Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor Reviews

• Tanita BC533 measures weight, body fat and so much more!

  
  By A1P4F6HIXU6WYE on 2005-05-25
  For many years I used a digital scale that gave me a different readout each time I used it. I like to weigh daily but found that stepping up and down on the scale several times to get an average weight was frustrating. I thought that was the norm with scales until I started reading scale reviews and discovered that many people found the Tanita line to be accurate. If they weighed several times in a row they got a consistent readout. They did not have to take an average as I did with my Health-O-Meter. As a treat to myself, for losing 10 pounds, I decided to purchase a Tanita and after doing some research opted for the Tanita BC533.
  
  The Tanita BC533 is a state of the art scale that measures your weight (to two-tenths of a pound), body fat, visceral fat, bone mass, metabolic age and muscle mass. It is very simple to operate. You input your height, weight, average physical activity level and age. The Tanita will remember this information for up to four people so you only have to do it once, unless your information changes. (There is also a guest mode if a visitor wants to try it.) Once you have programmed the scale you toe tap your number, step on the platform and you will see your weight and body fat measurement. (Note - If you wear socks the body fat measurement will not work.) Then you can toe tap other buttons of your choice. A little figure gives you a visual cue as to what the buttons are. For example for muscle mass the figure is holding weights. For bone mass there is a tiny skeleton inside the figure. You decide which body composition features you wish to check. You may for example want to check your bone mass once a month, or then again you may want to check it weekly. It's up to you. It's as simple as pressing the corresponding button, and takes only seconds.
  
  Tanita has also introduced the Ironman Innerscan line. I was not sure of the difference so I called customer service. Amber went out of her way to explain the benefits of the Innerscan line, and the basic difference between the regular Innerscan and the Ironman. The Ironman gives you your BMI or basal metabolic caloric rate. This is the basic number of calories your body needs. The regular Innerscan (like the BC533) gives you your DCI instead. The DCI is a calculation where the BMI is multiplied by your activity level to tell you the number of calories you are taking in to maintain the weight you are. When you see this information you can then adjust up or down to help you gain or lose weight or stay the same. Nifty!
  
  Tanita includes a guide with the scale that explains exactly how the scale works. The scale is a bioimpedence device. A low level current (which you don't feel) passes through your body and the impedance or resistance level is used to calculate body composition. The booklet explains healthy ranges of body fat and also explains what body water percentage, visceral fat, etc. mean.
  
  The scale is also very attractive. Sleek styling and easy to use. Those with poor vision may find the buttons a little hard to see. But the visual clues will help. Despite the glass surface the scale stays very clean.
  
  The BC533 is an outstanding tool to help you accomplish your health goals!
  
  

• Very useful precision health monitor with stylish design.

  
  By A1TR1R2QKWRSRA on 2005-07-18
  Being an avid swimmer, cyclist, runner, and outdoors fanatic, I decided to buy the Tanita BC533 to monitor my fitness beyond just body weight. I researched around the web and found mostly positive reviews on Tanita scales. I've also considered the Tanita Iron Man BC554 with similar user modes and more recall capabilites but the BC533 just looks more stylish: shaped like a chromosome. Amazon offered a good price with free shipping and a $30 gift certificate for Tanita Body Composition Monitors. Subtract another $30 from that if one applies for the Amazon visa: an Win-Win transaction!
  
  To get accurate measurements, one would need to obtain readings under consistent conditions, i.e., approx. same time of the day, no meals within 3 hrs., similar hydration conditions, etc. I found most of the functions to be helpful: Weight, %Body fat, %Total body water (makes sure one is not dehydrated), Visceral fat % (getting rid of fat around the waist), Muscle mass & Physique rating (making sure one is not losing muscle mass while reducing fat), Bone mass (making sure one is not calcium/mineral deficient and losing bone mass), DCI (Daily Caloric Intake=amount of calories one need to intake the next 24hrs. to maintain current weight)& Metabolic age (calculates one's Basal Metabolic Rate and age associated with that age). The BC533 comes with batteries, an easy to understand manual, and a body composition measurements guide. Holy moley, my metabolic age is 16!
  
