Tanita BC554 Ironman Glass InnerScan Body Composition Monitor Elite Series
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List Price: Our Price: $129.99 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Health Care See more product details |
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Customer Reviews of Tanita BC554 Ironman Glass InnerScan Body Composition Monitor Elite Series
Customer Review: it works
Summary: 5 Stars
I don't have any biological educational background. But I did read the instructions for this scale when I received it.
The important point is to weigh yourself under the same conditions from weigh in to weigh in and to program into the scale a correct profile before you begin to use it. That way you are comparing apples to apples. I weigh myself each day after I wake up and after I have moved my bowels but before putting anything in my mouth. That provides the consistency needed to compare results. This scale is very sensitive. Think about it - even a 12 ounce glass of water is going to affect your weight if you drink and then get on the scale.
I keep records of the read out on an Excel spreadsheet. I have gone on a fully researched diet based upon nutrition and calories and I have commenced a rigorous training program. I am 55 years old and I have lost 35 pounds in three months. I am 6'3" and I went from 215 lbs to 180 lbs.
Do you really need all the extra read outs (there are a total of 9) beyond weight and body fat? No, probably not. But I love gadgets and this is just another one to keep me motivated and inspired. The interactivity of seeing progress is motivational to me.
The scale is fun to use and keeps me involved in my diet and training program. (I also got a good blood pressure machine too that connects to my PC to keep records of progress).
From reading the others reviews, my guess is that a lot of the scale's measurements are not direct measurements like weight but rather based upon statistical concepts and indirect inferences extrapolated from the information you input into the scale and the actual readings for weight and body fat. There is consistency of results so this implies to me that the scale works.
Customer Review: Best scale out there (Oct 2005)
Summary: 4 Stars
This scale has so many functions. It is really cool. As for consistant readings, I get almost the same readings day after day. But if I change how much I eat or exercise more I can see the change.
This scale is almost the same as the Tanita top of the line. Except this one lets you view the readings you want, rather then wait for the scale to cycle through the readings. This scale will also cycle through the readins, but you can stop them and go to any reading or let it cycle then go back to any reading you want. Also this has nice big preset number buttons. Which is important since you may be hitting them first thing in the morning when you are not awake yet. This scale also remember more readign from the last time. It has BMR instead of the daily calories reading.
I find this scale is very close to another much cheaper Tanita scale in weight and body fat. Of course the cheaper scale doesn't have all the extra readings. My wife finds the metabolic age reading to motivate her. She likes thinking she is younger then she is. (What ever helps...) I like the muscle mass wieght reading along with weight and body fat%.
The scale looks really good being half glass. The glass is strong and won't break unless you tried hammering it, etc. It is easy to use and does a reading in about 10-15 seconds. It takes more time if you are moving around as it waits for a reasonably steady weight reading.
I wish it had the daily calorie reading and it was more accurate. It would be nice if the body fat could show accuratly that I had burned off half an ounce of fat... But no scale today can do that, or any other method while you are alive. So I will live with the best that is out today, October 2005.
Thumbs up.
Customer Review: Directionally Correct, but Accurate???
Summary: 3 Stars
I've used a simple model from Tanita for over 5 years and was as happy as a man with one clock -- I knew exactly what time it was. The added features of the BC554 were irresistable, but now I had 2 sources of data and they were not in agreement by a significant amount (e.g. 3% body fat difference on a base of 16%).
The weight measurement is as good as ever: precise, accurate and consistent. The best that can be said of the other functions is that they seem to be directionally correct and some are simply 'figures of merit', not measurements at all.
Customer support is surprising. When I asked the inevitable questions via their web site, I received a phone call from them. The answers made sense, but only reinforce my assessment.
It seems that the algorithms are based on a statistical sample using gender, age, height, and 'athleticism'. If your actual profile is close to the sample population, the accuracy is probably pretty good. But as you progress toward 'athletic' and away from the calibration population, accuracy declines.
It seems to me that anyone purchasing this model is serious enough about fitness to fall into this 'no man's land'. The other issue is that I would expect some continuity between the measures for 'standard adult' and 'athletic adult'. But there is a chasm! I measured 19% at 'standard' and 9% at 'athletic'. The first is clearly too high and the second is too low. Maybe a calculated average is closer to an accurate reading, but that is a serious shortcoming in a top-of-the-line product.
So, simpler & cheaper is my recommendation. Accept the idea that you are getting directionally correct numbers that are only accurate if you match the calibration population profile.
Customer Review: Solid product, lousy documentation--updated
Summary: 3 Stars
I got this scale because I wanted to be able to track my fat percentage as well as my weight. It seems to do both reasonably well--the weight measurement is reasonably consistent with a doctor's-type scale at the gym, as well as with itself from measurement to measurement. The scale is also very attractive and feels solid. Only two quibbles with the hardware: The memory function only works for the first four measurements, and it doesn't appear that there's any way to upload results directly to a computer for tracking purposes.
The documentation for the scale, however, really leaves a lot to be desired. Although weight and fat percent are pretty self-explanatory, virtually no explanation is given for how the scale arrives at other measurements, such as basal metabolic rate, metabolic age, and fitness level. There also weren't any resources provided to follow up for further information. The scale would be a lot more helpful if there was a better explanation of the readings it provided.
FOLLOW UP: After about 7 months of use, the right side of the LCD screen stopped working. When I tried to call an 800 number on the back of the scale, I was invited to dial another number to meet local singles in my area. Obtaining another (toll) number from the website, I called, and after about 12 minutes on hold, was told (1) oh yeah, that's not our phone number any more, and (2) yes, we know about this problem with the LCD, send it back to us--at your expense. So, I have a scale with a known defect, and I have to pay for the phone call to find out about the defect, AND I have to pay to ship the thing to get it fixed. I don't think I'll be a repeat customer.
Customer Review: Not an accurate way to measure body composition
Summary: 2 Stars
I recently started weight training in earnest, about 3 hours a week (in addition to my 4-5 hours of cardio) and have been really shaping up, getting compliments on my changing physique and looking better in general. My weight has changed, it's remained consistent, however much to my dismay the body fat percentage on this scale kept climbing making me very concerned and a little upset. I'd look at myself in the mirror and say, "Is there something I'm missing here? I'm looking more muscular than I ever have before, have almost dropped another size, so why is it that all of the sudden this scale is showing me as having more body fat?" I spoke with friend who is very familiar with these scales and she told me that there was a setting for "athletic" adults. I read the manual again, and... ah-ha! There's the setting. But I don't exactly fit the profile of what Tanita considers to be an athletic adult. I don't exercise more than 10 hours a week and I haven't been "fit" most of my life. But, for the sake of curiosity I set up a new profile and give it a try. The difference in body fat percentage between the two is alarming. How can this be? If this monitor uses bioelectric impedence to determine your body composition, then why would changing one setting alter it's results so much? Well, according to Tanita, it is based on "algorithms" or in layman's terms - an educated guess based on other people's results. Okay. Well, that was a huge waste of money. If I wanted a guesstimate, I'm certain I could do that on my own. At least the scale/weight in pounds is accurate and I suppose it's a redeeming enough quality to deserve a second star.