Bathroom Reviews

My wife and I really enjoy our new Tanita scale. Programming the profile information for each individual (up to 4 -- sex, height and child/adult) is quick and easy. The unit is sturdy yet comfortable to stand on and it is easy to use your toe to choose which profile is to be used (and there's a similar button for a "weight only" mode.)

We are 100% satisfied with our scale and you will be too.

This scale can be programmed with one-touch simplicity for up to four users. The middle button can be used by guests and other who just need their weight. Readout can be in US pounds, British pounds, or kilograms (metric). It is made in Japan and includes batteries, a programming guide and health guide. The reference card allows easy access to all the main features. It is very sensitive and very accurate. The best scale I have ever used outside of a professional office.

I recently ordered this scale and can say it is the best one we have ever owned. It weighs consistently, and the body fat indicator is great (especially if you are on the low end!). We also love the easy selections for the four family members. Highly recommend!

... Easy to program and very accurate. Would recommend it for anyone watching their weight and body fat %.

I selected these Tanita Scales mainly because they have great looks firstly - my wife is a stricler for looks in consumer products and I cant untidy up the bathroom that she has decorated, with an ugly pair of scales, so had to go with the looks there.

Secondly, and more importantly, these scales have measured up perfectly and consistantly each time we measured weights and body fat over the same period. So the complaint of inconsistant digital scales dont apply here.

And most importantly for me and my preganant wife - who was (and still is) very careful about exposing herself now to unnnesary electrical signals from the scales when measuring body fat, this scale puts those thoughts to rest - since the Tanita BF679 Duo
has a weight only mode - thereby eliminating the possibility of exposing yourself to electrical signals when you are not really interested in measutring body fat (in pregnant situations, body fat measuring isnt accurate anyways).

The middle button on the Tanita scale is for measuring Weight ONLY and thus the electrical signal for measuring body fat is not sent thru your body.

All the reviews did mention that the electrical signals are not good for someone with a Pacemaker, but my wife and myself wanted to avoid having electrical impulses sent thru her body in her preganant state too, and this scale provided that weight only mode, which the lessers models of Tanita also didnt have.
A great relief for her careful and protective mind I should say.

Thanks Taninta for this consideration.
Great buy.

This is just an absolutely wonderful scale. It is always the same every single time I hop on it, unlike my other digital scales I have had in the past. When you are losing weight, it is very encouraging to see a .2 lb loss which is one of the features of this scale. I kinda wonder about the BF% though but it gets close and doesn't vary much. I have no complaints at all with this scale. The memory feature for the the body fat for 2 people is a must have. I actually am glad you can't see your last weigh in on this scale because if you are like most, you don't want just anyone going in your bathroom and finding out your exact weight! Not to mention my own husband! Worth it's money...

I checked my new Tanita BF679 with the doctor's scale and there was only a 0.5 lb difference. Very accurate! The directions were very simple to use when setting up the scale for the first time. I am definitely impressed with the ease of use. My friends were also impressed and some are ordering their own.

I bought this scale because of the reviews. There is no way this scale measures fat. According to Tanita my BM is 28, but even though I have lost 16 lbs the scale shows me at a healthy weight, but my fat at 41.5, which is where it was when I started. I feel all I have is a pricey scale, not a fat monitor, which is what I needed.

Please notice that this scale does not remember your weight from one time to another ! You will need a peen and paper to track your developement.

Excellent scale and highly recommended. The scale is accurate, easy to use, and reasonably priced. Better than any other scale I've tried!

I bought this scale partly because it had the Athlete mode, but that feature seems to be more confusing than informative. According to the user manual, their definition of "athlete" is "a person involved in intense physical activity approximately 10 hours per week... or a lifetime of fitness individual who has been fit for years but does not currently exercise 10 hours per week."
This description seems both extreme and vague.

I'm pretty fit. I exercise seriously for about five hours a week, I compete casually. Does this make me an athlete? I decided to try it both ways, and see how much of a difference it made. It was 10 percentage points, which for me was the entire spread between the underside of healthy and the overside of healthy. I'm pretty sure I'm actually somewhere in between. So the body fat sensor does not seem to be providing any effective information at this point.

The one thing I really do like about is the scale part seems to be very precise, accurate and reliable.

