I have some Salter bathroom digital scales ( £50 worth) that can vary
at the very least by 6 kilos and sometimes more.

This is a common complaint - despite promotional material saying
scales are accurate in practice they are NOT!

So anybody got an idea of how to get a set of scales that actually
measure your weight accurately? Like you get on them 20 times and they
record the same weight?

Andy

On 28/01/2010 18:23, Eusebius wrote:
I have some Salter bathroom digital scales ( £50 worth) that can vary
at the very least by 6 kilos and sometimes more.

This is a common complaint - despite promotional material saying
scales are accurate in practice they are NOT!

So anybody got an idea of how to get a set of scales that actually
measure your weight accurately? Like you get on them 20 times and they
record the same weight?

Andy

Avoid Tefal. I bought one of their electronic bathroom scales and ended
up throwing it into the dustbin after a few months! It was complete
crap. It was like doing step aerobics getting on and off trying to get a
consistent reading - when it could actually be bothered to weigh me
instead of harassing me about saving a previous weight in a memory or
generally giving error messages or no reading at all.
If I tried getting on the scales after my wife had just used them it
used to give the DIFFERENCE in our weights - implying my wife had just
put on a few stones. Those Tefal scales annoyed the hell out of me.

Wouldn't it be nice to have some simple bathroom scales that you could
just step on to and get an accurate reading - and that didn't cost silly
money. Doesn't sound much to ask for. Instead they insert bloody
microprocessors into the damn things nowadays and a pile of crapware to
calculate your BMI index and everything else - and make it downright
difficult to get the one simple thing you want - your weight.

--
David in Normandy.
To e-mail you must include the password FROG on the
subject line, or it will be automatically deleted
by a filter and not reach my inbox.

On Thu, 28 Jan 2010 09:23:44 -0800 (PST), Eusebius
wrote:

I have some Salter bathroom digital scales ( £50 worth) that can vary
at the very least by 6 kilos and sometimes more.

This is a common complaint - despite promotional material saying
scales are accurate in practice they are NOT!

So anybody got an idea of how to get a set of scales that actually
measure your weight accurately? Like you get on them 20 times and they
record the same weight?


Dualit 87003.

I don't trust digital scales at all.

--
Frank Erskine

I don't trust digital scales at all.

What is it about digital scales that gets lost in translation?

I guess you know where you are with levers and pulleys....

Trouble with mechanical scales is you only have one dial to measure 20
or 25 stone or whatever. So you can't physically see the kind of small
increments you want to see if you're on a diet and want to see what
you've lost in a day or two.

I'm sure they have medical scales with digital readouts? These also
have Class 3 and Class 4 categories whatever those are - is this
accuracy or what?

The medical scales I remember (my dad was a doctor) had two weights
you moved across a bar - one course and one fine. That worked!

andy

Eusebius wrote:
I have some Salter bathroom digital scales ( £50 worth) that can vary
at the very least by 6 kilos and sometimes more.

This is a common complaint - despite promotional material saying
scales are accurate in practice they are NOT!

So anybody got an idea of how to get a set of scales that actually
measure your weight accurately? Like you get on them 20 times and they
record the same weight?

What you are after is a set of bathroom scales that are consistent, not
accurate. I have to keep an eye on what my weight is doing, not what I
actually weigh. When I want to know the latter, I go and see the
practice nurse.

Dave

In message
,
Eusebius writes
I have some Salter bathroom digital scales ( £50 worth) that can vary
at the very least by 6 kilos and sometimes more.

This is a common complaint - despite promotional material saying
scales are accurate in practice they are NOT!

So anybody got an idea of how to get a set of scales that actually
measure your weight accurately? Like you get on them 20 times and they
record the same weight?

Nope - currently in the same boat

euphoria displaced by dejection



--
geoff

In message
,
Eusebius writes
I have some Salter bathroom digital scales ( £50 worth) that can vary
at the very least by 6 kilos and sometimes more.

This is a common complaint - despite promotional material saying
scales are accurate in practice they are NOT!

