Commerical sponsorship

[Moses Yoder]

I think there are some people who give an unbiased view of a product regardless if they are getting paid to review it or not. It really depends on the person. I kind of follow Christopher Schwartz's "Lost Art Press" blog on WordPress and he will occasionally mention his own products. I have some of his products and have found them to be great products. There is a great deal of value in having someone review your product honestly regardless whether the review is good or bad; if it is bad then your product needs to be improved.

[Jim Matthews]

It's sort of like the product placement in movies, to me.

I don't notice it, and it doesn't inform my purchasing choices.
Most of the tools I end up liking are well made, and out of the mainstream.

That makes for high value secondhand purchases.

Even Tom Lie Nielsen shook his head at people lining up to get his name engraved on handplanes.

He asked me if I wanted my LA Jack signed (free of charge).
I declined, indicating that the casting already bore his mark.

I'm weary of any woodworking show (or blog) that spends inordinate time espousing
the virtues of any tool, and makes no mention of practice time or training courses.