Amazon has started injecting “Editorial Recommendations” into their tool searches.
These Amazon “Editorial Recommendations” are part of some kind of “Expert Recommendations” affiliate publishing program.
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This is something we’d potentially want to participate in, but unfortunately none of our Amazon contacts know anything about it, or even who we could talk to. That’s left me frustrated, but let’s take a look at some of Amazon’s new on-page tool recommendations.
Here’s what the above-shown “Editorial Recommendations” say about their Black & Decker pick:
It runs on lithium-ion technology and 20V Max.
Some of their other cordless drill recommendations say things like:
This drill is very lightweight, so light that you don’t have to hold it with both your hands to keep it from getting elsewhere.
And:
This drill kit gives you a massive power of 1,500 RPM in your hands, with two speeds to choose from for more delicate tasks.
The full story also discusses what to look for when evaluating cordless drills, including:
Brushless Motor. Brushless motors are designed to help lessen sense resistance and reduce friction from the material. They adjust the amount of power they get from the battery.
They list some of the benefits of cordless drills, such as:
Cordless drills are versatile and flexible to use. You can conveniently take them around without the hassle of looking for electricity. Plus, this will also help you minimize your electric bills.
(I suppose that last part could be true if you charge your batteries somewhere where you’re not paying for electricity?)
One final part from this Amazon Editorial Recommendation affiliate partner:
Another great thing about these drills is that they now come with powerful features and playful designs at more affordable price tags. These features make cordless drills very popular not only for the handyman professional but also among novice and amateur homeowners.
Playful designs?
Here are more “Editorial Recommendation” from a different publisher, featuring… the same exact tools.
What’s so good about that Dewalt?
Its battery of 20 volts makes it last for long amounts of time without having to recharge after a few pieces.
The Black & Decker?
If you make a mistake, its multiple speed setting allows for countersinking without damaging any material you are working on.
These 3 models are all in Amazon’s top 10 best-selling cordless drills list.
Amazon adds a disclosure to the recommendations and editorials they are publishing:
The publisher earns affiliate commissions from Amazon for qualifying purchases. The opinions expressed about the independently selected products mentioned in this content are those of the publisher, not Amazon.
Dear Amazon:
How does one qualify as an on-page affiliate-linked “editorial recommendations” publisher? Because if you’re looking for knowledgeable and seasoned authorities on the matter, we know some people.
RKA
Lol! It looks like an Amazon programmer got a green light to pilot an AI project using tool specs and verbiage pulled from product reviews to come up with this unintelligible nonsense.
Stuart
No, these are actual 3rd party publishers.
I’d hope that there’s some kind of real-person oversight/vetting process. Frankly, these “recommendations” aren’t much different than what I’ve been seeing in “tool reviews” from some mass media sites and magazines, but that makes it even more frustrating.
A W
Wow those are bad.
They need to consider using native English speakers when writing up these recommendations.
Actually providing good editorial content would be helpful too.
I haven’t bought a lot of tools on Amazon but this makes me less trustful of them as a source of tools.
aerodawg
But Durka Al Akbar Patel from Mumbai who “learned English” last week works for 1/10th cost…..
Stuart
That’s not called for.
aerodawg
So pointing out the obvious isn’t called for? Because that’s exactly how we get Engrish. Some company hires lowest bidder overseas labor that “knows English” i.e. knows how to get to Google Translate….
Craig
I think Stuart is referring to your obvious attempt at racism that is uncalled for. Not simply pointing out offshoring.
As far as Engrish goes, I think you should learn how to speak and write English for yourself before you go making fun of others. I assume this is your native language and those “sentences” you wrote above would fail a second grade grammar class.
Stuart
Being disrespectful towards others isn’t called for. You’re entitled to your opinions, but comments like that aren’t welcome.
The problem with the “editorial recommendations” isn’t bad grammar, but the blatant lack of authoritative insights.
ChrisP
And I thought my loss of sense resistance was age related. Throwing my brushless tools away right now
Brian Miller
Pretty sure Viagra will help with the loss of sense resistance.
Curtis
It gives you a long runtime what with the reduce friction from the material.
Robert
These “Editorial Recommendations” read like the scam emails that flood my inbox. I wonder if they are written by a Nigerian prince?