So anybody got an idea of how to get a set of scales that actually
measure your weight accurately? Like you get on them 20 times and they
record the same weight?

We have some of Salter scales, and AFAICT they are fine in terms of
accuracy. Just tried it to confirm, 10 weighings. most were the same, a
couple 100g high, one 200g low.

With a weight of around 86kg gives an accuracy of around +- 2% which
seems reasonable. (well I suppose - consistency really - I've no idea if
I really do weigh that)
--
Chris French

"Eusebius" wrote in message
...
I have some Salter bathroom digital scales ( £50 worth) that can vary
at the very least by 6 kilos and sometimes more.

This is a common complaint - despite promotional material saying
scales are accurate in practice they are NOT!

So anybody got an idea of how to get a set of scales that actually
measure your weight accurately? Like you get on them 20 times and they
record the same weight?

Andy


In general terms, all measurement is approximate. Counting is exact, but all
measurement (which will include the measurement of your body mass) is
approximate.

So any bathroom scale can show you only an approximate result, though some
scales are 'more approximate' than others. One manufacturer of bathroom
scales says that "There is a weight tolerance on the scales of plus or minus
one percent of body weight, plus one scale division". Another manufacturer
says "The weight readings are accurate to plus or minus their graduation".
The graduation on the particular scale I was looking at was 0.1kg.

This information is sometimes printed on the box in which the scales are
packed. Otherwise you have to write to the manufacturer and ask for the
information, though you can sometimes find it on the manufacturer's web
site, e.g. Tanita.

I've been reading reviews of scales, and it looks like the old beam
scale - the one I remember from my Dad's clinic (he was a doctor) - is
STILL the most accurate. I just finished reading the reviews on amazon
for the Health o Meter Physician Balance Beam Scale. The reviews are
saying what I want to hear:

"My strain-gauge bathroom scale as well as the more traditional spring-
loaded one don't give me consistent readings. I could step on and off
all day and never get three consistent readings. Even the range of
readings fluctuates depending on the weather, positioning, stars and
so on. Now about this one:
- This is a balance beam, so you're simply balancing your weight with
the counterweight. There are no springs that get weaker or change with
the weather, no strain gauges that vary based on your foot's proximity
to the corners. Here's how good it is. I drink 24 oz of water after
weighing myself. Step back on and I'm exactly 1.5 lb heavier. I've
never seen a bathroom scale work as well."

http://www.amazon.com/Health-Meter-P...owViewpoints=1

The review also mentions that this model is the same as what I'm
supposing is the Seca:

"This scale is IDENTICAL to the ones you can buy at *********.com for
four hundred dollars more. The markings are the same, the weights are
the same, everything is identical. This is a steal for a real medical
scale. I am not kidding, this is the same one as the medical supply
houses use."

Detailed comparisons -

"If you are looking at purchasing a physician's balance beam scale,
you understand they are more accurate, repeatable, and durable than
other types of scales and over the long run should be cheaper than
replacing the regular strain gauge and digital bathroom scales every
few years. You have three brand choices: Detecto, Health-o-meter, and
Seca. Price isn't a consideration because careful shopping reveals
less than a 15 dollar price difference between these three brands when
one compares the equivalent models. Before choosing, I searched the
net for reviews and information. Finding little, I contacted 7
companies which sell them (5 sold all three, 2 didn't sell Detecto)
and 2 firms which calibrate & repair medical scales. I asked each
which scale they would purchase for their own home and why. On to the
review:

Detecto looked like a winner out of the gate. It is the only brand
made in the U.S.A. However, looking at pictures I found on the net,
the fit and finish did not appear to rise to the level of the other 2
brands. Additionally, no one I contacted recommended Detecto. The
eliminating factor: Detecto has reduced their warranty from the
industry standard 2 years to 1 year. Folks, this happens when the 2-
year warranty is costing them too much money and it doesn't speak well
for their quality.

