Why are most digital scales battery powered?

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  • DamePiglet
    DamePiglet Posts: 3,730 Member
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    Electrical floor scale + wet bathroom floor = Darwin Award.

    Good thing I read this far in the thread... I was gonna say this.
  • George_Baileys_Ghost
    George_Baileys_Ghost Posts: 1,524 Member
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    Had my scale for almost 4 years. It uses 4 AA batteries. I have yet to change them. A few bucks is pretty easy to save over the course of 3-5 years. You could almost do it with change you find on the ground in that time period.

    May I ask what kind of scale it is? I'm looking to buy one soon.

    HeathOMeter, glass top, from WalMart. Was about 50 bucks if memory serves.
  • Alluminati
    Alluminati Posts: 6,208 Member
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    They sell uranium ore on Amazon for $39.95 with shipping. You should definitely be able to power your scale indefinitely. You might also inadvertently grow wings and and glow in the dark but who cares?!? You don't have to buy batteries like a sucker.

    41-0Q32xJjL._SX342_.jpg
    http://www.amazon.com/Images-SI-Uranium-Ore/dp/B000796XXM/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
  • FindingAmy77
    FindingAmy77 Posts: 1,266 Member
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    they sell batteries at the dollar tree so I think a buck is okay for me to spend on batteries. I only buy my batteries there
  • mandos_13
    mandos_13 Posts: 21
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    Try rechargeable batteries?
  • djbrink21
    djbrink21 Posts: 97 Member
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    1. Batteries are cheap.

    2. With everyone else I don't know when I've changed my scale's battery.

    3. Anything plugged in even if it isn't being used is sucking some amount of voltage. So unless you plan to unplug this electric scale after every use it will be constantly drawing power and running up your bills.

    Bottom line: they all use batteries for a reason.
  • ChildrenCryinNCoffee
    ChildrenCryinNCoffee Posts: 477 Member
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    My Fitbit Aria Scale goes 450lbs+ I believe and I've never had to change the batteries...
  • halleymw
    halleymw Posts: 246 Member
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    If you don't want to spring for batteries why not just get a mechanical scale? They worked for centuries before electricity was invented.
    OR you could get a solar powered/ambient light powered one.
    http://www.amazon.com/Escali-ECO180-Solar-Bamboo-Digital/dp/B009GUDGVA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1409025736&sr=8-2&keywords=solar+powered+scale

    Mike
  • firststepformefal
    firststepformefal Posts: 180 Member
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    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.
  • MrGonzo05
    MrGonzo05 Posts: 1,120 Member
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    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
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    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
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    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
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    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: 17,959 Member
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    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
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    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
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    Analog. no batteries, no electricity.

    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000U6EZA?tag=thewire06-20&linkCode=as2
  • Quasita
    Quasita Posts: 1,530 Member
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    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: 17,959 Member
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    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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