Michael
Not using Viagra will reduce friction from material 😀
fred
I am also a bit suspicious when I search for a product and see an “Amazon’s Choice” label attached. Sometimes I almost think it may be the oddity of the search criteria that triggers the appellation.
So If I were to search on Cordless Drill with Yellow Plastic Housing – I might get a Dewalt model pop up with “Amazon’s Choice” – but if I change the Yellow to Blue – I might see a Bosch pop up. What scares me is that if I said “Purple” – the Amazon Choice might be some no-name junk. I guess this is all better than nothing – but Caveat Emptor – as usual – still applies.
Stuart
That’s different.
These “editorial recommendations” seem to be meant to substitute for external content, such as reviews or recommendations ToolGuyd and other publishers might host.
The “Amazon’s Choice” seems to be algorithm-driven, and if I recall correctly, they often explain them as being products with high satisfaction or low return rates, or something like that. Those I believe are automatic, while the editorial recommendations are supposed to be written by “experts.”
ktash
The Amazon’s Choice isn’t all bad. I sometimes factor it in when buying things where doing a lot of research isn’t worth it, like for under $10 items. Usually have more stars, etc.
Chris
The grammar is so bad????.
Altan
We have toolguyd, do we need amazon?!!!
Kizzle
Bet this is an AI experiment.
Stacey
Could be, perhaps this is Alexa’s opinion? ?
Andy
Probably is. And I bet they see a 10-15% spike in sales
Punanipwner
So some guy who sits at a desk drinks lawn grass smoothies is going to recommend tools to me. Unless I’m using the tools while doing hot yoga I’ll take my advice from elsewhere.
T.N.
Hey now! That dude is, no doubt, an expert on a certain “class” of power tools.
Patrick
I sure felt like a “novice and amateur homeowner” today after returning some exterior hangers and then buying the exact same ones after figuring out how to use them in the aisle.
Dustin
Since you don’t have aisles in your home to figure it out in obviously that’s what has to be done. I’d say you are more of a professional home owner.
Curtis
Wow! I’m totally sold man!
Hans
This is typical word by word translations from dictionaries to english by inexperienced chinese or japanese junior staff.
Kris
Lol! “Playful designs”.
Dustin
“The Black & Decker?
If you make a mistake, its multiple speed setting allows for countersinking without damaging any material you are working on.”
Just what I was looking for to pull the trigger and swap out my Milwaukee and Dewalt tools. No more sleepless nights for me hallelujah!
Matt J
It has magical wood healing powers.
Koko The Talking Ape
Hm, looks like output from content mills in India and maybe China, that pay their humans a few bucks an hour. You should be grateful! They are what create the demand for higher quality editorial content like ToolGuyd.
CountyCork
What bothers me most about amazon is when you search there are so many sponsored items that are mixed in. Maybe some day amazon will link back to this site for real reviews.
Evadman
I have always wanted playful design features in my cordless power equipment.
Corey Moore
It can only facilitate it’s own inevitable failure. 6 months, 1 year tops, and it’ll be common knowledge what a weak con this is. Amazon is a resource for sourcing what one has decided they need/want through sure diligence. Not for expert advice, not for detailed product information, not even for reviews in my opinion. Reading Amazon purchaser reviews on tools makes me as crazy as YouTube comments. The numbskullery can be baffling. In any case, while this is insulting, and possibly frustrating, it can only end up being fixed and bettered, or failing very quickly to be taken seriously by the public.
logan
totally saw the jealousy throughout the article; don’t be mad these guys can write thorough, informative articles!
i can’t tell you how many toolguyd articles i’ve scoured through looking for the most delicate precision 20 volts with reduced resistance to large electricities for countersinking
Justin
I think these reviews may be part of this thing called amazon vine,my dad is participating in it and sent me an automotive scan tool yesterday to review for him. He’s also received all sorts of other oddball items like a woman’s scarf ,and a Timberland watch . So I’d imagine a lot of non tool-savvy folk are probably reviewing these tools since I don’t think you get to pick what you get.
Stuart
Vine is their “send free samples to popular user/customer reviewers” program. This “editorial recommendations” program involves 3rd party websites and magazine and are supposed to be category experts.
