Customer Reviews

Tanita 2201 Super Ultimate Body Fat Monitor and Scale

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I bought this for my girlfriend (at HER request). So far, its been an excellent product. According to her, its completely accurate and consistent. Whenever I've been to her place and stepped on it, its been consistent with previous uses.

The weight reads in .2 lb increments (some other body fat monitors/scales that I looked at measure in .5 lb, so watch for that). The body fat measures in .5% increments which seems okay thus far. Also, the scale stores settings for two different people, which is definitely a plus, like another reviewer said.

I actually did some semi-extensive looking around/pricing for these combo scales. Basically, my girlfriend had already let me know that she wanted one and I kinda figured I'd forget about it and wait till the last minute when, one day, while clicking through my goldbox items, THERE IT WAS! When I saw it, I decided to do some checking up.
What I found is that there are feature rich models out there that cost [$]+.
Well, the greatest difference overall that I found is that the more expensive ones can do the following :

* memorize for like 4 to 10 different people
* measure in increments of .1 lbs and .1% body fat (these are way more expensive)
* i think some would talk to you (cant remember for sure but seems feasible right?)
* some were really high tech cool looking

None of these were good enough reasons for me to spend more than I did [$]

Then there were the Omron ones that you hold out in front of you. Those are great I'm sure. The Tanitas however, are scales as well. Obvious plus for the Tanita.

In long, I'm very impressed with the 2201, both with its consistency and ease of use And I am extremely pleased that I decided to make the purchase. Easy 5 stars.

Even though it has been mentioned by other reviewers before I would like to emphasize two points.

First, it gives amazingly consistent readings for weight and body fat and seems to be quite accurate. My previous scale was much more inconsistent and inaccurate even though it was a brand name electronic scale.

Second, the instructions indicate this scale is not intended for the body fat measurement of athletes - those who work out an average 1 hour a day or more. I guess most people who keep track their body fat also do some kind of sports. And I also guess you need a more expensive Tanita with sports mode if you work out regularly and want to know your actual body fat percentage. Athletes have significantly different tissue composition (more muscle) to that of sedentary people and this is why researchers and companies use a different formula to calculate their body fat percentage.

The Tanita 2201 is not your average scale. With a few simple steps, you program data (age, height, gender) for up to two regular users. Then, stepping on the metal "footprints", you are measured for weight (to tenths of a pound or kilo, depending on the setting selected) and body fat percentage. The brief users manual accompanying the scale contains a simple chart to determine where your body fat percentage lies in relation to other people of your gender and age. Especially for people embarking on a diet, the Tanita offers encouragement for decreasing body fat percentage instead of only weight. Dieters who become frustrated when they've been "good" but haven't lost a pound can see in tenths of a pound that perhaps, yes, they HAVE lost weight.

I am most impressed with the consistency of the Tanita. The digital scale I had prior to this could vary as many as three pounds as I stepped off, then on again. The largest variation I've encountered from such quick re-measuring on the Tanita has been two-tenths (.2) of a pound.

The Tanita has a "guest" mode that can be set for a one-time or casual user. These figures are not stored in memory, but the feature allows for others to use the scale. Unfortunately, this particularly model does not have an easy "weight only" feature. You must always select your personal number (1 or 2), wait for your data to flash (age,height,gender), and then step onto the unit. While this only takes a few seconds, it can be annoying. The weight measurement is displayed almost immediately, while the body fat takes approximately five seconds longer. The time it takes to get these readings is minimal, but not nearly as quick as an ordinary scale.

The manual says that this unit is not intended for "athletic" people. I don't understand why this is, because they offer no explanation. I fall into their definition of an athlete, and yet I've had no trouble with it.

I love the Tanita. I recommend it highly for anyone who wants something more than the average scale. It makes a wonderful gift for either fitness buffs or the weight-conscious.

