecutter on the IKEA air purifier

#631

Post by ramraj07 »

QuinnyPig wrote: post #502
screye wrote: post #349

Wirecutter is like Leetcode interviews. The goal is not to find the 'best' option, but minimize false positives under intense time-pressure. Their recommendation is usually the 8/10 solid option that you can blindly buy and be moderately satisfied with. In the process, they drop out or misrepresent other comparable options, but their final recommendation is never shoddy. This is in stark contrast to other reviewers l…

I find that the Wirecutter is awesome for things I will never go into stupendous depth for on my own — like spatulas. For anything more serious than that, it has increasingly been on the decline for years.

I’ve just learned to never trust them on headphones lol

Re: Contra Wirecutter on the IKEA air purifier

#632

Post by fehrm »

I have both Förnuftig (meaning sensible, great name) and a Coway Storm AP-1516D. I prefer the Coway, but it is much more powerful.

The only issue I have with the Förnuftig is the noise level, even on medium it is too loud for me. Apart from that, it is fine. It isn't as powerful and advanced as the Coway but everyone loves the look of it and asks what it is, and shows their spouses it.

Coway is big, powerful, quite silent but also clunky and in the way.

Re: Contra Wirecutter on the IKEA air purifier

#633

Post by birdman3131 »

fooqux wrote: post #339
birdman3131 wrote: post #277

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I like a lot of project farm's videos but his electrical tape video was far off the mark of what actually matters. They were good tests for tape but bad tests for Electrical tape.

Fair, and I'd also say that many of the tests he does could really use more data points. For example, testing torque using bolts- I've had a few bad bolts in my life that were weaker than they should have been. I really hope he does that but edits it out. However, I would say that's the price you pay for an independent reviewer these days. He's (presumably) not simply reading a carefully prepared script by the vendor…

Not resistance. More along the line of usability. (I will gladly admit that I am a fan of super 33+ and will pay the $5 a roll any day. My thoughts are a bit skewed.)

Things that matter in electrical tape to me is flexability when wrapping wires. And how well it lasts in the sun. I get that the later test takes awhile. He has done a of couple year long tests but I get why thats rare.

It is hard to explain the difference in cheap electrical tape but if I was to take cheap tape and super 33 (or 88 which is a bit thicker) and wrap something with it the difference in how well they conform is night and day. And the adhesive itself is also a lot better.

Re: Contra Wirecutter on the IKEA air purifier

#634

Post by tssva »

Regarding the section about whether it is or isn't a true HEPA filter, the Wirecutter is a US based website targeting mostly US based consumers so maybe we should look at the major US standard regarding HEPA filters which is DOE-STD-3020-2015. This standard was originally developed to cover HEPA filters supplied by DOE contractors in nuclear facilities.

How does it define a HEPA filter? "High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) Filter: A throwaway, extended-medium, dry type filter with a rigid casing enclosing the full depth of the pleats. The filter shall exhibit a minimum efficiency of 99.97% when tested with an aerosol of 0.3 micrometer diameter."

So according to the standard in the target market for the review the IKEA air purifier does not use a true HEPA filter and the recommended unit does.

Edit: I looked closer at the European specification used in the article. By that specification the filter in the IKEA unit also is not a true HEPA filter but an EPA filter. The Exx designations mean it is a EPA filter and the Hxx designations mean a HEPA filter.

Re: Contra Wirecutter on the IKEA air purifier

#635

Post by [deleted] »

fartcannon wrote: post #475
criley2 wrote: post #459

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Salacious is an eminently accurate word for your string of source-less comments describing your feelings about their advertisements under the guise of actual accusations of wrongdoing. I don't "disagree with you", I dismiss you. I provided an accurate description of their financials and incentives and demonstrated that your salacious claims literally don't make sense. This is good and normal! We should always dismiss…

Now you're just being rude.

[deleted]

Re: Contra Wirecutter on the IKEA air purifier

#636

Post by criley2 »

hoseja wrote: post #581
criley2 wrote: post #438

Earlier quoted context omitted.

