How we rank — and what we don't do

Units we claim to have tested: none. Everyone in this category says they tested twenty bags. We have not, and we say so. Here is what we do instead.

What we do

1. Read the manufacturer's published specs. Every product page, size chart and manual we used is cited under the product card and in the sources at the bottom of the page. If a maker does not publish a spec, we say “not stated” rather than guess.
2. Confirm the product is currently sold on Amazon before it enters the registry, and check availability quarterly. Discontinued models are replaced and the change is dated on the page.
3. Score it on a category rubric written for a first home setup — the tables below. Weights favor what a beginner needs (wrist support, fit, base stability, simplicity) over what a pro wants.
4. Publish “skip this if” on every pick. The honest counterweight the category lacks: the reader for whom the product is wrong, in a sentence.
5. Size everything by the reader, not the product: gloves by body weight and use, bags by body weight and room, ropes by height.

What we don't do

• We do not test products, own test units, or run a lab. No page on this site claims otherwise.
• We do not accept sponsored placements, paid reviews, or free products.
• We do not print prices — see below.
• We do not put our scores in structured data. They are editorial judgments, visible on the page as such, never marked up as a product rating.
• We do not make claims about what protective gear prevents beyond what the manufacturer states and what a cited published source supports.
• We do not give medical advice. Pain pages describe common causes and say when to see a doctor.

What the scores are

Each product is scored 1–10 on four to six metrics for its category, weighted to an overall out of 10. The scores are our reading of the published specifications, manuals and sizing charts, weighed for a first setup. Two products with the same overall are not identical — the per-metric scores on each card show where they differ. When two products are close, the one with the clearer published sizing wins, because it is the one a beginner can size correctly at home.

The rubrics

Prices

This site does not display prices. Every product button reads “Check price on Amazon” and opens the live listing, because a price printed on a page goes stale within days and a stale price is worse than none. Where a figure cannot be verified, the page says so. Price tiers in guides (“entry tier”, “buy-once”) describe construction and position in a brand's range, not dollar amounts.

Products and links

Every product is a real, currently sold model. Product links go through our own resolver (/go/) to the retailer with a tracking tag; the affiliate disclosure explains how that works and what it pays. Picks are chosen before any link is built and the commission never changes a ranking; if Amazon is not the best place to buy something, we say so.

Images

Product and section images are licensed stock photographs of the category — a pair of gloves on a bench, a bag in a gym — with honest alt text. They are never presented as photographs of the specific product, of our premises, or of anyone who works here.

Corrections and updates

Roundups and comparisons are reviewed quarterly and rewritten at least yearly; sizing, mounting and fitting guides annually; trust pages on any policy change. A page's “updated” date changes only when its content changes — never because the site was redeployed. Corrections go to mike@blackironathletics.com and are fixed within seven days of verification, with a dated note on the page.

Who does this

Mike M., the hands-on owner behind Iron Mako Media. The about page says what that means and, as importantly, what it doesn't. The editorial policy covers independence and sourcing in full.