  Updated 12-31-06: My Tanita BC533 is still working well. Periodic cleaning of the sensor surfaces has kept the weight measurements fairly consistent. The % body fat and other measurements tend to vary since users can't duplicate exact measuring conditions EVERY time. For <$50, don't expect "sports clinic" accuracy levels of physiological measurements. I exercise regularly and eat healthy foods (as much as I want) so preventing weight (fat) gain and maintaing muscle mass is not a problem; and this scale has been helpful.
  
  
  
  

• Not that great once you understand how it works.

  
  By ARAUK61M3ZF8M on 2005-10-03
  I've used this scale and i've found some serious flaws. First, besides the weight measurement, none of the other readings are TRUE readings. All the readings such as Fat%, Body Muscle%, Water% is ESTIMATED. When you first get the scale you have to enter in your height, age, sex, and level of activity. The level of activity is the most important factor, basically you tell the scale if you live a normal life of activity, moderate life of activity were you do some excercise or your an athelete with intense physical activity a few times a week.
  
  The scale uses the bioimpedance and then calculates all of the results using the information that you provided which I believe is not that accurate. For example, I'm 5'11", 27, male however not all 5'11", 27 yr old males are the same, do you see the problem? So basically alot of their readings are CALCULATED based upon information that you give it, not true measurements of yourself. These are ASSUMPTIONS!!
  
  To test how unaccurate this weight scale is, I stepped on the scale, saying that I live a moderate life style of activity. The scale said my body fat% is 14.3%. I IMMEDIATELY set up the scale again, this time saying i live an atheletic life style and my body fat% is 9.7%????huh?
  
  Which one is it???? And why are they different, shouldn't my fat%, just like my weight be the same??? I mean nothing in my body has changed, just the setting on the scale. Also, all the results of the other features are skewered downward when I choose athlete mode, and vice versa when I choose normal mode. I personally think I'm in pretty decent shape, I don't work out like an athelete, but I do hit the gym, it's probably not "intense" but I do some excercising a few times a week. Quite frankly, I'm not sure if I should be using "athelete" or "moderate" mode, so I really just have no exact measurement of my body fat% or any other measurement(besides weight). I just know I'm somewhere between 9% and 14% which I coulda told you by looking in the dam mirror.
  
  This goes to show you that the scale is using the bioimpedance, but it estimates everything based upon factors. If you read the guide it states that some of the measurements are based upon studies. Like the BMR is based upon some famous study or something....
  
  The scale has always measured my weight consistently. I'll get on the scale weigh myself and then get off and immediately weigh myself again and the weight is the same. HOWEVER, i've weighed myself a few times within a minute and I notice that the body fat%, muscle%, etc. are ALL DIFFERENT. The weight was always the same, but the body fat% was 1/2% off???? the time between weighings was about 10 seconds!!!! I kept doing this over and over and noticed that my body fat% could swing by as much as 1% +/-. More proof this thing is inaccurate.
  
  As this thing goes for over $100 I wouldn't recommend anyone getting it. Unless you really really want to monitor your progress. For example, if your on a diet, you could monitor your progress with this scale, just know that its not the most accurate thing and that the readings are really just BALLPARK. If I could do it all over again, I would buy a Tanita scale, but not this top of the line one, I would get the mid grade were you would still get the fat%, less some of the other features, like metabolic age....I mean who needs that??? And what would you do with it? And of course you would save some money.
  
  PROS: Accurate in reading body weight. Lots of features.
  
  CONS: fat%, muscle%, etc. are all based upon bioimpedance and assumptions according to the info you enter into the scale. So it's not truly accurate. Most of the features are really useless.
  
  BOTTOM LINE: Not worth the $100+ in my opinion. If fat% is important, your better off just getting a Tanita scale, but a mid-grade model that reads weight, fat% and muscle%. It's really all you need.
  
  

• Tanita scale is well worth the money.

