How we pick gear

Every gear guide on Carving Bench covers one kind of item and compares five to eight options. This page explains how those options are chosen and what the comparison is based on.

The short version

We read the listings, not the products. Picks are selected and described from what each Amazon listing states. We have not handled, measured or tested these products, and the guides do not claim otherwise.

What goes into a guide

• In stock with a price. A product is only added if Amazon reports it as available with a price at the time the guide is built. Availability is checked again every day.
• The right kind of item. It has to answer the question the guide is about, not merely be related to it.
• Facts from the listing. Sizes, materials, quantities and what is in the box are copied from the listing. If a listing leaves out a detail, the table says "not stated".
• Price per unit. For consumables the table shows the price per pound, ounce or piece, worked out from the current price and the pack size. Prices carry the date they were checked.

What the labels mean

Guides suggest a starting point under headings such as "Closest match for the job" or "Most for the money on paper". These are our reading of the listings, not test results and not customer ratings. The order of picks is an editorial judgment about how well each listing fits the job.

What this method cannot tell you

• How sharp a knife arrives. Listings say razor sharp, but the edge on any one tool varies, so plan to strop before the first cut.
• How long the steel holds an edge in your wood. A listing gives the steel name and sometimes a hardness figure, not edge life.
• Whether a block or blank is free of knots, cracks and hard streaks. Wood is a natural material and varies from piece to piece.

For those questions, read the recent customer reviews on the listing itself before you buy. The "Limits to know" list on each pick names what the listing does not state.

When a product disappears

If Amazon reports a pick as unavailable, its button changes to a search for in-stock alternatives, and the pick is replaced with a comparable product on the next review of the guide. Page addresses never change.

Questions about a pick? Write to hello@carvingbench.com. See also the affiliate disclosure.