25 of the Weirdest Things We've Reviewed

In 40 years, thousands of products have passed through PC Labs for testing. Many were good, some were not so great, and a few were downright bizarre.

- By Chandra Steele

PCMag is renowned and trusted for our Labs-based independent reviews. We review over 2,000 hardware and software products and services each year in dozens of categories, and we've been at it for 40 years now.

Our analysts work hard to let you, our readers, know about the products you plan to purchase and expect to depend on. A product that's been reviewed here has undergone a series of defined, repeatable tests in the Labs and the real world. For product categories in which we can define performance benchmarks, we follow set scripts and look for consistent results. Everything gets rated on a five-dot scale; products that check all the boxes and are the best in their categories receive the coveted title of Editors' Choice.

But when you look at this much stuff, some items are bound to be more unusual than others. Sometimes an offbeat gadget catches a reviewer's eye, and we request a loan unit. Other times, strange products just find their way to us. That's how we've come to review a flesh-like music mixer from the artist now known as Ye, a projector shaped like a six-pack, and a fork that warns you if you're eating too fast.

During the review process, those of us on the editorial staff are privy to the behind-the-scenes commentary-or just the oohs, ahhs, and cries of dismay-from our colleagues in the Labs. For our 40th anniversary, we're sharing our thoughts about some of the stranger things that have landed on our test benches. We loved some of these offbeat products; others baffle us to this day.

1. AMAZON ECHO LOOK

Chandra Steele, Senior Features Writer