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82 of 92 people found the following review helpful.
All-in-One Scale: Accurate, Consistent, Sturdy, Modern.
By Cindy Reed
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/RP98BILYUNW1A I found this scale has two colors to select from: Silver and Black. FYI, the black one with same excellent performence is here: BalanceFrom High Accuracy Digital Bathroom Scale with 4.3" Extra Large Cool Blue Backlight Display and "Smart Step-On" Technology [NEWEST VERSION] (Black). I bought a silver one from Amazon.com in November, 2012. It works great. With "Smart Step-On" technology, you simply step on the scale and you will get instant readings. The Auto-Calibration makes this scale more accurate and convenient. This scale has a 4.3'' large cool blue backlit display, the font size is really big and the numbers are in bold style. It's very easy for me to read my weight with these features. I would recommend it to anyone.******Update @ Feb. 15, 2013It has been more than three months since I got the scale. The scale is working great. I am uploading a video here to show you how accurate and consistent it is. I bought a black one for my Dad two weeks ago since that's his favorite color. When I compared 2 scales side by side, BOTH scales gave me the same accurate and consistent results. The black one looks great too, but I just like the silver color.-Accuracy: It gives me same readings with the one in my doctor's office and the one in local gym. I am so happy with it. I believe this is the most important property of a scale.-Consistency: I weighed myself several times in a row and got exact same readings (Shown in the video). It never fluctuate within a short period of time (10~20 minutes). When it comes to consistency, this scale does even better than my doctor's scale. This is very important too.-Safety: I can see the platform is very thick and sturdy. The scale is heavy(6 pounds). It is well made and I feel safe when I stand on it.-Appearance: I think it's beautiful. Modern design with giant display. I love the display and how those big numbers are showing on it. I can easily read my weights at any light conditions. The platform is big enough for my Dad's big feet.-Price: It's currently selling at $25 with free shipping. It's a good deal for me. Think about it's properties, definitely worthwhile.-Cons: None so far.
42 of 47 people found the following review helpful.
An accurate and slick looking product at an unbeatable price!
By D. Roberts
I'm known as "Mr. Critical" for a reason, so let's dive in, shall we?PACKAGING: The scales (two) arrived well packed and double-boxed (always good). Being that the scale itself is so heavy, I can understanding the minimal use of cardboard support in the manufacturer's box, but hey, it works.ZEROING OUT: All digital scales need to be zeroed out, and this one is no different. Though it doesn't require the "tap-once" mechanism, it in fact does need to zero out. It isn't a big deal, but I would have liked to have seen the manufacturer write something like this in the instructions: "Place the scale on a flat surface and step on it until it displays a value (but disregard the measurement). Step off and wait for the screen to turn off. The scale is now properly zeroed out. You may now weigh yourself by simply stepping back on the scale."I noticed it because the first measurement was WAY off, but subsequent measurements were very consistent. To test my hypothesis that the scale zeros out every time you step off, I placed a small padded 5-pound weight on the center of the scale, then weighed myself (obviously, it read 5 pounds higher). Next, I stepped off but *left the 5-pound weight on the scale*. This time, it seemed to take a bit longer to shut off (again, my theory is that it was zeroing itself). When I stepped back on (with the weight still in-place), the scale display my true weight, zeroing out the extra 5 pounds I had left on it. Super! Plus, it was fun to remove the weight while the scale was off, and see me drop 5 pounds so quickly (if only!).This isn't good or bad, just a bit of insight on how well it's designed (it zeros out after every "real" measurement).ACCURACY: I don't have any weights of appropriate calibration standards to test the accuracy of this scale, but I was able to perform two tests:1. Since I had two units side-by-side, comparison was a snap. Results? Spot-on!2. With my two hand-held 5-pound weights, it was easy to see if the scale can accurately report a 10-pound weight loss (when the weights are put down and I step back on). Again, the results were perfect; I lost 10 pounds in 15 seconds. I'm enjoying these sudden weight losses (second one now) way too much.So...very good!CONSISTENCY: Anyone who has owned a cheap scale in the past knows the aggravation of getting 3 different readings in a row. Which do you believe? Are you supposed to get out a calculator and average them out?A previous scale I had did what I would consider a sneaky little trick to appear consistent, but in fact it was horribly wrong. It