Magazine Product Reviews - Does Anyone Even Care?

wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
So, every now and then, I'll hear someone post up about a great review they read of a new product in JP, FOUR WHEELER or other magazine published by TEN and that got me wondering, does anyone really even care? I mean, back in the day when all we had were magazines, I subscribed to them or picked them off the news stand just like the next guy and was happy with the info they provided but I always knew that unless a company advertised in their rag, they would never get a mention. In fact, the more I think about it, I can't remember seeing them publish a scathing but totally honest review of anything, EVER. The most you would see are articles about the "7 best" off road tires or a "shootout" on 5 different winches but in every case, they would try to be nice to everyone and give out stars or number ratings. And really, there's nothing wrong with that - I totally get why they would do what they do as saying anything negative, regardless of how truthful it was would be bad for business. And, in so many ways, this is what I love about internet forums. Sure, you get the fanboys posting up stellar reviews about the products they've chosen to buy and you get haters dissing bolt-on parts but somewhere in between the lines, you get real nuggets of TRUTH. You get to hear about first hand experiences using products over the long haul as opposed to just one photo shoot and they're often backed up with photos and/or videos. Based on it, WE get to decide for ourselves what we might want to spend our hard earned money on and what we'd want to steer clear of. Of course, that's just my opinion and with that said, I want to know what you think. Am I wrong here? Do you still read one of the many flavors of TEN Publications and do their product reviews influence your decision to buy parts for your Jeep? Inquiring minds want to know :yup:
 
JK_Dave

JK_Dave

Caught the Bug
We need a Consumer Reports for Jeep parts don't we? I still get a couple of different magazines but I read them mostly for the builds in them or watching them install parts. The rest is fluff except maybe news clips about new parts coming out, but even those are biased most of the time.

Another way to think of it is the bigger the advertising budget for a company, the smaller their R&D budget is.
 
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cozdude

cozdude

Guy with a Red 2-Door
I usually read them and then laugh at what they wrote about the products. It's usually a really biased review. I like seeing stuff that is actually being put to use and how it holds up rather than just being used in a photoshoot. Hell thats why I bought all my Evo stuff! It was proven to work and to this day it's still proven! Same with my mud grapplers!
 
Sharkey

Sharkey

Word Ninja
Magazines? What are those? Honestly, I can't remember the last time I actually looked at a magazine.
 
RockyJk

RockyJk

Active Member
I subscribed to JP mag at last years Offroad-Expo just so I could get the free t-shirt lol I look at em when I'm bored sometimes
 
MedixJK

MedixJK

-
Ill say i think theyre interesting only because theyre about jeeps. I kind of take everything inside with a grain of salt, and am pretty much flipping through for pure entertainment. Like Coz said, i feel like most reviews are fairly biased. It is nice sometimes for seeing new products though.
 
WJCO

WJCO

Meme King
I subscribe to JP just because I like Jeeps. While reading the magazine, I always am careful to only glean what really has strong evidence of truth. When and article has good data and photos to back up a test, I'm more likely to believe it. But I would much rather listen to multiple users on a forum that have personal experience over it. But when an article says, 'We just got xyz product in to test it and it's awesome!' but no evidence to show that they've actually used it, that shows me marketing, not actual testing, IMO.

At the grocery store, here and there, I'll pick up fourwheeler or the like. I just picked up one called Tread. Had never seen it before. I will say, the amazing color pictures are what got me to buy it. It's got a lot of pages too, I've only briefly skimmed the articles though.
 
JK_Dave

JK_Dave

Caught the Bug
I forgot to mention Crawl mag. Good fabrication on most of the rigs in there but little to no off the shelf stuff. It's my favorite one.
 
B

Byte

New member
Sharkey said:
Magazines? What are those? Honestly, I can't remember the last time I actually looked at a magazine.
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Lol yeah waiting rooms are the only times I even look at them and it's come to the point they don't even keep up-to-date subscriptions. Everything I see is years out of date unless a customer that uses the waiting room donates.

The interwebs have opened up the knowledge exponentially. Many formats and fora. Video...since I am a visual learner this is it for me. Sure I enjoy the write-ups you all have posted up here but after reading them the first thing I do is search for a video covering the same thing. Plain ol' pretty pictures just aren't enough for me most of the time. And words on paper? meh
 
Ddays

Ddays

Hooked
I subscribe to the JP and Four Wheeler digital versions. Honestly, I skim through them fairly quick and mostly look at the photos, maybe read
an article or two. Waste of money actually. I gave up on these guys for reviews years ago for one of the reasons you (Eddie) stated - they NEVER give
bad reviews, even if the product is shit.