Even without the body-fat function, this scale would be my favorite . I've gone through a few digital scales, but never found one that was so accurate with weight. With any other scale, I could always weight myself a few times in a row, and get at least a pound discrepency in the weight. A pound here or there isn't a big deal, but it inspires confidence that I can get on this scale a few times in a row, and get the same weight down to a .2 pound accuracy.

As for the body-fat measurements - I used to think they were pretty innacurate. I then realized that I was doing a few things wrong... First, I believed that I qualifed for 'Athlete' mode... and maybe a couple of years ago I did - but I was kidding myself to think that was still the case. Switching from Athlete to normal mode, and following the guidelines for when to measure BF made the scale very accurate. Plus, it's motivated me to get back into very fit shape, so I can turn Athlete mode back on :)

Pros:
-Very Accurate
-Easy to use
-Stylish

Cons:
-You'll need to read a whopping 3 pages of manual to get good results with the Body Fat measurement. I haven't found any real 'con' to give this machine.

I just got this scale for myself as a Christmas present and I have nothing but good things to say about it.

Pros:

EASE OF USE - Inputting the user settings when you first get the scale takes less than 2 minutes. The interface is intuitive and the instructions included are complete and easy to understand.

PRECISION - You get nice and consistent readings for both body weight and body fat if you do repeat weighings right after another. Usually within 0.2 lbs and 0.1% body fat.

ACCURACY - There's a lot of debate over what the most accurate way to measure bodyfat is - calipers vs. electrical impedence etc. However, I think that it's more important to be able to track your improvement rather than being able to know exactly what your % bodyfat is. This scale allows you to do that. So you know that you've dropped 5% bodyfat and that you know roughly what it is. Unless you're a world class athlete, it's probably not necessary for you to have an exact value and if you are one of those few people, you probably have access to more advanced methods.

COST - At the present Amazon price, this is a great deal. About the price of a session with a trainer and only a few dollars more than a regular digital scale without the body fat feature.

CONS:

None that I can really think of right now. As I mentioned earlier, some people may be shocked/disappointed by the readings they get and dispute the accuracy of them. However, as I mentioned, the direction of your bodyfat change is more important and more valuable.

This body fat measurement is way off. I measured 26% at the gym and this hows 34%. How depressing is that?!! We are just using it as a scale now.

+ you can get other model with more functions for 44.99 in Sears on sale.

I have had this product for a couple of weeks now and I have gotten pretty consistant results with it. Body fat readings have only flucuated about 1%. I followed the Tanita's suggestions on timing for taking readings. My only gripe is that Amazon shipped the Tanita box in a rather large shipping box with NO packing materials inside; thus the outer box was nearly destroyed when it arrived. Product was in good condition though.

Even though it has been mentioned by other reviewers before I would like to emphasize two points.

First, it gives amazingly consistent readings for weight and body fat and seems to be quite accurate. My previous scale was much more inconsistent and inaccurate even though it was a brand name electronic scale.

Second, the instructions indicate this scale is not intended for the body fat measurement of athletes - those who work out an average 1 hour a day or more. I guess most people who keep track their body fat also do some kind of sports. And I also guess you need a more expensive Tanita with sports mode if you work out regularly and want to know your actual body fat percentage. Athletes have significantly different tissue composition (more muscle) to that of sedentary people and this is why researchers and companies use a different formula to calculate their body fat percentage.

The Tanita 2201 is not your average scale. With a few simple steps, you program data (age, height, gender) for up to two regular users. Then, stepping on the metal "footprints", you are measured for weight (to tenths of a pound or kilo, depending on the setting selected) and body fat percentage. The brief users manual accompanying the scale contains a simple chart to determine where your body fat percentage lies in relation to other people of your gender and age. Especially for people embarking on a diet, the Tanita offers encouragement for decreasing body fat percentage instead of only weight. Dieters who become frustrated when they've been "good" but haven't lost a pound can see in tenths of a pound that perhaps, yes, they HAVE lost weight.

I am most impressed with the consistency of the Tanita. The digital scale I had prior to this could vary as many as three pounds as I stepped off, then on again. The largest variation I've encountered from such quick re-measuring on the Tanita has been two-tenths (.2) of a pound.

