Housekeeping

About Ranked Things

Every day, you’re asked to choose: the right laptop for work, the best budget earbuds, the safest stroller, the most reliable air purifier.

Choice is great – until it isn’t.

RankedThings turns “too many tabs” into one trusted answer by combining rigorous research, structured testing, and transparent scoring.

We exist to help you decide with confidence – quickly, clearly, and without hype.

🧭 Our Mission

Make smart decisions effortless.

We research, test, and rank products and services so you can spend less time comparing and more time enjoying what you buy. Our work is grounded in clarity, repeatable methods, and independence.

Founded by Casey Thaler, NASM-CPT, FNS, a research-driven analyst and certified fitness professional, RankedThings is built on a foundation of integrity and precision. Casey set our bar for documentation, bias checks, and repeatable testing – and you’ll see those standards across every guide we publish.

“If you can’t explain how you tested it, you don’t really know how it performs.”
– Casey Thaler

📚 What We Cover

We focus on categories where performance and value truly differ, where the market moves fast, or where the cost of a poor choice is high.

Everyday essentials: vacuums, routers, coffee makers, office chairs
Home & health: air purifiers, humidifiers, sleep tech, fitness gear
Tech & audio: laptops, monitors, TVs, headphones, keyboards
Outdoors & lifestyle: coolers, e-bikes, luggage, kitchen tools

Fast-moving categories get frequent refreshes. Durable categories get long-term follow-ups and maintenance testing.

👥 Who We Are

We’re a small, independent team of analysts, testers, and editors who love measuring things and arguing about thresholds. Our staff blends lab experience, field testing, and subject-matter expertise, then writes it up in plain language so anyone can understand the trade-offs.

Founder

Casey Thaler, NASM-CPT, FNS – Founder & Editorial Standards Lead

Casey brings a decade of research, testing, and consumer education to RankedThings. As a NASM-certified personal trainer and Fitness Nutrition Specialist, Casey has evaluated everything from adjustable dumbbells and treadmills to air purifiers and cookware, with a focus on measurement, repeatability, and long-term reliability.

Casey established our scoring framework, disclosure and corrections policies, and our human-in-the-loop review process for any AI-assisted tasks.

When you see clear test tables, defined weightings, or candid “what we couldn’t test” notes – that’s Casey’s standard in action.

Senior Writer

Jeanne Schneider – Senior Writer & Copy Lead

Jeanne is our clarity champion. She translates dense spec sheets, lab readouts, and months of owner feedback into guides that are approachable and genuinely helpful.

Jeanne specializes in home, kitchen, and lifestyle categories, and pressure-tests every recommendation against the everyday realities of setup, usability, maintenance, and long-term costs.

If a guide reads like a conversation with a trusted friend who happens to know the data inside out – that’s Jeanne.

Junior Editor

Katie Davis – Junior Editor & Research Contributor

Katie brings curiosity and precision to every “Best of” guide. She digs into specs, runs real-world tests, and boils down her findings into actionable insights that anyone can use.

With a background in Social Science from the University of Michigan, Katie’s career began in consumer research and data analysis before she turned her attention to product evaluation. She believes that good recommendations stem from both numbers and lived experience.

When she’s not elbow-deep in review spreadsheets, you’ll find Katie hiking, experimenting with plant-based breakfast bowls, or tracking down the perfect mid-century lamp for her apartment.

Katie’s mission: make sure our readers skip the guesswork and buy smart, confident.

Junior Writer

Tiffany Taylor – Junior Writer

Tiffany is our friendly voice of clarity-in-progress. She turns comparison charts, product specs, and user reviews into down-to-earth insights that feel reassuring rather than overwhelming.

She focuses on home and lifestyle picks, and approaches every recommendation with the same questions a real shopper would ask: Is this actually easy to use? Does it last? Does it feel good to live with day to day?

Tiffany graduated from Loyola Marymount University, where she studied Communication and first discovered that researching things deeply is her love language. When she’s not testing products, she’s probably outside with her labradoodle, Olive, experimenting with new coffee brewing methods, or reorganizing something just to see if it can be better.

If a guide feels like a thoughtful friend walked you through your options step-by-step – that is definitely Tiffany.

Junior Writer

Sean Davis – Junior Writer, Professional Baker, Chef, Product Tester

Sean Davis has spent more than two decades in professional kitchens, from small-town bakeries running sunrise pastry shifts to high-volume restaurants crafting desserts for hundreds each night. He trained under classic French bakers, apprenticed with old-school culinary mentors who believed every recipe should start with a handshake and a story, and eventually became the go-to guy when a dish needed to be perfected rather than just “good enough.”

Sean has tested more flours, mixers, pans, thermometers, and small appliances than most home cooks will use in a lifetime. He brings the same precision he used in professional pastry work to every product review: testing, retesting, and working each tool the way a real baker would — aggressively, creatively, and always with high standards.

