Customer Reviews

EatSmart Precision Digital Bathroom Scale w/ Extra Large Backlit 3.5" Display and "Step-On" Technology

5 star:		(3,705)
4 star:		(487)
3 star:		(175)
2 star:		(112)
1 star:		(158)

 

 

I changed my review from a 1 to a 5...here's why I am impressed. First, I had a Tanita scale; it told me my weight, body fat, water weight, bone weight, if my toe nails needed to be cut, etc. However, I could not read the display and as executive/non-athlete I did not need all this information. When that scale died, I went looking for a good solid simple scale. I liked the way this scale looked and the reviews on Amazon were good. Plus, the price was great. I got it right away, and it was great. Looked good, easy to read, and I liked the 0.2 denominations. However, unfortunately it stopped working after two weeks. I went to return it on Amazon and posted a disappointing review. Then the most amazing thing happened...this really happened...about an hour after I posted my review, I was contacted by the company. They read my review and apologized that my unit was not operating the way that it was supposed, discussed their high quality control and that this should not have happened, and then they sent me a replacement right away. THAT IS CUSTOMER SERVICE!!! They are family run operation that prides themselves on customer service and providing people with a quality product. THEY STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCTS! There are so few of these good companies left. I was very impressed. I am a very happy customer again and will buy other products from this company!! I hope you will too.

The scale is very accurate. I stepped on and off multiple times, and always got the same number. Then I put on a light jacket, stepped on again, and it was up .6 pounds. Perfect! However, it is somewhat tricky turning the scale on. They say you're supposed to "tap" it with your foot to activate it, but nothing happens when I tap. The only thing that seems to work for me is if I slide my foot underneath the scale and lift it up slightly. This seems to turn it on, but it's a somewhat awkward maneuver. So I take off two stars for the difficulty in turning it on.


UPDATE (3/25/2010) since writing my previous review, EatSmart has updated their product and gotten rid of the need to tap on. They sent me a new version, and it really does work much better. It seems just as accurate, though there is a .2 pound difference between the old scale and the new (which really isn't too bad). You step on the scale, and it just works. Much better!!

I am SO happy to finally have a bathroom scale that WORKS! My old Taylor scale was just crap. Seriously. I lost so much motivation because of that thing, it would give me different weights anywhere within a 5-pound "range" every time I stepped on it, so I never had any idea what I actually weighed, or whether or not my hard work was paying off. Drove me nuts!

Because of that, I put my new EatSmart scale through a lot of "tests" when I got it today. I stepped on it 5 times in a row, alternating between it and the old Taylor scale each time. The old scale gave me 5 completely different numbers, as usual, but the EatSmart stayed the same each time! I even tried putting the laundry basket on it in between weighs, to make sure it wasn't just "remembering" the last number. Nope! So then I tried drinking a big glass of water, and sure enough, the EatSmart registered a .6 pound increase. Fantastic! I'm so pleased with the consistency and accuracy of this scale. I'm feeling 100x more energized and motivated than I was yesterday, because I know now I'll be able to see the REAL results of my actions, good or otherwise. :)

When I finally decided to replace the old analog scale that I have had for the last decade I thought it was going to be an expensive and borderline painful process. After doing a little research, I purchased the EatSmart scale primarily because the large display was appealing (I have a very small apartment bathroom with one small overhead light) and the price seemed right.

I have been nothing but thrilled with this purchase so far. The large screen allows for me to easily read the scale every time (even after I get out of the shower and the bathroom is fogged up). With my old analog I was always hunching over to figure out what major weights the dial was between. It also is very accurate (I weighed myself multiple times the first few times to test this) and has none of the huge weight fluctuations reported in the reviews of some of Amazon's other scales. Best of all the price was very reasonable versus scales with similar features I have seen elsewhere.

Highly recommended.

This scale has a very sleek design, and the large back-lit display is very useful! It's very easy to read. When I first received the scale, I had trouble tapping it and getting it to turn on. I would have to pick it up and set it back down in order to turn it on. So, I eventually contacted the customer support through e-mail about the issue. And wow, they are extremely fast at responding!! I received a call from them after about (literally!) two minutes of e-mailing them. The representative was really helpful and worked with me to get the scale running properly.

If you have trouble turning it on like how I did, you should first try to tap it with your knuckles (with a bit of force, but not extremely hard) or grab a tennis ball and drop it from 4-5 inches above the scale. If it turns on, then it's probably not turning on properly because of how you're tapping it with your foot. The area I now tap is slightly below the display window (above the center of the scale). That seems to get it to turn on every time. Also, make sure you're placing the scale on a hard surface. The scale is very accurate, and my weight doesn't fluctuate like crazy compared to scales I've had before. I've stepped on it several times in a row to test that out. Awesome product, awesome service! I highly recommend buying from them!!

The instructions that come with this scale are: 1)tap here, 2)wait until you
see zero, 3) stand on scale.

The trouble comes at step 1. You can "tap here" all day long and the scale will
not turn itself on. The way to actually turn it on is to pick it up, reach
underneath, and wiggle one or more of its feet. It's hard to imagine a more
fundamental failure of design. Even the crappiest scales on the market can be
used without bending over and picking them up.

