Customer Reviews

Omron HBF-400 Body Fat Monitor and Scale

5 star:		(240)
4 star:		(144)
3 star:		(46)
2 star:		(56)
1 star:		(66)

 

 

As a scale the Omron HBF-500 is excellent. It is consistent, in tests with my wife and I (who are more than 100 pounds different in weight) the scale gave the same weight each of 5 times in a row that we stepped on it. So it is consistent. I am a nurse and weighed myself on our calibrated scales and found that this scale weighed me 0.5 pounds heavier than the hospital one, which can be explained by the glass of water I drank when I got home. So it is both consistent and accurate.

So what about the body fat monitor: As to the accuracy of the monitor I cannot speak. However, it is very consistent, much more consistent than the experience that I have had with the handheld-only monitors from Omron. The scale will calculate your percent body fat & your percent skeletal muscle. It will also give you a reading of your visceral body fat, which is a better indicator of your health risk associated with body fat (visceral body fat is the fat which is inside your body surrounding your organs, which subcutaneous fat is the fat that we all see just under our skin). Using these calculations and the user-defined height, weight, and age data that you enter, it will give you your resting metabolic energy needs for the day to give you an idea of how much you should be eating to lose weight in a healthy manner.

The scale has 4 user profiles so that 4 different users can use the scale and track their data. Data can be recalled letting you know what your measurements were yesterday, a week ago, a month ago, and 3 months ago.

The handle fits well inside the front of the scale. I was expecting the scale to be bulkier than it is. It is just a little taller than a normal scale and very attractive. It isn't something that you're going to need to hide between uses. Just put it where any normal bathroom scale would fit.

The scale is a little bit difficult to use if you haven't read the instruction manual. The good news is that the manual is very easy to use and very informative. Plan on 5-10 minutes of reading time when your scale first arrives. You will be glad that you learned all about what your new scale does. After skimming the manual, my wife and I are both able to operate the scale and use all of its functionality.

Price-wise, this seems like an excellent value. The cost of a high-quality scale added to the price of a decent Body-fat monitor (which won't give you the more detailed body composition detail of this hands-and-feet monitor) will be more than the price of this one unit. Also, this unit keeps all of your data in one location. So for the price, this unit was a no-brainer for me when it was time to buy a new scale after my old one stopped being consistent and accurate.

Highly recommended.

I don't do reviews often, but this product (and/or a similar model) have taken some knocks that my experience contradicts.

First off, I think expectations need to be realistic if you are going to buy any kind of scale or monitor.
1) Weight: No two scales read the same. They may be darn close, but rarely the same. What should be expected is that the scale always reads the same weight over time. I have a dumbbell that says it's 10 lbs and I have seen three scales say it's anywhere from 9.5 to 10.3 lbs. So you can demand consistency, but realistically for most of us absolute accuracy is just not practical.

2) Body Fat or Composition: Unless you can find (and pay for) a DEXA (Dual Energy X-Ray) or Hydrostatic (full immersion weighing) test this number is totally subjective. A while back I had two physical therapist/trainers that work in a medical rehab/training facility check my composition using the calipers method ten minutes apart. The results were 29% and 34%. They were not surprised, said they were usually within 2%-3% of each other.

I don't want it to sound like I am lowering the bar here, just trying to be realistic.

So, what about the Omron HBF-500?
As for weight, my HBF-500 has said from day one that my "10lb" dumbbell is 9.6 lbs (it's mate is always 9.7). Who's right, Omron or Weider? No idea. So who cares if the scale is off by 4% or if that dumbbell is really 4% lighter than advertised? The fact is that is is consistent, and if it says that on the day I got it I weighed 296 and I now weight 275, it is that 26lb difference that is important.

Same thing for composition. I feel it is the change over time that is important, not the absolute accuracy. What I have found is that I have to be consistent in using the device. Lay off the H2O for a day and the number changes, hop on the scale after a hot shower, the number changes. Same for after a meal or exercise. I have has the best results using it once a week, at the same time of the day (for me, first thing in the morning on Mondays) before I eat and shower.

Functions/Usability:
1) Read the manual. It's not great, but after I used the thing two or three times it became simpler.
2) The memory/user functions are nice, but to be honest I think the biggest advantage of the user function is that I do not have to re-enter my age, sex, etc.. each time. Use the enclosed for or write down the results, I'm a geek so trust me when I say it's just simpler than the memory functions.

Overall I think it is a great tool for measuring changes, if not absolute numbers. And if you think about it, the changes are what matters, either as a warning that you are making progress in a direction you do not want to go, or as a reinforcement that you are doing things right and seeing results.