I have one of these scales and find it very useful, both for myself, as an athlete, and for my fiance. I use it to see the progress I make in working out, since I maintain a steady weight. My fiance' however diets and tries to work out regularly. This scale helps her to see which types of diets are most effective, even if they don't promote as much weightloss as other methods. W/o this scale, you wouldn't be able to accurately measure those kinds of results. Overall, it's reliable, consistent, and easy to use. Definitely go with a model like this one that saves personal info for 2 people. That way you don't have to input your age/sex/height every time.

I got this scale because I started working out with a trainer. Now I'm not a real athletic person (a stay-at-home mom), but I needed to get into shape for an upcoming holiday trip. Well, I was getting a little upset over the fact that though I've been working out, the weight hasn't been coming off like I want. My husband and trainer both say I'm getting toner and to just stop looking at the scale.
So I got this scale and darnit wouldn't you know, it was right. My muscle tone has improved and while reading the manual it said not to get frustrated over a lack of losing weight while your muscle mass gets firmer (something like that). Anyway, I love this thing. It's great. So even when my weight fluctuates, I can keep track of my body fat, which I'm happy to say is well within the healthy range.
So, yes. I highly recommend this product, especially for those who want to get fit, not just trim.

I got this scale primarily to help my wife with weight loss and an exercise regimen, but I was also curious about my own developing "tummy."

Weight and fat measurements are very good for a consumer electronic item.

Setup is not 100% intuitive, but instructions are clear. Also, I like the multiple pre-sets to allow several people to enter their body parameters (male/female, height, age) which allows several different users. There's also a "guest" mode, but I'd be impressed if any casual guest could figure out how to program this thing.

I got this scale for two reasons:
- Our old scale was too easy to trick. (About 10 pounds depending on how you stood.)
- I wanted to watch my fat content.

This scale has definitely helped the first point. The scale provides weight acurate to 2/10 of a pound, and seems to be very consistent about it.

The fat content on the other hand seems to vary wildly. The scale reports it in 1% increments, however I've seen readings fluctuate by 7%. I have no other way of verifying the fat readings, so it could be telling the truth. But it doesn't seem very consistent.

I can't comment on the body fat performance of the scale execpt to say the results are consistent. I don't have anything to verify the fat function against. But if you want to know how much you weigh then this is the scale for you. It's good, maybe too good. It picks up on all the minor weight fluctuation my body goes through in a day. It will even pick up on something as subtle as a glass of water or a trip to the restroom. The weight ranges of the users in my household are 110-225 lbs. and when I checked it against a balance beam scale it as within .2 lbs and as long as I keep it away from temperature extremes the results are always repeatable. Now for the bad news. The scale only has memory for two users and doesn't possess a simple weight only function. Anybody else in the house who wants to weigh themselves must log in as a guest and enter in a bunch of values before they are able to use the scale. This is annoying. It is not user freindly and new users have to be shown how to use it. The previous model had a button people could push to access a weight only function. I very much would like to have that feature back, so if there are more than than two of you then you might be happier with a scale with more memory slots. I will say that I've been through quite a few scales and I have found nothing that comes close to the weight accuracy of my sample in this price range. My comments only apply to the 2201 and please don't assume that I'm suggesting that the weight accuracy of all Tanita products is this good because I don't beleive they are. Thanks to all of you who contribute to these reveiws I've found the information quite helpful!

I looked at a lot of other body-fat scales and read the reviews for them on amazon. Overall, this scale probably delivers the most bang for your buck.

The scale delivers what it promises: fast and accurate body fat and weight. It lets you store two settings in the memory. If more than two people will use the scale, it has a guest setting that allows the user to enter age, sex, and height.

The interface is not intuitive. I had to read the instructions before I could store my information and weigh in. But overall, it's been a great tool to help me get in shape.

I am responsible for my own weekly weigh-ins and needed a scale that was accurate. I found it in this Tanita. It also has nice features like body fat measurement and storing 2 differant people's info. My husband and I can both use it! It also has a guest function if I want to just weigh the kids. It was pricier than other scales but well worth the money for an accurate scale with a 3 year warrenty. You can't go wrong!!