How We Research
Spool & Spoke is a research site. Every page is built from published sources: manufacturer documentation, articles and published measurements by named outlets, and what owners report in public forums. We do not test products ourselves. We never claim to have used, bought or measured a product, and we never present someone else’s results as ours.
Sources we use
We rank sources in a fixed order. When two sources disagree, the higher one wins, and we say on the page that they disagree.
- Manufacturer documentation first. This means official spec pages, user manuals, support articles and wikis, such as the Bambu Lab Wiki and the Creality Wiki. For specs, compatibility and official fixes, this is the main source.
- Articles by named publications second. This means articles and published measurements from named outlets that explain their method. We link the exact article, name the outlet, and report their numbers as theirs.
- Aggregated community feedback third. This means owner reports from public forums and Q&A sites. Each “What owners report” section links the threads, gives the sample size (for example “20 posts on page 1 of one thread, January to November 2024”) and the date range. A forum post can tell us how often a problem comes up. It cannot overrule a manufacturer spec.
We do not use Amazon customer reviews, star ratings or Amazon images on this site.
Every page cites at least two sources and lists all of them in its Sources section, with links. When the official documents contradict each other, such as two support pages giving different values, we show both and link both. We don’t pick one quietly.
How we choose what to include
- Troubleshooting pages follow the order the manufacturer gives. We add community fixes only when more than one owner reports them and they don’t conflict with official guidance.
- Hub and comparison pages cover models the manufacturer currently sells or still supports, based on its own store and spec pages on the date we check.
- Safety: we don’t publish steps that involve mains electricity, opening power supplies, or work on heated-bed or battery wiring. For those, we link the official support page or the recall and safety notice instead.
- No prices. Prices change too often to keep accurate, so we don’t list them.
What “Last verified” means
Each article shows a Last verified date. On that date we reopened every cited source and confirmed that the facts on the page still match it.
- Fixing a typo or changing the layout does not change the date.
- We re-check a page when the manufacturer releases a new model, changes a spec or support page, or ships firmware that changes the steps.
- If a source disappears or changes, we update the page or remove the claim, then set a new date.
What we don’t do
- We do not test products ourselves, and we don’t run a lab.
- We don’t accept payment for placement, and we don’t accept free products in exchange for coverage.
- We don’t give scores or star ratings, and we don’t quote Amazon reviews.
- We don’t give electrical repair instructions.
How we use AI
Our pages are researched and drafted with the help of AI tools. Every factual claim is checked against the linked source before publication, and pages are re-verified on the date shown.
Authorship and pen names
Articles on this site are published under editorial pen names. Content is compiled from manufacturer specs, official documentation and owner reports, and every page lists the sources it is based on.
Our articles are published under editorial pen names, not the names of real people. Each pen name always covers the same subject area, so you can see who handles what:
| Pen name | Covers |
|---|---|
| Mara Lin | Filament, materials and compatibility |
| Owen Hale | 3D printers: comparisons, buying guides and product pages |
| Jules Carter | 3D printer troubleshooting and error codes |
| Nina Brooks | 3D printing accessories such as nozzles, build plates and dry boxes |
| Silas Monroe | Electric bikes |
The pen names don’t come with credentials, job titles or personal stories, because we won’t invent them. What a pen name stands for is the method on this page.
Publishing workflow: drafting, then every claim checked against its linked source, then a publish check, then the Last verified date is recorded.
References
- Google Search Central, Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content. Accessed 2026-10-23. Covers who created a page, how it was made and why, and warns against made-up author profiles and false credentials.
- U.S. Federal Trade Commission, FTC’s Endorsement Guides: What People Are Asking. Accessed 2026-10-23. Says you can’t describe your experience with a product you haven’t tried.
- Bambu Lab Wiki and Creality Wiki. Examples of the manufacturer documentation we cite first.
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