Josh
I’m really surprised they didn’t reference the flux capacitor! And to think I’ve been selecting my power tools using the wrong criteria this whole time, man I’m dum!
Kevin
I hope they give instructions on which end of the drill to use .
Steve D.
I don’t trust much of Amazon’s recommendations. I try to weigh ratings based on the actual score and the number of ratings. Generally speaking, if something has over 300 ratings/reviews, I feel confident that I’ve got a decent sample. That said, for stuff like this, I would rely on your website and staff, but would probably look for Rich and his tool crew at the HD to give me some insight on why brushless vs. brush cooled, or Dewalt vs. Milwaukee vs. Rigid, vs. Porter Cable vs. Etc. And even before then, inwould ask my brother-in-law, who is a professional craftsman, what he recommends for a hack like me (for the record, all my power tools are Dewalt 20V Max, and my pneumatics are Porter Cable). All the same, thanks for the heads up!
Doresoom
I use Fakespot for verifying Amazon reviews. They use a variety of methods to weed out potential fake reviews and provide an adjusted rating based off their findings.
Benjamen
Thanks, I’ve never tried that. Here’s the fakespot post for something I just bought:
https://www.fakespot.com/product/aukey-usb-c-to-usb-c-cable-with-braided-nylon-3-3ft-for-macbook-nexus-6p-and-more
It’s actually kind of disappointing. The most positive review is clearly spam: “Excellent braided cable should last a long time!” I guess it’s in the beta section, but still…
I guess there’s no substitute for your own experience. I usually start with products that have the most reviews, even if they aren’t the highest rated. The first thing I do is read the bad reviews (1 and 2 stars), I ignore the people that have no clue, “I bought something that I didn’t understand and failed to use it properly. ”
I search for real problems people had with the product and gauge how much of a problem it would be for me.
Only then do I start reading the positive reviews, looking for people that had the same experiences as the lower star reviews, but who might actually understand why they were having the issues and see what their opinion of the product is.
It always varies product to product, but that’s usually where I start.
Noah
Sometimes I forget how casuals talk about tools.
OldDominionDIYer
Wow, what a total waste of words…Amazon needs to be better than this, it’s embarrassing!! Can’t help but wonder who is approving these statements…
Bruce
If that is the level of content. I’m not sure I’d want to participate. Where is the value to the reviewer? It isn’t going to drive content to your site and they surely aren’t paying anything for that drivel.
Stuart
For one, it could potentially put the magazine brand in front of new readers who might not otherwise have searched via Google for tool reviews. Second, those placements are affiliate-linked, meaning those publishers earn a commission for sales made through the links. It also means that we can’t/won’t link to broad Amazon search results anymore because Amazon has essentially created their own on-page competition.
Consider how many people search Amazon to do their power tool research vs. searching on Google.
There’s also the immense frustration created by those “recommendations.” Those are not the models I’d recommend to the masses of people whose research doesn’t go beyond searching on Amazon. Well, maybe the Bosch as a budget pick.
Joe F
I purchased a Makita 18V system based on YouTube videos by AvE. Extremely knowledgeable, entertaining and he doesn’t take sponsors.
Young Endeavors
If you want to know real specs and find out how much manipulative marketing drives sales, get over to the empire of dirt where Ave pulls no punches. He probably has 9 out of 10 videos demonitized because he doesn’t have to be a shill to any sponsor…. And damn, he is f’n smart. Actually some of my favorite vids are just those when he is interacting with his family where you get a sense of what a great guy he is.
I’d love to have just a fraction of the knowledge in uncle bummble’s head. Go learn and laugh with Ave on his channel.
Frank
Have run into this a lot recently … lavish vine reviews where they never put the product through its paces ( just the standard expanded unbox extended initial use “ review “ … lavish reviews in return exchange for a free product … five stars, solid, all reviews in exchange for free product …… the other day I was looking for a bug zapper … nn reviews solid 5 stars … except every single review was for a different product, clothing, animal costume, …
AMZ is really shooting themselves in the foot with this stuff.
Robby
I would disagree with this. About 10 years ago I was the manager at a auto parts store. Long story how I ended up there – but anyways growing up my dad and I NEVER went into Autozone or Advance with tech questions to diagnose my car.