  
  By A1AW5K20USQZLQ on 2005-06-07
  After reading the review for the Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Compositon Monitor in the U.S. News & World Report, May 16, 2005, we decided to buy one. The scale is well worth the price, $119.99, for it provides so much more information than just weight. It calculates body fat and water percentages, visceral fat (the amount of fat around the organs), bone mass, metabolic age (the average age associated with your metabolism), a physique rating, and an estimate of daily calories to maintain your current state.
  
  This scale is a real motivator to get into shape. Everyone who has tried the scale wants to eat healthier and can't wait to get back onto the scale to see the results. It is a real eye opener!
  
  

• How to Set this:

  
  By A3PO3YRFX4BI2J on 2005-12-02
  I gave this 4 stars, but can't really judge it yet.....I have ordered this, and just talked to a Tanita rep. The manuals don't lay all this out, but this is apparently important for getting consistent readings: 1) Weigh yourself at approx. the same time AND later in the day when you are hydrated, and NOT when you first get up in the morning. Your body needs to be hydrated for the bioimpedance aspect of the scales to work well. 2) Whether to set ADULT or ATHLETE mode.....If you typically have a resting heart rate of 60 OR if you work out 10 hours or more weekly, set it for athlete. Otherwise, set it for ADULT.
  
  I hope this model is better than the Tanita TBF 622 I got several years ago, although I admit I didn't know the info I posted above until just now. On my own Tanita I consistently measured a good 5% points higher than on my doctor's $3500 Tanita Professional scale. And then the other day I measured 11% below my Tanita setting when measured at the gym with an Omron hand held fat analyzer. However, I'm sure the same useage requirements apply for the professional scales, and I just hopped on his scales at an arbitrary time, and same case with the gym. Also, previously I was measuring myself in the morning after getting up and before eating. I think I read somewhere that you should also measure about 3 hours after eating.
  
  
• Not as Reliable as Calipers, Save Your Money!
  By A27RNFBHXLWQBP on 2006-10-16
  I have been using this scale for the past several months and it just reinforces the fact that the use of elecrticity to calculate body fat is unreliable at best. Because using body fat calipers yields much more accurate and consistent results I would recommend using those and saving your money on a regular digital scale to track your weight separately.
  
  For example, my current body fat percentage is 21, using the calipers. Using the scale, I get a different result based on the time of day I take a measurement. In the morning, when one has little body water, the percentage reading I get can be anywhere from 25% to 28%!! If I take a measurement later in the day (i.e. the afternoon) when more water is stored in the body, I get a lower reading - anywhere from 21% to 23%. Meanwhile with the calipers I get a consistent result of 21% any time of the day.
  
  This wide variation of body fat measurement based on how much water you have in your body does not yield consistent enough measurements to warrant spending so much money. Save your $$$ and get a caliper and measure your body fat separately.
  
  
• Do not buy
  By A3XB1IYI9BND9 on 2005-10-24
  This product is worthless. The body fat measure, which is the only reason one would pay more than $20 for a scale, was off by 50% !! I did the scale, then did a caliper test by two different guys who do them all the time. I would expect the scale to be off by 2% maybe. So if I am 14% on caliper I could live with scale saying 12% or 16%. THE SCALE SAID 22.2% !!! That is crazy - so someone with 20% body fat may get a reading of 30% or 10% on the scale !!!! Yikes. Don't waste your money - I will say the scale measured weight extremely accurately but I don't think you need to pay $100 for that.
  
  
• Tanita scale delivers as promised
  By A3FJGYEC0R4WT8 on 2005-10-21
  My family has been using this scale for about 3 weeks. Our initial observations are:
  1. It measures more consistently than our previous spring loaded scale;
  2. It was fairly easy to setup and program for each person;
  3. During the initial "Gee Whiz" stage, everyone goes through all the information it calculates. After about a week, the only thing we are using is weight and body fat percentage;
  4. It is not calibrated for kids;
  5. I like it enough that I am buying one to give as a gift for Christmas.
  