stored the last weight measured (for at least several minutes), and if you stepped back on, it simply displayed the same weight over and over. Unless the weight difference was greater than about 3-5 pounds, it would still give the same results. Garbage!This scale doesn't do that, but it does have what I would call "hysteresis", where if you step on it while lit, it tends to "pull" closer to the previous measurement than simply measuring you from scratch. It's kind of like a magnet, where if the weight is far from the previous one, it will read normally. But as it gets closer to the previous reading, you can actually see the display gravitating towards the first result.In my opinion this is perfectly fine, because it helps the scale compensate for slight differences in foot position (especially if you are not following the instructions), and because frankly, it shouldn't be needed. If you're really dead-set on getting a fresh reading every time, pick up a 5-pound weight to force it off, then put it down and weigh yourself again.There you go! On the other hand, if you're so fanatical about your weight that you need to measure yourself many times, it might be a better indication of a mental health issue than an actual weight issue. I don't say this in jest, because people with serious mental illnesses (bulimia and/or OCD) could become obsessed if the scale didn't behave in the way it's programmed.PRECISION: At first I was disappointed that the scale only measured in 2/10th's of a pound, but then I realized that my own OCD was kicking in, and to give the scale a break. Heck, you can loose a pound just from sleeping (exhaled vapor/water), so precision less than 2/10th's is not an issue.RANGE: Surprisingly, this scale can measure up to 400 lbs. Wow! In fact I know someone who really could use this, and I sent them the Amazon link to this product earlier today. They weight something over 300 lbs, which makes it difficult (and embarrassing) to find someplace to be measured accurately. Well, now you have a choice in the privacy of your own home. A+FLEXIBILITY: Here I'm considering the scale itself, and the user. As far as the scale goes, it's a bit too heavy to be a "slide out and weigh yourself" type scale, so that rules out sitting next to the bathroom sink. I'm resigned to keeping it in a spare room where it can remain stationary (this is very good for the scale to maintain it's accuracy of course, because you're not constantly shifting or pulling on it).For users, I weighed myself facing the display, sideways (both directions), and backwards. The scale was accurate until I stood backwards, and then it measured about 2/10'ths higher. While typing this review, I tried it again with the same results, which is odd. But, nobody suggests you stand backwards on it, and despite a wide variety of foot placement facing forward, the scale was 100% consistent. Note that I used my hand-held weights between these tests, to prevent the scale from using the last memorized weight (see "CONSISTENCY" above).EXTRAS: The scale comes with batteries (Yay!), and a "waist" tape measure. The tape measure is a nice touch, however, I did find that the loose end fit VERY tight in one I received (in the empty hole after you wrap it around you), and a little snug in the other. One can observe the problem in that when the two halves are glued together, if one half is a tad offset, it makes the hole tighter. [Solution: Take a 5/16" drill bit, not a drill, just the bit itself, and insert it into the hole while rotating clockwise by hand a few times. Perfect!] I went through this extra work because I like this little gadget (never had one before), and I don't want the tape to rip from tugging on it so hard. Now it slides in very easily.There are guides on how to do this, but here's what I personally do:1. I take off my shirt and stand in front of a mirror2. With the holder in my right hand, I pull the loose end around my back to my left side3. After sucking in my gut (which is why I bought the scale, right?), I slide the loose end into the hole4. Looking in the mirror, I confirm the tape is level on my left and right side.5. I relax my stomach muscles completely until the unit stops clicking.6. To release tension, I suck in my gut again and remove the loose end (easy now with my tip!)7. I read the measurement, "sigh", and then press the retract button.SUPPORT: There are no phone numbers in the manual (bummer), but a very quick and responsive email address. I had a question about one the scales, and received a very long and thorough reply the same day. Fantastic!WHO COULD USE THIS: Anyone who is sick of ordinary scales that are far from accurate, people on a strict weight-loss program, and those who cannot weight themselves on ordinary home scales (because they weight more than 300 lbs).TRIVIA: As of this review, this scale is selling on Amazon for $25, which qualifies for free shipping. I have absolutely NO CLUE how the company is making money such a terrific product at this price-point.BOTTOM LINE: It's a keeper, and I highly recommend it!
