How We Research and Test
This page explains where product recommendations on Lendot Living come from, and how to tell the difference between something that has been used and something that has been researched.
The short version
Some products written about on this site have been used directly. Many have not. Every article that recommends a product says which is the case. Lendot Living does not describe something as tested when it has not been tested.
What a recommendation can be based on
- Direct use. The product has been used in a real home for long enough to have a view on it. Articles based on direct use say so, and describe the conditions it was used in.
- Specification comparison. Published dimensions, materials, capacity, coverage, and compatibility, compared across options against a stated use case.
- Research and source review. Manufacturer documentation and care guidance, horticultural and extension sources for plant topics, and published guidance from recognized organizations.
- Patterns in customer feedback. Recurring themes across a large volume of reviews, particularly consistent reports of failure, sizing problems, or a gap between the description and what arrives. A single review is not treated as evidence.
- Practical constraints. Whether something actually suits a rental, a small space, a limited budget, or the level of experience the article assumes.
What this site does not do
- No laboratory testing, instrumented measurement, or controlled side-by-side comparison.
- No claim of hands-on testing where there has not been any.
- No recommendation made because a product pays a higher commission.
- No invented scores, ratings, badges, or awards.
How products get chosen
Selection starts with the problem rather than the catalog. An article defines what the reader is trying to do, works out what a product has to do to solve it, and only then looks at what is available. Options that do not meet the requirement are left out even when they are popular.
Where the cheaper option does the job, the article says so. Where the honest answer is that nothing on the market is particularly good, it says that too.
When recommendations change
Product articles are reviewed periodically. A recommendation is replaced or removed when the product is discontinued, when its specification changes, or when a consistent pattern of problems appears in feedback after publication.
Plant and home care guidance
Care instructions draw on horticultural and manufacturer sources, and on direct experience growing or using the thing in question where that experience exists. Because conditions differ between homes, articles describe what to look for rather than issuing one fixed schedule.
Questions about a specific recommendation
If you want to know what a particular recommendation was based on, ask through the contact page and you will get a straight answer.