Are online reviews damaging or even valid? A fountain pen Reviewer’s perspective
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 ต.ค. 2024
- Are online reviews damaging or even valid? A fountain pen Reviewer’s perspective.
I’ve been reviewing fountain pens online for over 6 years. MKBHD has done a video about his last 2 negative reviews, I feel in response to how these video reviews may or may not have affected people’s/customer’s perceptions of these products.
This video alarmed me because my reviews are honest, but can you even be honest in a negative way in any review nowadays? From MKBHD’s reaction, I’m beginning to suspect not.
I’m a reviewer, not an influencer. My fountain pen reviews have always been - and always will be - honest.
However, if I review a video of a bad fountain pen, can I say so? It’s my opinion, but are people too sensitive to any negativity these days, meaning that such a review may adversely affect a company?
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Link to MKBHD’s video: • Do Bad Reviews Kill Co...
Oy! Rob! It's great to see you posting videos, Mate! Please do more.
Interesting comments. There are certainly channels whose reviews I take with a pinch of salt, because "everything new is the best ever", or "only prestige pens can be any good". But that's why I appreciate reviewers like yourself, who will be brutally honest if appropriate, and tell it as it is.
I’m glad to hear that you value my brutally honest reviews - I don’t bite my tongue! I’d love to see some prestigious pens reviewed where the reviewer actually said “this pen didn’t write well and isn’t worth the money” but sadly people who pay ££££ for fountain pens seem to tolerate poor writing experiences!
I agree everyone is entitled to give their opinion freely . Nothing should be sugar-coated so I value independent reviews. It’s especially good to have YT reviews of fountain pens as so few of us have access to a bricks and mortar pen shop.
It is good to see you again.
As for reviews, I think most are honest reviews, whether positive or negative. As for comments, well people have their own opinions, not necessarily providing constructive opinions.
I loath personal attacks on people posting reviews. Once in a while I see them but, you have to brush it off.
I have enjoyed your videos and this is no exception.
Thanks Paul!
I think at the end of the day, it really depends on you. The one who is watching the review. If you are an enthusiast, like me, I’d get the pen no matter what and decide for myself. On the other hand, if I am a beginner, I might listen to you more. 😀
Hi Rob! You touched on a very delicate and very important topic, as is due to your great professionalism. In introduction to everything, I would say that these are and should be technical reviews, while respecting every subjective vision. But I want to be very clear: I have been dealing with fountain pens for over 23 years as a collector and enthusiast, with particular attention to fountain pens from China. Well I wouldn't spend my time looking at reviews of those who present me with a fountain pen without technical knowledge, it wouldn't convince me in any case, neither negative nor positive. Every time I have followed one of your reviews, I have always found competence, passion, technical objectivity and for this reason I have respected every like or dislike of yours. So your honesty in the review always finds the respect of those who follow you and come back to follow you.
Thank you Frank! 👍
Negative reviews or feedback is just as important as positive ones. Every person has its own experience and duds are in all products, no matter what they are.
The important thing for a reviewer, I think, is to be honest and transparent with their own experience, no matter if is positive or negative.
I couldn’t agree with you more 👍
Oh yeah I saw that, what you're responding to, and I thought it was very silly. The thing is, reviews aren't just good or bad, they're full of other information. Staying in the realm of fountain pens, somebody could give a glowing review to a fountain pen that "has a good weight to it, and writes with a nice, reliable Jowo nib..." I'm not going to want that pen. I like my pens light and I can't stand Jowo nibs. Somebody who hates a pen because it has feedback and they don't like that now has my attention because I DO.
Should be about the writing experience, IMO, but that's subjective. There's those who go on and on about the pens sent in for review, but they tend to suffer in credibility. There's a few that retain integrity. SBRE Brown does have preferences but still seems honest when reviewing pens loaned by Jost Appelboom. Chrisrap52 has stated that the ones sent him can get worse reviews over those he bought. Feels forced to review some, and he tries to only show those he's had positive experiences with. His massive collection of the spectrum of pens made gives credibility to him.
Mass production can definitely be a factor. Was why many stationers of the past had a service department. Even that high quality Parker 51, or De la Rue, might need initial tweaking. (And there's those selling based on exciting new resins from whoever is ultimately using the same nibs as a majority of brands today. And asking inflated prices for them...)
I came to trust your opinions on pens. Might not always agree (on a stylistic note, I despise the LAMY Safari, and I'm sure you'd disagree with some of my likes 😉). Basically, our tastes in writing experiences are similar.
Those who seem to shill for expensive brands, and those trying to peddle a very common lower end Hero as theirs, and as being similar quality to the high-end brands? I either just ignore or troll.😈
And there those who go on with "this is just a cheap copy of X." When X started out as a cheaper copy of Y or Z. (Only so many ways to make a tube that holds ink and releases ink on paper in a controlled fashion. 😉 The US used to claim Sheaffer's developed the lever filler, when it was Conway Stewart, many designs of the 1950s and 60s, through even later draw a massive amount of design from the Parker and Sheaffer's of the same time. (I'd like a side by side comparison with the Parker converter and the LAMY... I have suspicions...)
Good thoughts on the community, Rob! As always, it's great to hear from you!
This analysis of yours is very good, Paul. This also confirms that Rob's remarkable validity in reviews attracts other virtuosos, enthusiasts.
I agree 💯!!! Thank you for your honest reviews!!!!
In the fountain pen space, I've more often seen fawning reviews that sometimes are objectively nonsense--fit and finish, nib quality, etc. I have never, however, seen you or a certain professor currently teaching in Canada lie, nor do either of you review a pen based on cost or brand.
Stay honest; most of us value this quality.
If its a review and not an advert then you must be honest. If it's a bad product you have to say that or the audience will lose respect with your opinion. And the company also needs to hear bad feedback so they can improve.
The problem is not with the reviewers who make videos about products, in this case fountain pens. The lack of judgement of many people watching these videos is the real problem. It is a lot easier to follow the recommendations of a third party before you make up your own mind. I do a lot of watching of fountain pen videos and use them as a guide only. Once I have watched the video and listened to the reviewer's opinion, I make my own decision on whether or not to buy the product being reviewed. But I stress that it is much easier for someone else to make that decision for you than for you to make it yourself. If the product fails, you'll always have someone to blame and it will not be you.
Thanks - I really like your points there.
I highly doubt that the company went under because of a bad review. It's more likely that they failed because they had a bad product. Reviewers can't win. If they like a product they are often accused of being paid shills. If they don't like a product then they're out to get the company. The internet just sucks a lot of the time. You just can't win.