Tanita 2001W-B Ultimate Body Fat Bathroom Scale, White - Product Review

Depending on how you feel about your weight, using the scale could be a satisfying or depressing prospect. Many fall into the latter category, including myself. When I know I'm packing on the pounds, I do what we all do and avoid the scale altogether. However, it's another story when I'm on a health kick. Grey skies clear up and I jump on that sucker as often as possible. It's amazing that a lousy scale should motivate me in this way, but chronicling weight loss really melts my Smart Balance Butter. It validates my commitment and achievement.

I suppose I'm a bit of a freak for admitting that previous sentence, but seriously people, don't hate because I'm skinny. Hate because I have the Tanita UltimateScale 2001, a digital weight measuring device that also purports to measure body fat to provide an overall picture of health and fitness for its user.

The UtlimateScale operates on 4 AA batteries and sports a hard, plastic shell with metallic electrodes on which the ball and heel of the feet rest. Because weight is registered digitally, there's a start switch located on the bottom right hand corner of the measuring platform and it's powered on by a press of the toe. Place your bare feet on the electrodes and wait a few seconds as the scale displays your weight in half pound increments. The scale shuts down automatically after the measuring process is complete. The scale can also switch modes to read kilograms as well as st-lb.

To get accurate readings, the instruction manual recommends that weight measuring be conducted at the same time of day over a period of time, and usually about three hours after rising, eating or hard exercise. In preparation for this review, I have weighed myself at 9:30pm every other evening for the past 10 days. With the new exercise and diet regimen I've recently adopted, the readings were consistent and it reflected the gradual weight loss I've been undergoing (2 lbs in the past ten days).

The scale can also read body fat percentage via BIA (Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis) method. After entering some personal data into the scale, a safe, low-level electrical current is passed through the body to determine a percentage value. I suppose it's a great health and fitness tool, but I honestly never use it. Even the instruction manual warns that body fat percentage fluctuates throughout the day, and an accurate reading is usually hampered by the body's hydration levels. For me, I regard it strictly as a window dressing feature.

The real reason why I recommend this scale is because the 2001 model has been on the market for quite some time and as such, the price has dropped dramatically. After many years marked by alternating periods of frequent use and hibernation, the scale has consistently performed its sole duty of gauging my weight.