If accuracy is a big deal for you, pay for the professional tests, use the device at home and note the difference. The apply that correction to the measurements you get at home. For me, the $400 -$600 cost of the tests for one shot vs. the cost of the HBF-500 to use whenever I like answered the absolute accuracy question.

I originally ordered a Tanita scale and it stopped working within two weeks. (Amazon, of course, took it back with no problems.) I was so glad when the Omron scale arrived. It costs less than the Tanita but the quality is much higher. The numbers on it are very large and easy to read. Also, it is much easier to place your feet properly than on the Tanita. I can't wait to try all the features. By the way, I weighed myself over and over and my weight only varied .2 lbs. as promised. Great deal for the money!!!

I order all kinds of items online and have done so for years. But when it comes to some items, I usually prefer to see it firsthand before ordering. I couldn't do that with this scale, but it turned out better than I'd hoped!

The picture doesn't really show you how well this scale is made. Although the top is primarily plastic, there is so little flex that you'd think the whole thing is metal. The display is high contrast and the digits and icons large making it easy to read even at my height of 6'1". My favorite part of the construction is that the feet "float" slightly allowing the scale to adapt to surfaces that may be a little uneven. That's always been a problem for me on vinyl, tile, or hardwood floors where slight variations occur. Also, the power button on the front (as you walk up to it) toggles the unit on and off. Nice for saving battery life instead of having to rely on an Auto-Off feature (which it will do after 10 minutes of inactivity). The manual states that you'll get about 12 months on one set of batteries (4 x AA) taking four readings a day.

Having memories for 4 people as well as a "guest" reading is great, too. The unit keeps only the last reading, but if you're tracking that information and don't have time to jot it down at a weigh-in, you can always come back later, turn it on, and pull up your profile's most recent data.

The BMI and body fat percentage readouts are simple to understand and a bar graph accompanies the BMI to give you at-a-glance feedback where you're at generally, i.e., Under, Normal, Over, etc. on your BMI. This is based on your providing your gender, height (in 1/4 inch increments) and age.

The manual is well written and in English only. It gives a good overview of how the BMI is calculated and what Omron did to come up with the table references that it uses internally to generate that value.

Overall, I am extremely pleased with this scale and highly recommend it for anyone who wants an accurate, repeatable (same readings with little to no variation when taken one after the other) and informative digital scale.

My 15 year-old Health-o-Meter scale recently gave out. So, I did my homework and selected the HBF-400 as the best unit for the price. I'm very pleased with the results. (1) It's easy to use. Press the button, it callibrates itself, step on the scale, and it quickly gives a weight reading. Remarkably fast, considering how incidental body movement must affect accuracy. And it gives me an appreciation of why manufacturers callibrate their scales in two-tenth units. If they tried to specifiy accuracy down to the nearest tenth, it would take much longer for a person's body sway to dampen. (2) It's easy to read. The large numbers make reading it a snap. (3) It is an attractive unit. Well-crafted. Modern looking. Much nicer than its picture. (4) The body fat analyzer seems accurate. It matched exactly with the results I recently got at a health fair. Although I primarily purchased the HBF-400 as a better scale to track my diet, the fat analyzer is a nice motivational feature. It reassures me that, even when there is a slight weight rebound, my overall fat trend is proceeding in the right direction. (5) Lastly, the accuracy of the scale makes me appreciate why my body weight seems to fluctuate so much. With my old scale (plus or minus one pound readings), I couldn't figure out why I seemed to gain or lose a couple of pounds within the same day. With the Omron scale, I can see how drinking a glass of water, eating a meal, or going to the bathroom affects each reading. I gave this product a 5-star rating. It exceeded all of my expectations.

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EDIT: 3 years later and the Omron HBF-400 is still working like a charm. It's survived the usual household treatment of being occasionally kicked around, especially by my six year old boy, and it still looks and works like brand new. Very happy with its quality and performance.

