Tanita BC-533 (BC533) Tanita InnerScan Body Fat Composition Scale
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating: Summary: Excellent and accurate scale Comment: I purchased this product several weeks ago and was a little hesitant to do so based upon the many negative reviews regarding how the scale calculates one's bodyfat (and several other tests). Let me first say that my primary goal is tracking how much I weigh on a daily basis and keeping close tabs on my bodyfat level and lean mass numbers. Back to my story though: I was very hesitant to buy the scale because there were quite a few reviews that said that the bodyfat readings were off (some claimed way off) and that the scale was only useful to get an accurate bodyweight reading. After quite a few tests and comparisons, I have to disagree with many of the reviewers. I was pleasantly surprised at how accurate the bodyfat readings are.
I routinely get my bodyfat tested via a technique called BodPod. Hydrostatic weighing is the gold-standard when it comes to figuring out one's bodyfat and lean mass but finding a facility to do hydrosatic weighing has proven very difficult for me and from what I understand it is quite a production and I'm sure not inexpensive. To make a long story short, I had a BodPod test done just this past weekend and I weighed myself on the Tanita BC-533 and the Tanita scale was off by by less than half a percentage point. The BodPod test showed that my lean mass was about 5 pounds more than what the Tanita was showing but the fact that it showed virtualy the same bodyweight and same bodyfat as an expensive BodPod unit really impressed me.
So what about the discrepancy in lean mass? Well, the way that I look at it is if my lean mass goes up on the Tanita then I've gained muscle. Period. To me it's not a big deal if my lean mass is not dead accurate - I'm mainly concerned with knowing if I've gained or lost lean mass. The precise number is not so important as knowing if you're regressing or progressing. That's the big thing that I think a lot of the negative reviewers are missing.
Second of all, in many of the negative reviews, not many people have a reference to what their accurate bodyfat or lean body mass is to begin with. Frankly, I think people who step on the scale think they're in far better shape than what they are and get offended when they see a hight bodyfat percentage number. The only rational scientific way to compare is to have hydrostatic weight, BodPod, or ACCURATE skin-fold caliper numbers and then compare those to the Tanita products. Sorry to tell ya people, but skin-fold calipers numbers can vary widly due to the accuracy of the practitioner and quality of the calipers themselves. It's probably safe to to say that there is at least a +/- accuracy of 5 percent when it comes to skin-fold calipers...and probably even more if your practitioner is trying to make you feel better by fudging the numbers. Not to say that skin-fold calipers are a waste; if that's the only option available to you then use it but don't be surprised if your 10% skin-fold caliper reading is really 15% when done by more accurate, alternate testing.
Anyways, for people who are very concerned about keeping track of their bodyweight and bodyfat, I highly recommend this product. Yes, it's expensive but if you're someone who values the features that this scale offers, then it's not a bad deal. If you're someone who just wants to keep track of your weight, I'm sure there are other less expensive alternatives available so you may want to look at something else (by the way, my Homedics scale that I had previously been using is consistenly 2 pounds heavier than the Tanita and it also fluctuates more widly than the Tanita).
Setup was pretty easy and straightforward. The only issue that I had was deleting the programming that I had entered into the #1 button on the scale. It took me several minutes to figure out how to reset the programming for a particular button. I did manage to figure it out though. The other thing that I feel I should point out, because it is important, is the "average vs. athlete" setting on the Tanita. I found that only after setting my particular setting to the athlete mode did I have accurate bodyfat readings. I'm not privy to the equation that makes the "average vs. athlete" settings different, but when I plugged in all of my numbers into the Tanita, I got a bodyfat percentage that was higher than what it should be. I want to say that it was 3 to 4 percentage points higher than what my BodPod numbers reflected. After I saw that, I went through and reset my settings to have the "athletic" setting. Keep in mind that Tanita says you should excercise for 10+ hours a week and have a resting heart rate of 60 or less to qualify for the "athletic" seetting. I'm somewhat close to both of those criteria so I went ahead and reset my settings to reflect the "athletic male" setting and I've been very happy thus far.
I've found that the scale is most accurate after I've been up for 4 to 6 hours and have had a meal and am properly hydrated. I always weigh myself in the morning, upon awaking, and the bodyfat numbers that I get are about 2 percentage points off. Big deal, right? Nope. Because I weigh myself first thing every morning I know that if the bodyfat number goes up (even if it is not dead-on accurate) then my bodyfat has increased. If it goes down, then I know that I've lost bodyfat. The morning is the only time that I can consistently weight myself under the exact same conditions and that's why I don't rely on the Tanita solely in the evening. Things like caffeine consumption, hydration levels, last time you ate, etc., can affect the numbers that you get on your Tanita so even though my numbers aren't completely "true" in the morning they are the baseline that I write down to see where I stand.
Customer Rating: Summary: A nice scale Comment: I bought this scale several years ago because I wanted to keep track of different measurements as I lost weight. So far the only problem I have with it is that if I move too much on it, it doesn't read all the measurements right (it will just read the weight). The insructions do state that, and when I first got it I didn't have that problem. I can't exactly attribute that to the scale, though. My floors now aren't exactly level in places so I have to move it around whereas before they were. Overall, I'm happy with it and would get it again. Customer Rating: Summary: Be wary about using your Tanita in a bathroom. Comment: Be wary of Tanita and their warranty claims. The product itself was decent, and fairly accurate, however Tanita is not a company that prides itself in customer service and product support. I used my scale in a normal bathroom environment, and after just 3 months you could see evaporation underneath the screen. I don't know if a gasket had a crack in it, or what the issue might have been, but the unit couldn't withstand the normal humidity of a bathroom. In fact, the unit was a good 20 feet from any active water, like a shower and tub.
I shipped the unit in, and without even so much as a courtesy call, the "customer service manager" returned my unit with a note that my warranty claim was refused, even though I had spoken to someone before about the issue, and said it would be replaced no problem. The customer service manager was nice enough, but said that even though it was well within the boundaries of his discretion, he was going to refuse the claim, because they refuse all like claims regarding evaporation. He even admitted that it happens fairly often.
Stay away.
His recommendation? Buy another Tanita, and not place it in the bathroom. Right. Customer Rating: Summary: people over 50 need not apply Comment: I just got my scale and tried it out, and I have to say it really makes me mad that the designers of this scale see no reason to give anyone over 50 a metabolic age rating. To them, I guess a 50-year-old and a 90-year-old are both over the hill, so why bother making distinctions?
I spent the extra money primarily because this scale has been reported as being very accurate (repeatable) in the weight measurement, but since I spent so much money on the other features, I expect to receive them. I'm 60. As far as I can tell, I could be 10 years healthier than average, or 10 years less healthy than average, and I was looking forward to seeing what the scale said. But now I'll never know. I'm not sure if I'm more unhappy because I didn't get the information I expected, or because I feel that I've been treated with contempt because I'm at an age where they feel we can just all be lumped together. Either way, I'm disappointed. Customer Rating: Summary: Works great.... Comment: Works great. It's a lot of fun to use. I haven't lost any weight since owning it, however. Oh yeah, if you buy this, you will need at least a modicrum of intelligence because body fat and hydration are inversely related. If you do not get this, then you will be mislead by the readings you get from the scale. Still, it totally beats going to the gym and having someone pinch your fat with calipers in front of God and everyone else there! So glad I will never have to do that because I have this nice scale.