The Health-o-meter brand is owned by Sunbeam and is made in China. Fit
and finish are very good and it has a 2-year warranty. My parents and
my brother both own Health-o-meter beam scales and highly recommended
them. Additionally, none of those I contacted had anything bad to say
about them. One put it best when he said the Health-o-meter vs. Seca
was basically a Ford vs. Chevy argument. I do not believe one could go
wrong purchasing the Health-o-meter model. They are great scales and
should serve the needs of anyone for many years to come. If you buy a
Health-o-meter make sure to get the 402kl or the 402lb since they are
the best of the line (the EXP is not as sturdy and the CERT model is
not worth the extra money).

Seca is a German company and the 700 model is made in China. Fit and
finish are excellent and it has a 2-year warranty (the 5-year warranty
listed all over the web is not accurate, call Seca if you don't
believe me). All 700s have integrated wheels (optional and costs extra
on the other 2 brands). Additionally, everyone I contacted chose Seca
over Health-o-meter. Most chose on the basis of its modern, less
clinical appearance, several felt it would be more durable in the long
run because it outweighs the other 2 brands by at least 10 pounds, and
one said she had never had a Seca returned."

In message
,
Eusebius writes
I have some Salter bathroom digital scales ( £50 worth) that can vary
at the very least by 6 kilos and sometimes more.

This is a common complaint - despite promotional material saying
scales are accurate in practice they are NOT!

So anybody got an idea of how to get a set of scales that actually
measure your weight accurately? Like you get on them 20 times and they
record the same weight?

Do not use spring balance scales on carpet and make sure the feet are
all in contact with the floor when calibrating.

regards

--
Tim Lamb

On Jan 28, 11:23*am, Eusebius wrote:
I have some Salter bathroom digital scales ( £50 worth) that can vary
at the very least by 6 kilos and sometimes more.

This is a common complaint - despite promotional material saying
scales are accurate in practice they are NOT!

So anybody got an idea of how to get a set of scales that actually
measure your weight accurately? Like you get on them 20 times and they
record the same weight?

Andy

Every analog dial scale in the US ive ever seen has a calibration dial
somewhere, to know your weight get on a good scale, like when you see
the doctor.

"ransley" wrote in message
...

Every analog dial scale in the US ive ever seen has a calibration dial
somewhere, to know your weight get on a good scale, like when you see
the doctor.

But don't forget your weight fluctuates quite a bit over a day, so comparing
weight at the doctor's to bathtime at home isn't going to be that helpful.

On Thu, 28 Jan 2010 21:47:38 +0000, geoff wrote:

In message
,
Eusebius writes
I have some Salter bathroom digital scales ( £50 worth) that can vary
at the very least by 6 kilos and sometimes more.

This is a common complaint - despite promotional material saying
scales are accurate in practice they are NOT!

So anybody got an idea of how to get a set of scales that actually
measure your weight accurately? Like you get on them 20 times and they
record the same weight?

Nope - currently in the same boat

euphoria displaced by dejection

In Wilkinsons there was a digital scale that was, IIRC, about £9 - £10. It
had none of the fancy crap (blubber-watchers etc.) and, for that price,
would at least be simple and probably no more inaccurate than the £50
version.
--
Peter.
2x4 - thick plank; 4x4 - two of 'em.

I'm doing ongoing research and talking to sales and service people
about medical scales. Seems that Class 3 is the key to this - it is
required for any NHS scale. If my information is correct this means a
repeatability of +- 100g. I'm a bit cloudy about that since one Seca
model recommended to me was said to be +- 200g which is a range of
400g. That's not too much better than what I have now. I weighed
myself on my present Salter scale about 10 times and the range was
400g.

One model which is generally recommended is the Seca 877 at about £199
inc VAT. That's Class 3. Supposed to be better repeatability through
better construction and parts. Forsprung durch teknik.

Salesmen and service engineers generally thought the modern digital
scales were better over time than the mechanical beam scales whichj
eventually wear. But reviewers still praise the accuracy of those old
beam scales.

What I'm actually wondering is whether the cheap solution is to take
20 readouts of the scales I have and take the average. Trouble is they
kind of "stick" at certain weights rather than giving a range. Like
you get 5 readings of xxx.2g and then another five at xxx.5g. REally
impossible to know where you are. Maybe the Seca 877 is a big
improvement - it's Class 3 after all.

andy

Every analog dial scale in the US ive ever seen has a calibration dial
somewhere, to know your weight get on a good scale, like when you see
the doctor.

