I am trying an experiment trying to start a unsponsored review channel

[catanonia]

I am not sure if the admins will allow this, so please feel free to delete if you wish.

I have been personally loved the review channels you and I always see, but just wish the bias was removed.
I was given this gun / equipment from xxxx supllier, here are the adverts I must post and here are NOT he problems I have found,

So, I have decided to try and set up a channel for airguns with absolutely no sponsor ship or promotions or gun shop / manufacturers adverts. Yes it does have YouTube adverts on it, but I need to try and make it pay somehow.

The idea is to make it a totally unbiased channel to give the low down, the dirt, the warts and all as well as the good points on anything I can get my grubby mitts on. You can see some of my crappy videos in the review optics and airgun review sub forums which the admin has gratefully allowed.

Here is the link https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCks...znYSNo1mMXb-MQ

have had great feedback and if you would like to help me with this venture, please watch this particular video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JhN6Lk-8N98

So far it has helped quite a few people with decisions to make, but only time will tell. I am enthused with the reactions so far.
My video editing skills are crap as is my production, but hopefully you get what I am trying to get at with the channel.

No way will this make me any money, in the last 2 months I will be lucky to buy 1/2 a tin of pellets through the revenue.
The main reason for the channel is that I love air guns and want people to know what they are buying.

Thanks for reading and thanks for the welcome in the newbie section.

[Marc.RG1]

Good idea mate, this is why I started my own YouTube review, tutorial and shooting channel, although mine is for replica airguns and airsoft guns and parts etc, rather then springer and PCP rifles and accessories etc..
From experience unless your a massive YouTuber your not make hardly anything on YouTube, in about 16 months I've just made £65 lol, but I did not start for the cash I started to give honest videos as there are too many that think everythings is great or too many shop/sponsored reviewers out there not telling it how it really is..
So I wish you luck and I will subscribe.
I'm clustermarc on YouTube my link should be in my signature but a few say they can't see it so if you can't just type clustermarc in YouTube and I should pop up..

Happy shooting.
ATB Marc

[Phil Russell]

I wish you luck but I do have concerns regarding the posts you may get. You are seeking honest reviews but what is an honest, unbiased review? If a review comes out as totally in favour of a product and gives glowing reports, does that make it honest or biased? If a review comes out with 'warts and all' comments then does that make it 'honest' and all encompassing of the true propereties of the product? Add to that the natural propensity for reviewers to post negative reviews listing faults with their review sample rather than people posting a glowing review for their own purchase and you can end up with a biased impression. The end result is that I think more people are likely to post negative views rather than positive ones ... just human nature.

I am not suggesting you are not providing a valuable service ... you are and I would certainly read what people think. But I expect more negative reviews that positive ones; and accept that this is not necessarily a true reflection of the product under review. The review will show what 'might happen' not what will always be the case.
So ... good for you and well done.
Cheers, Phil

[gtfreight]

I think this is a great idea but a possible concern could be, if you let someone use your rifle for a week and it comes back with something wrong with it and the user denies all knowledge.
You could take pictures of both guns and use that as proof of condition before you exchange but you may struggle to recover any money if the other party gets stubborn.
Perhaps some legal advice would help.

[Phil Russell]

My apologies ... I think I may have misunderstood how you intend to operate. I thought you might be expecting people to send you their reviews for you to publish. I think I was wrong, so I apologise. If I am correct, I think you will be doing the review yourself using equipment people have lent you? At least that is my understanding from a previous post. Please correct if I am mistaken.
I still wish you luck in your venture ...
Cheers, Phil

[catanonia]

Thanks all for the comments and views, it is appreciated and is helping me form the idea properly. The channel is still in its very early days and not doing to bad with subscriptions and views healthy.

Let me clarify the approach I am trying to do with it.

The idea is to ask people with air rifles to loan me one or two for a few weeks to do a review on it. The typical people who would / are willing to loan are those I have gotten to know and met and generally have collections of rifles that most of the time sit around gathering dust as they can't possbily use them all of the time.
I have a couple of nice people that have come forward offering to loan me some of their collection.
It is very unlikely that I will get anything like and FX or top end rifle, more likely some of the older rifles that people will generally buy 2nd hand. But you will never know. It is early days and I have had some great promises so far from people within 50 miles of me. They are fully aware of what I am trying to do and support the idea as many of them have said that they wish such reviews were around when they were buying.