LTT makes almost all of it's money from floatplane, youtube premium, and youtube advertisements. The "deals" they work with companies are almost entirely outside of the product space they review. This mud-slinging idea you continue to push (with zero evidence) is contrary to their financials and directly contrary to their business model. Why on earth would Linus leverage his entire business in debt to buy a huge faci…

>LTT makes almost all of it's money from floatplane, youtube premium, and youtube advertisements In the recent video they did on their most profitable videos Linus explicitly said money from YouTube is only a small fraction of their revenue. I don't imagine Floatplane is much of a profit centre either...

Linus did a video on how much money they make from youtube premium/ads and the numbers can get as high as $50k-$100k/video for their most popular streams. It's not nothing. Floatplane is profitable because it's a subscription based system, and that's where the money always is. Hence patreon.

Re: Contra Wirecutter on the IKEA air purifier

#637

Post by janandonly »

Goz3rr wrote: post #610
hypersoar wrote: post #51

The Wirecutter is a highly flawed review site, but at least it's a real one. There are vanishingly few left for general consumer products. There's WC, Consumer Reports, and what else? They've seem to have all been killed off. When I'm researching some category of product, I feel lucky if I find any professional reviews written by people who have actually touched the thing they're reviewing. I know we've all had the e…

I'm very happy that in the Netherlands we have tweakers.net. Not only do they do tech news and reviews, they also have an amazing parametric search/price watch tool that I'm reasonably sure is a major contributing cause to how competitive pricing is here compared to neighboring countries. Every time I happen to use Amazon I die a little inside because of how bad their search is.

Agree. https://www.tweakers.net rocks !

Also, to use Amazon I search for the 1/2/3-star reviews and see if I disagree with the given reason for the low review. If I disagree, I will contemplate buying the product.

Re: Contra Wirecutter on the IKEA air purifier

#639

Post by yummypaint »

mrkwse wrote: post #70
hypersoar wrote: post #51

The Wirecutter is a highly flawed review site, but at least it's a real one. There are vanishingly few left for general consumer products. There's WC, Consumer Reports, and what else? They've seem to have all been killed off. When I'm researching some category of product, I feel lucky if I find any professional reviews written by people who have actually touched the thing they're reviewing. I know we've all had the e…

It will be interesting if LMG can pull off what Linus is aiming for with the massive investment in a laboratory environment. There are huge parts of the tech market where the most critical reviewing you can find is anecdotal accounts of if the reviewer liked a product or not (or the more clinical reviews are drowned out by the anecdotal noise).

Gamersnexus has been similarly expanding their capabilities with very expensive fan testing equipment. They seem to be one of the better sources of consumer tech journalism these days.

Re: Contra Wirecutter on the IKEA air purifier

#640

Post by throw0101a »

Xcelerate wrote: post #625
throw0101a wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The Wirecutter is a highly flawed review site, but at least it's a real one. There are vanishingly few left for general consumer products. There's WC, Consumer Reports, and what else? I like America's Test Kitchen for kitchen-y stuff. Project Farm (on YouTube) for tools / DIY stuff perhaps.

> I like America's Test Kitchen for kitchen-y stuff. For me, America’s Test Kitchen compromises on quality too much for the sake of convenience. And perhaps that is their target audience, but they dismissed Demeyere’s cookware out of hand for being too heavy and unwieldy, whereas a site like centurylife uses IR cameras and probe thermometers to actually measure heat distribution and retention across different cookwar…

> I don’t understand the “too heavy” complaint anyway; people cook with cast iron (Lodge / Le Creuset) all the time, and it is significantly heavier than Demeyere.

Yes, and they have reviews for cast iron for people that (a) can deal with the weight, and (b) want the thermal 'inertia' of all the extra mass.

But plenty of folks (i) aren't strong enough, or (ii) want something more responsive to heat adjustments.

They have testers of all shapes and sizes: (five-foot-nothing?) Lisa McManus and (six-foot?) Adam Ried would handle things differently:

* https://www.americastestkitchen.com/tour

If something is heavy/unwieldy, and you have hot oil in it, then it can become a safety hazard. There are trade-offs in any engineering decision.

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