I have owned this scale now for two weeks. It is a great buy. This review will cover customer service, price, appearance, and performance. Overall, I rate this with 5 stars. The scale works great and I would recommend it for the price and the features along with the appearance - for under $40 you cannot go wrong.
Customer Service: Outstanding delivery shipped fast to APO in Iraq - scale was packaged and well protected and about 10 days earlier than projected. That is awesome and the shipping was free (supersaver).
Price: Very reasonable for the features.
Appearance and functionality: Clean and will look nice in any bathroom (I plan on shipping it home after deployment). Clear glass and two nice stainless steel areas to step on. Even a large person should not have a problem with this scale - plenty of room for your feet.
Performance of the features:
1. Manual & Set-up: Pretty basic and easy to follow. The setup is simple and took only a minute. Also, a nice feature of the manual shows age and percentile norms as a handy quick reference guide to see where you land within your age and gender group. The manual is also made of a coated and durable paper material so it should last. The directions are simple and the scale is very easy to operate.
2. Regular Mode: All you need to do is gently tap on the scale and WAIT for the ZEROs to appear. Do not get on the scale while the dashes are showing, wait until the ZEROES appear; otherwise, you will not get an accurate reading. The scale is calibrated and accurate and is within 1/2 lb of a certifed and calibrated scale in our gym; so, I find it to be reliable.
3. Advanced Weight/Body-fat%/Hydration Mode:
A. I noticed prior to purchasing that several people commnented that in this mode the weight is a pound or two lighter than in the regular weigh in mode. I had the same experience; however, it only happened when I stepped on it in this mode with the dashes showing prior to the (0/0) display. That is operator error and does not reflect on the scale.
B. For the initial settings in this mode you will press the center button and then enter your gender, height and age, while the left and right buttons move each category up or down to reflect gender, height and age. After you press the the center button the gender, height and age button the weight will appear with several dashes on the display for a short time perod. PLEASE NOTE: YOU MUST WAIT FOR THE SCALE TO SHOW ZEROES (0.0). IF YOU STEP ON THE SCALE WITH THE DASHES IN THIS MODE YOU WILL GET A FALSE READ OF 1-2 LBS LIGHTER. SOMETIMES THE SCALE WILL NOT GO TO ZERO (0.0) AND YOU MUST GO THROUGH THE PROCESS AGAIN OF PRESSING THE BUTTONS FOR YOUR DATATO ENSURE IT IS SETUP CORRECTLY.
C. Once you have your settings you can register up to ten people on the same scale. My roommate and I both have our data in the scale and it holds it. After the intiial setting all you need to do is gently press on the scale with your foot and wait for your number to display, and once you see the (0.0) it is ready for you to weigh in.
D. Body fat %: This is a consistent feature from the electric pulse sent through the body (of course, follow the directions and make sure you are barefoot on the scale). Some reviewers find that annoying - I disagree since the electic pulse (which you cannot feel) will not work without contact to the skin. This % consistently resembles the BMI formula I use. I am sure there is a deviation here (maybe 1-5%) but as long as it shows trends upward or downward I am pleased. The scale suits my purpose - tracking my trends over time.
E. Hydration %: I find this convenient after a workout to make sure I rehydrate - you can use the manual to see what the norm is for your age and gender.
Conclusion: The scale works great and I would highly recommend it for the price and the features along with the appearance - for under $40 you cannot go wrong. If you are in need of scale to track your weight and body fat % changes then this scale will meet your expectations. I would also recommend the myotape tape measure and measure your waist and hips to track your health. Good luck with all your health and fitness and goals!