  
• Tanitha BC533 Limitations
  By A26NUZFCRC4IPA on 2005-11-05
  The scale seemsd accurate for body weight and relatively consistent with expectations for body fat %. Their algorithms for the other, dependent variables leave a lot to be desired. Their estimate of my skeletal mass, lean muscle mass, and required maintenance calories can vary by more than 10% overnight! Visceral fat rating shows much more stability. It's pretty hard to assess even the average accuracy of any of the outputs except for weight, for lack of comparison standards.
  
  The stability of the displayed weight measurement is nice, especially compared to the touchiness of analogue scales.
  
  Not exactly intuitive to set up and use, but not too hard to learn.
  
  Atractive, convenient structural design - I love the thin-ness - but it is tippy, so care must be exercised.
  
  
  
• A waste of money
  By ADVLRJS633OTD on 2006-09-06
  I think for some people these might be fine. But in my case they're worthless. They do no more than some math. You can get that information free on the web if that's all you want. It considers your age, height and weight and then simply uses math and statistics. In addition, it takes into account only the fat in the lower body. What woman over 40 isn't mostly butt and thighs where fat is concerned? And a man who carries fat in the gut would show low bodyfat when he really is a ball of blubber.
  
  I'm athletic so I put it in athletic mode. It puts my bodyfat far higher than it is. I use calipers to make sure what is really is. So I have to put the Tanita in "male" mode to get everything right.
  
  In addition, the weight does not agree with my older Tanita or my standard scales. It's off about 1 or 2 pounds. I put a 5 pound weight on all three of my scales including this one and all weighed 5 lbs. Then I get on and I'm one pound more. How I gained one pound from the bedroom to the next room I'll never know!
  
  I trust the calipers and the bathroom scale but above all the measuring tape. Just my experience for what it's worth.
  
  
• nice scale... but lets get real
  By A3CO1P0AI9AEWR on 2005-07-23
  if you're buying this scale expecting to see real changes in your body fat, you're going to be disappiointed. your body composition changes very very slowly, so expect slow results. it may be interesting information for you to know, and motivational to increase your health, but monitoring your body fat more then once a month is essentially a waste. if you want a scale that has these features, then i don't think you'll find a better one then this model. fully featured, user friendly, with a lot of info. if you get it, you will notice drastic changes in the results between athletic mode and regular mode. only die hard hardcore athletes that workout a minimum of 10+ hours a week with a resting heart rate of less then 60 should be using this setting. overall I am happy with the scale.
  
  
• It's not so bad that the initial readings are not accurate:
  By ATNZ6ZION5HI1 on 2005-11-15
  A fat pecentage reading doesn't have to be truly -accurate- to be valuable, as long as readings are -consistant-. How fat you supposedly are is just a number; if the machine reads out '30' when it should readout '40', that's ok, as long it goes up or down proportionately, according to whether you gain or lose fat.
  This scale is all over the map, no help at all, neither accurate nor consistant.
  
  
• It's ok
  By AJ3JU0TSEXZML on 2006-03-25
  I was fairly disappointed in the scale. The body fat % is pretty far off from a caliper test. If you just want to know if you are losing body fat it's ok, but if you want to actually know your correct body fat it's off by a few degrees. Also, there are so many restrictions as to when you can weigh in if you want an accurate measurement. Not until after 3 hours after waking, 3 hours after eating, 3 hours after exercise. Since I eat every 3 hours and exercise often it's almost impossible for me to find a time. I am using their suggestion of right before my evening meal which does seem to give me a body fat % close to my caliper measurement but it gives me a higher weight total because I have been eating during the day.
  Overall it looks nice and the weight itself seems to be right on compared to my other scale. I don't use the other buttons much because they always read the same thing. And I wouldn't trust the calorie counter that lets you know how much you can eat in calories to maintain your current weight - mine was off by 500 calories per day!! With that I would have been gaining a pound a week.
  