Every. Single. Day. People came in asking the kids at the counter making 8 bucks an hour in depth car specific questions with conversations that would be something like this: x is wrong with my car what is it and how do I fix it / what’s the torque specs for a 1970 Cadefordferrari Oh you don’t know anything about this vehicle you’ve never worked on before? Can I get someone that actually knows something about cars” The same person would then not know how to install wipers (the amount of grown men that couldn’t do it is astounding )
Where I am going with this is – people are lazy. I used to think the same, but the same people shopping on amazon are the ones asking a part time minimum wage employee to diagnose a car that’s not there instead of taking it to a shop/figuring it out themselves.
PETE
Wow…. FINALLY! A place designated to the review & news of tools. This is great, one might even call it a ‘ToolGyd”.
LOL Get outta here amazon! If i put those reviews into fakespot it might blow up fakespots servers lol
RCWARD
Sounds like it is being translated into “ English”
fred
Years ago – I bought a Taiwan-Made bicycle for my son. The assembly instructions were in English/French/German etc. – but they had been printed in Spain. Much was lost in translation – presumably from Chinese to Spanish to English. The bike assembly “wasn’t my first rodeo” as they say – so I overlooked much of the confusing verbiage, looked at the diagrams and the assembly was OK.
Thom
” It’s a very drilly sort of drill filled with electrons and tourques.. Plus the blue color goes with any decor”
Pay me!
The What?
There’s no way Amazon would post those comments for people to read and especially not for anyone looking to buy a tool from their site. The wording is so moronic that its a dead giveaway that the content is completely fake. It’s a bunch of gibberish that makes no sense at all. People don’t put words together like that. Especially being that some of the wording doesn’t exist. Drilly? Torques? Sounds too absurd to be true.
Stuart
Go to Amazon, search for “Dewalt drill” or similar. Different search terms being up different “Editorial Recommendations.”
Click the images above, those are screenshots and are linked to larger versions. Look at the URLs.
If you’re on the live site, you can click through to the full “editorials.”
Matt J
Wait… you guys don’t charge your cordless tool batteries at your neighbors outlets under cover of darkness?
John
I found a neighbor’s contractor doing that once. So I installed a switch on my outside power taps.
Taras
I would’ve just taken the batteries and chargers. Let him explain how they were on my property.
adabhael
To get a sense of who these “editors” are, copy your favorite passage into a search engine to find the page from which it came. For example, I took:
Which took me to a typical SEO click-bait review site with the suggestive-but-not-quite-a-famous-name of better lawns and garden dot com [sic] (I am deliberately not linking). Whois.com shows the domain as registered by proxy, in November of 2018, so not quite the same as the nearly century-old institution of home related journalism that (fun fact) remains 4th-most popular magazine in the USA.
I am sure the bots are getting smarter, but at least for now I find I can often catch plagiarism using similar methods.
Frank
OMG … I hate those sites that show up when I’m trying to repair something, and these guys have entire sites of amazon referral links for everything under the sun … and worst of all… google keeps them ranked front page!!!
Jp
Okay but hell no x5000. I love this site and the insights of the people here who can advise me on tool quality and recs. Amazon has a fake review problem, and that’s not even accounting for the lack of skill level of an tool user reviewing tools on Amazon.
ktash
Amazon is a hot mess, going downhill even as we speak. Lately, when I try to search for a product that I know is there, I get at least one page that doesn’t show the product at all. I have to get tricky, like googling it from outside the Amazon site, and then it often shows up. So, the search engine, which used to be one of the best features, is seriously degraded/often unusable.
Fake reviews, so I use fakespot. Then look at the number of reviews and ratings.
Now this ridiculous BS, maybe AI, maybe a writing mill from some low-wage country, but very scammy.
I’m very sorry to hear, Stuart that this will cut into your referrals from links to Amazon. Seriously crappy.
Toolguyd has always been the place I trusted for buying tools and the like. I use Wirecutter for home appliances, electronics, etc. Other than that, there’s just a lot of hype and con out there.
Stuart
What concerns me more is how “editorial recommendations” like these are becoming the norm. Here’s what the process looks like for some non-tool-related magazines who have been increasingly publishing “best tool” recommendations.
