Meet the Freakin Review Team

Freakin Review is a small, independent American review team. We buy or borrow the same products you are considering, use them the way you would – in real kitchens, real homes, and real weather – and publish what we find, including the parts manufacturers would rather leave out. No brand approves, previews, or pays for our verdicts.

The team

Marcus Hollis

Founder & Editor-in-Chief

Austin, Texas

I have spent the last twelve years pulling consumer tech apart – sometimes literally – to find out what is actually worth your money. Before starting Freakin Review, I ran product QA and return-rate analysis for a Dallas-based electronics retailer, where thousands of returned devices a month taught me one lesson: spec sheets lie more often than reviewers do.

I lead our testing bench in Austin, where every power bank, pair of earbuds, and computer peripheral goes through a standardized 10-point routine – real measurements, weeks of daily use, and no free sample we are afraid to criticize. When a product fails, I say so, even when the affiliate link pays less.

Specialties: portable power, wireless audio, computer peripherals, everyday tech.

See Marcus’s reviews →

Dana Whitfield

Senior Editor, Home & Kitchen

Portland, Oregon

I came to reviewing the long way: eight years as a buyer for a family-owned kitchen store in Portland, Oregon, where I personally answered “which one should I actually buy?” a few hundred times a week. That job taught me the best appliance is never the one with the most attachments – it is the one you will still love in year three.

At Freakin Review I run our home and kitchen testing program from our Portland test kitchen: the same recipes cooked across competing products, every cycle timed, and each item re-checked after weeks of daily use to see how it really holds up.

Specialties: countertop appliances, cookware, cleaning gear, small-space living.

See Dana’s reviews →

Javier Ramos

Smart Home & Security Editor

Phoenix, Arizona

For six years I installed smart locks, video doorbells, and whole-home security systems for families across Phoenix, Arizona – first for a local alarm company, then as an independent contractor. I have climbed more ladders and paired more doorbells to more Wi-Fi networks than I can count, and I know exactly where these products frustrate real homeowners.

Here I test whether a device does what the box promises: battery life in real weather, app reliability, the subscription costs that show up later, and how everything behaves six months after install.

Specialties: video doorbells, security cameras, smart locks, smart lighting.

See Javier’s reviews →

Chloe Bennett

Outdoors & Everyday Carry Editor

Bend, Oregon

I am a field tester first and a writer second. Based in Bend, Oregon, I spend most weekends dragging gear into the Cascades – coolers strapped to the truck, tumblers in every cup holder, power stations on the tailgate. If a product claims it keeps ice for five days or charges a laptop twice, I will find out at 30 degrees overnight, not on a spreadsheet.

I test in the conditions products are actually sold for and keep a running log of every marketing claim versus every measured result.

Specialties: insulated drinkware, coolers, camping gear, portable power outdoors.

See Chloe’s reviews →

Where we test

How we work

• We test every product ourselves for a minimum of two weeks before publishing.
• Scores and verdicts are decided by the editor who ran the tests – never by advertisers or affiliate revenue.
• When we later find a long-term problem, we update the review and note the change in the update log.
• Some links are affiliate links; they never influence ratings. Read our affiliate disclosure.