[Argentius]

My scale was $25 at Target. It's internally spot on. Maybe you just got a junk unit.

 

[stewie13]

In the beginning of January, my Silver Art Bathroom scale by Rowenta broke and I had not gotten around to getting a new one until yesterday. Needless to say there appears to be much more to buying a scale than I ever thought.

I purchased a HoMedics SC-403 Glass-Top LCD Lithium Scale (http://www.ikitchen.com/hoscgllcdlis.html) yesterday for between $60-70 and it seemed fairly nice and measured in .2 pound increments which seemd nice. I assumed getting a scale in the $60-70 range would be more accurate than the $30-40 range.

Unfortunately this scale is horrible. I weighed myself for the first time in 2 months and was disappointed that I had put on about 4 pounds until realized that the scale was shockingly inconsistent. Almost everytime I would step on it would register different amounts by 1-2 pounds and if I leaned to one side or the other the weight would swing by as much as 6 pounds (I only weigh about 145 so we aren't talking huge weights here).

My old Rowenta was probably about 5 years old and I think retailed for around $100 and seemed to be very accurate.

Obviously I'm returning this scale and will keep looking. I'm willing to spend in the $100 range if that is what it takes to get an accurate reading. I know most cyclists are pretty weight conscious so what bathroom scales do you recommend? What about some of the more complicated scales that attempt to estimate body fat and water percentage?

Thanks for the advice

 

[FTF]

I have this one by thinner, and it works well, it's consistant, and seemingly very accurate. I've weighted myself, and then gone to the doctors, and their scale said the exact same thing. You can weigh yourself 3 times in a row, and it says the samething each time.

http://www.lnt.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1356415&cp=1331940&parentPage=family

http://www.lnt.com/product/index.js...&fpricesort=priceDescending&parentPage=family

There are a couple made by thinner, though not my exact one. It works well, they aren't horribly expensive. I'd buy it again.

 

[Kerry Irons]

Taylor

I've had good luck with a Taylor unit (top rated by Consumer Reports) for which I think I paid around $40. Very reproducible, reads to 0.5 lb w/LCD readout. Strain gauges, not springs.

 

[GeoCyclist]

Just received my Tanita Ironman Scale yesterday!

Funny you should post a question about scales today. Yesterday I received the Tanita Ironman scale I ordered last week. This is a bit over your $100 price range ($129), but it is more than just a scale. This scale measures weight to 0.2 of a lb, or you can select kg, or British Stones. After reading your post I did 10 consecutive measurements, and the readings only varied once by 0.2 lb. One thing to note, make sure you have your scale sitting on a smooth level surface.

Okay, so much for the praise about my new purchase and hear comes the disappointment. You would think for $129 you would get more than a scale and operators manual. Like, there is just the information on how to set up the scale, and warnings about not using the scale if you have a pace maker or you are pregnant. There is no information about what all the data really means. Like, what should your Muscle Mass, Total Body Water %, Physique Rating, Basal Metabolic Rate, Metabolic Age, Bone Mass, Visceral Fat be??? There is a limited amount of information about Body Fat %; although, there is also a disclaimer that the chart does not apply to people who are involved in intensive aerobic sports, or pro athletes. Like, who would want to know all this info if you were not seriously into aerobic exercise, or a pro. I would have thought Tanita would provide some chart data, or basic information about what all the measurements mean to promote the necessity of their product!!! I guess I’ll have to search for this information on the web, unless one of you fine RBR people have a good web page to recommend!!!

I would be very interested to know what a healthy Body Fat % should be for a male who cycles 10 to 20 hours a week. The provided Tanita chart shows that my 9.8% Body Fat is unhealthy for my age group. I’m going to cross post this in the Racing, Nutrition form.

 

[wasfast]

Do a search about the Tanika scales as there have been several threads in the past. The weight aspect is very repeatable as you say and pretty accurate also. The body fat percentage is mostly for reference and can't be counted on for accuracy. It's highly variable based on hydration. Too little water and your body fat percentage will show higher. Plenty of hydration and the number will be lower.

I've had mine (less elaborate model than yours) for a couple years now and am satisified. I just wouldn't be using it as a gold standard for body fat amount.

 

[GeoCyclist]

Found out about the Body Fat % variation today

Do a search about the Tanika scales as there have been several threads in the past. The weight aspect is very repeatable as you say and pretty accurate also. The body fat percentage is mostly for reference and can't be counted on for accuracy. It's highly variable based on hydration. Too little water and your body fat percentage will show higher. Plenty of hydration and the number will be lower.

I've had mine (less elaborate model than yours) for a couple years now and am satisified. I just wouldn't be using it as a gold standard for body fat amount.

Thanks for the info. I'll do a search and see what I can find. As mentioned in my title, I found that hydration has a big effect on the Body Fat % measurement. I jumped on the scale after three hours of cycling and saw my Body Fat % had increased by 3%. In all fairness this is mentioned in the scales instruction manual.

 

[Coolhand]

I have had my Tanita for 5+ years. The thing on the body fat is to try and do them at the same time of day each time. I also look more for the trends then anything else. The weight function is very accurate though.

Also, I lost one of the "feet" to my scale, and they actually came through with some replacements in a timely manner. So thumbs up for them.

 

[Ridgetop]

Same thing as Coolhand with my Tanita. Accuracy for weight is excellent. As far as bodyfat I always check it right before I eat breakfast in the morning. It has been fairly consistent in its returns even if the actual % may not be correct. It at least lets me know if I'm moving up or down as far as bodyfat. I've been happy with it.