is there a good, consistently precise scale?
salleewins
Posts: 2,308 Member
Lyn-Genet Recitas in her book says if you step on your scale 4 times and get different numbers, then you need to change it. She has a scale that she likes. It measures in .2 increments. I would rather it was .1 if I have to get another. A battery low indicator would be a dream as well, so I don't have to guess why I am getting crazy changeable numbers this time around..Any help out there?
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Replies
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Most scales measure to .2 pounds. That's about as precise as it gets. Most scales are fairly cheap and will last several years on the same battery. I think most are probably similar in terms of performance.2
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Many digital scales "cheat" in this regard, by being programmed to "lock in" on one number and show it again the next time something close to that number steps on. SO getting the same number again and again doesn't mean the scale is accurate, it means the makers know its not as accurate as people want it to be, so they've programmed a way around that problem.
Most home scales are also lying about their precision. It doesn't matter if they *register* in tenths of a pound if they're only actually *accurate* to a half pound or less. It's like digital thermometers that offer the precision of tenths of a degree -- but if you read the package insert they're only *accurate* to .2 degrees.14 -
Many digital scales "cheat" in this regard, by being programmed to "lock in" on one number and show it again the next time something close to that number steps on. SO getting the same number again and again doesn't mean the scale is accurate, it means the makers know its not as accurate as people want it to be, so they've programmed a way around that problem.
Most home scales are also lying about their precision. It doesn't matter if they *register* in tenths of a pound if they're only actually *accurate* to a half pound or less. It's like digital thermometers that offer the precision of tenths of a degree -- but if you read the package insert they're only *accurate* to .2 degrees.
I used to have a scale like that. I could get on it, go to the bathroom, and come back and it was the same. I would have to stand on it with like one foot lightly to clear it to think I'm a new person and then I could reweigh. My current scale is better in that regard as it seems to react to smaller fluctuations and doesn't require me to do this4 -
I am trying to decide on a new scale. I don't know if mine is too sensitive or what. I step on it and it seems to refuse to settle on a number. The slightest shift in weight sends it moving around. I try to stand as steady as I can but usually it shuts off before finally picking a number. Not sure if it is me or the scale but it is really frustrating.0
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I am trying to decide on a new scale. I don't know if mine is too sensitive or what. I step on it and it seems to refuse to settle on a number. The slightest shift in weight sends it moving around. I try to stand as steady as I can but usually it shuts off before finally picking a number. Not sure if it is me or the scale but it is really frustrating.
LoL at that scale " refusing to settle on a number" For some reason that made me chuckle0 -
I bought a Starfrit Balance scale at Walmart for < $30 and I can't imagine anything more consistent. Day to day it's very consistent and I can step on it several times and always get the same weight.4
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Many digital scales "cheat" in this regard, by being programmed to "lock in" on one number and show it again the next time something close to that number steps on. SO getting the same number again and again doesn't mean the scale is accurate, it means the makers know its not as accurate as people want it to be, so they've programmed a way around that problem.
Most home scales are also lying about their precision. It doesn't matter if they *register* in tenths of a pound if they're only actually *accurate* to a half pound or less. It's like digital thermometers that offer the precision of tenths of a degree -- but if you read the package insert they're only *accurate* to .2 degrees.
I used to have a scale like that. I could get on it, go to the bathroom, and come back and it was the same. I would have to stand on it with like one foot lightly to clear it to think I'm a new person and then I could reweigh. My current scale is better in that regard as it seems to react to smaller fluctuations and doesn't require me to do this
Every digital scale I've seen says you're supposed to do that (put a little weight on with one foot and remove it and wait until it shows zero) every time you use it, basically to tare it. Just like you would check the dial on an analog scale to be sure it's at zero before you start, or slide all the weights on a balance scale to the left and adjust the balance if the arm isn't level. Those aren't problems. Those are intentional design elements so users can still weigh things accurately after moving the scale even slightly or if humidity changes affect the surface it's on (e.g., wood).4 -
Current scale models have more of a variance than people seem to be willing to accept because we are conditioned that the number can be "accurate" to within 0.2 of a lb and that if it is not we're dealing with a bad scale.
