Why are most digital scales battery powered?

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Replies

  • MrGonzo05
    MrGonzo05 Posts: 1,120 Member
    My guess is that cost is a major factor. An adapter would add several dollars to the manufacturing cost. Plus, there may be design and test requirements that apply to make sure your cheap plug-in scale doesn't kill somebody.
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    If you're complaining about a task you have to perform once every six months you're going to have a hard time getting your activity level up

    Nah just a minor complaint about spending extra $ on batteries when the manufacturer could make an AC adapter for it. Batteries can be expensive when you're on a budget.
    An AC adapter costs more than a set of rechargeable batteries.
  • Jim_Barteck
    Jim_Barteck Posts: 274 Member
    We only use rechargeable batteries. They're not much more upfront than lithium batteries, and you can pretty much use them forever. Problem solved.
  • SherryTeach
    SherryTeach Posts: 2,836 Member
    I'm pretty sure I bought my current digital scale in 2002. I've never had to replace the batteries and it works just fine.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,242 Member
    I haven't changed the battery in my scale for maybe 5 years? And I weight daily. It was a cheapy too.


    I guess the answer to your question though is that unless they are for professional use (gym, health clinic etc) most people wouldn't want a cord in their bathroom all the time for something they use once a day/week whatever. Especially since the outlets tend to be high off the ground, so it would be unsightly. I just can't imagine the demand would be there?

    Oh, and not to mention an applicance which lives on the floor of an area that gets wet a lot, I bet it would be a safety hazard.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    If you're complaining about a task you have to perform once every six months you're going to have a hard time getting your activity level up

    Nah just a minor complaint about spending extra $ on batteries when the manufacturer could make an AC adapter for it. Batteries can be expensive when you're on a budget.

    Then buy a non battery model. They're generally built to last longer too.

    Buy well, cry once. Done.
  • blytheandbonnie
    blytheandbonnie Posts: 3,275 Member
    Analog. no batteries, no electricity.

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000U6EZA?tag=thewire06-20&linkCode=as2
  • Quasita
    Quasita Posts: 1,530 Member
    It is also for people like me, who is losing their close up vision. I have to step off the scale and bend down a bit to see what it recorded.

    I have a digital scale, goes up to 550lbs, have yet to replace the batteries due to them dying (I had to because I got desperate once, needed the AAs for another item in my house) in three years... and it talks. You tap it on with your foot, it says hello and tells you when it's ready, and when it has weighed you, it states the weight out loud for precisely the reason of either not being able to see that far or because many people at those higher weights can't see past their body to the numbers. It's a great feature.

    They are rarely going to have A/C adapters on bathroom scales for the exact reason that bathrooms are generally wet/moist environments, and you'd have to have a well-insulated and highly safety regulated plug to even venture towards a safe product. Especially since toilets and tubs overflow, and that would basically make the entire floor a death trap. At least with a battery powered model, if it gets doused in water, you just lose the scale... not your life.

    Not everyone keeps their scale in the entry way like I do. haha
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,242 Member
    It is also for people like me, who is losing their close up vision. I have to step off the scale and bend down a bit to see what it recorded.

    I have a digital scale, goes up to 550lbs, have yet to replace the batteries due to them dying (I had to because I got desperate once, needed the AAs for another item in my house) in three years... and it talks. You tap it on with your foot, it says hello and tells you when it's ready, and when it has weighed you, it states the weight out loud for precisely the reason of either not being able to see that far or because many people at those higher weights can't see past their body to the numbers. It's a great feature.

    They are rarely going to have A/C adapters on bathroom scales for the exact reason that bathrooms are generally wet/moist environments, and you'd have to have a well-insulated and highly safety regulated plug to even venture towards a safe product. Especially since toilets and tubs overflow, and that would basically make the entire floor a death trap. At least with a battery powered model, if it gets doused in water, you just lose the scale... not your life.

    Not everyone keeps their scale in the entry way like I do. haha

    I had a scale that talked. I threw it in the trash after I got on it and it said "One at a time, please!"

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