Iâve just seen Zanflare pushing one of their lights on a thread where someone was asking for recommendations, and that feels borderline to me.
I feel that people asking for recommendations are looking for ideas from real users like them, rather than manufacturers pushing their stuff. The manufacturerâs vested interest in getting sales makes me nervous in that scenario.
Just PM the vendor, and ask. It helps if you can show examples of previous reviews. Some prefer new reviewers to review lower cost products first, and if they are happy, then they will allow you to review higher priced products. They also like it if you are on multiple forums (e.g. BLF, CPF, Reddit), post videos (YouTube), and are on multiple social media platforms. Iâve never had any issues from vendors with any negative comments in reviews, though I try to word things politically e.g. if a light overheats in 30secs, recommend it for âexperienced usersâ who can manually step down, rather than complaining too much about poor heat handling.
if you click that link you will see at least NINE separate âreviewsâ of the Manker E02, just on the first page of the search result. I searched for âreview marker E02â
this is another example of a Vendor using âreviewsâ for Social Media Marketing.
imo, ALL âreviewsâ should be in the commercial forum. When I click the non commercial link on BLF, I do NOT want to see multiple âreviewsâ of the same light, over and over, and over and over, and over and over, and over and over, and overâŚ. (that was 9 times over)
if you go to page 2 of the search result, you will find even more E02 âreviewsâ
You would think the E02 is a very popular light, but actually its just a pile of freebies being distributed to âreviewersâ.
As long as people continue to get free samples, they will continue to SPAM the NON COMMERCIAL forums with âreviewsâ.
People who get free lights are participating in SPAMMING, unless they post their reviews in the Commercial Forums ONLY!
Yeah, but sometimes you can be asked to review a light that you ordinarily wouldnât buy. Eg, Iâm not a fan of AA lights at all except a very few 1ĂAA lights, so Iâd never go and buy on my own a light like a Zanflare F2, or Jaxman M2, etc., even if theyâre exceptional lights in their own right.
But if Iâm asked to review one of them, hellyeah Iâll say yes. 20bux, even 10bux, itâs not worth it to me. 0bux (or loose change like with a 99%-off code), absolutely. From there, I can give it away, sell it (tacky, butâŚ), or if I do grow attached to it somehow, keep it.
The criteria I use is whether/not the review is honest enough to help me make a good decision whether/not Iâd want one. Doesnât matter to me if the reviewer paid full freight, or got it as a freebie, as long as itâs honest.
reviews ARE commercial by nature, and that is my point, reviews belong in the Commercial forums
when I click NON Commercial, reviews should not show up.
Im not against reviews, I just donât think they belong in the NON Commercial Forums
Especially not TWELVE Times, like the E02
Lets just stop pretending that reviews are non commercial, they are SPAM, intended to generate sales. Put them in the Commercial Forum, to STOP flooding the non commercial forum with multiple reviews of the same product.
But where does that stop? Nichia vs Cree vs SSC vsâŚ
âOoh, the new XP-L3 came out, hereâs my reviewâŚâ And no one from Cree sent anyone any samples. Tekkie info like Vf, efficacy, thermal performance, etc., are âreviewsâ of a sort.
I paid full freight on all my RJ02s and DV-S9s, yet I canât help but sing their praises when anyone asks for a rec about a headlamp or variable-output light. I just like them that much.
Lots of people here love Simon/Convoy, and RMM/MTN, and recommend them at every turn, and for good reason. That doesnât bother me in the slightest, even though thatâs clearly âcommercialâ, recommending a business.
Part of why people come to BLF is to see âreviewsâ of lights that they may be interested in. Or what LED to use, or where to get parts from, or⌠Iâd have a hard time trying to figure out where that line is even if I put my mind to it. Getting slapped down for not âreviewingâ a product in the commercial section is a good way to scare away n00bz and veterans alike.