How We Review

GoldBlock Workshop, LLC is here to learn and to build trusted relationships with the people who read our work and the companies whose products we review. We review and compare products, tools and services across all three of our pillars:

• Human Performance and Health: for example fitness and recovery gear, sleep tools and supplements.
• Systems, Wealth and Technology: for example software, AI tools, computer equipment and financial tools.
• Skills, Resilience and Life Mastery: for example hand and power tools, workshop and trade equipment, preparedness food, water and power gear, and learning resources.

The same rules apply to every review, whatever the product.

How we judge a product

• By the job it has to do. Each review starts by stating what the product is for and the criteria we judge it on, so you can see why one product comes out ahead for a given need.
• Measurable facts first. We compare on what a product actually delivers: specifications, capacity, ingredients and nutrition, total cost of ownership, ease of use, safety features, warranty and support. We do not rank on slogans or packaging.
• Lasting facts over passing ones. Prices, stock and sales change constantly, so we do not list exact prices. Where cost matters, we show a cost tier based on regular prices and re-check it on a schedule.
• The math, shown. When we calculate something, such as cost per use or cost per 1,000 calories, we show how, so you can check it or redo it with today's numbers.
• No single "best." Different people need different things. We name winners by a stated measure, such as "lowest cost per calorie" or "most protein," and explain who each product suits.

Experience and research

• Personal use, stated honestly. When a GoldBlock co-founder has used a product, we say so and describe how it was used. We never claim to have used something we have not.
• Hands-on use, described. When we have tried a product ourselves, we say what we did with it, how and for how long. We run no laboratory tests, we do not certify any product, and nothing we publish is a guarantee or a seal of approval. Where safety matters, rely on recognized product certifications such as an NSF or UL mark.
• Research only, stated. Many comparisons rest on published facts rather than personal use. Those say so, and each says plainly what we have not done.
• Manufacturer figures, marked. When a number comes from the maker rather than from our own checks, we say so.

Where our information comes from

• Primary sources first. Product facts come from the maker's own specifications, labels, manuals and terms, read on the date we state, not from other reviews or summaries.
• Health: official health agencies and peer-reviewed research. Our reviews are education, not medical advice. We do not make disease or cure claims, and anything affecting your health should be discussed with a qualified professional.
• Money and finance: fees, rates and terms from the provider's official documents, dated. Our reviews are education, not personal financial advice.
• Technology: the version and date reviewed, because software changes often.
• Tools, equipment and safety: the maker's specifications and manuals, official safety guidance, such as USDA, CDC, FDA and university extension services for food and preparedness.
• No unsourced claims. Every claim carries its source beside it or in the page's Sources. If we cannot point to where a fact comes from, we cut it. We publish sourced knowledge, not our own advice or opinion.

How we check every claim

1. Primary source. Each fact is read from its original source.
2. Cross-check. Where we can, we check a figure against a second source, such as a label against a product page. Each review says which figures we checked this way and which are the maker's own.
3. Independent review, where stated. Where a page's notice says it was also checked by a separate AI reviewer that did not write it, that reviewer checked the sources and recalculated the math.

Our pages are researched and drafted with AI assistance. Every article lists its sources and is checked against them, and GoldBlock Workshop reviews every page before it goes live. We do our best and we can still miss things; when a reader or a later check finds an error, we correct the page and say so. Our Disclaimer says what our content is and is not.

Images on this site are generated with AI tools. Under current U.S. Copyright Office guidance, purely AI-generated images carry no copyright: its report Copyright and Artificial Intelligence, Part 2: Copyrightability (January 2025) states, "Copyright does not extend to purely AI-generated material, or material where there is insufficient human control over the expressive elements."

How we treat the brands we review

• Respect and fairness. Every product in a comparison gets the same criteria and a fair account of what it does well and what to know before buying.
• Shortfalls as sourced facts. When a product falls short, we state the fact and its source, in the maker's own words where possible. We do not speculate about a company's motives, quality or business practices.
• Right of reply. We do not go looking for small errors on labels or product pages. When we find a significant problem with a named product that could cause real harm, such as an allergen missing from a label, we tell the company and give them time to respond, and we publish their response if they send one. Safety information is shared with readers right away while we wait for the reply.
• Corrections. If you make a product we review and believe something we wrote is wrong, email [email protected] and we will check it against the source and correct anything that is wrong.

Money and independence

• No paid placement. No company can pay to be included, ranked or reviewed.
• Free products disclosed. If we ever receive a free product, loan or gift, the review says so.
• Affiliate links never change a finding. Some links may be affiliate links, marked as paid links next to the link. Our findings come from the criteria and the facts, and we include products whether or not we earn from them. See our Affiliate Disclosure.

Keeping reviews current

Every review shows the date it was last reviewed. Anything that needs regular checking, such as prices, product contents or software versions, is tracked on a maintenance schedule and re-checked on that schedule. When we re-check or change a review, we update its last-reviewed date.

Contact

Questions about how we review? Email [email protected].