Good point, and I've done that. But accuracy has 2 aspects - absolute
accuracy and repeatability. It's the repeatability that's the problem.
If your repeatability is only accurate over a 400g range, how do you
know where in that range it corresponds to the medical scales?

andy

Eusebius :
So anybody got an idea of how to get a set of scales that actually
measure your weight accurately? Like you get on them 20 times and they
record the same weight?

I've got no complaints about our digital scales, which we've had for
about six years. I've just carried out a test for you (on, weigh, wait
for auto power-off, repeat) and my patience ran to only six weighings
but the results were consistent: 80.05 Kg every time. The brand is
Soehnle and they were bought from John Lewis.

Funny how we still say "they" when there's nothing plural about them.

--
Mike Barnes

I've got no complaints about our digital scales, which we've had for
about six years. I've just carried out a test for you (on, weigh, wait
for auto power-off, repeat) and my patience ran to only six weighings
but the results were consistent: 80.05 Kg every time. The brand is
Soehnle and they were bought from John Lewis.

Funny how we still say "they" when there's nothing plural about them.

--
Mike Barnes

That's better accuracy than I'm getting for sure. Just talked to some
more medical salesmen and they all recommend the Seca 877.
That's the Class 3 version. There's a "Health" version - the 876 -
which is apparently identical but just hasn't been put through the
Class 3 validation.

andy

In article
s.com, Eusebius writes

So anybody got an idea of how to get a set of scales that actually
measure your weight accurately?

Yes. Make sure they are placed in the same location each time. I was
plagued with this until I worked out that it's necessary to position
them accurately.

Put them on a hard floor. Carpet wrecks the reliability.

--
Mike Tomlinson

In article
s.com, Eusebius writes

Like
you get 5 readings of xxx.2g and then another five at xxx.5g. REally
impossible to know where you are.

It's silly to try and get accurate readings using cheap scales at that
kind of resolution. It's too affected by different factors - the scales,
the surface they're on, whether you've been for your morning
constitutional or not, the phase of the moon, etc.

My view is that you should set a target weight and as long as your
weight is within a range (say +/- 2kg of the target), get on with your
life. For instance, I aim at 75kg; if I'm a bit lower, I know I can
have a treat, if it's high, it's time to knock off the ale for a few
days. Seems to work for me.

--
Mike Tomlinson

In article , Mike Barnes
writes

The brand is
Soehnle and they were bought from John Lewis.

Mine are Soehnle too,. I bought them half price in Munich. Comes with
all sorts of bells and whistles (measures body fat, BMI etc) but I only
use the basic weighing function.

--
Mike Tomlinson

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Eusebius
saying something like:

So anybody got an idea of how to get a set of scales that actually
measure your weight accurately? Like you get on them 20 times and they
record the same weight?

I have basic digital Salter model 9014 scales that have been consistent
and reliable for the past six months. From Argos, about 20quid or less.

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Mike Tomlinson
saying something like:

It's silly to try and get accurate readings using cheap scales at that
kind of resolution. It's too affected by different factors - the scales,
the surface they're on, whether you've been for your morning
constitutional or not, the phase of the moon, etc.

My view is that you should set a target weight and as long as your
weight is within a range (say +/- 2kg of the target), get on with your
life. For instance, I aim at 75kg; if I'm a bit lower, I know I can
have a treat, if it's high, it's time to knock off the ale for a few
days. Seems to work for me.

I agree with all of the above.
I weigh once a week during this weight loss phase and notice a 1kg
difference between late evening and morning weight - for consistency I
stick to the evening routine, but if I want a cheery day I do it in the
morning
After an initial flurry of enthusiasm, I came to the realisation that
the scales are much more important for indicating a trend, rather than
pinpoint accuracy. A steady loss of 0.3kg a week is good enough for me,
but if I really go for it 1kg/week is easily attainable.

