Good Value Choice
I previously owned the Tanita 2001 body fat scale. When that one died I upgraded to the 679W Duo model and have been very pleased.
FEATURES
The scale measures weight body fat % and body water %. The scale has 4 metal pads that will send a low-level electrical current through your body. People with higher muscle content will allow the electrical current to traverse their bodies with less resistance than a Mr. McFatty person. The scale measures this resistance and calculates your body fat and hydration levels from it. I have found the weight body fat and body water measurements to be highly accurate when compared to a couple other scales that I've stepped on recently.
EASE OF USE
There are three buttons on the face of the scale right below the display that allow you to input your sex age and height. It's all very simple to make selections and input these data. Along with these three face buttons are three toe buttons at the bottom of the scale. You can store personal info for two users (the sex height and age info) into two of the buttons. Then everyday when you want your measurements if you're User 1 just touch Toe Button 1 or if you're User 2 touch Toe Button 2 and step on the scale. This way you do not have to input all that info every single time (like you need to with the Tanita 2001). This is a great feature. Some other brands or other Tanita models offer 2-10 User Memory but they often do not have corresponding toe buttons which means you still have to bend your fat self down and hit the user button with your finger first. Believe me after 3 days of that you're not going to want to do that anymore.
The third Toe Button is a Weight Toe Button that you can hit if you just want the scale to act as a normal scale. Finally you can bend down and use your fingers to input age height and sex as a one-time use for a guest.
DURABILITY
I've had my scale for 9 months now and it's always worked fine with no problems. It takes 4 AA batteries and I'm still using the ones that came included with the scale despite my nearly daily use. This is much better battery life than the Tanita 2001 model which seemed to only last 4 months or so. You will only need to occasionally wipe off the metal footpads to keep them clean for accurate readings. No big deal.
PROBLEMS/MISCONCEPTIONS
Honestly for about $50 there are no problems with this unit. It's a great buy. However I read some negative reviews here from confused people. First there are warnings all over the box and on the site that tell you not to use this product if you have a pacemaker or internal electronic device that's keeping you alive. This is obviously because it measures your body fat by sending an electrical current through your body. C'mon think people. And this isn't just for the BF679W it's for all "commercial" body fat scales. Second reviewers talk about the consistency of the body fat measurements. Your body fat can fluctuate 1 or 2 percent over the course of the day with these types of electrical conductance measurements based on where your body is currently holding water. If you always take your reading at the same time each night (right before you goto bed is ideal) you'll typically find consistent readings within 0.5% - 1%. If you measure your body fat right after you wake up there will be all kinds of water centrally concentrated in your bladder that will mess up the readings. Again this happens with all commercial body fat scales. Finally it's possible the BF679W tells you that you have 17% body fat and really you have 15% body fat based on thorough measurements from your doctor's office. I still think the number is going to be very close to your real body fat percentage. However this scale will still be able to do a reliable accurate job informing you when you've lost or gained an extra percent or two of body fat over the course of several weeks. So while your absolute body fat numbers could be slightly off with the BF679W your relative gains and losses will still be highly quantifiable with this unit.
Overall this is a outstanding durable scale that delivers dependable readings. I strongly recommend it and would encourage people who are thinking of buying the Tanita 2001 or any other body fat scale that does not have toe buttons to purchase this model instead; it's worth it.More detail ...
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