I thought I couldn't possibly go wrong after I saw so many glowing reviews.
Turns out I should have read the 1-star and 2-star reviews better. Other
people have had this exact problem. The minority was SO RIGHT.

I've only had this scale for an hour, but I'm sending it back TODAY.

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UPDATE:

It is now several weeks later. I received several emails and even
a phone call from the company's customer service rep. He wanted to explain
a technique for tapping on the scale, and offered to send a replacement unit
if that still didn't work. That's really excellent service, right? How many
companies would even care?

Ultimately, though, trying to correct a product this bad with service that
good is just putting makeup on a pig. Look at the guy who left a video
review. He practically slams the thing with his heel. Is that a good idea
on a piece of GLASS? Should the product be so hard to turn on that you have
to have a video to explain how to do it?

It didn't take many exchanges until it became apparent what this
customer service rep's real agenda was. He asked me straight out,
repeatedly, to change my review because "we're a small company, and
negative reviews can hurt us."

I have also looked more carefully since then at why there are so many
positive reviews, and I am suspicous. When I first posted this review,
it was marked "not helpful" by one person within hours. Who would have
done that? I started looking at the other reviews.

It looks like a very few people are VERY interested in leaving positive
reviews about this product and the same people like to leave comments
on the negative reviews that suggest calling the company. One commenter
criticizes a reviewer with the comment: "how about calling the company
instead of being negative?" The person who wrote that has only ever
reviewed three products on amazon -- all three are scales sold by EatSmart.

Who cares so much about a bathroom scale that they would hover over
the reviews day after day? Who would be so concerned about whether
customers call the company or not?

This company is clearly manipulating their rating by directly asking
for better reviews, and it's possible they are doing more than that.

I was looking to replace my old Taylor scale with something that actually worked and I didn't have to squint at to see. This did the trick quite nicely.

Pros:
-large, brightly lit display
-attractive design
-weight seems accurate

Cons:
-have to tap it to get it to start, and when I didn't tap it the right way, didn't turn on... a little frustrating

Recommended. :)

Having designed electronic measuring equipment I tend to be a bit more picky about my bathroom scales than the average customer... I value linearity, accuracy and repeatability (even if it doesn't matter that much if my weight fluctuates by a half pound here and there)

This scale sure is a pretty thing and has incredibly easy to read numbers (The 3.5" is a misstatement, the display is 3.5 inches -wide-, not high. The numbers are comparable to other 1.3" high scales) The "tap to wake" is a bit inconsistent; sometimes it takes a subtle tap, sometimes a sharp thumping with a foot isn't enough to start it up. Not a deal breaker but enough to lose a star in my rating.

By my testing the scale is accurate within my typical weight range and very repeatable but watch out for the "fake repeatability" that's typical of scales in this price range: If you step on the scale with a weight that's pretty close to the previous reading it'll give you the same number. Here's a simple test: weight yourself, then weight yourself again holding a half-pound can of food. The scale will show no change in weight. Now step on holding a gallon of water and the scale shows a seven pound weight gain. Step back on holding the can of food and the scale now registers that extra half pound. Put down the can and step on one last time - the scale will again show the weight as if you're still holding the can. I have no idea how long the scale "remembers" the last reading or how big a change it takes to force a new reading but if I want to make sure a small change in weight is accurately measured I make sure to step on extra-heavy or extra-light (put some of your weight on a nearby countertop) and -then- step back on with the weight I want to measure. Again, please note that this behavior is not specific to this scale; most in this price range will show a similar "repeatability" feature.

I bought this product after being disappointed with my inconsistent Taylor scale. I was very happy to find that this scale is:

1. CONSISTENT. I stepped on the scale a few times in five minutes and it gave me exactly the same reading every time. I repeated this test over the course of a few days with the same result every time.

2. ACCURATE. So as to ascertain the scale is giving accurate readings, I did the following test. First weigh myself. Allow the scale to reset to zero then put a known weight on it. Allow the scale to reset to zero again. Finally, step on the scale with the known weight in hand and check the combined weight. I noticed that the combined weight always matched the sum of the individual weights. I did this test several times using different weights and the scale passed every test.

3. EASY TO USE. To power the scale on, you tap it and this sometimes works. I find, however, that if I lift it just a bit with my toe and drop it, it powers on every time. To take your weight, just step on it after it resets to zero and your reading displays in big easy to read numbers. If you step off of it, it resets to zero, ready for use again. The scale powers off automatically after a short while.

4. ATTRACTIVE. The scale has a simple, elegant appearance and I like how it looks in my bathroom.

I have not yet tested it against my doctor's scale. Hopefully it will match but even if it is off by a pound or two, at least I know it's consistent so I can still be confident in its readings.

At a price of $28.95 at the time I bought it, I think this scale was well worth the price. 5 stars from me.

This scale did not work. Supposedly, you tap on the scale to turn it on. The only way I could turn it on was to pick it up off the floor and put it back down.
Also, for what it's worth, there is a reason why so many people have written reviews on this product. The seller offers an incentive. If you write a review, you get a free item.