Top tips for personal measuring scales?
June 4, 2013 7:15 AM Subscribe
My personal scale has died, so I'm in the market for a new one. Any tips?
I really don't need to measure anything except for my basic weight, but I love gadgets and would enjoy having a few bells and whistles added. My last scale measured fat and water percentages, and it would be cool to have something similar. I've also seen scales which allow you to track your measurements online, but I am loath to spend the money without a recommendation.
Bonus points for brands I can buy here in the Netherlands (though I would like to hear the pros and cons of your scale even if you're in another country). My last scale was a Soehnle. It seemed fine and lasted about six years before succumbing to a known software fault. I'm not sure if this is par for the course or if Soehnle is to be avoided. Basically, any info you could throw my way would be appreciated as Google turns up an overwhelming amount of information, most of which refers to outdated models.
I really don't need to measure anything except for my basic weight, but I love gadgets and would enjoy having a few bells and whistles added. My last scale measured fat and water percentages, and it would be cool to have something similar. I've also seen scales which allow you to track your measurements online, but I am loath to spend the money without a recommendation.
Bonus points for brands I can buy here in the Netherlands (though I would like to hear the pros and cons of your scale even if you're in another country). My last scale was a Soehnle. It seemed fine and lasted about six years before succumbing to a known software fault. I'm not sure if this is par for the course or if Soehnle is to be avoided. Basically, any info you could throw my way would be appreciated as Google turns up an overwhelming amount of information, most of which refers to outdated models.
A U.S.-based in-depth review of bathroom scales.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 8:26 AM on June 4, 2013
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 8:26 AM on June 4, 2013
I really want a Fitbit/Withings, but We have a non-wifi scale for now. This one is also Instant-On and doesn't give me any flaky readings - it's always the exact same reading two times in a row. Love the instant-on, though, especially in the mornings when everything is a rush.
We've had it for >1 year, no problems. Haven't even replaced a battery on it.
posted by getawaysticks at 12:26 PM on June 4, 2013
We've had it for >1 year, no problems. Haven't even replaced a battery on it.
posted by getawaysticks at 12:26 PM on June 4, 2013
I have one of the EatSmart Precision scales mentioned by Mr.Know-it-some, whitewall, and getawaysticks. It does seem to work OK, but I will point out two issues with it:
1. If you move it at all, you have to reset it. You do this by getting on it (enough to turn it on), then getting off it and letting it go back to 0. Then you can get on it again to weigh yourself. If you are someone living in a small space who puts away the scale between uses, this feature pretty much negates the usefulness of "Instant-On".
2. As getawaysticks says, "it's always the same reading two times in a row." Since the scale is accurate to a ridiculous degree -- something like two-tenths of a pound -- it is suspicious to me that there would never be any variation between successive weighings. So I did a test: I weighed myself, grabbed a heavy weight and weighed myself once more, and finally weighed myself without the weight again. The first and third figures, which ought to be the same, were very slightly different. This led me to conclude that the scale "remembers" the immediately previous result and delivers it again if the current one is "close enough."
Still, it seems like a pretty good scale if you can live with its limitations. The numbers are bright and clear, it delivers an answer quickly, and it doesn't matter how you stand on it. (My old scale gave different figures when I had my weight on the ball of my feet vs. the heel.)
posted by Harvey Kilobit at 12:48 AM on June 6, 2013
1. If you move it at all, you have to reset it. You do this by getting on it (enough to turn it on), then getting off it and letting it go back to 0. Then you can get on it again to weigh yourself. If you are someone living in a small space who puts away the scale between uses, this feature pretty much negates the usefulness of "Instant-On".
2. As getawaysticks says, "it's always the same reading two times in a row." Since the scale is accurate to a ridiculous degree -- something like two-tenths of a pound -- it is suspicious to me that there would never be any variation between successive weighings. So I did a test: I weighed myself, grabbed a heavy weight and weighed myself once more, and finally weighed myself without the weight again. The first and third figures, which ought to be the same, were very slightly different. This led me to conclude that the scale "remembers" the immediately previous result and delivers it again if the current one is "close enough."
Still, it seems like a pretty good scale if you can live with its limitations. The numbers are bright and clear, it delivers an answer quickly, and it doesn't matter how you stand on it. (My old scale gave different figures when I had my weight on the ball of my feet vs. the heel.)
posted by Harvey Kilobit at 12:48 AM on June 6, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by bensherman at 8:11 AM on June 4, 2013