Filter UK contributors have revealed the unexpected perks of a year spent testing products, from beauty devices to video doorbells, as the newsletter celebrates its second birthday. The testers found that their work brought surprising benefits, including free ice-cream, glowing skin, and improved outdoor cooking skills.
Beauty and Household Wins
Lise Smith said that after six months of testing IPL devices, epilators, and IPL devices again, she had no need to book her usual pre-beach wax this summer. Rachel Ogden noted that testing toasters meant she knew her smoke alarm “works just fine”.
Caramel Quin’s children benefited from one fewer chore. “My teenagers got their clothes ironed while I was testing irons. I’ve pressed thousands of items of school uniform over the years, but it’s iron your own clothes these days … except when mum’s testing!” she said.
Value and Outdoor Discoveries
Sarah Matthews said testing many products cemented her belief that price isn’t always an indicator of quality. Sabine Wiesel was impressed by a Beauty of Joseon eye serum that cost a fraction of some competitors in her test of the best eye creams, leaving her with a “brighter and rejuvenated-looking eye area”.
For Matt Collins and Sian Lewis, testing outdoor equipment enhanced their camping experiences. Matt discovered the South Downs Way while trying out gear for camping with kids at Holden Farm in Hampshire. “This ancient route had my son and me wandering beneath veteran oaks and along spring meadows at sunrise,” he said. Sian improved her cooking skills while testing camping stoves: “I’m usually an instant-noodles kind of person, but I’m now a dab hand at cooking on a dinky gas flame and have recently whipped up cornbread and egg muffin breakfast sarnies in the middle of the wild.”
Creative Solutions and Family Time
Jane Hoskyn’s once-white towel got a new lease of life after she purposely stained it to test eco-friendly laundry detergents. “It ended up a right old mess, so I had to dye it. It’s now a gorgeous deep forest green. Much prettier and more eye-catching than it was even before the stain test – it shows less dirt, too,” she said.
Video doorbells unexpectedly helped Andy Shaw sleep more soundly. “If I wake up wondering whether one of my adult offspring has made it home from the pub, I only need to check the doorbell notifications on my phone. They’re so used to the surveillance that they wave at the camera when they come in,” he explained.
One of the biggest upsides appears to be an excuse to get loved ones together. Danielle Amato said hosting ice-cream tasting sessions with friends while finding the best ice-cream makers was a win-win. Zoë Phillimore, testing toys and games for the guide to the best gifts for six-year-olds, started a new family tradition. “My husband, kids and I gather around the kitchen table and play board games together on a Saturday night. Hardly groundbreaking, but it’s easily my favourite time of the week,” she said.
