Just poke around rtings.com and you’ll see the difference. It reminds me a bit of what wirecutter was in it’s pre-nyt days before it became a click generator.
I have done in the past, but I'm not sure what to make of the differences - let's take wireless keyboards as I'm currently thinking about getting one. If we look at Rtings[1], the first one it recommends is the Logitech MX Keys. On the Wirecutter[2], it first recommends the Logitech K380. To be clear, I've only skimmed both reviews right now.
Both go on to recommend the other's first choice as a good alternative pick (the primary difference being whether compact or full-size is better for most people). So that tells me for at least one specific category, they're in agreement.
Does Rtings go into a lot more detail about each keyboard? Absolutely. But that isn't necessarily useful to me--part of the reason I use the Wirecutter is so that I don't end up spending days trying to find the perfect item in a category[3]. I read the review, seeing if there are any caveats for its top pick that matter to me, and make a choice based on that.
So what I don't want to do when buying something that both review is to read through both reviews, because either:
(A) they agree, like on the wireless keyboard, in which case I've wasted a little bit of time, but in the grand scheme of things, it's fine, or
(B) they disagree, because now I'm tempted to go through and weigh each detailed point which is something I'm trying to avoid!
Reporting from a K380. That thing is great. Also they keys are backed by a metal plate, so the whole thing is pretty hefty and stable. Its simple looks are deceiving.
I see where you are coming from. Sometimes I feel the same as you where I just want somebody to give me a recommendation and a few pros and cons. Other times I want to deep dive into the review. I think it boils down to how big of a commitment the purchase is.