When he isn’t evaluating gear or refining a dough hydration chart, Sean can be found teaching community baking classes, hunting for regional pastries on road trips, or feeding yet another sourdough starter he swore he wasn’t going to adopt.

He writes with one goal in mind: helping home cooks skip the expensive mistakes and get straight to the good stuff — the tools that truly make cooking better.

Junior Writer

Evan Kline – Junior Writer, Product Tester, Outdoor Expert

Evan Kline is an outdoor gear specialist with more than 15 years of backcountry experience testing tents, packs, sleeping pads, stoves, and everything else you rely on in the wild.

He’s logged hundreds of nights in the field from the Rockies to the Pacific Northwest, and evaluates gear the same way real hikers and campers use it – in brutal weather, long miles, and rough terrain.

Evan’s reviews focus on durability, real-world performance, and honest results so readers know exactly what will hold up when conditions get tough.

Mikala Kai

Beauty, Fashion & Makeup Reviewer

Mikala Kai is Ranked Things’ resident beauty obsessive — a makeup tester with an eye for detail and a deep love for products that make real skin look incredible. She brings over a decade of experience in cosmetics, on-camera beauty work, and product research, with a special focus on complexion essentials like blush, bronzer, and skin tints.

Before joining Ranked Things, Mikala spent years working behind the scenes in beauty retail, assisting pro makeup artists, and building a loyal online following through her no-nonsense reviews and approachable tutorials. Her testing style is famously rigorous: Hawaii humidity, long wear days, photography setups, sweat tests, and daily-life practicality all get factored into her final picks.

Mikala believes great makeup shouldn’t require professional skill — it should make you feel confident the moment it hits your skin. When she’s not swatching 25 blushes on her arm or filming close-up wear tests, she’s probably hunting for under-the-radar brands, organizing her ever-growing product drawers, or perfecting the soft-glam looks she’s known for.

Specialties:
Blush, complexion products, natural glam, beginner-friendly makeup, climate-tested wear analysis.

⚙️ How Our Rankings Work

1) Research Funnel

We start wide: standards documentation, teardown reports, recall and service bulletins, expert forums, owner reviews, reliability histories, and price histories.
We then narrow to a shortlist by weighting real-world factors: price-to-performance, repairability, warranty support, ecosystem lock-in, and total cost of ownership.

2) Hands-On Testing

Whenever possible, we buy what we test to avoid cherry-picked samples. We run items through the same procedures so scores are comparable across years and models.

Examples include:

TVs & monitors – brightness, color accuracy, motion handling, panel uniformity
Headphones – frequency response, isolation, latency, mic clarity, comfort
Small appliances – power draw, noise, task time, cleanup friction
Air treatment – particulate decay rates, filter cost per year
Fitness gear – load accuracy, stability, adjustability, vibration

Casey reviews every test protocol for bias and repeatability. Jeanne ensures every result reads like practical advice, not lab jargon.

3) Scoring Framework

Each category uses a transparent, weighted scoring system:

Performance (40–60%) – measured benchmarks and standardized tasks
Quality & Reliability (15–25%) – stress points, durability, failures
User Experience (10–20%) – setup, controls, comfort, noise, usability
Value (10–20%) – street price vs. peers, lifespan, included extras
Sustainability (5–10%) – energy use, warranty, repairability

Where testing requires judgment (like comfort or taste), we label it clearly as opinion or panel-based.

Our goal: comparable, standardized, transparent results – not vibes.

4) Long-Term Data

We keep testing. Our team monitors firmware updates, recalls, user reports, and price trends. If the market shifts, our rankings shift with it.

5) Freshness

Categories are updated on a cadence tied to their pace of change. Fast-evolving tech is revisited more often than long-life appliances. “Best Right Now” truly means right now.

🧩 Editorial Independence

RankedThings is reader-first. Editorial decisions – what we test, how we test, and which picks we recommend – are made by our reviews team alone.

Revenue partners do not preview, approve, or influence our content. Casey enforces this firewall, and every contributor is trained in disclosure and independence policies.

“We’d rather lose an affiliate link than lose reader trust.”
– Casey Thaler

💵 How We Make Money

When you click to a retailer from our site and complete a purchase, we may earn an affiliate commission.
This supports our team, our testing labs, and our continued updates – without costing you anything extra.

Our recommendations are based on testing and data, not payouts.
We disclose affiliate relationships clearly and label any sponsored content.

We never sell rankings or guaranteed placements – ever.

🔬 Our Testing Philosophy

Buy First, Test Fair. Retail units only – no hand-picked samples.
Same Bench, Same Rules. Comparable procedures for all items.
Publish the Why. Every weighting and metric explained.
Track Over Time. Long-term data always considered.
Document Limits. If we can’t test something, we say so.

⚖️ Ethics, Conflicts & Access

Staff disclose potential conflicts of interest.
We decline gifts beyond nominal test necessities.
Press trips are rare; if accepted, we self-fund or disclose.
No payments for coverage, ever.

