: I never read a bad review in Sea Kayaker

SK is not alone in this regard; it's a common practice in the mag biz. When I was a columnist for an archery mag, I spoke with tech editor about this subject. He was a very honest guy and would say exactly what he thought about a product, but only good reviews were published. Products that tested poorly were written up, then returned to the manufacturer, along with the review.

While one may question the honesty of such a policy, most magazines have to survive on ad revenues, so they can't afford to alienate advertisers. It also gives a manufacturer a chance to correct problems with a product without being trashed in the press first. Whether they choose to do so is entirely up to them. I only know of one magazine that doesn't take ad dollars and publishes both good and bad reviews without pulling any punches, but unless you're into firearms, you wouldn't be interested.

You can also look at it this way: If a product appears in SK, it effectively has their "seal of approval". While that doesn't mean that it will suit your needs, it at least indicates that the product does what it's designed to do. That's not a bad thing, really. Just keep in mind that because a product hasn't been reviewed in SK, it's not necessarily an indication that it's not a good product.