And the Reviewers’ Choice Award Goes to…

Lots of sites claim to be experts when it comes to products. And while this may be true in some cases, often products are reviewed by a handful of staff members, as opposed to real customers. The reviews and awards doled out, might seem the result of a thorough and trustworthy process, but what happens when that product leaves the lab or testing area and enters the real world? It’s hard to duplicate loading and unloading a stroller into a car twice a day, for three years, for example. And it’s doubtful any staff expert or tester has the time or inclination to see how a pair of hiking boots wear over time.

What we’ve come to believe with all our hearts here at Buzzillions, is that YOU are the experts. You’re the ones in the field. You’re the ones struggling to assemble a playhouse. You’re the ones cursing the long lag time of your new digital camera. You know if a product was worth the money because you’ve used it and you’ve been gracious enough to share your opinion.

We’d like to thank you for wanting to help others make a decision. We want to help you too, and to that end we’ve created the Buzzillions Reviewers’ Choice Awards. These awards are awarded to only the very best products. We base these awards on an algorithm that takes into account star ratings, number of reviews and the reliability of the reviewers (reviews by “Verified Buyers” were given more weight than the others for example). The #1-ranked product is awarded “Reviewers’ Choice Winner” and the 2nd through 5th ranked products are awarded “Reviewers’ Choice Finalist”. The bottom line is that real reviewers, real people have made these decisions. Not the manufacturers. Not the retailers. Not the staff here at Buzzillions. You.

We have both overall winners and winners as dictated by “User Personality”. While one set of headphones may get the Best Overall award, another might get the award for “Students” yet another for “Gear Heads” and yet another for “Audiophiles“. We’re particularly proud of our User Personality awards because you can easily find the top products as rated by people who are most like you. A “First Time Parent” can find the Baby Carrier most liked by other “First Time Parents.” “Casual Photographers” can find the best camera for them and be assured they probably don’t need to spend the money for the top of the line SLR as rated by “Photo Enthusiasts.” Even in Coffee Makers, our reviewers have identified the Coffee Maker for the “Everyday Drinker” so that us normal folks can confidently purchase a straightforward cup o’ joe machine.

*Note that these awards are NOT influenced by any sponsorship or payments. They are based solely on the product reviews of real consumers.* 

You can see all Reviewers’ Choice Award winners for 2008 here.

When browsing for products, look for the distinctive green Buzzillions Reviewers’ Choice Award badge, and you’ll know you’ve found a standout within a category.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Some Award Highlights

Toys, Baby and Kids:

• Best Standard Baby Stroller as rated by “First Time Parents”: Graco SnugRider, Infant Car Seat Stroller
• Best Diaper Bag as rated by “Parents of Two or More Children”: Diaper Dude Diaper Bag
• Best Learning & Activities Toy as rated by “Education-Oriented People”: LeapFrog Leapster Learning System

And a few Overall winners in the category:

• Best Overall Baby Doll for 2008: You & Me 18″ Darla Interactive Doll
• Best Overall Video Game for 2008: Nintendo Mario Kart with Wheel (Wii)
• Best Overall Outdoor Playset for 2008: Step2 Naturally Playful Adventure Lodge Play Center

_______________________________________________________________________________

Sports & Outdoor:

• Best Mens Hiking Boots as rated by “Avid Adventurers”: Asolo FSN 95 Gore-Tex® Hiking Boots – Waterproof
• Best Womens Camping & Hiking Shirt as rated by “Casual Adventurers”: Ex Officio Dryflylite Long Sleeve – Womens
• Best Base Layer Top as rated by “Frequent Exercisers”: Moving Comfort Athena Sports Bra

And a few Overall winners in the category:

• Best Overall Tent for 2008: REI Half Dome 2 HC Tent
• Best Overall Cycling Bag for 2008: Timbuk2 Metro Bag
• Best Golf Balls for 2008: Titleist Pro V1 Golf Balls

_______________________________________________________________________________

Electronics:

• Best Digital SLR Camera as rated by “Casual Photographers”: Canon EOS Rebel XSI Digital Camera w/ 18-55mm IS Lens
• Best Subwoofer as rated by “Musically-Inclined People”: Polk Audio PSW505 Black 12-inch 300-watt Powered Subwoofer
• Best LCD TV as rated by “Enthusiasts”: Sony 52″ 1080p BRAVIA LCD TV – KDL52XBR6

And a few Overall winners in the category:

• Best Overall Car GPS for 2008: Garmin Nuvi 200 Street GPS System
• Best Overall Point and Shoot Digital Camera for 2008: Canon Powershot SD1100 IS
• Best Overall DVD Player for 2008: Sony DVP-NS77H DVD Player

_______________________________________________________________________________

Home & Garden

• Best Bed as rated by “Budget Shoppers: Fashion Bed Group Murray Platform Bed
• Best Entertainment Center as rated by “High End Shoppers”: Tech-Craft Veneto Series 60″ Plasma/ LCD TV Stand in Walnut Brown
• Best Coffee Maker as rated by “Everyday Drinkers”: Hamilton Beach BrewStation Deluxe 12 Cup Coffeemaker

And a few Overall winners in the category:

• Best Overall Clothes Washer for 3008: Samsung 4.0 cu. ft. VRT Super Capacity Washer – WF328AAW
• Best Overall Vacuum for 2008: Dyson DC14 All Floors Upright
• Best Overall Wine Glasses for 2008: Riedel ‘O’ Cabernet/Merlot/Bordeaux Stemless Wine Glasses

_______________________________________________________________________________

Congratulations to all the 2008 Winners. You can see all Reviewers’ Choice Award winners for 2008 here.