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Hearthline

How We Review

Our review scoring system, what each criterion means and how the overall score is calculated.

Five criteria

Performance, Design, Quality, Value and Ease of Use are each scored out of 10. The overall score is the mean of the five, rounded to one decimal place — never adjusted by hand.

What the scores mean

9.0 and above: category-leading. 8.0–8.9: recommended with minor caveats. 7.0–7.9: competent, situational. Below 7.0: we would not buy it.

Rescoring

Scores are revisited when firmware, pricing or competition changes materially. The article records the date of the most recent assessment.