How We Rank
Every "best" list on this site is built the same way. Here's exactly what we weigh, how we order a list, and what can — and can't — move a product up it.
We rank for a use case, not in the abstract
There is no single "best chainsaw" or "best mower." A saw that's ideal for felling and bucking firewood is the wrong pick for light limbing on a pole, and a mower built for acreage is overkill on a small city lawn. So we rank against a specific use — best for firewood, best battery saw for pruning, best mower for a small yard — and we say what that use is at the top of every guide. A product's rank only means "how well it fits this job."
The factors we weigh
The exact factors depend on the category, and fit-for-the-use always comes before raw spec numbers. These are the ones that carry the most weight:
Chainsaws & cutting tools
- Power vs the cutting job. Engine displacement or battery voltage matched to what you actually cut — the biggest fit factor.
- Bar length vs log diameter. Sized to the wood you cut, not just to the longest bar offered.
- Gas, battery, or corded. Runtime, weight, noise, and upkeep honestly weighed for your workload.
- Weight at working height. What you can safely control at the end of a long job, especially overhead.
- Kickback & safety features. Chain brake, low-kickback chain, and handling that reduce the biggest risk.
- Chain & bar system. Pitch, gauge, and drive links, plus how easy the chain is to tension and sharpen.
- Warranty & support. Length, what it actually covers, and how easy parts are to get.
Outdoor power equipment
- Sized to the yard or job. Deck width, cutting capacity, or airflow matched to the space — not just a big number.
- Gas vs battery for the workload. Runtime, power, and upkeep weighed honestly for how much you use it.
- Handling & weight. How it feels an hour in, on slopes, and around tight landscaping.
- PPE & safe operation. Guarding, controls, and the protective gear the job calls for.
- Capacity that matches the numbers. Line diameter, blower CFM/MPH, or cutting width matched to the real task.
- Maintenance & durability. Blades, filters, fuel or battery care, and how it holds up after a season.
- Warranty & support. Length, coverage, and parts availability.
From longlist to ranked list
- Gather candidates. We pull the products that credibly serve the use case from across the major brands and retailers.
- Filter for fit. Anything that doesn't match the core requirement — wrong size, wrong rating for the environment, missing a must-have feature — is cut before ranking.
- Cross-check the evidence. We compare manufacturer specs against the pattern of verified owner ratings and reviews, and against recognised safe-use standards (OPEI, ANSI, and OSHA guidance) where they apply.
- Order by overall fit. Products are ranked on how well they serve the use — weighing fit first, then quality signals, then value. Where two are close, the tie-breaker is the one with the stronger, more consistent owner feedback.
- Name a top pick and alternatives. We call one overall pick and then flag alternatives for specific needs (lightest, best value, best for big jobs) so the right choice depends on your work and property, not just our order.
What never moves a ranking
- Affiliate commissions. Some links earn us a commission at no extra cost to you. That is completely separate from the ranking and never changes the order. See our affiliate disclosure.
- Payment for placement. No brand or retailer can buy a spot on a list or a better rank. We don't sell editorial placement.
- Invented test results. We are not a testing lab and don't claim first-hand lab testing. Nothing is ranked on a benchmark we didn't actually run — our rankings rest on specs, standards, and verified owner feedback, and we say so.
- Made-up ratings. We only ever show product ratings we can verify. We never fabricate a star score to prop up a pick.
When we can't rank with confidence
If a category is too new, the evidence is thin, or products are too different to rank fairly, we say so and present the options as guidance rather than forcing a numbered order. A shorter, honest list beats a confident-looking ranking we can't stand behind.
Keeping rankings current
Specs change, prices move, and models get discontinued, so rankings can go stale. We revisit guides and move the "Last updated" date forward when we make a substantive change. Every ranked guide is reviewed by Owen Fitzgibbon, our Editorial Director & Safety Reviewer, before it publishes. If you spot something out of date or wrong, our corrections policy is the fastest way to get it fixed.