A steady loss of 0.3kg a week is good enough for me,
but if I really go for it 1kg/week is easily attainable.

I think if you're dieting seriously you can go for a loss of 150g per
day. A "reasonable" diet would be 100g per day.

But the whole question is sustaining it. I've certainly been told by
my weight coach - yes I have coaching from a very good
coach who herself lost a considerable amouont - that it's the trend
that counts and daily weighing is deceptive.
But right now I'm trying to get the food content of my diet right, so
daily weighing gives me some idea of how effective the diet is and
what I have to change

andy

Eusebius :
I've certainly been told by
my weight coach - yes I have coaching from a very good
coach who herself lost a considerable amouont - that it's the trend
that counts and daily weighing is deceptive.

Daily weighing is deceptive if you think it reflects your daily
activities. But it's actually better than weekly weighing to establish
the longer term trend, as long as you ignore the inevitable short-term
variations. Think about it, which is more representative - one weekly
weighing or the average of seven daily weighings?

--
Mike Barnes

Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Mike Tomlinson
saying something like:

It's silly to try and get accurate readings using cheap scales at that
kind of resolution. It's too affected by different factors - the scales,
the surface they're on, whether you've been for your morning
constitutional or not, the phase of the moon, etc.

My view is that you should set a target weight and as long as your
weight is within a range (say +/- 2kg of the target), get on with your
life. For instance, I aim at 75kg; if I'm a bit lower, I know I can
have a treat, if it's high, it's time to knock off the ale for a few
days. Seems to work for me.

I agree with all of the above.
I weigh once a week during this weight loss phase and notice a 1kg
difference between late evening and morning weight - for consistency I
stick to the evening routine, but if I want a cheery day I do it in the
morning

I was always advised to weigh myself in the morning, as soon as I got
up. Don't know why, but I have done this for years.

After an initial flurry of enthusiasm, I came to the realisation that
the scales are much more important for indicating a trend, rather than
pinpoint accuracy. A steady loss of 0.3kg a week is good enough for me,
but if I really go for it 1kg/week is easily attainable.

At the age of 63 I am more interested in the weight loss that cancer can
do and I keep an eye on my weight with that in mind. Though I am not
eating all that well, my weight has only dropped by about 4 pounds over
the last 6 months.

Dave

Eusebius wrote:
A steady loss of 0.3kg a week is good enough for me,
but if I really go for it 1kg/week is easily attainable.

I think if you're dieting seriously you can go for a loss of 150g per
day. A "reasonable" diet would be 100g per day.

But the whole question is sustaining it. I've certainly been told by
my weight coach - yes I have coaching from a very good
coach who herself lost a considerable amouont - that it's the trend
that counts and daily weighing is deceptive.

That is what I have been taught. The daily weight can vary by so many
factors.

But right now I'm trying to get the food content of my diet right, so
daily weighing gives me some idea of how effective the diet is and
what I have to change

Are you sure about that? I would tend to make a graph of the daily
weight change and look at the trend. A graph will tell you so much more.

Dave

Mike Tomlinson wrote:
In article
s.com, Eusebius writes

So anybody got an idea of how to get a set of scales that actually
measure your weight accurately?

Yes. Make sure they are placed in the same location each time. I was
plagued with this until I worked out that it's necessary to position
them accurately.

Put them on a hard floor. Carpet wrecks the reliability.

Can you say by how much? I weigh myself on a bath mat under the scales.

Dave

Mike Barnes wrote:
Eusebius :
So anybody got an idea of how to get a set of scales that actually
measure your weight accurately? Like you get on them 20 times and they
record the same weight?

I've got no complaints about our digital scales, which we've had for
about six years. I've just carried out a test for you (on, weigh, wait
for auto power-off, repeat) and my patience ran to only six weighings
but the results were consistent: 80.05 Kg every time. The brand is
Soehnle and they were bought from John Lewis.

Funny how we still say "they" when there's nothing plural about them.

Not really, when you think about old fashioned scales.

They had a beam at the top and two pans. One to put weights on and the
other to put the weights on. That is where the pair comes from.

