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Wirecutter is now officially behind the New York Times paywall

crienne

crienne

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,164
Image below is my own.

j4J4uPL.png


Felt like doing a follow-up to this old thread: https://www.resetera.com/threads/wirecutter-moves-to-nytimes-com-paywall-future-uncertain.228589/

Also here's a NYT article about it that is, funnily enough, also behind a paywall:
www.wsj.com

WSJ News Exclusive | New York Times’ Wirecutter Product-Review Site Moves Behind Paywall

The product-review site will be available for $5 every four weeks or as part of a premium bundle as the news publisher looks to further diversify its subscription business.
www.wsj.com www.wsj.com
 
ngower

ngower

Member
Nov 20, 2017
4,001
It's been happening slowly and I just stopped using them. It also became increasingly less reliable in recent years and was obviously a marketing vessel.
 
fontguy

fontguy

Avenger
Oct 8, 2018
16,147
Reminder that private tabs utterly defeat their paywall.

Also Your Best Digs is a free alternative. They don't cover as many things as Wirecutter, but there is quite a bit of overlap.
 
Draconestra

Draconestra

Avenger
Nov 2, 2017
648
Damn, that really sucks. I've been reading them for quite some time and got some of their recommended items in the past with no complaints.
 
louiedog

louiedog

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,248
It is often a good place to start when researching a product. Even if I only sometimes went with their pick, the research and testing would get me to think about what I was looking for, let me see the cons of what they tested and didn't pic, and often even the comments had some useful info on something that hadn't been tested.
 
RustyNails

RustyNails

Attempted to circumvent ban with alt account
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
24,586
I bought stuff based on their advice as well, but often times it felt like they were pushing products. I stopped relying on them.

It's so fucking hard to find unbiased product reviews these days.
 
BarringGaffner

BarringGaffner

Member
Nov 11, 2017
2,249
You get locked out after 12 sites, and it resets monthly. That's far more than I ever used it.

I just use it as one tool for research. It's a good start.
 
morningbus

morningbus

Member
Oct 31, 2017
1,044
RustyNails said:
I bought stuff based on their advice as well, but often times it felt like they were pushing products. I stopped relying on them.

It's so fucking hard to find unbiased product reviews these days.
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Smash-It Stan said:
Same, idk where the hell I can find reviews for things like vacuum cleaners without entering the sketchiest of websites, botted reviews on amazon or seemingly AI generated youtube videos.
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Just give Consumer Reports it's money.
 
spineduke

spineduke

Moderator
Oct 25, 2017
8,742
This is just going to make their readership crater - I haven't used them in years but they were a great place to start researching on what you're looking for.
 
leder

leder

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,111
I don't really care, but the strategy here confuses me. They must make most of their money off of referral links?
 

PRed

Member
Jan 7, 2018
360
So what are some good alternatives that aren't paywalled? I don't want to go through youtube videos just to find out important details about certain product categories, like air purifiers.
 
sangreal

sangreal

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
10,890
I used to live by the wirecutter but it has been going rapidly downhill. No way I'd pay for their current product which feels like it is mostly just shilling credit cards. The reviews they do put out are often missing major, popular competitors and the choices are of dubious quality and reliability

mice subscribed to consumer reports but their information was never packaged
 
TheDutchSlayer

TheDutchSlayer

Did you find it? Cuez I didn't!
Member
Oct 26, 2017
6,993
The Hauge, The Netherlands
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!
Been using them from day 1 and so far I think they were great but is just sad because it was made to start with to get out of the ad and paywall space :(
 
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Deleted member 8901

Account closed at user request
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
2,522
Just realized that my library gives me access to CR. Do people generally regard CR as better? I looked at air purifiers out of curiosity and saw CR rated the Coway pretty low compared to Wirecutter that puts it as their top pick.
 

Nola

Banned
Oct 29, 2017
8,025
Smash-It Stan said:
Same, idk where the hell I can find reviews for things like vacuum cleaners without entering the sketchiest of websites, botted reviews on amazon or seemingly AI generated youtube videos.
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Definitely feels like we pretty quickly went from the ultimate age of consumer information to as bad as it has ever been.

There was a amazing, narrow window of time where Amazon reviews and the Internet generally really produced an excellent consumer buying experience if you knew how to use it, then bots, review farms, referral links, and the entire cottage industry we have today emerged over the course of like a couple years and that entire infrastructure is practically useless save a few shining examples like Rtings.

Now I'm back to considering getting a subscription to consumer reports like my father has and grandfather had lol
 
Clay

Clay

Member
Oct 29, 2017
8,107
neon/drifter said:
Same but they got commission for their recommendations and now they want to paywall the info? Fuck em.
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Oh sure, I'm not going to pay to read their articles (or I should say I wouldn't, I subscribe to the NYT so this doesn't affect me), I just don't agree that they were being bought off or whatever.
 