Step 1: Pull some products from Amazon’s bestseller’s list.
Step 2: Add some general knowledge, but get things wrong such as thinking 18V and 20V Max are different voltages.
Step 3: Link to Amazon as many times as possible.
Step 4: Repeat.
I get it, a lot of people are using Amazon as a product research search engine, so Amazon is publishing 3rd party affiliate “content” to address some of those needs and keep people shopping at Amazon rather than say Home Depot. But the execution has been… imperfect.
Frank
… and google keeps top ranking all these referral affiliate pages …
ktash
Why not use resources to make better descriptions of things, like accurate dimensions, model numbers, etc. Not necessarily only for tools, but it’s had to buy online when there aren’t adequate descriptions.
Stuart
In their defense, descriptions and such come from product brands. Some (a lot) of Amazon’s listings are also modified or added by 3rd party sellers. I had to file a complaint because some of my photos ended up in Amazon product descriptions once.
I’ve found increasing instances of “regular” and “special edition” listings, where the product was exactly the same.
Bigger brands have retail managers that can customize their Amazon product and landing pages.
I can’t tell you why tool descriptions aren’t as detailed as they should be, but that’s an issue beyond Amazon.
ktash
Well, that’s one place bricks and mortar stores win out. You can go and look at the item, measure it, etc. I agree that the manufacturers are at fault in many or most cases, too. They’d rather put money into “image” than real life information.
So, click on a video about a tool on Amazon and it will usually be a promo that it’s-ever-so-powerful-and-cool, never showing you what it actually does. Those videos are all the same with the in-your-face music, zooming in and out, and some guy slamming tools around often in and out of a truck bed, etc. But no idea of what it actually can do, or even what it is.
It’s become a genre, so kind of funny. I swear they use the same soundtrack over and over. You have to see the humor in it, but frustrating if you want to buy a thing. I’ve seen some European adds where they actually respect the intelligence of the people buying the tool. Maybe those ad people don’t understand that their customers are plenty smart, so they present a stereotype.
Jim Felt
I seldom mention real life matters here but let’s be honest. “Amazon” at the level this “brilliant idea” was conceived by a tiny group of six figure millennials in a Seattle high rise was tasked with a value added marketing ploy.
This was their internal corporate HQs response.
Inane, misunderstanding of tech specs and a perchance for flight of verbal fancy. I. e. exactly like they might themselves write (by committee) for any perceived as consumer product K.I.S.S.
The affiliate pay mention is truly astounding. Maybe friends of friends?
No research. No product awareness or fact checking. Totally oblivious.
Just proving a pay scale offered by Amazon to live in an expensive coastal city does not correlate to common sense. But Amazon like many many other tech companies is desperate for “help”. At least until the next (guaranteed to occur) Recession.
Total malarkey.
This too shall pass.
Frank
Having shopped for many a thing on Amazon, I have also been made aware of this latest endeavor to make us buy certain things. It has not felt as bad as some of the vine reviews … but it is getting closer to that point. The push from sellers to favorably rate certain products is very real!!!
ktash
Yes, the endeavor to make us buy certain things, like Alexa devices. Which I really don’t want, but it’s always there on the screen. And of course, once you buy an item, you’ll keep getting suggestions to buy it again. Like you need three more circular saws since you just bought one already.
It’s all pretty fragmented. Maybe they’ve just gotten way too big and they try to solve the problems in this kind of way. Regular people are going to stop leaving honest reviews (that they write for free) except for bad experiences and then the thing will break down.
Aubrey J.
Good thing that the large ion of lithium of 20 volt hand drill by black “in” decker isnt so heavy weight that i wont need both of my hands to use it. Not to mention the fun hip features of the newest up-to-date models. But if i were you id go with the 4 Hours of Amp batteries so you can drill a few more pieces instead of the 1.5 HA ion choice, although you might need two hands to use it the larger ion lithium batteries are double heavy at least. Personally im going with black “in” decker because im a experienced homeowner. I dont need anything like dewatt or upper quality items. Hope this helps yall guys out.
Leon
Hence the reason I read proper tool sites like this one for recommendations.