  
• Body fat is totally off
  By A3RZWMBPPPKXYY on 2005-11-10
  I purchased this scale wanting to monitor my body fat. I am quite athletic, and the more I have worked out the higher it went. At the gym I get 16% when I do it with my trainer and my scale gave me 34% which is not right. I am sending it back. The weight was right, but everything else was awful.
  
  
• Take it as a toy... ^_*
  By AYLUYAMPE8KTV on 2005-11-16
  The weight is pretty much accurate, slightly different from my previous Tanitam (the accuracy has been tested with scales from diff source) about 0.1-0.2 lb difference, which can be ignored. The metabolic age thing is funny. I was the first to try on this unit, wow... feel so good about it! Then my husband step on. hmm he got the same nice result @_@. Guess it's designed for regular big/tall, not for petite. The next day morning, my husband remain in his teenage, I got 4 years older over night ~_~
  
  
• Not A Good Information Source
  By A2THFX4VO4IL5L on 2006-03-20
  Everyone reviewed this product in a very positive manner. I purchased this and compared the results vs my Body Fat Test at the Dr Office - and this device was off considerably ! I also purchased a Taylor Branded Body Fat Analyzer that apparently offers the same technology to measure body fat - and it was extremely close to the results that I received from my Dr.
  
  Even though Tanita was the first to offer Body Fat Monitors...I would say first is not best !
  
  
  
  
• Excellent with some reservations
  By A2BX9LA2DLM18T on 2005-09-26
  The scale is attractive and appears to be accurate. My only reservation is that I'm a little suspicious about its ability to measure all the different variables. If you experiment several times per day you'll discover that you get results that sometimes don't make sense, compared to previous readings. You must understand that body fat is measured as a PERCENTAGE of your weight. This means that if you maintain the same amount of fat, but are 2 pounds lighter due to dehydration (say, after a work out), your body fat PERCENTAGE will actually go up. Of course you don't really have more actual fat. It's important to use the scale at the same time each day to determine your progress.
  I'm very happy with the scale. I just wish I understood better how it works.
  
  
  
• Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor
  By AGEXTXQYQDOW6 on 2005-08-29
  The product is amazing!! The body composition monitor calculates % Body Fat, Muscle Mass, Physique Rating, Visceral Fat, Bone Mass, Weight, etc. My friends come to weigh themselves and review their results. I finally told them to buy their own monitor. I would have rated the monitor a 5-star; however, the user's guide had an error so I initially thought the monitor didn't work. When I called customer support, a wonderful lady explained the error in the manual. After weighing yourself, you must get OFF the scales and press each indicator to determine the specific analysis. (The manual incorrectly stated you must remain ON the scales). I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in their health. The associated health guide is informative about the numbers/percentages and how you can improve your health.
  
  
• My scale is smarter then I am.
  By A30EYV1WPKICV1 on 2005-07-19
  This is one geeky scale (or Body Composition Monitor). I'm not one for reading instructions but I had to break the booklet out to even begin. My only complaint is that is that the feet of the scale needs to be wider. Sometimes when I put my foot on the scale it will tilt over. Other then that I think I got what I paid for, a conversation piece that actually works.
  
  
• Easy to use, but is it accurate for petite Asians??
  By A157XJ8M9JP0G9 on 2005-09-17
  This is a wonderfully easy-to-use scale (note: you have to step off of the scale--at least I had to--before pressing the other option buttons to get readings of water %, physique rating, etc.). No trouble whatsoever keeping my balance on the scale. However, I'm suspicious of my readings because I'm in my mid 20s, 5'2," East Asian, and 114 lbs. I only started working out a few months ago and have never really done any strength training, and the scale tells me I have the metabolic age of a 12-yr-old (or lower, since the scale reports lower ages as "12"), and that my physique is 8 (which supposedly makes me an "athlete")--8 is just below the highest score of 9 = "very muscular." I know I'm nowhere close to being "very muscular" by any standard! Plus it tells me at 20% body fat that I'm "underfat"--I only started working out because I felt slow/heavy due to gaining over 10 lbs of flab by eating a bunch of junk food over the past few years--just don't think gaining more fat would make me feel/be healthier! I think I do have a higher-than-the-average-American metabolism (otherwise I'd be way heavier than I am now given my eating habits), but I just don't think that, beyond overall weight and body fat % readings, the scale meaningfully reflects where I "rank" relative to all other females of my age and height. I.e., I think compared to other East Asian women of my age and height, I'd have a physique rating of 5 (average). But other than this subjective disbelief, which may/may not be unfounded, the scale is fine. I had my body fat measured by skinfold calipers at a gym a few weeks ago and that % is within 1% of the scale's reading.
  
