Best Product Review Sites

We talk a lot about the bad economy, and how everybody has to be careful with the small amount of money they have, so it only makes sense that before you buy a product you’d want to read some reviews on it.  Product review sites are abundant on the internet, but we’ve found a few general ones that are extremely helpful.  Of course, in addition to checking out these sites you should probably read product reviews on the manufacturer’s or dealer’s website when you’re thinking about a large purchase like a vehicle or appliance, but these sites are a good jumping-off point for your research.

Consumer Search

Consumer Search is committed to providing honest and clear information about products.  They cover products and show the best-rated ones.  They do their own analysis, but also include expert reviews and user reviews to really give a wide overview of what people have to say about a particular product.  They also provide their source information, so you can see that they don’t make stuff up or skew the information in any way.  They aren’t the type of site who will give a good review to a product just because that product’s company wants to advertise with them.  They do get paid from retailers they have  a long-standing relationship with, but that relationship is an advertising relationship, not a feeder incentive to give a product a good review.  Their categories are:  electronics, home and garden, kitchen and food, fitness and sports, computers and internet, family and pets, health and beauty, and automotive.
>>Honest Product Reviews – consumersearch.com

Epinons

Epinions is a website affiliated with Shopping.com, which is in turn an eBay company.  Epinions is set up to provide unbiased product reviews so that the consumer knows what they’re getting into when they think about buying a particular product.  Anyone can write a review for Epinions, which is cool because you can put in your two cents.  Their categories are:  cars, books, movies, music, computers & software, electronics, gifts, home & garden, kids & family, office supply, sports, travel, and “More.”  You can also earn “Eroyalties Credits” which you can redeem for cash.  Cha-ching!
>>User-Generated Reviews – epinions.com

Consumer Reports

Consumer Reports is sort of the granddaddy of consumer review sites.  Consumer Reports is the website of Consumer’s Union, an organization that came about in 1936, when advertisers realized they didn’t have to tell the truth about their products, and people started believing them.  They accept no outside advertising, so you can be sure that the information is honest and untainted.
>>The Leading Product Reviews Website – consumerreports.org

Top Ten REVIEWS

Founded in 2003, Top Ten REVIEWS covers Software, Electronics, Web Services, Small Business, Science Tech, Mobile, Movies, Music, Video Games, and Gift Ideas.  They recommend the best product for each category within a category, and they do side-by-side comparisons of products so that you can decide for yourself what fits your need and your budget.
>>Top Ten REVIEWS – toptenreviews.com

Cnet

Once I had this boss who would only buy something if it had a Cnet rating of 9.7 or higher.  These guys test products themselves, and then deliver the results on the website.   How cool would it be to work there?  Very cool, I imagine.  They make sure the reviews are timely, credible, and compelling, and they do a great job.  They have tons of categories, all mainly related to electronic equipment and appliances.
>>They test it in the lab – reviews.cnet.com

Buzzillions

Buzzillions is a collection of reviews on different products.  They are all user-reviewed things, and customer feedback informs how they set up their rankings.  They have tons of categories, including clothing, shoes, computers, motor sports, tickets, books, music, video, electronics, baby stuff, wedding stuff, toys, games, hobbies, sporting goods, activities, musical instruments, office stuff, health and beauty, home and garden, trucks and cars, pets, and more.  Each of those categories has its own subcategories.  You could spend a lot of time on this website.
>>Bazillions of Buzzillions – buzzillions.com