Customer Reviews

Tanita TBF-542 Body Fat Monitor and Scale

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

 

 

I've used the Tanita products for some time and have always found them exceptionally easy to use. The scale can be customized for different people, allowing you to specify the sex and height for each person. This profile can be accessed by tapping one of the large buttons on the front of the scale with you toe. The buttons press easily and I've never had a problem using them with my foot. Once you get your feet positioned on the scale you will see a readout of your weight and a few seconds after that you'll see a body fat measurement.

The main downside I've had with these products is these consistency of the results (bodyfat in particular, not weight). The bodyfat measurement can fluctuate widely over the course of a day so you must be very careful to take your measurement at the same time every day (the instructions suggest evening is best). Also, the measurements can be influenced by things such as activity and hydration level. If you're involved (or even thinking about becoming involved) with physical activity I'd recommend investing in a model with an "athlete" mode.

I've owned this scale for quite some time now, and have been very happy with it. As someone pointed out, the fat % can vary wildly. I am pretty sure that it's actually measuring water content (read that somewhere in the manual I think), and so if you don't have a stable body-water content, then the percentages will be wildly variable. Most people are dehydrated, I've found, so the numbers are wrong. Once I got back to drinking the amount of water I needed (prob 64oz/day), I've found the numbers to be not only stable, but also close to what a professional measurement will get you.

I recieved this as a christmas gift. It is very easy to use, and very accurate. I had visited a professional body fat tester and had the same numbers as the ones this scale gave. Which was a little depressing as far as my self image goes, but it made me trust the scale.

I really don't care much for the body fat percentage feature. It reminds me of a blood pressure watch I used to have. It varies so much that I'm not sure its really measuring anything. Plus, body fat is something that really doesn't change to any appreciable level daily, you'd need months to get any real percentage changes! I got this product to be a good scale, and it is. The kick buttons are nice initialize the scale, and to see previous weight. If you don't have a big family, you can use two or more (of the five) positions and track your weight loss (or gain) over a longer time.

My last scale from a famous company (which makes a huge number of scales) was bought just over a year ago. For some reason it started weighing everyone 22 pounds less after a couple of weeks. There were no adjustments and settings to change or compensate, it was just automatic. I even called the company and they couldn't give me an answer. Just before I bought the Tanita, I found out. The scale calculated its weights based on inputs from the four legs which were suspended on pins. Early on, the scale must have had the plastic bushing damaged on one of the legs. It probably happened just by dragging the scale to use it on the floor. I found out only after the leg finally fell off. It could not be put on, and I had to trash my expensive scale.

In constast, the Tanita is a well made scale which does not depend on external feet to calculate a weight. I bought this particular version so to get a solid piece of equipment. Most companies cheapen the construction of the lower cost models and they don't hold up. The extra features are nice even if I don't make use of them all. Out of the box it is indeed, a solid, well made instrument, I can believe it will hold up much longer than my last scale.