Let's face it, our scale weight detection depends on sub $1.00 force sensors made by the lowest acceptable bidder.
They convert the pressure to a voltage and a digital sampler converts that voltage fluctuation into numbers that your scale tries to average within a reasonable time frame as long as their variance doesn't seem to be all over the place (which is what happens when the pressure on the sensor pad changes because you move).
Crappy construction (flex in the materials), dirt, uneven surfaces, flex in the flooring all affect what is detected.
The problem is NOT scales that don't give you a similar number on consecutive weigh ins.
The real problem is that most scales now exhibit "fake consistency", which means that as long as the detected weight falls within the manufacturer determined "insufficient change" range, your scale will keep spitting back the same number REGARDLESS of what your scale is actually detecting!5 -
Mine I know is not "accurate" but I figure whatever the variations are, they are within a consistent range over time. One thing that I do when I am going to the dr's office where I will be weighed is to weigh myself in the same clothing at home before I leave and then see what the difference is. So far it's been minimal.1
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I am trying to decide on a new scale. I don't know if mine is too sensitive or what. I step on it and it seems to refuse to settle on a number. The slightest shift in weight sends it moving around. I try to stand as steady as I can but usually it shuts off before finally picking a number. Not sure if it is me or the scale but it is really frustrating.
Yes that would be irritating.0 -
I like the scale I use. It is a digital scale from a manufacturer called Taylors. Bought at Walmart. What I like is that I stand straight looking forward until the scale beeps and it shows my weight for a few seconds even when I step off. It has a wide base so I don't feel I'm hugging the edge. I also bought it where the weight limit is more than 50 lbs than I currently am. My thinking is that it could handle my current weight and not "stress" it.0
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I think the ones that store data from several people will settle after a while (one I got from Aldi does).
With mine, you select your identity, step on it to activate it, get off, then it shows you the last day, THEN you weigh yourself and it gives you the new data after flickering up and down a while getting the right reading.
There might also be ones that only have one person's data, but store the last day to remind you.
People might be getting on and seeing the last day without getting off and doing today.
They might also get on and see it flicker a lot and not get off before it settling.
At first I though it was funny to have to read an instruction manual for a scale.
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lynn_glenmont wrote: »Many digital scales "cheat" in this regard, by being programmed to "lock in" on one number and show it again the next time something close to that number steps on. SO getting the same number again and again doesn't mean the scale is accurate, it means the makers know its not as accurate as people want it to be, so they've programmed a way around that problem.
Most home scales are also lying about their precision. It doesn't matter if they *register* in tenths of a pound if they're only actually *accurate* to a half pound or less. It's like digital thermometers that offer the precision of tenths of a degree -- but if you read the package insert they're only *accurate* to .2 degrees.
I used to have a scale like that. I could get on it, go to the bathroom, and come back and it was the same. I would have to stand on it with like one foot lightly to clear it to think I'm a new person and then I could reweigh. My current scale is better in that regard as it seems to react to smaller fluctuations and doesn't require me to do this
Every digital scale I've seen says you're supposed to do that (put a little weight on with one foot and remove it and wait until it shows zero) every time you use it, basically to tare it. Just like you would check the dial on an analog scale to be sure it's at zero before you start, or slide all the weights on a balance scale to the left and adjust the balance if the arm isn't level. Those aren't problems. Those are intentional design elements so users can still weigh things accurately after moving the scale even slightly or if humidity changes affect the surface it's on (e.g., wood).
We have a small master bath and since there's no room to leave it out, I have to move mine so I've always done this. I have a cheap $25 scale from Amazon and it's as accurate as my doctor's office (I've come home from the doctor and weighed myself and it's been the same).0 -
I have the glass WW digital scale from Walmart. It seems pretty accurate. I check it sometimes with a dumbbell to make sure it reads correctly. I always tap it and wait for the 0.0 before stepping on. My husband uses it as well. It is also programmable for each user, but we don't really use those features(bf%, water, bmi, etc)
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