Since its start in 2008, Pro Tool Reviews has remained committed to a policy and practice of integrity, consistency, and adherence to providing helpful and engaging content to our readers. Our entire editorial staff is committed to producing and maintaining quality content that informs and educates even as it entertains. We produce all of our reviews, news, buying guides, and similar editorial content without influence from advertisers or our affiliate partners. Throughout all of this, we adhere to strict editorial standards.
Editorial Policies Table of Contents
Content Quality and Sourcing
Pro Tool Reviews puts a tremendous amount of emphasis and value on our commitment to the quality and accuracy of our content. Above all, we want to earn the trust of our readers. Our editorial standards, workflow, and policies reflect that desire. From our writers and editors to those involved in the content production and fact-checking processes, photography, and graphic design, everyone on our team works together to ensure content is correct, factual, and updated regularly when applicable.
We also strive to provide proper context and rationale when making objective claims in our editorials and articles. Our goal is to differentiate between objective facts and subjective opinions in our writing whenever practical and possible. This helps the reader properly draw conclusions and inferences when reading our content and making decisions based on it.
Every review, buying guide, or other piece of content features the author’s byline to help you understand the background and experience of the writer. Articles are also dated at the time of publication. Edits are noted within the article or through a process of updating the publishing date. Within each article, we strive to also highlight related content to help our readers further expand their knowledge and resources. We also strive to help answer related and frequently asked questions so that you get all of the information you need to make an informed choice or solve a particular problem addressed by the article.
Conflicts of Interest
Our editorial standards do not allow our content to be influenced by advertisers or any advertising relationship. Pro Tool Reviews strives to create an “air gap” between advertising and editorial. Unique staff in these areas help us maintain a strict separation between the two areas. We also make very clear declarations to separate editorial content from advertising content.
At Pro Tool Reviews we cherish and defend our commitment to independent product evaluations and trustworthiness. Our goal is to provide thorough, unbiased recommendations and opinions based on experience and our long history of using and testing construction and landscaping tools, equipment, and accessories. We do not accept payment in exchange for positive reviews. Under our editorial standards, we don’t consider products donated to us “payment” for reviews or editorial content.
Our reviews of tools, fasteners, accessories, and technology engage a combination or mix of hands-on testing, experience with similar products, and even professional expert research and interviews.
Affiliate Marketing Relationships
We may have affiliate relationships with certain retailers including, but not limited to Amazon, Acme Tools, Home Depot, Lowes, Ace Hardware, and others. This also includes manufacturers who sell directly to consumers. When you click on a button and buy a product we may make a small commission on the sale. We follow to the best of our ability, the FTC Guidelines on Disclosures.
Amazon, in particular, requires that we make the following statement regarding our relationship: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Direct Advertising
Pro Tool Reviews also has direct advertising relationships with several power tool manufacturers. We do not, however, allow manufacturers to dictate our content or influence our testing results or conclusions. Our advertising includes display (banner) advertising and featured content on our site to drive attention to a particular manufacturer or brand. We also provide newsletter advertising.
Review Samples
Pro Tool Reviews reviews hundreds of products each year. As we do not have a subscription model, having all manufacturers provide review samples provides a way for us to test and review tools, accessories, and other products throughout the year. We encourage all of our readers to operate under the assumption that ALL products we review are supplied by the manufacturer. From time to time, we may purchase tools ourselves for the purpose of providing a review or comparison and also to ensure that manufacturers are not providing us with “golden samples” that do not represent the tools our readers would find in stores.
Sponsored Content
In rare circumstances, a manufacturer may request specific sponsored product coverage. In these articles, we clearly indicate at the top of the article that the content is sponsored. These articles do not violate our editorial standards and represent an opportunity to let our readers know about a product. They will never reflect an actual critical review as we do not allow for paid reviews.
Statement on AI (Artificial Intelligence)
AI can be a useful tool for certain applications — such as gathering sources or organizing data like a research assistant (albeit one you have to monitor and verify). It does not, however, make for a good writer or substitute for real-world experience. In short, AI is simply not trustworthy in our opinion. As such, Pro Tool Reviews does not use AI (artificial intelligence) to create and or publish articles online. Our authors and editorial staff are made up of real people with real biographies and real experience. This lets us continue to produce truly high-quality and helpful content written by actual humans.
