I research heavy before buying anything over, say, $100. Gun stuff, ammo, power tools, vehicles, and home electronics all get searched. Especially if its a product I have little experience with.
I try to be very brand loyal with companies that Ive had good luck with. Samsung hone electronics for example. If it works, I see no need to change unless Im just wanting to try something new or unhappy with it for some reason.
I run my own equipment as a law enforcement sniper. I chose a Ruger Precision Rifle. I know there are other, better, more accurate rifles out there but it gave me a little more money to drop on a Nightforce ATACR. Not having any firsthand experience on either, I researched heavy. In both of these examples, they seem to be well backed, great pedigrees of history, and seemed the best choices for me.
Im a firm believer that for every positive review I can find online, I can find one saying the exact opposite. I tend to weigh more from forums like this where generally real people post real experiences. Yes, you can get the troll that tries to bash a product because he has an axe to grind. So I try to weigh anything carefully.
Its kind of like golf clubs. To an everyday user, will Callaway be THAT much better than Ping? With my skill level, I doubt I'd see much if any between the two. A pro on tour would, but not me. I think theres a lot of similarity here. Most people posting here may not be able to see much difference between a Leupold, Vortex, or Nightforce. Not because of product differences but because of their personal skill level and their personal experience level.
We all have to start somewhere and when we drop a few thousand dollars on anything, we never want to hear that my brand I chose doesn't measure up. If someone tells me my RPR sucks and NF isn't the best choice, they may be right, but both have been perfect for me, my skill levels, and my needs.
To me, never deal in absolutes. Id never bash another guy's choice until he tries to say his Buddly Quigley is top shelf.
