Reviews.

UffDa

UffDa

Gold Member
Joined
Sep 11, 1999
Messages
42,596
This a review of reviews. :confused:

When ever I am looking for some new doo-dad I always search for reviews to see what others think of the product. What I find interesting, especially on Amazon, is that there is always someone who is unhappy. No matter what the product is, it is very unusual to find one with a 100% rating. Obviously, it is best to avoid a product that is overwhelmingly hated.

What brought this on is that I am looking for an external hard disk. Amazon sells a lot of them, so I checked their consumer ratings. The one I was thinking about is rated :thumbdn::thumbdn::thumbdn:, so forget that one. Even the highest rated Seagate doesn't get 100%. I suspect that there are people who are never happy with anything. :(

I usually go with the item that has the fewest negative reviews. So far, the only thing that I am not really happy with is my Lenovo T61 laptop. It's just OK, but not really all that good, yet it got excellent reviews.
 
Interesting topic. I really do the same thing. I find myself overwhelmed with choices though. I've got a way to deal with the many review styles out there. Here is what I notice when reading some reviews:

-The Long Winded Review: This review is usually over 750 words (yep, like an essay). Unless it is thoughtfully written, it loses the reader within the first minute.

-The Non Specific Review: Usually, the reviewer provides a rating of the product and gives no mention of the item itself. Rather, the focus is placed on the company selling the item. For all we know, it could be a winner or a steaming pile...No way to know.

-The Random Complaint Review: usually these take the form of reviewer focusing on a single aspect of the product instead of the overall item/value, etc. Like buying a Ferrari and complaining that it has no cup holders...

If you are looking for a decent external hard drive, I'd recommend Western Digital Elements. They are small, solidly built, and I've had one for over a year now with no issues at all. They come with silicon covers on both ends as shock protection. Really nice, for around $90-100 on Newegg.
 
UffDa said:
I suspect that there are people who are never happy with anything. :(
Click to expand...

That's exactly the problem. There will always be people who are never happy with anything and they want the rest of the world to know about it.

It's especially common with popular electronics. I'm a big fan of Nintendo's products. I know they don't have the best business sense and have lagged behind the times over their history, but I think they make an outstanding product.

But it never fails to amaze me how many people hate a product just because it's Nintendo.

And since the wonderful internet lets everyone have a voice you have people who say things like "it sucks because it's made by company XXXXXXX... I've never tried this product but it sucks, don't waste your money."

The internet is a cesspool when it comes to getting any real information about a product. Your best bet is to talk to real people about a product or read some of the trade magazines.

I can guarantee you 100% that if there was a miracle drug that cured every disease known to man and had absolutely no ill side effects, someone on the internet would say it sucks.
 
Counting thumbs doesn't tell you much of anything (unless you know the people the thumbs are attached to). You have to read the reviews, or at least skim a few. Then you can find out something.

Some fields seem to attract idiots more than others. A while ago I was looking at hotel reviews online and found they're mostly complaints, and most of them have entertainment value only. "We saw a black bug right in the middle of the floor, and the manager refused to give us a refund for our stay! He offered us a discount for next time we come, but we're never going to that place again -- there was a bug in the middle of the floor! It ruined our whole vacation!" We don't get many knife reviews at that level....

Glance over the negatives reviews for a hard drive, and see if they were negative because the drive failed, or because they had to call tech support and had to wait on hold until the guy finally told them it doesn't work unless you plug that wire into the right hole in the back of the computer. Why doesn't it have a diagram in the instructions to show where the right hole is in the back of your computer to plug the wire into??? Five thumbs down! :thumbdn::thumbdn::thumbdn::thumbdn::thumbdn:

My hardware guru recommends Western Digital external hard drives. He says they don't fail much. I think you still have to find a USB port to plug it into yourself, though.
 
I always read reviews prior to making a purchase. I think people are more likely to leave a review if it is going to be negative. The need to vent can be pretty powerful. You kind of have to sort through reviews to really take away anything valuable.
 
Review: preview.
Soon you'll know
what reviewers never show.

Once you've got it
you can tell us
what they've really got to sell us.
 
Try a site that is frequented by enthusiasts of that particular item. For computer equipment, I would recommend Newegg. They do get some tards on there, but, for the most part, the guys on there know what they are doing and will give honest reviews about the performance and perceived shortcomings.

For an actual drive, Western Digital and Seagate are usually both pretty solid. Hitachi and Samsung also make decent drives. Maxtor sucked for a long time, but is getting better.

I wouldn't worry about getting one with anything over a three year warranty. If it fails after that, an equivalent drive will be dirt cheap and one the same price will be three times the size. If you are getting an external drive, I'm guessing you know that you shouldn't have your data in just one place anyway.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
Review: preview.
Soon you'll know
what reviewers never show.

Once you've got it
you can tell us
what they've really got to sell us.
Click to expand...


I'll begin a review of Esav's wit,
at least what little there is of it.

Burma-Shave :D
 
What do you mean some people are never happy. This review review stinks more than the last review review I reviewed :D.
 
I think it helps to ask around and get other people's opinion about something your interested in but at the same time keep in mind we all have our own likes and dislikes. some people like certain brands and others don't. same here on the forum, we all have our own favorite brand of knife and swear it's the best because it has served us well but others may feel otherwise.

sometimes when I'm looking to buy something I'll ask around and get all the opinions I can and info I can. then I get to a point where I have so much info and way too many opnions that I'm no better than where I was when I knew nothing of that product.

lets look at Spyderco knives. I love them, I know many people that don't! they all have their own opinions about them but they just don't care for them. so if I need some info or an opinon on a Spyderco I don't ask them because I already know what they will say. nothing good. so I come here and will ask some Spyderco knife owners/collectors and get what I feel will be a honest true opinion because they know the knife and they have used the brand. nevermind the fact that Bladeforums.com members are just smarter thatn the average knife owner. ;)
 
Esav Benyamin said:
Battling with a lesser wit,
I cannot see the point of it.

(I don't shave.)
Click to expand...


BilltheCat.jpg
 
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