Dave

Eusebius wrote on Jan 28, 2010:

I have some Salter bathroom digital scales ( £50 worth) that can vary
at the very least by 6 kilos and sometimes more.

This is a common complaint - despite promotional material saying
scales are accurate in practice they are NOT!

So anybody got an idea of how to get a set of scales that actually
measure your weight accurately? Like you get on them 20 times and they
record the same weight?

Andy

For really accurate measurements you need class III medically certified
scales. Unfortunately these will cost £500 or more for the electronic type.
Seca make these but also produce uncertified scales for much less which I
think are in practice just as accurate.

I have a set of these:
https://www.seca-online.com/index.php?id=1874&L=1&C=uk
which cost around £150

They are metric only but seem very accurate. The only snag I find with them
is that they don't have any 'lock-on' mechanism, so unless you can keep
*very* still when standing on them, the reading jitters around a bit.

--
Mike Lane
UK North Yorkshire
email: mike_lane at mac dot com

On 29/01/2010 10:29, Mike Barnes wrote:
:
So anybody got an idea of how to get a set of scales that actually
measure your weight accurately? Like you get on them 20 times and they
record the same weight?

I've got no complaints about our digital scales, which we've had for
about six years. I've just carried out a test for you (on, weigh, wait
for auto power-off, repeat) and my patience ran to only six weighings
but the results were consistent: 80.05 Kg every time. The brand is
Soehnle and they were bought from John Lewis.

Funny how we still say "they" when there's nothing plural about them.

Part of work deals with a piece of software called ScalesLink which
(wait for it...) links to a paint scale. Always have to pinch myself as
to whether there is or is not that middle 's'. (And with or without that
's' it is awkward to pronounce.)

--
Rod

On 29 Jan, 10:29, Mike Barnes wrote:
but the results were consistent: 80.05 Kg every time.

That should have made you suspicious. Some digital scales use a
software 'trick' to make them appear more consistent than they are.
They remember the previous reading, and if the next weighing ends up
with a result near to the previous one (up to some pre-programmed
difference) they simply display the previous reading again!

We have two sets of Salter digital scales and they both do it.
Repeating precisely the same value multiple times, as you describe, is
a sure sign that this technique is being employed.

Richard.
http://www.rtrussell.co.uk/

Richard Russell :
On 29 Jan, 10:29, Mike Barnes wrote:
but the results were consistent: 80.05 Kg every time.

That should have made you suspicious. Some digital scales use a
software 'trick' to make them appear more consistent than they are.
They remember the previous reading, and if the next weighing ends up
with a result near to the previous one (up to some pre-programmed
difference) they simply display the previous reading again!

We have two sets of Salter digital scales and they both do it.
Repeating precisely the same value multiple times, as you describe, is
a sure sign that this technique is being employed.

Clever stuff. The display even occasionally flickers 80.00 or 80.10 if I
shift my weight around. Now *that's* attention to detail!

--
Mike Barnes

Richard Russell wrote on Jan 29, 2010:

On 29 Jan, 10:29, Mike Barnes wrote:
but the results were consistent: 80.05 Kg every time.

That should have made you suspicious. Some digital scales use a
software 'trick' to make them appear more consistent than they are.
They remember the previous reading, and if the next weighing ends up
with a result near to the previous one (up to some pre-programmed
difference) they simply display the previous reading again!

We have two sets of Salter digital scales and they both do it.
Repeating precisely the same value multiple times, as you describe, is
a sure sign that this technique is being employed.

Richard.
http://www.rtrussell.co.uk/

I've noticed this too. I think it's universal in all the consumer
Chinese-made scales selling for less than £50 or so. They probably all use
the same chip for the A to D conversion

--
Mike Lane
UK North Yorkshire
email: mike_lane at mac dot com

On Fri, 29 Jan 2010 11:41:39 +0000 Mike Tomlinson wrote :
My view is that you should set a target weight and as long as your
weight is within a range (say +/- 2kg of the target), get on with
your life.

