How it was tested, and where the method is written down: How We Review.
Every review on WithMagnum follows the same method, and the sources behind each score are published with it. No spec sheet rewrites, no press release quotes dressed up as opinion. This page is the short version of the method, so each review can be judged on the evidence rather than on trust.
Fragrances: multiple wears, three sources minimum
A fragrance gets reviewed after at least two full wear cycles. The note pyramid is written from the bottle, then the accord data is cross-checked against at least three independent sources, usually Fragrantica, Parfumo and ScentVerdict, with ScentMetric, The Sniff Test and PickMyClone added where they have a page.
Where the sources disagree, the review says they disagree rather than picking the flattering one. That is why you will read things like Parfumo rates it 8.6 out of 10 on value while Fragrantica has it at 3.89 out of 5 from twenty thousand votes. Both are in the review, because both are true about different things.
Longevity and projection are quoted from the accord data and from wear time, and the number is given as a range, not a promise. A scent that lasts six to eight hours on one skin can be shorter on another, and pretending otherwise would be selling rather than reviewing.
Cigars: a full stick, lit properly
Every cigar review is a full stick, smoked from the cold draw to the band, not a few puffs in a shop. The review breaks out the vitola, the wrapper, the binder and filler, and the strength and the body separately, and then walks the smoke in thirds: cold draw, first third, second third, final third.
Construction is scored on its own, with draw, burn and ash rated individually, because that is where the money is in a cigar and where a cheap one gives itself away. The score at the end is out of 100, and the reasoning is right above it, so you can see exactly where the number came from.
Where a publication has scored the same cigar, that score is quoted with the year it was given, because cigar scores move. The same tobacco and the same blend scored 92 in 2018 and 89 in 2022.
Tech, desk and travel: used in the setup it was bought for
Desk and tech gear gets put into a real setup and lived in. The spec sheet is where it starts, then the part that actually matters is how it behaves after a month of daily use, whether it fits the setups people actually have, and what it fails at.
The reviews say what something is for and who it suits, and they say who should spend their money somewhere else. That is the part most product pages leave out.
How the scores work
Cigars are scored out of 100, with the breakdown visible. Fragrance community ratings are quoted from the source, not generated. Where there is an editorial read, it is in the verdict, in plain words, attached to the reasons.
Nothing on this site is a paid placement. The site earns a small commission when you buy through an affiliate link, at no extra cost to you, and it never changes a verdict. If a product is not worth your money, the review says so, and there are reviews here that tell you to skip the expensive version. The full disclosure is on the affiliate disclosure page.
What we do not do
No spec sheet rewrites, no press release quotes dressed up as opinion, and no scores for products that have not been used. If a number is not in a review, it is because it was not measured, not because it was forgotten.
Questions about how a specific review was done? The reviewer profile has the longer version.