The reviews are basically me playing with the rifles for a few weeks and giving my own personal impressions. Be they good or bad, but I will not pamper to the manufactorers or the owner of the rifle and they fully agree with the concept. For example my final ATN review see here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke27wAOF4LY basically lets a potential buyer know what is good and what is bad about the product.

I know I would like to see all the in depth details on something before I pulled the trigger on an expensive product. After all how many times have you bought something after reviews and later when it is in your hands ask why wasn't this feature of the product ever mentioned. That is the idea of the channel.

It may attract many bad comments, I have started to get my 1st haters on the channel, but that is YouTube and you take the rough with the smooth, but generally the comments have been extremely supportive so far.

Hope that helps explain it a bit more. This is purely for fun, giving back to the community and never going to make me any money, barely even pay for 1 tin of pellets at this rate.

Many thanks all, the support and comments are appreciated and taken on board as I move forward.

Steve

[Steyr]

Steve - is your dad Ricky Gervais

On a serious note, I like the idea. a place where people can give honest reviews is a good idea without question.

The downside is - a bit like trip adviser - some people put biased reviews on trying to put negative spins on it. However, as always, a fair bit of reading between the lines will be required and people with a grudge or an interest often shine out.

[Baxterbasics]

I tried watching your Calibre Cricket accuracy film-got interrupted by an annoying add halfway through?

[Shootfish]

I think what you're trying to do is admirable and I wish you well with it, but.....(there's always a BUT isn't there?)........when I worked for my PGCE, one thing I was always told was that anything you put out there in printed form for general perusal needs to be correct. The basis of this was that there is always someone out there cleverer than me and they would dismiss what I was trying to do if it was less than correct. So, in this vein.....it is, and always has been to the best of my knowledge, a BSA Lightning not a BSA Lightening. I believe it's named after the discharges that occur during an electrical storm and not in an attempt to make a colour paler. Hope this helps
Pedants rule!

[rogb]

I think what you're trying to do is admirable and I wish you well with it, but.....(there's always a BUT isn't there?)........when I worked for my PGCE, one thing I was always told was that anything you put out there in printed form for general perusal needs to be correct. The basis of this was that there is always someone out there cleverer than me and they would dismiss what I was trying to do if it was less than correct. So, in this vein.....it is, and always has been to the best of my knowledge, a BSA Lightning not a BSA Lightening. I believe it's named after the discharges that occur during an electrical storm and not in an attempt to make a colour paler. Hope this helps
Pedants rule!

Lightn up dude
lol (for Gareth W-B)

[catanonia]

I tried watching your Calibre Cricket accuracy film-got interrupted by an annoying add halfway through?

Yes, that is how YouTube works and if I can make a few tins of pellets for spending my money and time making these videos for people would you deny me that ?

Thanks all for the comments. Hopefully I come across as not having a grudge on the products I review.

[neil180]

Yes, that is how YouTube works and if I can make a few tins of pellets for spending my money and time making these videos for people would you deny me that ?

Thanks all for the comments. Hopefully I come across as not having a grudge on the products I review.

Actually - the ads half way through is an option. I never choose it for my videos as I personally find it annoying too so I just stick with the ads that can be switched off after a few seconds at the start.

[catanonia]

Actually - the ads half way through is an option. I never choose it for my videos as I personally find it annoying too so I just stick with the ads that can be switched off after a few seconds at the start.

Yes they are optional and I chose to switch them on for the reasons I gave. As always the choice is the viewers as to whether they want to watch and support a "free" channel or just consume sponsored channels with built in ads.

[Baxterbasics]

Yes they are optional and I chose to switch them on for the reasons I gave. As always the choice is the viewers as to whether they want to watch and support a "free" channel or just consume sponsored channels with built in ads.

No offence matey-thought you were after feedback?

[catanonia]

No offence matey-thought you were after feedback?

And gratefully received, thanks