Editorial Policy
How this site is written, who writes it, how often it is reviewed, and what happens when we get something wrong.
Who writes and publishes this site
Every page on Knot & Nap is written by Mike M. and published by Iron Mako Media. There are no guest posts, no syndicated content and no pseudonymous bylines.
No paid placements, ever
No brand can pay for a placement, a ranking, a mention or a recommendation on this site. We have not accepted such an arrangement and will not. If a manufacturer approaches us about one, the answer is no, and it does not affect whether their product appears — products are chosen on the criteria in our methodology.
We do earn affiliate commission on purchases made through our links, which is a different thing and is disclosed on every page carrying product links. See the affiliate disclosure.
Sourcing standard
Every factual claim on this site falls into one of four tiers:
- Manufacturer published specifications — preferred for every numeric claim. Capacity, dimensions, materials, coatings.
- Named publications with hands-on testing programs — used for comfort, durability-in-use and ease-of-setup claims we cannot verify ourselves. Always attributed by name and linked.
- Verified buyer feedback at the retailer — used qualitatively only, never as a number. No star ratings, no review counts.
- Standards and safety references — for strap width, anchor loading and similar guidance.
A number that cannot be attributed does not get published. Where a manufacturer leaves a specification blank, so do we, and we say the figure is not published rather than assuming a typical value.
No testing claims
We do not run a test lab and we never imply that we do. You will not find "in our testing", "our testers", hours tested or units tested anywhere on this site, because none of it would be true. Where our recommendation rests on someone else's hands-on work, we name them and link it.
Update cadence
Freshness is the main quality mechanism available to a site that does not test. We review on this schedule:
- Roundups — every 6 months
- Model reviews — every 6 months
- Specification guides — every 12 months
- Style guides, how-tos and explainers — every 12 months
- Comparisons — every 12 months
- Hubs — whenever a page inside them changes
Off-cycle reviews are triggered by:
- A named pick being discontinued or superseded
- A cited manufacturer specification changing
- A safety-relevant correction
- A reader reporting an error
The last-updated date means something
The visible last-updated date on a page changes only when the content actually changed. We do not refresh dates to look current. A page that has not needed revision keeps its honest date.
Corrections
If we have published something wrong, tell us: mike@blackironathletics.com or the contact form. Pointing at a manufacturer specification that contradicts us is the fastest route to a fix.
- We check reported errors against the original source.
- Confirmed errors are corrected promptly.
- A material correction — one that changes a recommendation or a safety statement — is noted on the page itself rather than silently edited.
- The last-updated date changes when a correction is made.
Reader questions become content
Recurring questions from readers get added to the FAQ sections of the relevant pages. If you asked something we could not answer well, that is a gap in our coverage and we would rather know about it.