I spend a pretty good amount of time online, shopping for tech toys. One of the features I look for, and one that’s constantly being advertised, is the form factor of various tech toys. Only problem is, they’re usually lying.

Photos showing the toy in someone’s hand feature freakishly large hands to make it look small. “Small” doesn’t necessarily mean anything. Neither does “thin”. or “ergonomic”. Which may or may not be a word…

Point is, trying to figure out how big something actually is can be difficult to do online. For such an important feature to many different gadgets, it can be a problem. Luckily, there’s Pective.

Pective’s goal is simple: to show you things, as they really are. Whether you want to figure out how big a hi-liter really is, or compare the size of cell phones, Pective’s the place to look.

When you first get to the site, you’re asked how big your monitor is. Pective then adapts the site and the images around your monitor, and displays them to you, in real-size.

The inventory isn’t huge (it’s actually pretty small for now), but it’s growing fast. You can add an image if you so desire, and it’s incredibly useful for other users of the site. There are tons of different categories, which means Pective could become a huge repository of “how big is…” sites. PG-13 ones, that is.

The pictures are usually low-quality, but neither Pective nor you should care. All that matters is that the picture is as big as the product.In my brief foray into comparisons, the side-by-side size comparison was really good. Be exact with your monitor size (down to tenths of inches, if you know it), and it’ll be more accurate.

Next time you shop, for gadgets or anything else where size matters (again, PG-13), check out Pective. It’s helping me avoid trips to stores to make sure “small” isn’t just code for “really big and obnoxious, and definitely won’t fit in your pocket.”