I compared this body fat monitor to similar ones from Tanita. You are definately getting more for your money here. It stores up to 4 users where the Tanita models only store 2 and compares function for function elsewhere at a lower price point. Not to mention that this scale just feels like better quality when you pick it up. I bought one with one of the Omron Pedometers to take advantage of the instant rebate on Amazon. (I haven't seen an event on Tanita on Amazon for a while.) The pedometer was the #1 rated in CR. They are both top notch products.

but guess that my body fat (BFI) and body mass (BMI) index readings are a wake up call to lower! This scale is solidly built, easy to read, and simple to operate. The "metal colored plastic" is extensive, but does not detract from the scale's aesthetics. Getting the scale to display your weight only is simple. However, getting it to display your BFI and BMI are a little more daunting, but simple when you get the hang of it. The controls (on-off) and the logic of the readings are very intuitive. I use my feet to easily turn it on and off and select weight-only or body fat index. No need to bend down or get on the floor! As for accuracy, I can't totally weigh in (bad pun). Did note that the BFI and BMI readings were fairly close to those measured in a recent doctor visit, which is why I bought this scale in the first place. One last positive: the scale takes four AA batteries (included), which is much better than lithium, since AA's are cheaper and more readily available. All in all, an economical start toward monitoring a shape-up, weight loss program.

If you are willing to spend a few minutes with the manual, and are interested in healthy weight loss, then this is a great product. This scale will measure body fat and skeletal muscle. This is important because unhealthy weight loss can be accomplished at the expence of muscle and often leads to quick regain of the weight with more fat than you originally started with. The scale does not give 100% accurate measure of body fat or skeletal muscle BUT the readings are consistant if you do them at the start of each day. This means you can see if you are loosing fat (yeah!)or muscle (boo!) over time. Don't trust any one measurement as it will vary based on fluid intake and other factors. It is better to get an average over several days to see your present level. I am tracking my progress carefully and though I am loosing weight slower, I am actually loosing fat at the same time I am gaining muscle. If I had a regular scale I might assume I wasn't loosing much weight at all and restricted my calories too much or over exercised. Oh yeah, the scale works great also.

If I'm a 200 pound guy with 15% body fat (like Tyson was at his peak) should I be concerned about losing weight? Of course not. But if I'm dieting, losing weight, and I notice that my skeletal muscle percentage is dropping--which means I'm probably losing bone mass as well--then I have cause to worry.

Actually, when I was a national competitor in full-contact kickboxing back in the mid-90s, I weighed about 165 lbs and my body fat percentage was a near unhealthy 10%. While other fighters were eating salad, I was encouraged to eat cheeseburgers and fries because my coach and teammates were worried that I had become too lean. According to the BMI chart, I was only 10 lbs below my ideal weight, but the fact was I really needed get myself up to a healthy 185lbs.

Now I'm well above that ideal number, and 40 years old, yet still don't need to lose weight. I need to lose fat, and particularly visceral fat--which this scale offers the unique feature of measuring.

As far as knowing the amount of water in my body (something a lot of high end scales measure), why should I care about that? If I'm dehydrated I'll be thirsty; if I'm overhydrated I'll probably faint from the high blood pressure; in other words, I've got all the indicators I need by nature with regard to how much water I need in my body.

Displaying the history for 1, 7, 30, and 90 days is a great feature so I can track if I've lost fat or not, or if I've lost a disproportionate amount of weight to fat ratio and should change my strategy or habits.

The manual that comes with this scale is extremely educational and could really almost stand alone as an informative and conscise manual on weight management.

SOME INTERESTING OBSERVATIONS:

1. After getting really drunk one night, the next morning I weighed a good 20lbs less and lost about 3% or 4% of my body fat. This was a false reading of course because I was severely dehydrated and still had alcohol in my blood from the night before--not that I wasn't a bit gitty at seeing the numbers.

2. My weight regardless of when I measure it is fairly consistent--so the scale is accurate--but it's true what the manual tells you about best times to weigh yourself. If I weigh myself immediately after getting home from work, I'm down 1 point on visceral fat and show 3% less body fat than if I weigh myself just before going to bed--long after dinner--and just upon waking up in the morning. I haven't tried it immediately after intense exercise (such as cycling 30 miles), but imagine the effect is pretty much the same.

BOTTOM LINE: If you're goal is really just to lose weight, you don't need this scale. But if you want to lose fat and know to what degree you're really killing yourself with visceral fat that you should concentrate on losing, then this is exactly what you want.

The manual is also outstanding, and at this price getting such an outstanding item that's so well thought out, designed, and constructed is a no brainer of a deal.

Forget Tanita. OMRON has been making better and more numerous diagnostic machines that are all around better, without the overinflated pricetag.

Warning to atheletes: This body fat scale does not have the athlete setting. It therefore cannot make the correct assumptions about bone density, etc. to give you an accurate body fat measurement. If you are athletic (10 hours+ of cardio per week and resting heartrate of 60 or less), this scale will not work for you. I bought this scale and it told me my body fat was a full 10% higher than it actually is.