Atelier Malin compares power tools for people who do their own projects at home, not for building-trade pros.
What we do, and what we don’t
We cross-check manufacturer specs, prices checked and dated, and published independent tests, and we cite the source every time. We don’t test the tools ourselves, and we don’t pretend to.
When a figure could not be verified, we say so. A half-empty table sells less than a full one, but it’s the only way to be genuinely useful.
Malin
Malin is our editorial mascot: a workbench with opinions. It isn’t a person, and we don’t claim otherwise. Its verdicts (“Malin approves,” “Malin passes”) sum up the editorial team’s position, not that of an imaginary tester. The pen names that sign our articles are introduced on our team page.
How we make money
Some links to retailers are affiliate links: if you buy after clicking, we earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It never changes a ranking or a verdict, and the tools we advise against stay advised against. The details are on our affiliate disclosure page, and our picks, need by need, are on the recommended tools page.
How we compare
We don’t test the products, and we will never claim to. No made-up lab, no photo of a test bench that never existed. What we do is more modest and easy to check: we read, we cross-check, and we tell you where every number comes from.
For every comparison, we cross-check four sources:
- the official manufacturer specs, separating the useful numbers from the marketing;
- verified customer reviews, in volume: a flaw reported by a hundred buyers is a fact, not an opinion;
- the manufacturer documentation: manuals, spare parts, warranty terms;
- prices actually checked and dated, never a crossed-out “list price.”
Our criteria stay the same from one article to the next:
- real, usable power, not the biggest number on the spec sheet
- accuracy and finish: play, adjustments, reported cut quality
- ergonomics: weight, balance, noise, vibration, what matters after an hour
- the cost of consumables: blades, discs, batteries, and whether you can still buy them
- warranty and customer service, as the brand commits to them in writing
What we do when we don’t know
We say so. A spec the manufacturer doesn’t publish is marked as unverified, never quietly estimated. It’s less flattering than a fully filled-in table, and far more useful.
Prices age
Every price we quote carries its date. Between two updates it may have moved, so the price shown by the retailer always prevails. Spotted one that drifted? Write to us: it’s the report we handle fastest.