Last updated: October 2026
A big part of what we do at Volleyball Vault is review volleyball gear, including shoes, knee pads, ankle braces, volleyballs and more. People come online for advice before they buy, and our job is to help you pick the item that fits your game.
This page explains how we choose products, what “Performance Tested” means, and how we make money. It’s written so you can judge for yourself how much to trust a recommendation.
How We Choose Products
Most of our “Best X for Y” articles are built from research. For every product we look at:
- The manufacturer’s specifications and design features.
- Feedback from real players who own and use the product.
- How well it suits specific positions and playing styles.
- Recurring complaints, such as poor durability or fit problems.
Products with serious recurring problems don’t make the list. We then match each product to the player it suits best and explain why.
Performance Tested Products
Some products on this site have been tested on court. These carry a “Performance Tested” badge next to the product box, and the article links to a detailed review of how the product performed.
These tests were carried out before 2023 by the original Volleyball Vault team. We only add the badge when a product has genuinely been used and tested. Not every product is tested.
Products without the badge are researched, not hands-on tested. We don’t claim first-hand experience with a product we haven’t used.
What We Don’t Claim
- We don’t claim to test every product we recommend.
- We don’t invent personal experiences with a product.
- We don’t copy a manufacturer’s marketing claims without saying where they come from.
When a feature is the manufacturer’s own claim and we can’t verify it, we say so.
How We Make Money
Volleyball Vault earns money through affiliate links and advertising. If you click an affiliate link and buy something, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Commissions never decide what we recommend. We would rather be a trusted source for readers than push whichever product pays the most. If a better product has a lower commission, or none, it still gets the recommendation it deserves.
Who Reviews Our Content
Volleyball Vault was founded by Harvey Meale, a former international-level volleyball player with 15 years in the sport. Harvey makes the editorial decisions and reviews every article before it’s published. The site is currently owned by Marcos Cordero.
Keeping Content Up to Date
Gear changes quickly, and an outdated recommendation isn’t useful. We review and update our product articles when new models are released or when older ones are discontinued, and we show the date of the last update on each page.
Corrections
If you spot a mistake or something that’s out of date, please tell us through our contact page. We’ll check it and fix confirmed errors as quickly as we can.