Allison Kerr, Senior editor

I'm the senior editor here, which mostly means I'm the person asking "where does it say that?" A listing calls its keys weighted. Fine. Is that full hammer action, graded from bass to treble, or a light semi-weighted keyboard with a nicer word on the box? If neither the exact listing nor the manual says so, the piano stays out of the weighted ranking.

Most of my week is spec sheets, manuals and owner reviews open side by side. I read the one- and two-star reviews first. When several owners describe the same thing (a key that clicks, a sustain pedal that works backwards, a stand that wobbles at the first chord), it goes into the notes for that piano.

I write the guides on choosing a first 88-key piano, on key actions and on practising quietly with headphones, and I edit most of the others.

What I want from every page is simple: you should be able to close it knowing which piano fits your room, your budget and your plans for lessons, and why the one at the top earned its place. If a page doesn't do that, it goes back for another draft.