Genealogists love scanners. I often get asked, which is the best scanner? Or the best portable portable scanner? Occasionally, I get asked which is the best scanner for use on photographs?

As a single person writing lots of articles daily, I find it impossible to answer that question. I would have to purchase a number of scanners and then spend hundreds of hours testing all of them. As a sole author, I find that to be impractical. HOWEVER, there are other sources of data that have done exactly that with their teams of employees.

I am always leery of may "reviews" published online proclaiming that one product or another is the best. Many of these so-called "reviews" are actually thinly-veiled advertisements, written by someone who is actually promoting his or her employer's product.

Two sources I do trust for publishing factual and accurate online reviews or PCMag.com and Wirecutter.com. They seem to always be impartial and describe things accurately. (Wirecutter is owned by the New York Times.)

To read about recommended portable scanners, take a look at https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-scanners, https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-photo-scanners, and at: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-portable-document-scanner/.