Maya Bennett

Home & kitchen researcher. I answer one question about the products you're eyeing: is it worth it?

Hi, I'm Maya

This site exists because of a blender. It had 4.6 stars, a gorgeous product page, and a seam at the bottom that leaked smoothie across my counter, down the cabinet, and into an argument with my husband about who researched it. (Me. I researched it. Badly.) When I went back and actually read the reviews — all of them, not the five glowing ones at the top — the leak was right there, complaint after complaint, hiding under the average.

So now that's my job: I read what owners say after the honeymoon week. The one-star reviews first, because that's where the truth lives. Then the specs line by line, and the price against what it usually sells for. I won't pretend I've tested something I haven't — but 16,000 owners will tell you more about a machine's third month than my first week with it ever could.

When something's worth it, I'll say so plainly. When it isn't, I'll tell you what to get instead. And yes, I still hold a grudge against that blender.

Maya's reviews