Should it matter?

Pass around is ok also. Aren't these folks also getting it free?
But you can get a lot more eyes with some of the active reviewers.
Is not the thread about being unbiased because you paid for the product you're talking about?


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You asked about how you could get your product reviewed as a startup and my answer is "You need to present a good enough case to convince the reviewer to buy your product based on the sales pitch. If the product lives up to the sales pitch then that is the review you will get. If the product does not live up to the sales pitch then that is the review you will get."

Here's a question for those that think reviewers should buy all the products. How does a young start up like us get our product in front of the most people possible if we wait for reviewers to get around to buying our stuff?
Is it unethical for attendees to post a review of our product(s) they got for FREE at a meetup?


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I don't think there is anything wrong with handing out free stuff, but Chris Bailey was threatened by Van Yulay with legal action after giving a not so glowing review claiming he, "Was hurting their business." I wish he still had the links up to that whole fiasco.

I totally did not know that happened. What the heck. Seriously?

Anyway, yes I agree you can offer other reviewers for your items to be reviewed, specially ones that are just starting out. That is not the same as bribing in my opinion.

If you feel strongly that your product is good, then you should be confident to offer it to be tested and should expect an honest feedback. I'd actually respect that way of thinking.

People tend to have a feeling if a reviewer is being honest, just a mouthpiece or being an unreasonable whiner. There is nothing to be worried about. The shaving community is an incredibly hands on bunch. Not all shenanigans can fly for so long in this community, and those who needs to be brought to the spotlight are sure to be recommended by peers as well. If a product is remarkably good, it will have a strong following, at least that's what I have noticed.

You asked about how you could get your product reviewed as a startup and my answer is "You need to present a good enough case to convince the reviewer to buy your product based on the sales pitch. If the product lives up to the sales pitch then that is the review you will get. If the product does not live up to the sales pitch then that is the review you will get."

Sorry, that's not realistic. You're just another nobody to these guys.

However, we are ok with putting our product out there for an honest review and letting the chips fall where they may. We're pleased thus far.


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It does matter.  There are a sad few reviewers who receive free loot whom I would still accept their opinion at face value.  To me, it seems that most are going to give the positive review for fear of losing future loot...

What good is free gear if it is garbage?

Just out of curiosity...who really offers an erroneous review in an effort to continue receiving crap gear for free?

I don't know. I'm just saying that there are so many reviewers that offer nothing negative. It's hard to take most of them seriously. I just assume that some offer only positive reviews in order to continue to receive free stuff. There are folks out there who will want to receive free stuff even if some of it is crap. I can see those people holding out hope for better in the future. It is really nothing more than speculation on my part.

It's really hard for me to buy into all of the hype when it's generally all hype. This is especially true when the stuff hasn't been released to the public.

I've never received anything for free to review.

I do agree that a reviewer that only has positive reviews either has great luck or doesn't have much credibility.


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I do agree that a reviewer that only has positive reviews either has great luck or doesn't have much credibility.


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and boring..

As a vendor, we struggle with this. Do we send a freebie to get in front of a lot of eyeballs or do we wait for them to come to us? We've noticed that the ones that "only buy" tend to showcase new product from familiar people. I guess they're choosy with their hard earned cash too.


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Here's a question for those that think reviewers should buy all the products. How does a young start up like us get our product in front of the most people possible if we wait for reviewers to get around to buying our stuff?
Is it unethical for attendees to post a review of our product(s) they got for FREE at a meetup?


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You ask a tough question because of the current market. Four years ago I could count soap makers out of the US and Canada with both hands and maybe a toe. Right now, I could count 20 without breaking a sweat. In addition to soap makers, I now see razor and brush makers producing their own brands and then soap clubs with subscriptions!

These are great times to be a soap lover, a little harder for the soap makers. I can really only speak from my experience and my humble opinion. The soaps I picked up in the last little while came by word of mouth from my "forum friends" here on DFS and the odd blind purchase from say maggards, handlebarsupply and Canadian blade co. Do I try new soap now and again, I do and some I even go back too. There was a time when i did rely more on the Youtubers to profile stuff, but I now find that I can get a better variety of opinions and shout outs on new products from the forums.

All that to say is you could send your stuff to the Youtubers, and they may profile you, but they tend to stick to their tried and trust and you run the risk flashing out when the next tub from company "X" lands on their desk. It's a tough go out there, I get that and I understand why merchants do it. I'm just trying to reconcile in my own mind if I'm ok with it. It keeps coming back to and landing on the credibility of the reviewer which is in itself.....relative.

I know it's a tough question.


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I don’t fault companies for putting their product out there to popular reviewers, but I do just take it with a grain of salt. I’m not looking for an endorsement, but there are aspects of features they may describe or show that encourage me to look to the forums for more unbiased reviews.