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How long do scales last?

HaleyAlli
HaleyAlli Posts: 911 Member
edited September 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
I know this is an odd question, but my scale is 4, almost 5 years old. I thought the Body Fat % reading on it was unreliable, because the metal part that reads your BF% was caked in 4 years of hairspray (yeah, that's gross, I know :tongue: ). But I cleaned it off today and it said I'm 41.3% BF. I thought I was more like 34% or below. Is a scale reliable after 5 years or do I need to get another one as soon as I can?

Replies

  • SusanneWhittington
    SusanneWhittington Posts: 339 Member
    I had my Tania scale for over 10 years and just now bought a new one, though the other still worked fine and it showed all the same results, so after over 10 years it was still accurate, I guess it depends on the quality of a scale.
  • HaleyAlli
    HaleyAlli Posts: 911 Member
    Oh wow. This one's a Health-o-meter, I'm not sure what the "quality" difference would be...
  • vibrant80
    vibrant80 Posts: 42 Member
    I have a health-o-meter that's going strong after 5+ years. I don't have the body fat reader version, but a couple thoughts...

    First, yes, years of hairspray build up could have screwed with the readings.

    Second, is it due for new batteries? I have found with mine that when the batteries start to go, my weight readings go wonky. Usually it's not noticeable right away, but over a couple weeks I can "gain" 5+ pounds that I know aren't there. I replace the batteries, and it starts reading correctly again.

    I would (a) change the batteries if it's been a while and (b) double check my bf% somewhere else (gym, friend, dr?) to see if my scale is reading accurately or not, and then decide if I need a new scale.
  • HaleyAlli
    HaleyAlli Posts: 911 Member
    I have a health-o-meter that's going strong after 5+ years. I don't have the body fat reader version, but a couple thoughts...

    First, yes, years of hairspray build up could have screwed with the readings.

    Second, is it due for new batteries? I have found with mine that when the batteries start to go, my weight readings go wonky. Usually it's not noticeable right away, but over a couple weeks I can "gain" 5+ pounds that I know aren't there. I replace the batteries, and it starts reading correctly again.

    I would (a) change the batteries if it's been a while and (b) double check my bf% somewhere else (gym, friend, dr?) to see if my scale is reading accurately or not, and then decide if I need a new scale.

    Thanks for the tips! I will definitely check into those things!
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