Every score on DeskProven traces to a published criterion. This page is the rubric — what we check, where the data comes from, and what we deliberately don’t do.
The rubric
Every guide scores products on the same dimensions: stability class, adjustment range, load rating, warranty terms, and parts availability. Where a category needs more — VESA compatibility for monitor arms, certification coverage for chairs, true height range for desks — the guide states its added criteria at the top. The criteria are public and versioned; when the rubric changes, the guide’s next full review applies the new version and says so.
Where the data comes from
Manufacturer specification sheets and manuals, certification listings (such as BIFMA X5.5 and EN 527 where applicable to a product’s published claims), warranty documents, and owner feedback read at scale across public review platforms. Every specification we publish is taken from documentation we can point to, and anything we cannot verify is flagged in the guide rather than repeated.
What we don’t do
We don’t hands-on test, and we won’t pretend to. There is no staged lab and no unboxing theatre. When a claim can only be settled by physical testing, we say so plainly and tell you what the published evidence does and doesn’t support.
Who’s for it — and who isn’t
Every recommendation names who it’s for and who should skip it. An honest guide has losers as well as winners, and ours name what we excluded and why.
How we’re paid
Reader-supported, via affiliate links that never affect rankings — the full policy is in our affiliate disclosure.