🔒 Privacy, Data, and AI

Minimal tracking – just what’s necessary to improve guides.
No data sales.
AI usage: Only for administrative tasks like de-duplicating specs or organizing changelogs.
Always human-supervised. AI never writes verdicts or chooses winners.

Casey approves every AI-assisted workflow; Jeanne ensures clarity and tone.

🌎 Diversity, Accessibility & Sustainability

Testing across real-world diversity: body types, skin tones, hair types, budgets.
Measuring energy use, repairability, and long-term cost of ownership.
Accessibility-first design: alt text, keyboard navigation, and inclusive language.

🏆 Awards & Badges

When we grant “Best Overall,” “Best Value,” or “Editor’s Choice,” it means a product earned its place through data and repeatable testing.

Awards are always time-bound. As products change – so do our recommendations.

🧾 Corrections & Feedback

We’re human. Mistakes happen.

If you catch one, let us know – we fix factual errors, timestamp updates, and call out major revisions.

Jeanne oversees readability corrections. Casey manages methodology and data accuracy.

🧠 How to Use Our Guides

Start with the summary table – quick view of our top picks and why they win.
Read “Why you should trust us” – meet the tester and understand our process.
Check “Who this is for” – match your needs to our recommendations.
Scan the test results – see the metrics behind the rankings.
Review trade-offs – every product has them, and we show them clearly.

🔧 Behind the Scenes

Our process begins with a research brief and test plan led by Casey.
Once procedures are finalized, we purchase units, document condition, and run the full testing suite.

Every draft undergoes three rounds of review:

Technical: verifying numbers and measurements
Editorial: clarity, fairness, tone
Fact-check: verifying sources and specs

Jeanne ensures the story reads smoothly. Casey ensures it’s scientifically sound.

📋 Editorial Standards At a Glance

Independence: Editorial insulated from revenue.
Transparency: Every method documented.
Accountability: Corrections logged and visible.
Practicality: Real-world usability prioritized.
Respect: Clear writing for real readers.

📞 Contact

General: hello@rankedthings.com
Press: press@rankedthings.com
Partnerships (no pay-for-placement): partners@rankedthings.com
Corrections: corrections@rankedthings.com
Accessibility: a11y@rankedthings.com

💡 Work With Us

We’re always looking for testers, engineers, and writers who care about method and meaning.
If you share Casey’s obsession with process and Jeanne’s love of clarity, we’d love to hear from you.

👤 Short Bios

Casey Thaler, NASM-CPT, FNS – Founder & Editorial Standards Lead
Casey combines consumer research with certified health and fitness expertise to design protocols that are fair, repeatable, and relevant. Casey drives our disclosure and anti-bias policies, ensuring every guide earns reader trust.

Jeanne Schneider – Senior Writer & Copy Lead
Jeanne transforms data into narrative clarity. She focuses on home, kitchen, and lifestyle guides that make complex comparisons simple, relatable, and real.

Katie Davis – Junior Editor & Research Coordinator
Katie combines data research with real-world testing to figure out what actually works. Outside of reviews, she’s usually hiking, or trying new plant-based recipes.

Tiffany Taylor – Junior Writer
Tiffany tests products hands-on and translates her findings into clear, practical recommendations. When she’s not researching, she’s out with her labradoodle Olive or hunting for her next favorite coffee shop.

Sean Davis – Junior Writer

Sean Davis is a longtime professional baker and chef with over 20 years of hands-on kitchen experience. He brings restaurant-level precision to every review he writes, testing products the way real cooks use them and helping readers choose tools that truly make cooking easier and better.

Evan Kline – Junior Writer

Evan Kline is an outdoor gear tester with over a decade of real backcountry experience. He’s spent years evaluating tents, packs, and camping tools in rugged conditions to help readers choose equipment they can trust outdoors.

Mikala Kai – Beauty & Makeup Reviewer

Mikala Kai is Ranked Things’ go-to expert for makeup and beauty reviews, known for testing products in real-world conditions (including Hawaii humidity) to see what truly performs. She specializes in blush and complexion products, focusing on realistic results, long-wear performance, and beginner-friendly recommendations. When she’s not swatching new releases, she’s filming honest wear tests and highlighting the products that actually live up to their hype.

⚖️ Legal & Disclosure

RankedThings is a for-profit publication that may earn affiliate commissions on qualifying purchases.
Affiliate relationships never influence editorial content.
Sponsored placements, if any, are clearly labeled.
Trademarks belong to their respective owners.

💬 Statement from the Founder

“I started RankedThings to remove the guesswork from buying. If we can turn a confusing search into one clear, fair recommendation – and explain exactly why it wins – we’ve done our job. We’ll keep improving our methods, owning our mistakes, and earning your trust with every guide.”

– Casey Thaler, NASM-CPT, FNS