What do the star ratings mean?

Products with star ratings have been tested by our Review Teams. This article shares exactly those ratings mean.

You may have noticed that some of the products in the Tech Guide Catalogue have been giving a star rating. This means the product has been used and reviewed by one of our Review Teams. Our ratings are independent assessments based on the feedback given to us by our Review Teams. They are asked a series of questions related to the products’ usability, quality and value for money.

We have chosen not to give each product an 'overall score'. Instead, we assess and rate each product in our catalogue under a set of common categories. They are as follows:

Features: How many things does it do and how important are they?

Ease of use: How easy is it to use, including set-up and instructions?

Quality: How well made is it?

Value: How much value does it deliver for the cost?

What do our star ratings mean?

We’re using a 5-star rating system in our Trusted Reviews so you can quickly assess the products’ key features. They are:

1 star = bad

2 stars = poor

3 stars = average

4 stars = good

5 stars = excellent

How do we calculate the star ratings?

We ask our Review Teams for detailed feedback on their experience of using the product for at least 4 weeks. We also ask them to give an overall star score for our key categories (as we’ve described above).

We then access all the feedback and star scores. Taking into consideration both the lived-experience feedback and the star score, we then generate a Trusted Review scoring across our four key categories.