Every product on HNL Deals carries an HNL Score. This page explains exactly where that number comes from, what it does not measure, and how to read it.
What the HNL Score is
The HNL Score is a single number from 0 to 10 that summarizes how a product performs against the other products in its own category. It is a comparative score, not an absolute one. A 8.4 kitchen scale and a 8.4 office chair are each strong within their category, and the two numbers say nothing about each other.
The formula
Each product is rated from 0 to 10 on five criteria. The criteria are weighted, summed, and rounded to one decimal place.
| Criterion | Weight | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Core performance | 30% | How well the product does the main job it is bought for, judged on the specifications that actually govern that job in this category |
| Value for money | 25% | What the product delivers relative to its price and relative to what the next cheaper and next more expensive options deliver |
| Build and durability | 20% | Materials, construction, serviceability, and the pattern of failures reported by owners over time |
| Ease of use | 15% | Setup, daily operation, documentation, and software where software is involved |
| Support and warranty | 10% | Warranty length and terms, parts availability, and how the manufacturer handles claims |
Written out: HNL Score = (Core performance × 0.30) + (Value × 0.25) + (Build × 0.20) + (Ease of use × 0.15) + (Support × 0.10).
The weights are fixed across every category so that scores stay comparable within a category over time. If we ever change them, we will say so on this page and note the date of the change.
Where our information comes from
We are transparent about this because it is the part most review sites are vague about. Our ratings are built from:
- Manufacturer specifications, manuals, and warranty documents, read in full rather than summarized from a product page
- Published safety and performance standards where a category has them, for example UL, ETL, ASTM, BIFMA, and CPSC guidance
- Independent measurements published by third parties, cited by name when we rely on them
- Patterns across large volumes of verified owner reviews, used to find recurring failures rather than to average out a star rating
- Direct comparison of competing products against the same criteria
What we do not do
We do not operate a laboratory and we do not claim to. HNL Deals does not run instrumented measurements of its own, so you will not find us describing units as lab-checked or claiming benchmark figures we produced ourselves. Where a number appears in one of our reviews, it came from a source we name.
We also do not accept payment for a rating, for placement in a roundup, or for a review at all. Manufacturers cannot buy a position on this site. Nobody outside the editorial team sees a score before it publishes.
How to read a score
| 9.0 and above | Leads its category on the criteria that matter most, with no significant weakness |
| 8.0 to 8.9 | Strong overall. Usually the recommendation for most buyers |
| 7.0 to 7.9 | Solid with a real tradeoff you should know about before buying |
| 6.0 to 6.9 | Works, but a competitor at a similar price does the job better |
| Below 6.0 | We do not recommend it, and we explain why rather than leaving it out |
Keeping scores current
Products change. Firmware updates fix problems, manufacturers quietly revise components, prices move, and warranty terms get shortened. A score reflects the product as of the review date shown at the top of each article. We revisit reviews when a product is revised, when a recurring failure emerges, or when a category gains a materially better option.
Disagree with a score?
If you own a product we rated and your experience contradicts ours, we want to hear it. Write to [email protected] with the model and what happened. Corrections are handled under our Editorial Policy.
Last updated August 7, 2026.