The Best of Sherlock Holmes

Randall's Ratings

My five-step rating scale includes:

Excellent
Very Good
Good
Fair
Poor

In some cases I will modify these ratings with a plus (+) or minus (-) to indicate a minor variation. For example, a rating labeled "Good-" would indicate that this was slightly below a "Good" rating but still better than a "Fair" rating.

Unless noted otherwise, I use the same criteria for rating each product in a category. My "Overall" rating is a summary judgment on all the product attributes except price. My "Value" rating includes the price of the product as well as its attributes. A "Good" overall product could be rated an "Excellent" value if it had a low price, while an "Excellent" overall product might be rated only a "Good" value if it was very expensive.

When there are several products in a category, I develop a "Review Guide" that describes the critical factors for evaluating that type of product. I will often publish that review guide in the section for that category. For in-depth reviews I provide details on many of the factors noted in the review guide as support for my rating.

Roundup or comparison reviews may include the ratings from each separate product review, but will often have additional commentary or ratings based upon a direct comparison of products.

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