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Company News Updated Aug 21, 2026

SiftPrime opens a London testing bureau to expand EU coverage

Our new 4,000 sq ft London lab lets us run longer, more controlled product tests for European readers. Here's what's inside, and what it means for the reviews you read.

Elena Martins
Editor-in-Chief
·🕐 5 min read·✅ Independently reviewed
Bright modern testing lab with workbenches and electronic equipment, large windows, warm natural light
Key takeaways
  • The London bureau adds 4,000 sq ft of dedicated testing space.
  • European products can now be tested on EU power, networks and shipping.
  • The lab adds environmental chambers, drop rigs and a network-gating bench.
  • All scores remain editorially independent of the new facility.

Independent testing needs a place to happen. For years our reviewers have worked from distributed desks, borrowing space whenever a test needed a bench, a rig or a quiet room.

From this month, that changes. SiftPrime has opened a dedicated testing bureau in London, giving our European coverage the same controlled conditions our US team has had for two years.

What is inside the London bureau

The bureau occupies 4,000 square feet across two floors in east London, with space for six reviewers at a time and room to grow.

  • An environmental chamber for heat, cold and humidity testing.
  • Drop and vibration rigs for durability and packaging testing.
  • A network-gating bench for latency, throttling and offline behaviour.
  • A sound-treated room for audio and call-quality measurements.
  • A logistics corner to test delivery, returns and packaging end to end.

Why Europe needed its own lab

Products behave differently by region. A router that excels in one market can struggle on another's networks. A payment app regulated one way may expose very different limits under EU rules. Testing locally removes guesswork.

"We can now test the product a European reader will actually receive, on the power, network and rules they will actually use."

Elena Martins, Editor-in-Chief

What this means for our reviews

Expect three changes over the coming months: longer hands-on windows for European launches, more controlled comparisons run side by side, and clearer notes on how regional differences affect a score.

Independence unchanged

The bureau is funded by SiftPrime, not by vendors. No manufacturer can book time, borrow equipment or influence a test. Our conflict-of-interest policy applies exactly as before.

What comes next

The team is hiring three additional reviewers and a test engineer. Our first European-exclusive comparison series is scheduled for the fourth quarter, and every result will be published with its raw measurement notes.

Written by
Elena Martins, Editor-in-Chief
Reviewed by
Amara Oyelaran, Head of Research

Company announcement. No product was tested for this article. Details of the facility and hiring plan were verified internally by the operations team before publication.

Frequently asked questions

Why did SiftPrime open a lab in London?
To test products under the conditions European readers actually experience — local networks, EU regulations, plug types and shipping. It also shortens the lead time between a European launch and an independent review.
Can vendors pay to use the facility?
No. The bureau is funded entirely by SiftPrime. No manufacturer can book time, borrow equipment or gain any form of early or preferential access — the same conflict-of-interest policy that governs every other part of our testing applies here too.
Will this change how you score products?
The scoring criteria and weighting stay the same. What changes is the quality of the evidence behind a European score: longer hands-on windows, side-by-side comparisons run under identical conditions, and clearer notes on how regional differences — network, power, regulation — affected the result.
When will the first reviews from the lab be published?
Our first European-exclusive comparison series is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2026. Every result will be published alongside its raw measurement notes, the same standard we apply to all SiftPrime testing.

Sources and further reading

SiftPrime editorial independence policy SiftPrime testing standards and lab notes
About the author

Elena Martins

Editor-in-Chief

Elena Martins is SiftPrime's Editor-in-Chief and leads the standards desk. She has spent 15 years in consumer journalism and has overseen testing programmes for three major publications.

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