Our Story
About Real Life Gadgets
Real Life Gadgets was founded in 2019 by Marcus Reilly, a former consumer tech journalist tired of seeing viral products marketed with recycled stock photos and specs nobody had actually verified. We test the trending gadgets, health tools, and as-seen-on-TV inventions everyone is talking about, so you know which ones are worth your money before you buy.
What started as one person's testing notes has grown into a trusted destination read by hundreds of thousands of shoppers each year. Our team of writers, testers, and researchers works together to bring you honest, hands-on verdicts across tech, health, home, and more.
How We Test
- We buy or source every product ourselves before testing it hands-on.
- We use each item in real-world conditions, not just a quick unboxing.
- We're upfront about affiliate commissions — they never influence our verdicts.
- We revisit and update reviews when a product or offer changes.
Meet Our Team
Marcus Reilly
Founder & Editor-in-Chief
Austin, TX
Marcus spent nearly a decade in consumer tech journalism before founding Real Life Gadgets in 2019, tired of seeing viral products marketed with recycled stock photos and copy-pasted specs. He built the site around one rule: nothing gets reviewed until someone on the team has actually used it. Marcus has personally tested well over a thousand products, from kitchen gadgets to fitness tech, and still opens every new shipment himself.
Anna Santos
Senior Editor
Anna is responsible for the accuracy and formatting of every review, fact-checking specs and claims against manufacturer data before anything gets published. A graduate of Drexel University with a Bachelor of Arts in English, Anna makes sure our writing is as rigorous as our testing.
Chloe Austin
Creative Director
Chloe oversees every photo and graphic published on the site, making sure product shots reflect how items actually look and perform in real use, not marketing renders. She graduated from the Houston Art Institute's Visual Design program and has shaped our visual style ever since.
Emma Young
Social Media Director
Emma tracks which gadgets are actually going viral and why, feeding that research straight into what we choose to test next. She graduated from San Diego State University with a degree in Journalism, specializing in public relations.
Nick Simmons
Technology Director
Nick built and maintains the platform that powers Real Life Gadgets, writing the tooling that keeps our review pipeline fast and reliable. A self-taught developer with over 15 years of experience, he's the reason the site stays fast even during traffic spikes.
Emily Chapman
Staff Writer
Emily writes a large share of the reviews and buying guides you see on the site, translating hours of hands-on testing into clear, practical verdicts. She graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in English, Writing Emphasis.
Hannah Weaver
Product Testing Lead
Hannah runs our hands-on testing process end to end, from setting up controlled comparisons to deciding when a product earns a recommendation. She graduated from Santa Clara University with a B.S. in Chemistry, and brings that same rigor to every test.
Our Mission
To help you cut through viral marketing and figure out which products are genuinely worth buying. Every review starts with real, hands-on testing — because the right recommendation isn't about trends, it's about whether the thing actually works.
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