How we test

Five evaluation pillars and a single 1–5 scale.

The Woo-Woo Meter

Where each product lives.

Every product gets a single rating from 1 to 5. It tells you where on the science-to-spirit spectrum the product sits — so you can decide whether the framing matches what you're looking for.

1 / 5
Rigorously science-backed
FDA-cleared and/or replicated RCTs. Examples: blood pressure cuffs, TENS units, SAD lamps.
2 / 5
Clinically supported
Clinical evidence exists but is narrower or newer. Examples: red-light therapy, vagus nerve stimulators.
3 / 5
Mixed evidence
Promising signal, marketing tends to outrun the data. Examples: PEMF, hydrogen water.
4 / 5
Largely experiential
Traditions with passionate users and very little controlled evidence. Examples: grounding, EMF shielding.
5 / 5
Spiritual practice
Pure spiritual or experiential practice. Examples: singing bowls, tuning forks, orgonite. We rate craft and tradition, not RCTs.

The five pillars

What we look at, in this order.

Efficacy evidence

What does the published literature actually show? RCTs, meta-analyses, and replicated findings score highest. Single small studies, animal models, and uncontrolled testimonials score lower. We cite what we find.

Build quality

Materials, durability, software stability, customer-service track record. A great-on-paper device that breaks in six months gets marked down — no matter how strong the science.

Value

Price relative to category leaders and direct alternatives. Free 30-day trials and generous returns get bonus points. Hidden subscription requirements get called out.

Experience

Friction in setup, daily use, and getting value out of the data. The best wellness device is the one you'll actually use for 90 days.

Spiritual coherence

For products in the spiritual/holistic categories, we evaluate whether the device is well-made, well-tuned, and useful in actual practice. Not whether it 'works' in a clinical sense — we don't pretend to know that. We tell you what tradition it comes from and how serious practitioners use it.

Honest disclosure

We don't pretend to lab-test everything.

We're a small team. Where we have hands-on experience, we say so and show our setup. Where we don't, our review is based on published research, manufacturer specs, and category-level reasoning — and we say that, too. Pretending otherwise is the fastest way to lose your trust.