Conversation

Poll: When you buy a new kind or price band of gadget where options/brands are unfamiliar to you (headphones, cameras, mics, binoculars...), how do you choose?
  • Top of the line
    8.7%
  • 80% value at 20% cost
    33.9%
  • Top reviewed
    51.7%
  • Random crapshoot
    5.7%
230 votesFinal results
Replying to
first 80/20 to test the waters, if I still like it after a half year, do research and buy top reviewed, low end of professional grade.
1
Replying to
Either wirecutter or, if professional info is available to me, buy the thing that is what lower-end pro users get, the one that won’t break but doesn’t have the features that you don’t need if you want to actually use the thing.
2
Replying to
Mostly I check the specs and reviews to see if I can figure out what materials they are made of so I can guess whether I'd be allergic to them. If I have a particular use-case in mind, I see which ones are capable of doing what I want to do.