What this page is for
It explains which factors decide which products you see and in what order. Some of this is legally required. But we would explain it anyway, because a recommendation service is only worth as much as its method is trusted.
The main factors, in order of weight
1. Fit to your request — by far the strongest factor Product type, the attributes you named, intended use, recipient, occasion. Ask for "a quiet vacuum for hardwood floors" and we weight noise level and floor suitability above everything else.
2. Budget If you give a price range, we favour products within it. If you don't, we show a spread.
3. Value for money Price relative to features and product class — not the lowest price at any cost.
4. Availability Offers that are out of stock are ranked down.
5. Variety At most one model per product family, so you don't see five variants of the same device. And we deliberately mix brands so that no single brand dominates a selection.
What does not influence the order
- how much commission we earn
- which retailer sells the product
- which partner network the retailer comes through
- payments of any kind
This is not a promise; it is enforced technically. The selection system receives exactly five fields per product:
id · title · brand · price · category
Retailer, network and commission are not among them. The system could not weight them even if we wanted it to.
What you should know about coverage
We compare offers from retailers we are connected to through affiliate partner networks. There may be retailers with better prices that do not appear here.
We say so plainly because it matters to your decision. A comparison covering part of the market is a useful tool — it is not a survey of the whole market.
What our labels mean
Products sometimes carry a label. These are editorial assessments based on price, features and fit to your request.
| Label | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Edwin's Choice | What we would pick ourselves in this situation |
| Top Pick | Most convincing option overall among those shown |
| Price Pick | Notably good price-to-feature ratio within the selection |
| Premium | Higher specification or build, priced accordingly |
| Budget | The cheapest sensible option in the selection |
| Solid Choice | Consistently good, without a standout strength or weakness |
| For Beginners | Usable without prior experience |
| Pro Pick | Built for regular or demanding use |
| DIY Pick / Hobby Pick | Built for occasional private use |
| Designer | Design is the defining feature |
| Classic | Long established and still worth recommending |
| Hidden Gem | Little known, in our view undeservedly |
If you see a label that is not listed here, that is a bug — please tell us.
Important: these labels are not test results. They do not come from any independent testing organisation, and we do not conduct our own product tests. Where we refer to a published third-party test, we cite the source with issue and year.
How prices work
Prices come from our partners' data feeds and are checked automatically on a regular basis. Every price shows when we last checked it.
- Prices are shown as the retailer displays them for the relevant market.
- In the EU and UK, prices include VAT unless stated otherwise; shipping is not included unless stated.
- In the United States, prices are generally shown excluding sales tax.
- Prices can change between our check and your click.
- The retailer's price at the time of purchase always prevails.
- If a retailer supplies no price, we say so — we do not estimate one.
Phrases such as "best of 4 retailers" refer only to the offers shown, not to the market as a whole.
The role of artificial intelligence
Edwin is an AI assistant. He interprets your request, selects from our catalogue and writes the reply. Some of our product pages are also machine-generated.
AI systems make mistakes. Product attributes may be incomplete or wrong. Please verify anything that matters to your decision with the retailer or manufacturer. See AI transparency.
How we make money
Through commissions from retailers when you buy via one of our links. It costs you nothing extra. Details in How we make money.
If something looks wrong
If a recommendation doesn't make sense, a price is off, or a product detail looks incorrect: contact@thebutler.network. We will look into it and fix it.