Modern Castle is supported by readers. When you buy with our links, we may earn a commission. Learn more

Derek Hales

Derek Hales

Written By: Derek Hales

Updated on:

My name is Derek Hales, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of ModernCastle.com. I live in Phoenix, Arizona with my family.

Derek Hales

What do I do?

Since 2014 I have been methodically testing products for the home, compiling information, creating reviews, and doing my best to help create exceptionally helpful resources for my readers.

Since I was old enough to start buying my own stuff I have relied on serious and in-depth research to help make informed decisions.

Kayla & Derek from the Modern Castle team

I’ve never been one to make an impulse purchase. When I was 12 I built my first computer. Research at the time was reading through PC magazines, asking employees at the local Micro Center, and discussing with my dad.

As I grew up, so did reviews on the internet. In the last several years seeking out high quality reviews online has been essential to my research for virtually everything I buy.

While there are no shortage of reviews online, so many reviews leave me disappointed or questioning the rationale for a particular review rating.

I created Modern Castle to help change that.

Great reviews start with great testing. I take great pride with designing and executing the tests and experiments for every product I test. Completing specially designed tests provide a level of objective data that helps replace mere subjective opinion with more objectivity and hard facts.

Modern Castle Team
The Modern Castle Team

Opinions are wonderful, and you’ll find plenty of those here, but I believe reviews can be better when a combination of compiled specifications, objective data, and subjective analysis are married together.

Our Mission

Ultimately, the mission of Modern Castle is simple, we want to create exceptional reviews, videos, and guides to help you discover, research, and select the products that are best for your home. 

Since our launch in October, 2017 we have focused on vacuums, mops, smart home, furniture, and air purifiers.

My wife, Samantha, and Poodle, Tibbers
My wife, Samantha, and Poodle, Tibbers

If there’s a product in one of those categories that you’d like to see, or a different category all together you think we should take a look at, please let me know here.

Thanks so much for trusting ModernCastle.com! We hope we can help you today.

About Derek Hales

Derek HalesDerek Hales is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of ModernCastle.com. He has been featured in Fast Company, Reader's Digest, Business Insider, Realtor.com, She Knows, and other major publications. Derek has a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration from Kansas State University. Hales has been testing and reviewing products for the home since 2014.