Public, traceable evidence
We use brief excerpts from public conversations and link to the original source. We do not present anonymous claims that a reader cannot inspect.
otterrated
How otterrated ratings work
A rating is a summary of relevant owner sentiment—not a substitute for reading the evidence. We show the source excerpts beside the score so you can check the conclusion for yourself.
The short version
No evidence, no rating
A product needs at least five relevant mentions. A missing score means the evidence threshold has not been met; it is not a zero.
Revenue stays out of the formula
Some purchase links may earn commission. Affiliate availability and commission rates do not affect source selection, sentiment labels, or the score.
From conversation to rating
1. Collect through permitted access
Evidence is collected only from sources whose access and reuse rules allow it. We do not bypass logins or scrape sources that prohibit it.
2. Keep only relevant mentions
A mention must describe experience with the specific product. Reposts, obvious promotion, price-only comments, and comments about a different model are excluded.
3. Label sentiment
Each accepted mention is classified as positive, neutral, or negative based on what the owner says about the product—not on whether we agree with them.
4. Calculate and review
Positive mentions count as 1, neutral as 0.5, and negative as 0. The weighted total is divided by the sample size and converted to a score out of 100. The evidence and result are reviewed before publication.
The formula
score = ((positive + 0.5 × neutral) ÷ total mentions) × 100
The score is published only when the sample contains at least five mentions. The product page shows the sample size and the date the score was recomputed.
A worked example
Example only—not a published product rating.
70/100
- Positive
- 6
- Neutral
- 2
- Negative
- 2
10 mentions
((6 + 0.5 × 2) ÷ 10) × 100 = 70
What the number cannot tell you
Public discussion is not a representative survey. Owners with unusually good or bad experiences may post more often, products attract different communities, and sentiment can change after software or hardware updates. Read the linked excerpts and product context before deciding what to buy.
Corrections and removals
When a source is deleted, becomes unavailable, or is found to be irrelevant, it is removed from the evidence set and the rating is recomputed. Method changes will be named on product pages rather than silently mixed together.