  
• Broke after less than 4 months
  By A3D27WALXB6J0G on 2006-07-15
  I received this scale in January 2006- in May it stopped working and only gives me an "Error" message on the Display- I tried replacing the batterys and checking their connection to no avail- I am in the process of checking out replacement under warranty- but am very disappointed to have spend so much on this scale to have this happen. Don't know if I just got a lemon or if it is an inherent problem with this scale.
  
  
• Wow, a Wake-Up Call
  By A3VYBGY91Q23EZ on 2006-02-02
  The Innerscan was very easy to set up right out of the box. Within minutes, I was stepping on the scale and seeing weight, which I was already painfully aware of. But seeing the body fat percentage really woke me up. I'd already begun changing my diet and exercising more, but knowing that I can now watch the fat percentage go down (please!) and muscle mass increase, I am more inclined to use the scale. I know that watching just weight can be frustrating, as fluctuations due to water weight can be annoying. But I am now even more motivated to continue improving my lifestyle.
  
  I do believe that some convenience of use was traded off for style and appearance... you basically have to step on the scale, wait for weight and body fat % to be read, then get off the scale and either get down on the floor or pick the scale up to check the other readings. The buttons that you press to view bone mass, muscle mass, water %, etc. are fairly small and use icons that aren't easy to see six feet away. But frankly, the two readings that are important to me are weight and body fat %, and those are displayed automatically, so this is a minor inconvenience. And bottom line, it just looks cool.
  
  The documentation provided with the device is excellent, including not just usage instructions, but some real information on what the numbers mean, an overview of healthy goals, keys for getting the most accurate readings, etc.
  
  After using this just once, I'm convinced that everyone should check their body fat percentage on occasion... it may very well come as a surprise.
  
  One extra cool thing is that it measures the fat around the abdominal area, which research is showing is a significant contributor to heart disease. The one area I'm normal on!!
  
  
• good product but bad manual
  By A1CYAHMXNB91EI on 2006-06-30
  I read about this product in the ABS diet. I purchased it in order to monitor my weight and body fat %. Then when I got it from Amazon.com, I realised that it could measure so much more - visceral fat, water %, amt of muscle etc. But I could not figure out how to use the extra functions. I called the 1-800 tanita number on the back of the scale and in the manual and it was disconnected. I went to tanita.com and sent an email to customer service and then I called the office in Illinois. They explained that you need to step off the scale after getting your body fat and weight readings in order to get readings from the other buttons. This was not in the manual. I almost returned the scale cause this little piece of helpful info was not in the manual.
  Two days after I had emailed Tanita, I got the following email from them "After you receive your weight and body fat % step off of the scale before pressing the other buttons. The manual does not advise the user to step off the scale after weight and body fat readings are obtained. The user must step off scale in order to obtain additional body composition measurements (i.e. Visceral fat, bone mass, etc.) This is not stated in the first printing of the manual, but will be corrected on future printings."
  
  I like the product but the documentation and support need some improvement.
  
  
• Doesn't work on carpeted floors
  By A231NLBAH9J7PJ on 2005-08-28
  Perhaps the shortcomings of this scale would seem less bothersome after using it awhile. I'll never know. My bathroms are carpeted and this scale is totally inoperative on carpeting. It was a real disappointment, as I've owned "lesser" Tanita scales which came with special feet to be used on carpeted floors.
  