Pargon

Pargon

Member
Oct 27, 2017
11,970
Though they were useful as a starting point, I actually ended up with a couple of not-great recommendations from them.
And when checking certain products that I did have knowledge about, it seemed like they were only looking at a very small selection of what was available - ignoring some of the popular brands entirely.
It made me question the knowledge of their "experts" and wonder if there was some financial incentive behind their decisions.

Smash-It Stan said:
Same, idk where the hell I can find reviews for things like vacuum cleaners without entering the sketchiest of websites, botted reviews on amazon or seemingly AI generated youtube videos.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
 
Astronut325

Astronut325

Member
Oct 27, 2017
5,948
Los Angeles, CA
AuthenticM said:
I didn't know of this website. Thanks for sharing.
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The thing that makes Consumer Reports leagues better than anyone else, including Wirecutter, is the fact that they purchase all their items they subjected to testing. They're purchased with subscriber revenue. They don't take "gifted" or "donated" stuff for their reviews. It's as close to a true independent unbiased point of view you'll get.
 
The Albatross

The Albatross

Member
Oct 25, 2017
38,939
Not surprised but bummer because I send their recommendations to a lot of people without a sub. Glad ive got a subscription, but bummer for those who don't.

I really like the Wirecutter. Usually have good recommendations.
 
karmaforgotme

karmaforgotme

Member
Oct 27, 2017
893
Knoxville, TN
fontguy said:
Reminder that private tabs utterly defeat their paywall.

Also Your Best Digs is a free alternative. They don't cover as many things as Wirecutter, but there is quite a bit of overlap.
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How does this work? I love the NYT Cooking site, but the recipes are behind a paywall. I just tired it in a private tab in Edge, and no luck.

Thanks for link to Your Best Digs. Will give that a spin too.
 

Nola

Banned
Oct 29, 2017
8,025
Astronut325 said:
The thing that makes Consumer Reports leagues better than anyone else, including Wirecutter, is the fact that they purchase all their items they subjected to testing. They're purchased with subscriber revenue. They don't take "gifted" or "donated" stuff for their reviews. It's as close to a true independent unbiased point of view you'll get.
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Only downside to me is that they don't cover a lot of the smaller and superficial niche items that wirecutter does, and a lot of niche stuff they do cover can be years out of date sometimes. And they aren't great with electronics compared to things like Rtings.

For things like grills, lawn equipment, vehicles, appliances, vacuums etc. they are great.
 
fontguy

fontguy

Avenger
Oct 8, 2018
16,147
karmaforgotme said:
How does this work? I love the NYT Cooking site, but the recipes are behind a paywall. I just tired it in a private tab in Edge, and no luck.

Thanks for link to Your Best Digs. Will give that a spin too.
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Looks like the Cooking site doesn't let you view any number of free articles before it asks you to subscribe. Private tabs work by circumventing the tracking cookies that keep track of how many free articles you've viewed, so I guess you'll have to pony up if you want their cooking stuff.
 
blame space

blame space

Resettlement Advisor
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
15,420
what's wirecutter? the place ppl who plan their lives around electronics go to make sure if they buy an iphone a new one won't come out in a few months?
 
Faceless_Caesar

Faceless_Caesar

Member
Jul 1, 2020
6,500
It's a good place to get an idea of what products in a given category are any good. All of the recommended products that I've purchased have been great. It's great for things that evolve at a slow pace like small appliances. Some of their guides are great but some are basically useless like who needs a guide to buy the "best white sneakers"

www.nytimes.com

The Best White Sneakers

We tested the best white sneakers in women’s, men’s, and unisex sizes, and we found four classic and versatile pairs we think you’ll love.
www.nytimes.com www.nytimes.com
 
morningbus

morningbus

Member
Oct 31, 2017
1,044
Spinluck said:
Honest question.

Have you been satisfied with it? I'm tired of the bullshit.
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Really depends on what you need. I got a cheap, $16 subscription to the magazine and I think it's worth it. I know what dishwasher I'm going to buy, for example.

If you just need a database of product category reviews to use as research, then doing the online only subscription may make more sense.
 
BLEEN

BLEEN

Member
Oct 27, 2017
21,862
They failed me hard with their last recommendation for a food processor.

So fuck 'em anyway. Glorified advertisement agency.
 
Ravelle

Ravelle

Member
Oct 31, 2017
17,752
I can still view the page without getting the window in my face, wonder for how long. Used to go there a lot but not since the move, can't stand the nytimes layout.
 
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