Terra Hills
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Independent reviews · Real home, real seasons, real miles

Reviews written after the novelty wears off.

Pool robots that ran every day for a full swim season. A watch worn for two years. Shoes with 200 miles on them. We live with gear long enough to learn what holds up, what gets annoying and what's worth your money.

See the rankings How we test
22
Long-term reviews
4 yrs
Longest single test
0
Sponsored reviews
Lifting a dirty filter basket out of the Clear UV robotic pool cleaner on the pool deck In the pool since springClear UV 9.8/10 Apple Watch Ultra 2 on a wrist showing a running workout in heart-rate Zone 1 Two years on the wristApple Watch Ultra 2 9.3/10 Blue Hoka Clifton 10 running shoes on a paved trail after a run 200+ road milesHoka Clifton 10 9/10 TESTED AT HOME • MONTHS, NOT DAYS • TERRA HILLS •

Fresh from testing

The latest reviews and guides

All reviews
Why We Use a Bottomless Portafilter (and What It Shows You)

Coffee GuideOctober 2, 20266 min read

Why We Use a Bottomless Portafilter (and What It Shows You)

What a bottomless (naked) portafilter is, why it shows channeling and uneven extraction, how it changes cleanup, and what to look for in the flow.
Coffee GuideOctober 2, 2026 What's on Our Espresso Counter: The Accessories We Actually Use Coffee GuideOctober 2, 2026 The Espresso Machine Cleaning Routine We Do After Every Shot Coffee GuideOctober 2, 2026 Espresso Ratio Explained: 18 Grams In, 36 to 40 Grams Out Coffee GuideOctober 2, 2026 Espresso Terms Explained: Portafilter, Puck, Crema, Channeling, and More
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The scoreboard

The highest-rated products we've tested

We don't score a product after one weekend. These rankings come from weeks or months of living with it.

Full leaderboard
9.8/10 Clear Clear UV The Clear UV replaced my Dolphin Premier. The cord keeps its suction steady, the pleated filters catch... Read the review 9.6/10 Maytronics Dolphin Premier In more than four years, I only replaced the tracks, brushes, and filter media. The ProLine hardware,... Read the review 9.4/10 Ondilo Ondilo ICO The ICO is the easiest way I've found to watch my pool water. It sends hourly pH, ORP, and temperature... Read the review 9.4/10 Maytronics Dolphin Cayman The Cayman is easy to recommend because it automates the part cheaper robots leave manual. It starts on a... Read the review

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Around the house and out the back door

Pick the part of your home you're working on and see what we've tested there.

Pools & Spas Pools & Spas Cleaners, skimmers, monitors & water care Garden Garden Beds, tools, composters & growing gear Outdoor Living Outdoor Living Grills, fire pits, patio furniture & shade Lawn & Yard Lawn & Yard Mowers, blowers, washers & yard care
Reviews22 Best2 Compare11 Home4 Pets1 Kitchen20 Coffee19 Health6 Running4 Tech6 Travel1

Guides & explainers

A little homework before you buy or train

Best-of guides

Why Terra Hills

We keep using things after the review would normally end

We set products up on a Saturday, work them into the daily routine and keep them there. Some stay for a season. A few have been around for years.

Evan Mercer

Meet the tester

Evan Mercer

Founder & Lead Reviewer · ultramarathoner, software engineer, pool owner

About Evan and the process
  1. 01

    We use it at home

    The pool gets leaves, the kitchen makes dinner, the front door gets answered and the shoes go out on real runs.

  2. 02

    It stays in the routine

    Products live on the real schedule: the robot cleans when the pool needs it, the alarm arms every night, the espresso machine pulls the morning shot. Nothing is staged for a photo.

  3. 03

    We compare what else you could buy

    The score comes down to how well it works, how long it lasts, how annoying it is to use, what it costs and what else you could buy.

  4. 04

    We keep checking in

    If a part wears out, firmware changes or a new model arrives, we come back to the review. The date at the top tells you when.

Tell us what to test next

Reader requests help decide what goes into the pool, onto the counter and out on the trail. Tell us what you're considering.

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