How We Rank
Recovery Gear
A transparent breakdown of how we evaluate every product, score its fit for specific injuries, and surface the right gear to the right player.
The Core Principle
The player's interests come first. If two products exist in the same category and Product A is better — even though we earn a smaller commission on it — Product A wins. We will lose money before we will lose trust.
We publish this methodology in full detail because you deserve to know how the sausage is made. If something in our rankings doesn't match up to what the methodology says, tell us.
Evaluation Criteria
Every product in our database is evaluated against four criteria. Together they produce the efficacy tier that drives the selector rankings.
01 · Evidence Base (40%)
How well-supported is the product's category by clinical research? A generic counterforce strap benefits from decades of randomized trials on tennis elbow bracing. A new-to-market smart device has no such evidence base — we discount accordingly.
02 · Fit for the Specific Condition (30%)
A product built specifically for tennis elbow (counterforce strap) scores higher for tennis elbow than a general compression sleeve that vaguely helps the area. Specificity matters.
03 · User Reports and Reviews (20%)
We synthesize thousands of user reviews — weighted toward verified purchases, long-term users, and specific mentions of the condition we're evaluating for. Pattern recognition across many voices outperforms any single expert opinion.
04 · Build Quality and Durability (10%)
A brace that falls apart in 3 months is a bad brace, regardless of how well it fits the condition. We penalize known durability issues and reward track records of longevity.
Efficacy Tiers
Every product lands in one of three efficacy tiers for each pain point it addresses.
Tier 1 — Best Match
Well-established category with broad user support and targeted design for the specific condition. Commonly recommended first-line option — not a guarantee of results, since individual outcomes vary.
Tier 2 — Supportive
Useful as part of a broader approach. May help with comfort, adjacent symptoms, or recovery — but less central than Tier 1 options.
Tier 3 — Optional
Comfort-oriented or situational. Surfaces in rankings primarily when a kit has gaps and this is the closest available match.
How the Ranking Engine Works
When you select pain points in our selector, we run every product in our database through a pure scoring function:
- Filter by phase. Active-only gear is removed if you selected Recovery, and vice versa.
- Calculate coverage ratio. What percentage of your selected pain points does this product address?
- Apply tier weight. Tier 1 products get a 1.0x multiplier; Tier 2 gets 0.67x; Tier 3 gets 0.33x.
- Rank. Multiply coverage by tier weight. Sort descending. Return the top 8.
The full source code of our ranking engine is in the project repository — complete transparency on how recommendations are generated.
What We Don't Do
- ✗Paid placement. Brands cannot pay for a higher ranking or to be featured. Ever.
- ✗Biased by commission rate. We often rank lower-commission products above higher-commission ones because they work better.
- ✗Recommend untested gear. If we can't verify a product's claims or we haven't seen meaningful user data, we don't put it in the database.
- ✗Ignore our own mistakes. If we get something wrong and a reader tells us, we update it visibly and credit the correction.
Update Cadence
We review and update the full gear database at least twice per year. Content articles are reviewed at least annually, with interim updates when new evidence emerges or when products enter or leave the market.
Every piece of health content has a visible last-reviewed date. If you see something dated more than 12 months ago, know that it's on our list for refresh.
Trust But Verify
Our job is to save you time and guess-work. Your job is to hold us accountable when we fall short. If something in our recommendations doesn't match your experience, tell us — it's how we improve.
About Our Team →