The Journal
Opinion, analysis, and what to watch out for
The same honest, unhyped voice behind our verdicts — turned on the industry itself: what's overhyped, how buyers get misled, and what actually deserves your money.
Opinion Why We Don't Use Star Ratings — and Why You Shouldn't Trust Them A 4.3 out of 5 tells you almost nothing worth knowing. Here's what the average is hiding, and what we do instead. Jul 26, 2026 Consumer advocacy How to Spot a Fake Review Before It Costs You A field guide to the tells that separate real owner experience from manufactured praise — and why no single star rating deserves your trust. Jul 25, 2026 Consumer advocacy Extended Warranties: The Traps, and the Rare Times They Pay Off Most of the coverage pitched at the register is high-margin filler you don't need. Here's how to spot the exceptions worth buying. Jul 24, 2026 Opinion The War on Repairability — and Why It Should Change What You Buy Glued-in batteries, serialized parts, and disposable design have quietly made repairability a real buying criterion. Here is how to weigh it. Jul 23, 2026 Opinion The Case for Buying It Once The cheap pick almost always looks like the smart money. Over the life of the thing, it usually isn't. Jul 22, 2026