So... I need a scale.

giaciccone

It's payday, which means that I want to invest in a scale (finally) because I'm tired of weighing myself at the gym with everyone around me. I'm self-conscious about that kind of stuff. It's not their business anyway.

Anyway, does anyone recommend a scale that's not too outrageously expensive, but is pretty accurate?

Thanks for your help in advance!

giaciccone

No one has any advice for a good/accurate scale brand?

vibrant80

I think as far as basic weight measuring goes, most scales are created pretty equal. I have a basic digital scale; the brand is Health-o-meter and I got it at Target for around $30, IIRC. (The fanciest thing about it is that is has a save feature so that you can input a goal weight and it will track your loss for you. I thought that was really cool at the time, but in reality I never use it.) I've had it for several years and it works fine for what I need. I change the batteries about once a year.

However...If my scale were to die tomorrow, I'd replace it with an old school spring one, not a digital. I don't care about having my body fat analyzed or need to know my weight down to a 10th of a pound. Plus, it starts going wonky when the battery starts going, and usually it takes a couple weeks for it to get obvious, which I hate.

MY personal preferences aside, if you're looking for something higher end and/or with more bells and whistles, I've heard a LOT of good things about the Tanita brand, as far as accuracy, especially with the body fat reader, etc. A lot of the lower priced versions will be thrown off depending on your hydration level, etc. but the Tanitas are pretty reliable.

giaciccone

I think as far as basic weight measuring goes, most scales are created pretty equal. I have a basic digital scale; the brand is Health-o-meter and I got it at Target for around $30, IIRC. (The fanciest thing about it is that is has a save feature so that you can input a goal weight and it will track your loss for you. I thought that was really cool at the time, but in reality I never use it.) I've had it for several years and it works fine for what I need. I change the batteries about once a year.

However...If my scale were to die tomorrow, I'd replace it with an old school spring one, not a digital. I don't care about having my body fat analyzed or need to know my weight down to a 10th of a pound. Plus, it starts going wonky when the battery starts going, and usually it takes a couple weeks for it to get obvious, which I hate.

MY personal preferences aside, if you're looking for something higher end and/or with more bells and whistles, I've heard a LOT of good things about the Tanita brand, as far as accuracy, especially with the body fat reader, etc. A lot of the lower priced versions will be thrown off depending on your hydration level, etc. but the Tanitas are pretty reliable.

Great! Thanks so much for your help!
I'll be looking out for those names today as I'm shopping!

beernutz

You might want to consider a Tanita bodyfat/weight scale. I've had one for many years and the scale is extremely accurate. I've checked it using a known weight and it was accurate to about .1 pound.

The bodyfat measurement feature is reasonably accurate if you use it according to Tanita's instructions which many people unfortunately do not. I also check my bodyfat using calipers and the Tanita and the calipers are typically no more than 1 to 2% off. The scale runs off 1 9v battery which lasts well over a year. I think I paid about $80 for the model I have but that was probably six or seven years ago. As with anything, YMMV.

giaciccone

You might want to consider a Tanita bodyfat/weight scale. I've had one for many years and the scale is extremely accurate. I've checked it using a known weight and it was accurate to about .1 pound.

The bodyfat measurement feature is reasonably accurate if you use it according to Tanita's instructions which many people unfortunately do not. I also check my bodyfat using calipers and the Tanita and the calipers are typically no more than 1 to 2% off. The scale runs off 1 9v battery which lasts well over a year. I think I paid about $80 for the model I have but that was probably six or seven years ago. As with anything, YMMV.

This Tanita you guys are talking about... would I be able to find it at Bed, Bath & Beyond? I'm stopping there today & I feel like they'd have these sorts of things. Thanks for the tips

foreverloved

I got mine on amazon and I highly recommend this brand, they have amazing customer service.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001KXZ808


You should do yourself a favor and invest in a food scale as well, that's more important than the bathroom scale IMO!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002CM6TVI

giaciccone

I got mine on amazon and I highly recommend this brand, they have amazing customer service.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001KXZ808


You should do yourself a favor and invest in a food scale as well, that's more important than the bathroom scale IMO!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002CM6TVI

I never thought to buy a food scale! Thanks for the help

beernutz

You might want to consider a Tanita bodyfat/weight scale. I've had one for many years and the scale is extremely accurate. I've checked it using a known weight and it was accurate to about .1 pound.

The bodyfat measurement feature is reasonably accurate if you use it according to Tanita's instructions which many people unfortunately do not. I also check my bodyfat using calipers and the Tanita and the calipers are typically no more than 1 to 2% off. The scale runs off 1 9v battery which lasts well over a year. I think I paid about $80 for the model I have but that was probably six or seven years ago. As with anything, YMMV.

This Tanita you guys are talking about... would I be able to find it at Bed, Bath & Beyond? I'm stopping there today & I feel like they'd have these sorts of things. Thanks for the tips

A search for Tanita on the BBB website turns up nothing. I bought mine on Amazon. A quick search for bodyfat scale on Amazon turns up this beauty: http://www.amazon.com/EatSmart-Precision-Capacity-Recognition-Technology/dp/B004L6NTHU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310841860&sr=8-1

I don't think I've ever seen reviews this good for a product of this type. Disclaimer: I have no stake, financial or otherwise, in which scale you buy.

Dtho5159

I have a simple weight watchers digital one I got at Lowes for $19.99. Its about 1-2lb off what the scales say at both the gym and my doctors office, so I think its pretty acccurate.. Also definitely invest in a food scale!! I got one at Walmart for around $15 and its been a lifesaver!!

giaciccone

Thanks for your help everyone I'll be looking into a scale this week for sure!

ShellyLee

Bed Bath and Beyond sends out 20% coupons all the time. I used one to buy a new scale last week. It's a WW one and I think I ended up paying $26 but it does weight and also measures a few other things like BF%.. not sure how accurate those things are but it's nice to have lol.

NotGoddess

I just bought a cheap digital from Target. It does body fat, etc. They say the way scales measure body fat may not be accurate but at this point it doesn't matter if the scale shows 29.4 and I'm really 27.4 -It's the progression I was interested in.

One thing to be careful of if you buy a digital scale with a memory- The scales with memory seem more accurate because they remember your last weight, but only change if you're +/- a pound. This is nice mentally, but if you want the real weight you'll have to reset the memory by weighing with one foot off or something to alter the weight enough to reset.

Oh, and make sure you put it on a solid flat surface. I had mine in my bathroom with my 70's 'carpet tile' thinking it was flat enough and it always registered 10lb lighter-nice for the moral, but not accurate. I moved it to my kitchen and made sure it was level and it's much more accurate.

Ditto to those recommending the digital food scale-it's really opened my eyes on how extra calories sneak in when that slice of cheese is really 24g instead of 21g. Get one that'll weigh to several pounds and has a tare function so you can stack food on a plate, weighing along the way.