PUBLIC DATA ONLY
Scores come from facts panels, spec sheets, published warranties and verified owner feedback across retailers. Everything a criterion measures is something you can check without trusting us.
THIRD-PARTY TESTED / CLINICAL DOSES / FULL LABELS, NO BLENDS
THE TRIBUNAL
EVERY GUIDE STANDS trial.
We score from public labels, spec sheets and verified owner feedback. We do not claim hands-on lab testing. When we test, we say so.
Every buying guide on this site runs on two published rubrics. The weights are below, the math is auditable, and the same rules apply to everything we score, including our own products.
This page covers rubric scoring from public data. Hands-on bench testing is a separate, stricter program: how we test.
I
FOUR RULES, NO EXCEPTIONS
THE GROUND RULES
They exist so a stranger can audit any verdict we publish.
NO BORROWED LAB COATS
We do not claim hands-on lab testing we did not do. When we test something ourselves, the guide says so in plain words. Until then, the score is label math and published evidence.
PUBLISHED WEIGHTS
Every criterion and its exact weight is on this page. Weights always sum to 100, and the same rubric runs on every product in a guide. No product gets a private scoring curve.
COMMISSIONS GET ZERO WEIGHT
Some links in our guides earn a commission, disclosed on every guide. Commission rates appear nowhere in the rubric, so they cannot move a score. A verdict has never been for sale.
EVERY VERDICT, weighed.
II
WHERE THE 100 POINTS GO
THE rubrics.
Each criterion scores 0 to 10 from public data, gets multiplied by its published weight, and the weighted sum lands on a 0 to 100 scale. Beside each weight monument is a worked example: the product is hypothetical, the math is exactly what runs in every guide.
Supplement Rubric
Proteins, gainers, recovery powders and capsule formulas.
Where the 100 points go
Protein per dollar30%
Label protein per serving times servings, divided by list price. Pure math, no opinion.
Label transparency25%
Every dose disclosed on the facts panel. Proprietary blends and pixie dusting lose points.
Third-party certs20%
Published COAs and certifications: Informed Sport, NSF, Labdoor. Links or it did not happen.
Sweetener profile15%
What sweetens it and how much added sugar rides along, straight from the label.
Flavor range10%
Flavors you can order today, not flavors promised in a press release.
Supplement Rubric
Worked example
75.2 / 100
Protein per dollar · 30% of score7.4/10
Straight label math: grams per serving times servings, divided by list price, scaled against the field.
Label transparency · 25% of score10.0/10
Every dose printed on the facts panel scores full marks. A proprietary blend caps this score hard.
Third-party certs · 20% of score6.0/10
Published COAs or Informed Sport, NSF or Labdoor listings we can link. No link, no points.
Sweetener profile · 15% of score8.0/10
Sweetener type and added sugar grams, read straight off the label.
Flavor range · 10% of score4.0/10
Flavors actually orderable at time of writing, not promised ones.
How we score: weighted from public labels, spec sheets and verified owner feedback. No hands-on testing is claimed unless we say so.
Hypothetical product, real formula: each sub-score times its weight, summed, divided by 10.
Equipment Rubric
Racks, machines, recovery hardware and gym accessories.
Where the 100 points go
Value per dollar30%
Spec delivered per dollar: load rating, capacity, included parts, against list price.
Build quality25%
Materials, steel gauge, tolerances and moving parts, from the published spec sheet.
Warranty20%
Length and coverage of the manufacturer warranty, in writing, not in marketing copy.
Footprint15%
Floor space, ceiling height and clearance it demands, from published dimensions.
Owner feedback10%
Recurring patterns in verified owner reviews across retailers. We read them all, not the best three.
Equipment Rubric
Worked example
74.2 / 100
Value per dollar · 30% of score6.8/10
Load rating, capacity and included parts against list price.
Build quality · 25% of score8.5/10
Materials, steel gauge and tolerances from the published spec sheet.
Warranty · 20% of score9.0/10
Length and coverage of the manufacturer warranty, in writing.
Footprint · 15% of score5.0/10
Floor space and clearance from published dimensions.
Owner feedback · 10% of score7.0/10
Recurring patterns across verified owner reviews at multiple retailers. We read them all, not the best three.
How we score: weighted from public labels, spec sheets and verified owner feedback. No hands-on testing is claimed unless we say so.
Hypothetical product, real formula: each sub-score times its weight, summed, divided by 10.
The math we publish
- Protein per dollar: grams per serving times servings, divided by list price. Pure arithmetic, no opinion.
- Price per serving: list price divided by servings.
- Scaling: raw values map linearly onto 0 to 10 between a floor and a ceiling set by the field in that guide.
- Total: the weighted sum of sub-scores on a 0 to 100 scale. Same code path for every product, ours included.
III
FIXED DEFINITIONS
WHAT OUR PICK LABELS MEAN
Every label in a top picks box has a fixed definition. If a product wears one, this is what it earned.
Best Overall
Highest weighted rubric score in the guide. No tiebreakers, no vibes.
Best Budget
Best rubric score among the cheapest third of the field.
Best Clean
Best score with a fully disclosed label and the shortest ingredient list.
Best Value
Best raw output per dollar, even when the total score is not the highest.
Best Stim-Free
Best score among products with zero caffeine on the label.
Best Premium
Best score when price is removed from the weighting entirely.
Best for Beginners
Best score among products that need no setup knowledge or dose stacking.
Best Compact
Equipment only: best score per square metre of published footprint.
Best Upgrade
The pick we point to when the budget option is what you already own.
IV
THE HOUSE RULE
OUR OWN PRODUCTS
Our product
OnWhey makes supplements. Wherever an OnWhey product appears in a guide it carries an Our product badge and gets scored by the same rubric as everything else. No home-field bonus.
Right now the OnWhey line is in development. Until a product physically exists and earns its score under this rubric, it takes no verdict slot in any guide. When we ship, every batch we sell will ship with a published certificate of analysis, and the rubric that scores competitors will score us in public.
V
THE DOCKET
WHERE THE RUBRICS RUN
The guide library is being rebuilt under this rubric, one category at a time, and the first guides land soon. Each one opens with a top picks box, a comparison table you can swipe, pros and cons, and a rubric score you can audit against this page.
Five categories, zero shortcuts
Supplements, nutrition, recovery, training and equipment guides are being rewritten to pass every rule on this page before they publish. We would rather show you an empty shelf than a guide that cannot survive its own rubric. The category hubs open here as the first guides clear review.
Start here while the first guides are written
Some links earn OnWhey a commission at no extra cost to you. Commissions never decide a verdict.
Questions about a score? The rubric, the weights and the fixed copy on this page are the same ones the guides import. If a guide ever disagrees with this page, the guide is wrong and we fix it.