How we rate

The five criteria

Every set we review receives five scores out of 10. None of these scores are made up: they are set after a complete build, with the box open in front of us. The final score, called the Briquomètrein French, is the weighted average of those five values, rounded to one decimal.

1. Brick quality — clutch power, colour consistency, moulding cleanliness, warping.
2. Prints and stickers — ratio of printed parts to stickers (we strongly prefer prints, which are cleaner and last longer).
3. Model design — visual coherence, interior and exterior detail, minifigure presence when the format calls for it, scale accuracy.
4. Building experience — clarity of the instructions, absence of errors in the manual, bag numbering, flow of the build.
5. Value for money — price observed relative to piece count, to the brand, and to what a comparable set would cost from the competition.

Weighting

Today, the five criteria carry equal weight (1/5 each). This may evolve if one criterion becomes more decisive in a category (for example, the build experience on motorised Technic-style sets). Weighting is set at the site level, never adjusted on a single review.

Our commitments

• We buy the sets we review. No free sample changes the grid. When a set is provided to us for review, we say so at the top of the review.
• A rating is not changed after publication, except to correct a factual error (wrong piece count, wrong price, reference confusion). In that case, the correction is dated at the bottom of the review.
• The final score is computed, not typed. The source file stores the five sub-scores; the average is produced at build time.
• We accept challenges. If you think our rating misses something, write to us. We update and credit.

What the Briquomètre does not say

A good score on the Briquomètre is not a guarantee of legal authenticity (licences, rights), nor a rating of a shop's customer service. Provenance and support are evaluated in ourprice comparison tool(French), through the verified shop badge.

Scale

• 9 – 10 · exceptional, safe pick.
• 8 – 8.9 · very good, recommended without reservation.
• 7 – 7.9 · good, with some limitations.
• 6 – 6.9 · acceptable, decent backup.
• Below 6 · disappointing, other options preferred.

The French version of this page is Le Briquomètre.