The Tanita has a "guest" mode that can be set for a one-time or casual user. These figures are not stored in memory, but the feature allows for others to use the scale. Unfortunately, this particularly model does not have an easy "weight only" feature. You must always select your personal number (1 or 2), wait for your data to flash (age,height,gender), and then step onto the unit. While this only takes a few seconds, it can be annoying. The weight measurement is displayed almost immediately, while the body fat takes approximately five seconds longer. The time it takes to get these readings is minimal, but not nearly as quick as an ordinary scale.

The manual says that this unit is not intended for "athletic" people. I don't understand why this is, because they offer no explanation. I fall into their definition of an athlete, and yet I've had no trouble with it.

I love the Tanita. I recommend it highly for anyone who wants something more than the average scale. It makes a wonderful gift for either fitness buffs or the weight-conscious.

I got this scale because I started working out with a trainer. Now I'm not a real athletic person (a stay-at-home mom), but I needed to get into shape for an upcoming holiday trip. Well, I was getting a little upset over the fact that though I've been working out, the weight hasn't been coming off like I want. My husband and trainer both say I'm getting toner and to just stop looking at the scale.
So I got this scale and darnit wouldn't you know, it was right. My muscle tone has improved and while reading the manual it said not to get frustrated over a lack of losing weight while your muscle mass gets firmer (something like that). Anyway, I love this thing. It's great. So even when my weight fluctuates, I can keep track of my body fat, which I'm happy to say is well within the healthy range.
So, yes. I highly recommend this product, especially for those who want to get fit, not just trim.

At this price, accuracy is a given. My scale is accurate. The added features do not add value, however.

The "memory" function simply gives the last previous session's information. Having memory capability should provide at least ten session's information, perhaps more, to provide a meaningful trend. The product description is somewhat misleading in this respect.

The body fat monitor is a) inaccurate and b) inconsistent. The manual even explains that your readings will be different at different times of the day. The best I can say about this feature is that it MAY be helpful giving you a sense of progress provided you only take readings at a specific time of day (mornings are not recommended). Keep in mind that seasonal issues (dry skin in winter, vacation in Hawaii) will alter the monitor's results.

I like Tanita's accuracy--it should be accurate for the price they charge for their scales. Everything else is basically useless in my opinion. I highly recommend you look for a Tanita branded scale that is simply a digital scale. The HD17, even though it has the memory function, appears to provide the same level of accuracy but saves $30+ over the BF681.

I've been using the BF681 since early January and it has worked well for me. The body fat monitor does not claim to provide the same accuracy and precision of, say, water immersion ("hydrodensitometry") or caliper measurements, but it can provide an indication of the direction you're heading from week to week, which is useful information for dieters. If your goal is to precisely know your % body fat, then you should shop for a set of calipers (though good ones can be expensive). If your goal is to monitor your weight loss to make sure you're losing fat and not muscle, then this scale can help you (it has helped me so far). Plus, you can pack it in your suitcase & take it travelling with you.

Easy to use. It does take about 30 seconds to come up with weight and body fat.

I had high hopes for this scale based on a friend's recommendation, but they were dashed. As the previous reviewer noted, having to get down on the floor and input body data each time is absurd. Worse, I could only get a body fat reading once, then it refused to measure my body fat any more (I was attempting to check for consistancy). One issue might be the size of my feet being too large of the foot pads on the scale. Will return this scale tomorrow.

I wanted a low end scale and went with this one. I was disappointed to find that you have to input the height every time to get fat calculations.

Body fat calculations are off because it only measures how the electricity runs through one leg to the other, so if you carry your weight more in your legs and hips, it will be higher than it really is, if you carry your weight in your torso but not in your legs it will be lower. This is true of any of the home body fat scales however.

This scale is one of the low-end scale/body fat scales. It does not maintain any data - i.e. you have to reinput your height each time. You input type - adult/child, gender - female/male, and then push the button multiple times to input your height (unless you're 3' 6" - which is where the measurement starts). Then you step on and it shows your weight, and then after 5 seconds, it shows your body fat. For me, the measurement seems off - I've tried it at different times of day, and it fluctuates by 1 percent, but overall it seems too high. It is consistent, so that would be useful to document fat loss, but it's accuracy (for me)is suspect.
I will probably return this for a refund after another week. Too much button pushing for my liking.