  Other factors which made me send it back: the buttons to select the user number are very tiny and close together, as are the buttons to choose the special biometric functions. This is not a "step on it and read the results" kind of scale. There's lots of stooping, pressing of tiny buttons and squinting at the readout to see the results. It certainly is stylish, but its design falls short in too many ways.
  
  
• Inaccurate! Do Not Buy This Product
  By A2LEOZKGT7ZDON on 2006-01-15
  The scale is inaccurate AND Tanita customer service is NON-responsive!
  
  I have had a Tanita TBF-621 for several years and liked it very much.
  
  However, that made have been because I did not know the Tanitas are INaccurate!
  
  I recently bought a new (and expensive) Tanita -- the BC-533. However, the BC-533 reads body fat almost 30% higher than my TBF-621.
  
  One of these overpriced scales (or perhaps BOTH) are inaccurate.
  
  I wrote North American customer service a detailed email message about this on January 8.
  
  As of today: NO REPLY!
  
  Their lack of response is pretty shoddy for a premium-priced scale. I wonder whether they are afraid to admit their scales are not accurate?
  
  
• Wonderful tool for athletes and fitness conscious people
  By A15HOKQCMSKJ18 on 2005-07-28
  Tanita is the brand for body composition monitors. The Tanita BC533's ease of use and its capabilities in measuring body fat, weight, muscle mass, water percent, visceral fat %, bone density and metabolic age comparisions were extremely helpfull in keeping track of my fitness. The modern look also made it look attractive and was a great addition to my bathroom. Don't forget to only use it on hard surfaces because it will give you very inaccurate readings if you don't.
  
  
• Wobbly with top deck overhanging the 4 feet
  By A3FOUKHI4ST5KQ on 2005-09-01
  I found this scale to be incredibly wobbly and almost unsafe. When trying to step onto it, the circular sides overhang the 4 feet and can cause the scale to roll over to the left or right if not carefully stepped on. The buttons are a bit difficult to know if you've pushed them positively as well. My model was also 5%-10% off and defective so add it all up and it was returned for a refund.
  
  
• Great looking scale with plenty of functions
  By A1WRTLPUNOTB6H on 2006-03-03
  I am a geek and I like all geekly stuff, at least initially. Even though I am only an average exerciser, I do have all sorts of gadgets telling me that "you are an average exerciser". This scale adds to my gadget collection well. I had previously used Tanita scales before and find their products consistent. If you use these types of monitors regularly, you should be much more concerned with consistency. If you are looking for one-time measurement, the variation of body composition throughout the day will skew the results depending on the time of measurement; but such is the limitation of this technology. However, if you measure daily over a period of time, you can really see the trend and correlate with your exercise levels, eating habbits, etc.
  
  Which brings to my only complaint why this product did not receive a 5 rating. Tanita could had easily increase the cost of memory of this unit by a penny and enable trending. I don't write down my daily measurements so I can only go off memory what my previous results were. If trending is part of this machine, I would had given it a 5.
  
  
• Tanita Innerscan is great
  By A1MPYWGADQAO97 on 2005-08-18
  Have been using it for a couple of months now and it is a great help in monitoring weight loss. Not only does it give your weight but several other factors as well that help see where you are and where you are going. I'll never go back to an ordinary scale again. Thanks Tanita
  
  
• Does more than you think!
  By A1EJGGB8TDKII on 2005-09-19
  I have loved this scale! It has amazing features that are easy to use and it's easy to program. It gives you a total run down on your weight, body fat, visceral fat (around your middle), how hydrated you are etc. I bought it mainly for measuring weight and body fat, but have ended up using all of the features. It is also great for tracking progress and setting fitness goals. I'd recommend this for anyone who is serious about managing their weight or gauging the fitness level!
  
  

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• Tanita BC554 Ironman Glass InnerScan Body Composition Monitor Elite Series
• Pike Street Wrap-Around Comfort Throw, Beige
• The Weather Channel Blizzard/Tornado DVD 2 Disc Set