Methodology
Trust without a face: transparent scoring, dated update logs, and clear limits on what we claim.
What WhichSetup is
We don’t publish thin “best of” lists — we help you choose which setup fits. Living scorecards and who-should / who-shouldn’t routes are the moat; setup is the product of the decision.
A multi-hub buyer-decision site for practical home gear. Every money page is built around a proprietary scoring framework, a transparent methodology, and a dated update log. We route beginners who already know they need a category and are stuck between 4–8 SKUs.
Product Scorecard v3 (100 points)
Every hero ASIN (and primary compare ASIN) is scored before it appears on a money page:
| Block | Pts | What “high” means |
|---|---|---|
| P1 Economics | 25 | Price × official commission % is meaningful; basket attach exists |
| P2 Demand durability | 15 | Stable BSR / review velocity — not a dead ASIN |
| P3 Listing quality | 15 | Real reviews, coherent brand, not bot-farm smell |
| P4 Variant / return risk | 15 | Exact ASIN linkable; fit rules clear |
| P5 Content defensibility | 15 | Original commentary angles without owning a lab |
| P6 Compliance surface | 15 | No claim landmines; not a 0–1% trap category |
Pass as hero: ≥70/100 and no hard FAIL. Compare-slot: ≥55/100 and no hard FAIL. Attach-only: weak economics but intentional basket glue (scale, brush, clips).
Hard FAIL gates
- Official category rate 0% or 1% Grocery/Health as a money link
- Margin proxy under $1.50 with no documented basket role
- Cannot confirm browse-node / category
- Requires medical / Rx / illegal framing to rank
- Counterfeit / trademark chaos in reviews
- Parent-ASIN-only linking when variants differ (same-variant onsite rule)
Synthesis vs testing — honesty rule
WhichSetup pages are research synthesis: manufacturer specs, public expert consensus, Amazon review-theme digests, and our original scoring tables. We may use AI to assist drafting and clustering; humans/agents verify facts, scores, and links before publish.
We do not claim “we tested 47 machines in our lab” without evidence. If a page relies on synthesis, it says so. If we ever run first-hand tests, we will label them clearly with method and date.
Refresh SLA
| Trigger | Action | Deadline |
|---|---|---|
| Hero ASIN OOS / replaced | Retarget or rebuild verdict | 72 hours |
| Price move ±15% on ≥2 heroes | Update table + log | 7 days |
| Scorecard age >90 days with traffic | Full re-verify | 14 days |
| Scorecard age >180 days any money page | Rebuild or noindex | 14 days |
| Amazon category/rate change | Re-score P1 | Same week |
Forbidden: changing dateModified without substantive edits.
What we refuse
- Thin “Top 10” scraped from Amazon bullets
- Unverified AI sludge / mass niche spraying
- Paid or boosted ads that link to Amazon (commissions generally disqualified under Apr 2026 OA)
- Self / friends / family purchases for enrollment
- Grocery beans/food as money links; gift cards / pet Rx (0%)
- Health “cure” claims; illegal auto-recording framing; veterinary advice
- Fake lab claims; date-bumping without change
How money does (and doesn’t) influence scores
Commission category affects whether a product can be a hero (P1 / fail gates). Within a valid Kitchen or Automotive page, we score for buyer fit — daily friction, upgrade path, who should skip — not for maximum affiliate payout. A cheaper Stilosa can beat a flashier BSR magnet when the buyer is uncommitted.
Editorial process (typed / faceless)
- Weekly signals → gaps → ASIN shortlist
- Product Scorecard v3
- Outline → AI-assisted draft → agent QA (triple-check)
- Logan approve → publish
- Monitor → Refresh SLA → kill/keep
Default: no response in 72 hours → do not auto-publish.
Last reviewed: 2026-09-19 (ET) · Week 2026-W38