Although like lots of guys I stay away from doctors, I gave in to
the suggestion that getting my new GP here in Melbourne to check me
over would not be a bad idea. When it came to weight I said somewhat
defensively that I realised that my weight (90kg) was as the top of
end of acceptable for my height (1.9m). My new GP smiled and said,
"don't worry: more than half of all Australian men of your age are
overweight. That makes your weight below average ... just keep it
that way"

--
Tony Bryer, Greentram: 'Software to build on' Melbourne, Australia
www.superbeam.co.uk www.superbeam.com www.greentram.com

"Eusebius" wrote in message
...
I have some Salter bathroom digital scales ( £50 worth) that can vary
at the very least by 6 kilos and sometimes more.

This is a common complaint - despite promotional material saying
scales are accurate in practice they are NOT!

So anybody got an idea of how to get a set of scales that actually
measure your weight accurately? Like you get on them 20 times and they
record the same weight?

Andy

Lots of bathroom scales have a kind of springy pin on the base. This type
are
supposed to work on hard flooring only. If your bathroom is carpetted or
has
badly fitting vinyl..or if floor tiles are not fitted perfectly you will get
varying readings.

Arthur

I didn't know about that chip that repeats previous readings - that
REALLY explains things! I think I've noticed this and a work-around
I've found is to tap the scales to activate it, then just put one foot
on it - should measure about 30k. This seems to clear something - then
get on the scales and weight yourself.

Today I got a reading 6k less than yesterday!!!!! Time to do
something. Check the battery first.

In response to the hard floor point, the scales are on a hard floor in
the bathroom.

andy

Funny how we still say "they" when there's nothing plural about them.

Not really, when you think about old fashioned scales.

They had a beam at the top and two pans. One to put weights on and the
other to put the weights on. That is where the pair comes from.

Dave

And the word scales comes from the same root as shell and skull and
relates to the bowls of the scales of which there were/are two.

Pete

Richard Russell wrote:

but the results were consistent: 80.05 Kg every time.

That should have made you suspicious. Some digital scales use a
software 'trick' to make them appear more consistent than they are.
They remember the previous reading, and if the next weighing ends up
with a result near to the previous one (up to some pre-programmed
difference) they simply display the previous reading again!

I have a Tefal Contour digital scales which does not seem to have this,
eg if I weigh myself and then weigh again with a dressing-gown on,
it shows an extra 1lb.
This scales seems remarkably consistent, even in a carpeted bathroom.

My only minor complaint about it is that the Tefal web-site
says there is a switch somewhere to change from pounds to kilos,
but if so I cannot find it.


--
Timothy Murphy
e-mail: gayleard /at/ eircom.net
tel: +353-86-2336090, +353-1-2842366
s-mail: School of Mathematics, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland

On 28/01/2010 23:54 Tim Lamb wrote:

Do not use spring balance scales on carpet

I've seen this advice before but cannot see the reasoning behind it. If
all of the feet on the scales are in contact with the carpet, and the
rest of the scales is clear of the carpet, then the weight registered by
the scales must just the same as if they were on a hard surface...

--
F

In message
Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Eusebius
saying something like:

So anybody got an idea of how to get a set of scales that actually
measure your weight accurately? Like you get on them 20 times and they
record the same weight?

I have basic digital Salter model 9014 scales that have been consistent
and reliable for the past six months. From Argos, about 20quid or less.

A suggestion rather than a recommendation (I bought the 8964U model
for the first aid room at work).

Weigh****chers 8962U. I don't know if they are Class 3, but they do
have a 10 year guarantee.

Looked at a few websites. These seem to be the cheapest
http://www.bargainpod.co.uk/weight-w...ales-521-p.asp

Note - some online sellers have 'graded stock' with a 12 month
guarantee.

Moan Why don't these websites be upfront about their post/packing
charges? On some websites you have give your name/address before
getting to the part of the checkout that tells you the p/p charges.

The 8964U has 4 load cells so *should* be more repeatable.

Ebay £21 inc postage for a "graded" one
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Weigh****chers...em20a df86cae
may not wrap - try http://tinyurl.com/preview.php?num=ww8964u

Barry
--
You will know happy motorcyclist by the insects on his teeth.