• FDA-approved via PMA
  • Independent of manufacturers
  • Editorial standards apply
  • No manufacturer sponsorships
Get CPR + AED trained →
Sudden cardiac arrest takes ~350,000 American lives each year. Survival can exceed 70% when a shock is delivered within 3 minutes. Get CPR + AED trained →
Shop AEDs
Home
›
Editorial Standards
  • Trust center · Editorial standards

The rules behind every page we publish.

This page is the contract: what counts as evidence here, which sources are allowed, what the Editorially reviewed label actually means, how this site earns money, and what happens when we get something wrong. When any page on this site carries the standards chip, this is the standard it refers to.
  • Direct answer
Material factual claims on this site should be traceable to an identified source, clearly labeled as an estimate, or presented as a calculation with visible assumptions. Errors are corrected in place through a public corrections route, with dates advanced.
  • Editorial methodology · four sources

Under this standard, every number fits one of three buckets, or it does not ship.

For content reviewed under this standard, each statistic, price, and percentage must fit one of these three buckets. If it does not, we remove it before publication or correction approval.

01 · CITED FACT

Traced to a primary source

The claim links the institution that produced it: FDA records, manufacturer documentation, AHA, CDC, OSHA, peer-reviewed journals, or statute text. Example: survival figures cite the study, not a blog citing the study.

02 · LABELED ESTIMATE

Marked as an estimate, with its basis

Market-typical figures carry the label est., a date, and their basis. Example: refurbished street-price ranges are labeled estimates from dated listings, never presented as list prices.

03 · SOURCED CALCULATION

Math with visible inputs

Derived numbers show their inputs so any reader can re-run them. Example: 5-year ownership totals show device, pads, battery, and cabinet lines, each sourced under bucket one or two.

BANNED OUTRIGHT

What never ships

Invented testing programs, invented reviewers or credentials, consumer-review averages we did not collect, popularity and reliability claims without data, and undated prices presented as current.
  • What editorial review is NOT

The Editorially reviewed label identifies a page presented under these written editorial standards. It is an editorial label, not medical review, clinical sign-off, certification, or legal advice.

For clinical questions consult a licensed clinician; for legal obligations, your state’s statute controls, and our law tracker links the primary text.

How reviews are verified
Request a correction
  • Sourcing rules

Which sources qualify, and for what?

We prioritize primary sources for material factual claims. The table lists the source classes we use; marketing copy and unattributed aggregator claims do not qualify as evidence.
Source classExamplesUsed for
RegulatoryFDA premarket approval records, FDA recall noticesApproval status, recall status, the reviewed set
ManufacturerInstructions for use, datasheets, official support pagesSpecifications, consumable cycles, warranties, pediatric options
Clinical + safetyAHA, CDC, OSHA, NEJM, JAMA, CirculationSurvival statistics, placement guidance, workplace rules
LegislativeState statute text, federal codeLegal claims, linked to the statute itself
MarketAuthorized US distributor listings, dated at capturePrices, availability, package contents
Applied examples: the consumables matrix (manufacturer + market), the law tracker (legislative), the industry guides (all five classes). The evaluation criteria those sources feed live on the methodology page.

Regulatory claims are checked against FDA records. The FDA requires current automated external defibrillators and necessary AED accessories to obtain Premarket Approval. We use the applicable PMA record as evidence of current FDA approval. Historical 510(k) records may provide regulatory background, but we do not treat an older 510(k) record as proof that an AED or necessary accessory is currently approved for marketing. Reference: FDA, Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs).

For device specifications and instructions, we prioritize the current manufacturer manual, instructions for use, and specification sheet. For regulatory status, recalls, and legal requirements, the applicable government record takes priority. When reliable sources conflict, we disclose the conflict or remove the claim until it can be resolved. We place citations beside the material claims they support and avoid using a source as evidence for claims it does not establish.

FDA approval applies to the AED model and configuration covered by the approval. It does not verify the condition, maintenance history, remaining consumable life, seller inspection, included supplies, or usability of an individual used device.

  • The review pipeline

How content is reviewed under this standard

  • Draft against the whitelist. Claims are written from the source classes above, with links captured at writing time.
  • Bucket check. Quantitative claims reviewed under this standard are classified into one of the three buckets; anything unclassifiable is cut.
  • Banned-claim gate. A written checklist screens for the banned list above plus terminology errors, including FDA approval wording, since AED systems require premarket approval, not 510(k) clearance.
  • Dating. Prices and statuses reviewed under this standard get the date they were checked; the page gets a visible update date.
  • Ongoing verification. We conduct dated verification passes for recall status and pricing, and findings from those passes feed corrections. Reader reports enter the same path through the corrections route.

Editorial review is not medical review, and this site does not provide medical advice. Our content does not replace manufacturer instructions, formal emergency-response training, or guidance from qualified professionals.

  • Money + conflicts

How this site earns, stated plainly

Affiliate disclosure

Per FTC endorsement guidance

AED Best Brands may earn a commission if you buy through a retailer link. This does not change our scoring. Where applicable, these commercial links are identified with a sponsored link attribute. Retailer relationships do not give a seller control over our published conclusions.
What money never touches

The firewall rules

Referral economics are excluded from the published scoring criteria by rule, and no editorial score is ever presented as a consumer-review average.
  • Corrections + updates

When we are wrong, this is what happens

Reporting an error

Open to anyone

Use the corrections route on the contact page with the page URL and the issue. Manufacturer representatives are welcome to submit specification corrections through the same route; they receive no other access.
Go to the corrections route
How corrections land

In place, dated, noted

Verified errors are corrected in place and the page’s update date advances. Material corrections, anything that could have changed a buying decision, carry a note on the affected page. Silent rewrites of substantive errors are against these rules. Please identify the page URL, disputed claim, and any relevant supporting source so we can investigate the request.
  • Standards questions

Asked often, answered plainly

The label means the page is presented under these written editorial standards. It is an editorial label, not medical review, clinical sign-off, certification, or legal advice.

The publisher and editors identified on the about page, which states ownership, purpose, and our commercial relationships. We name no experts we do not have.

Do not trust; verify. Material factual claims should be traceable to an identified source you can check, the scoring criteria are published, the disclosure above says exactly where money comes from, and the corrections route is public. The structure is designed so you never have to take our word for anything.

The update date marks the page itself: it advances when the page last changed substantively. Individual prices and statuses carry their own check dates where shown. We conduct dated verification passes for recall status and pricing, and older pages are brought under this standard as they are re-verified. Anything stale you catch first goes through the corrections route.

References · the rules we follow
  1. RegulatoryUS FTC. Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising (16 CFR Part 255). ftc.gov endorsement guides
  2. RegulatoryUS FDA. Automated External Defibrillators and Premarket Approval requirement. fda.gov AEDs
  3. ClinicalAmerican Heart Association. CPR and AED resources. cpr.heart.org
Updated · August 2026 Review Methodology About Contact All AED Industries AED Resource Library
Scroll to Top