That's one of the reasons I signed up on WAL. Almost every time I did an online search, the answers were found here.:thumb:
 
NevadaZielmeister

NevadaZielmeister

Caught the Bug
Simple: Print is dead or dying.

I have never read a 4wheel magazine. I guess being the total newb, I am part of the new digital jeeping generation.
 
Ddays

Ddays

Hooked
NevadaZielmeister said:
This is the MAIN reason I come to this forum. You guys really helped me build an amazing rig. Thank you.
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Gotta say that the forum advice was the juicy worm, but the videos set the hook! And I second the statement regarding helping me do my rig right.
If not for WAL I'd still be a poster child for 4WP/4WD.
 
U

Undertheradar

Caught the Bug
One of my friends is a tech editor for a major off road publication, and another is a regular contributor for multiple publications, while a third is an editor-in-chief. These guys really do try to give you an unbiased review listing both pros & cons. Forums certainly give you a much more emotional review of products and often the person posting has little to no real knowledge or experience. It is really up to the reader to educate themselves and not rely solely on another's opinion when making decisions on parts, accessories, or vehicles.
 
wayoflife

wayoflife

Administrator
Staff member
Undertheradar said:
One of my friends is a tech editor for a major off road publication, and another is a regular contributor for multiple publications, while a third is an editor-in-chief. These guys really do try to give you an unbiased review listing both pros & cons.
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Imagine that, I know a few of these guys personally too and a few more that have been laid off as the rag they were assigned to consolidated or folded. You're kidding yourself if you really think there's no bias in their reporting and a simple off the record conversation with any of them would reveal as much. That being said, I would be the first to say that I completely understand their position and that's why the most they can do is "try". All I'm saying is that I personally would prefer to hear what THEY really think as I actually trust THEIR opinion. Anything less than that just seems a bit disingenuous if not a little dishonest. Unfortunately, it's hard enough for them to pay the bills as it is and pissing off a customer wouldn't help anything.

Forums certainly give you a much more emotional review of products and often the person posting has little to no real knowledge or experience. It is really up to the reader to educate themselves and not rely solely on another's opinion when making decisions on parts, accessories, or vehicles.
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Yup, couldn't agree with you more and I'm pretty sure I stated as much. In fact, that is why I specifically stated that there are "nuggets of TRUTH" to be found on a forum and they typically come with real experience, over the long haul and can be backed with photos and/or videos. Of course, that's still WAY MORE than you can ever hope to get out of a one time photo shoot and from a customer who's dollars you're dependent on. But then, that's just me.
 
piginajeep

piginajeep

The Original Smartass
If I have to PAY someone on top of giving them free parts to publish a review on a product. I'm suspicious of what the truth is.
 
NevadaZielmeister

NevadaZielmeister

Caught the Bug
A good way to determine how the editors really feel is look at what is on their own personal rigs. So long as they don't get it for free I guess.
 
U

Undertheradar

Caught the Bug
wayoflife said:
Imagine that, I know a few of these guys personally too and a few more that have been laid off as the rag they were assigned to consolidated or folded. You're kidding yourself if you really think there's no bias in their reporting and a simple off the record conversation with any of them would reveal as much. That being said, I would be the first to say that I completely understand their position and that's why the most they can do is "try". All I'm saying is that I personally would prefer to hear what THEY really think as I actually trust THEIR opinion. Anything less than that just seems a bit disingenuous if not a little dishonest. Unfortunately, it's hard enough for them to pay the bills as it is and pissing off a customer wouldn't help anything..
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The reality is we all have a bias, and frankly I take everyone's opinion with a grain of salt. Do magazines highlight the good? Sometimes, do they hide the bad? Perhaps, but sometimes what one feels is a liability, another sees as an asset.
Can folks on forums can be biased? From what I've seen yes, but as you mentioned, enough people over time experiencing the same issue whether good or bad can become a gauge in the decision making process.

Since reviewing a product is a subjective thing, I'm not going to say that someone is being disingenuous or dishonest because their experience is different than mine. I thought "revolver shackles" were down right dangerous when they came out yet some have found the opposite to be true and still run them with no issues. I wouldn't say they were dishonest about them, just in the minority. That's where looking at the experiences of the majority over time can help you make a better decision.

Sorry to hear your friends were laid off, my friends have been in the industry for decades and have all been committed life long 4wheelers who have a passion to highlight what great things this sport has to offer. I'm sure there are plenty of unscrupulous folks in the industry as well as the good. Whether reading a mag or forum, everyone needs to do their home work and do what is best for them.
 
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