26 of 31 people found the following review helpful.
It's the Service that Counts
By Edward Dietrich
Many companies claim to have excellent customer service; they stand by their product, they'll take care of the customer, etc. Unfortunately, this simply isn't the case in the vast majority of times people lay claim to this aspect of their product. This review is more about the service than the scale--but I'll get to the scale too. For just a summary, scroll to the summary part, but this next bit is worth reading.First of all, the scale got here very fast. Plus, free shipping and $25 for the product can't be beat. We'll start there. You can go to Walmart and buy something for $25 but it won't be a scale like this. When our scale arrived, I remarked about some imperfections that appeared to be part of the manufacturing process that immediately drew some negative attention from me. I popped in the batteries, had myself a weigh-in and got a nice LCD readout telling me that I was about 10 lbs lighter than what I thought I was. Awesome! The scale surface looks and feels durable, though the plastic underneath does not. (It's really that surface that matters, though.) Unfortunately for my wife and I, after several days of using the scale, we knew something was wrong. Each weigh-in had drastically different results. We'd gain and lose pounds just by staring at the scale and re-weighing ourselves. Something was most certainly wrong with the scale.It was around this time I got an email from the company who sells this scale. They were simply requesting I provide them some feedback on Amazon as to my feelings on the scale. I replied to the email that the scale was unsatisfactory and was most certainly defective. At this point in time, in the relationship with a customer and a company, things can go one of two ways. The customer can be satisfied, or the customer can be unsatisfied. It's that simple. The company has a choice to make--they can ensure customer satisfaction, or just not care. I am happy to say that BalanceFrom, and specifically, Doug from BalanceFrom, have been some of the greatest people to work with in a situation like this.Doug assured me that they would do everything in their power to ensure my satisfaction. Typically, this is something any company says but rarely delivers to the full extent. Not Doug, and not BalanceFrom. These guys emailed me multiple times to ensure they had the right information, the right address, etc. They asked me what I wanted; stating that they'd accommodate and request I had in regards to a replacement or a refund. Well--we just wanted a scale that works. BalanceFrom / Doug, had a new scale overnighted to me at no cost.Furthermore, they didn't even care about the old scale; keep it, they said, "we want there to be no inconvenience on your part at all." To me, this is above and beyond. This speaks tremendous volumes about the company. They ate the cost of one scale, the cost of overnighting the new scale, and they gift wrapped the new scale as a little extra touch. Let me say, this little gift wrapping gesture was not only appreciated, but took us aback a little bit. This was something someone had to specifically instruct in order for the product to be sent to us in this fashion. This wasn't some edict handed down to some customer service rep and they pressed a button to get a new scale shipped; someone put time and thought into sending this new version to us--the little things matter a great deal.Onto the scale. The new scale works great! With the new scale, we were able to verify that there, indeed, was some sort of defect in the old scale as the weights the two scales give are different. The new scale gives consistent (and accurate) readouts on every weigh-in and even has a brighter backlit display than the old one. Hey, I understand the business of manufacturing; defects happen, they just do. Sometimes it happens to you. Again, it's the company that can determine how things go after that (to which I've already gushed BalanceFrom's praises)! There were no physical oddities on the new scale which had alarmed me about the old one, the platform is super heavy duty and feels nice and sturdy, and it's got a nice low profile for easy storage in various places.Had I never had an issue with the first scale, I would have left a passive review about how the scale met our expectations. However, because there was an issue, I had the opportunity to see, first hand, what incredible customer service is all about. Get the scale, don't get the scale, whatever--but if you want to make sure you will get something that works, and a company that *really* stands behind their product, buy this scale. The worst case scenario is that the company will refund your money, or replace your scale for free. That really can't be beat. For me, it's the service that counts.SUMMARYPros:Top-notch customer service!! (This is important--see above if you skipped to this part!)The scale is just cool looking.Bright, clear LCD display.Heavy-duty standing surface.It's $25. I mean, humans blow $25 on a trip to McDonald's with the fam.Cons:Really, none that would pertain to a potential customer. You can't lose. If the scale is broke, you can get your money back or get a new one.- Anthony Dietrich
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Got one from Home Depot:((