From time to time we publish articles that make use of multiple writers on our team. In these cases, we may denote the authors as “PTR Editorial Staff”. This is not AI content, nor should it be construed to indicate content that contains less authoritative sources. On the contrary, these articles involve two or more writers in addition to our producers and editors.
Fact-Checking
We at Pro Tool Reviews are committed to correcting any factual errors in our articles as quickly as possible. We welcome feedback through our social media channels as well as email. When we issue a correction, we will strive to make it quickly and accurately. We will also do so with a high level of transparency.
As part of our editorial process, all writers, editors, and producers at Pro Tool Reviews gather required information and investigate facts and claims before publishing any content. Our research involves qualified and dependable sources—preferably direct and without third parties whenever possible.
If you have a question regarding any of our sources or content or wish to challenge a fact presented on our website, please reach out to info-AT-protoolreviews.com. You may also send a letter to: Pro Tool Reviews, 4117 Gallatin Pike, Suite 105, Nashville, TN 37216.
Updates and Corrections
Pro Tool Reviews is committed to accuracy and transparency about corrections. As such our editorial standards encourage us to update content from time to time for the following reasons:
- A reader, manufacturer, or other source brought to our attention a factual error.
- Bringing to our attention a portion of an article or review that didn’t communicate well or was unclear.
- A product was updated, discontinued, or otherwise modified making us feel the need to update an article or buying guide with different content.
- A new product came to market, leading us to test and update our recommendations in a particular editorial, article, or buying guide.
The team at Pro Tool Reviews is committed to reporting and correcting errors as soon as they are brought to our attention. If and when this occurs, we will include a dated note briefly documenting the correction and why it was made. We do not document changes made for clarity and to correct grammatical or spelling errors.
In general, our goal is to provide helpful, accurate, and up-to-date content. This requires consistent and periodical updating of our content to keep in step with new product releases and developments. That can extend to advances made in tools, batteries, features, or other technology that alter our recommendations. We strive to ensure our recommendations present the best choices for consumers. We want to ensure these recommendations stay as relevant and updated as possible.
Currently, the publishing date reflects any large article or editorial updates. Smaller updates will be reflected with a dated summary notation at the bottom of the article.
Any potential errors or omissions can be reported to info-AT-protoolreviews.com. You can also send a letter to: Pro Tool Reviews, 4117 Gallatin Pike, Suite 105, Nashville, TN 37216.
Advertising and Editorial Separation
We maintain a strict separation between advertising and editorial content. We call out any “sponsored content” across our web, social, and video channels. This ensures that content is provided by or on behalf of an advertiser. Our editorial and advertising teams also have different organizational heads, and we strive to keep them as separate as possible.
If there exists a connection between the reviewer and the product, we require the reviewer to disclose that to us.
Media Events
From time to time Pro Tool Reviews gets invited to media events. This lets us experience and learn about new tools and technology products in advance of the public. We find it in the best interests of our readers to attend these in an effort to bring them the latest product and tech news regarding the construction and landscaping industries. Typically, the manufacturer or an associated marketing agency pays for travel, lodging, and food for these events.
No Gifts, Services, or Preferential Treatment
At no time are our editorial staff and editorial contributors permitted to solicit or receive gifts or services. This includes marketing companies, manufacturers, or any sources related to the operation of our editorial site and the production of content.
No one in the editorial team at Pro Tool Reviews may give any preferential treatment to a manufacturer, marketing agency, or their employees based on any personal or private relationship with the person or company.
Plagiarism
Pro Tool Reviews is committed to creating and producing originally sourced content for its editorial articles. That content is checked for accuracy, attribution (when needed), and plagiarism—accidental or otherwise. We may from time to time utilize images and content under fair use laws.
We are also serious about protecting the intellectual property rights of others. Pro Tool Reviews takes any reports of plagiarism seriously. Pro Tool Reviews will investigate them quickly and to the best of our ability with serious consequences for anyone on our team found copying or producing editorial content not of their creation or without proper attribution.
Contact
If you have any additional questions not covered here, please refer to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. You may also reach out to info-AT-protoolreviews.com. Alternatively, you may send a letter to: Pro Tool Reviews, 4117 Gallatin Pike, Suite 105, Nashville, TN 37216.