At Inflatable SUP Authority we try to personally review as many products as possible ourselves. We do this buy buying the product ourselves or getting a product sent to us for our unbiased review. Of course being the “Inflatable SUP Authority” does not mean what I say goes. We try to get a collective view as well from customers who own the product and have used it.
Our Reviewing Process
Below is our process on how we test inflatable paddle boards that come into our headquarters.
- We Receive the Products. Oftentimes manufactueres will send us product free of charge to test for an unbiased review. As mentioned above we never let this interfere with our testing scores.
- I set up the board, strap a go pro on and tell you exactly what I think in our On-Water Perfomance Reviews like this one!
- We do a Video Overview of the product where I give you my impressions, who it’s for, what I liked, disliked etc. much like this one!
- We then write a full written overview on the product and gather as much information as we can on it. Like this example here.
- If there is demand we also do product set-up testing.
- We keep using the product throughout the year and update our guides we discover new findings about the paddle board as it matures in life. We talk about both the good and the bad.
Unfortunately we will not always be able to get our hands on every single product. Anything we have not tested we do extensive research on and talk about the collective user opinion on this topic. This gives us an idea as to know who the product is used for, its restrictions, and so on.
Our Review Ratings
We have a Database full of our specific Ratings that we have done for each paddle board that we have tested or have done extensive research on. Our main review rating categories go as follows.
Total Score: /10 (Average of Below Bolded Scores)
- On-Water Performance – __/ 10 (Average of Below Scores)
- Stability __/ 10
- Tracking __/ 10
- Speed __/ 10
- Maneuverability __/ 10
- SUP Construction – __/ 10
- Board Features – __/ 10 (Average of Below Scores)
- Deck Pad __/ 10
- D Rings __/ 10
- Deck Bungees __/ 10
- Handles __/ 10
- Accessories – __/ 10 (Average of Below Scores)
- Backpack __/ 10
- Paddle __/ 10
- Pump __/ 10
- Fins __/ 10
- Set-Up/ Take Down – __/ 10
When we developed this system we wanted to make things clear and easy for folks to understand our scores. No scores are weighted as of now. But everything is shown clearly.
We realize everyone looking for SUP’s have different criterias and things of importance to them. So we decided to list them for people to see clearly.
For example: A person looking for their first paddle board will care more about how stable the board is and how easy the SUP is to set-up and take down.
You compare that to a multi-day SUP camping enthusiast who would care more about how much distance the SUP can cover (Speed and Tracking) as well as how much gear they can stash on the board (Deck Pad, D-Rings and Deck Bungees).
Our Sources
For our reviews and buying guides we also use outside sources such as Reddit, Paddling.com, Facebook and Quora to gather outside information and gather a collective opinion. Afterall, more voices are better than one.
For our informational content anything that involves safety tips and regulations we always go through sources such as:
We take Paddle Boarding Saftey very seriously so we will never give you an opinion that goes against the grain of those organizations. The website owner has also taken a Paddle Canada Advanced Flat Water SUP class to brush up on these safety tips as well.
Brand History
Brand history is especially important for inflatable stand up paddle boards as the materials that are put into them means everything from a durability and safety standpoint.
We Review brands that:
- Have a solid history of good products
- Are safe to use
- Have great customer satisfaction ratings across multiple platforms
We also realize that here and there mistakes from any brand can happen so any recalls will be noted in its own article and in the product page.
For You
One of the biggest reasons for the making of Inflatable SUP Authority is to give my honest advice on inflatable paddle boards I’ve tested. We do not hand out 9 and 10/10’s lightly over here! We will never compromise our ethics for a higher commission rate nor will we let any manufacturer tell us where to rank our products. Not sure where to start? Check out our How to Choose an Inflatable Paddle Board page.
We:
- Review products based on 5 factors. On-Water Perfomance, Board Design, Construction, Quality of the Accessories and Set-up
- Will never try to upsell you a product for the sake of a higher commission rate
- Will always choose an affordable option in our list to suit all budget ranges
- Will always give you our honest opinion on products and will recommend things based on our previous experiences.
- Recommend products that have world wide delivery and specify exactly what the return policies and warranties are
Customer feedback is always welcome and encouraged. Feel free to go to our Contact Page if you have feedback about a specific product we review.