Hey Chris I’m really excited to get a chance to be a part of this, especially from the start. I’m game for reviewing anything and have no problem inconveniencing my roomate with the goods. X-Vest would be huge seeing as how my school’s nancy boy gym doesn’t have any dipping belts, but I’m not picky. I’m an English major with some writing experience who would be very appreciative of this opportunity. Ryan.
This is awesome!
I just bought one of Coach Sonnon’s books, Body Flow: Freedom from Fear Reactivity. So far, it’s great. I would love to review anything this man does, or anything at all for that matter. This is awesome!
Ready and waiting Chris- just let me know. SRS
Actually, thinking about it, I would be really interested in the weighted vests.
Since during winter one could even wear them outside which could be a great help in getting my legs back up and recondition my knee a little.
I would love to try out and review the Heavy Grip grippers.
I’m definitely up for this.
Chris,
I am interested in being a tester. I currently have a home gym that consists of a squat rack, bench, oly bar and powerblocks. I would love to add some new equipment to the mix. I’m interested in the power rings, the x-vest, speed ropes, and sports inhaler. These would fit nicely into the renegade program that I’m currently following. Since I’m a Computer consultant, I would also be interested in reviewing Charles Staley’s software package as well.
Thanks for the opportunity,
Mark
I’ve decided how we’re going to choose reviewers. It’ll work something like this:
After the T-Jack Forum launches, myself or another T-Nation staffer will start a thread and say, for example, “Hey, we have five X-Vests ready for testing. Reply to this thread and tell us why you’d make a good T-Jacker for this item.”
I like that. After a certain amount of time, we’ll pick five Testers and mail out the goodies. And remember, we’re going to have a ton of gear to test out, so everyone will get a shot at something.
Chris, that sounds great! The response should be overwhelming.
The X-vest? Now that would be sweet for sure…
Chris,
Sounds like another solid idea.
1 question. Are you guys going to out a limit on how often someone gets to test an item?
If you get 1 item what is the time limit to try and earn a chance @ another?
Figured this issue would come up shortly, so I thought I would ask.
Phill
My suggestion would be that the frequency one receives evaluation items, should depend on the quality of one’s reviews. Promptness should also figure in, but some items will require a longer evaluation time then others.
One thing we will have to make sure, is that when making purchases based on T-Jack reviews, we notify the supplier why we made the purchase decision. After all the vendors are doing this to promote their products, and will only continue doing so if they see it as a benefit to their sales.
Phill, Rick is on the right track. Those who do a good, prompt job will be kept in mind for future reviews, maybe for big ticket items. Do an exceptional job with a $10 MyoTape and you get to review the $200 weight vest - or whatever.
Yes, some reviews will take longer, big books for example, and we’ll keep that in mind. As for long term reviews, we can’t really do that, but let’s say your item breaks after four months (under normal use) and you wrote a glowing review after two weeks. Well, you should dig up that thread and make an update post. Tell us what happened and how the manufacturer dealt with it!
Now, a good lesson on writing reviews would be to read all the “Stuff We Like” columns and note how I do it there. I try to point out the good and the bad, and also provide some history or background on the item. I balance in cost as well. I expect quality items to be pricey. That’s fine, but you do have to think about price and overall usefulness of the product. A Lexus should cost a lot, that’s okay, but don’t charge me Lexus price for Kia quality!
One of the most important things to think about is this: would you buy the item? If you would, then chances are so would others. If you like the item but would never shell out the dough for it, then that’s something to think about.
Also, while we don’t want to suck up to the gear makers and book writers, we do need to keep in mind that they had the balls to donate their stuff. We want to be honest, but we also need to be fair. I just don’t want to see a product get raked over the coals just because the reviewer didn’t use it properly. That’s not fair to the maker.
I would expect reviewers to read up on the product, visit the website of the maker and know what they’re doing when they test it. For example, don’t review Clubbells if you aren’t going to read the book or watch the video that comes with them. You need to know what to do with them. It’s only fair.
Actually, it’s a breath of fresh air to read that the clubbells would come with the instructions. I expected that complimentary products would not grouped together for a review. But it’s damn nice to know what to do with a new toy.
Sounds great.
Just figured we had better get that out befor you get this up and going.
Phill
I’m interested in this program.
I would be interested also.
Wow, great explanation Chris. All I can say is, count me in!
Chris - I think I would be a bit alright at this. I’d like to sign up for a chance to ‘have a crack’ at at product and then give it a no-nonsense review! Thanks
I would love to offer a well-thought out and intelligent review of any product you decided to send me. Thank you for this opportunity!
wow. This sounds like an awesome idea. count me in.