A colorful, deluxe scale that also measures your body-fat percentage!
Written: Sep 15 '05 (Updated Oct 06 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Relatively precise weighing (to .2 lb.). Color-LCD display brightly legible even in darkness. Nice styling.
Cons: Nothing major. My unit initially had a minor glitch (it soon disappeared & hasn’t reoccurred).
The Bottom Line: For under $40, a satisfying, deluxe product. Should harmonize with most rooms’ décor. Can work in "scale only" mode OR can consecutively display your weight, body-fat percentage, and body-water percentage.
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| henry_thoreau's Full Review: Taylor #5563 Body Fat Analyzer Scale with Multi Co... |
I bought this handsome scale several months ago for $38.86 at my local (Kansas City area) Wal-Mart. Given that this rather unusually configured unit actually looks even nicer "up close" than in the wee photo via the manufacturer, perhaps your best bet would be to proceed to your local Wal-Mart store to see if it currently stocks this Taylor "5563" model. (Note: as of this writing, I don't yet see it included at Wal-Mart's web site, so you should indeed just double-check if it's on the shelf at your nearest neighborhood store.)
[NOTE: My Wal-Mart likewise carries a still cheaper "body-fat analyzer" scale (Taylor model 5553), but that unit appears far less feature-laden than this model 5563, and, given the rather modest difference in cost, I feel that this 5563 provides, by far, the better overall "bang for your buck."]
Unlike some other scales, this model uses an alkaline, 9-volt battery (included) instead of a "lifetime" (lithium) battery. Evidently, having to change the battery (presumably at very rare intervals) is the price you pay in order to enjoy this model's deluxe, color-LCD display WITH BACKLIGHTING. The latter feature is very significant IF you will ever use this product in any setting where lighting is extremely subdued (or even totally absent). Unlike ordinary, cheaper LCD displays, the 5563's "backlit" display is brightly and colorfully visible in virtually any situation, albeit perhaps in very bright sunlight (as on an outdoor deck or patio) it would, obviously, not be nearly as legible as ordinary, cheap, monochrome-LCD displays. Therefore, do consider location when deciding which type of scale to buy.
Regarding selectable units of weight measurement, the underside of this scale includes a tiny, three-position, slide switch to select between "pounds", "kilograms," or "stone-pound" settings. The switch comes factory-set in the "pounds" mode, which is the only mode I've personally used.
The nine-volt battery compartment is likewise beneath the unit. When the battery power runs low, a "Lo" indicator will appear on the LCD display.
Personally, I find this scale pleasingly styled, although that is, naturally, a matter of individual taste. This unit's uniquely, subtly sculpted, curving edges and its four silvery, metal rings (on which users place their feet) might not appeal to everybody. On the other hand, I can't imagine anyone objecting to the white-plastic platform or the look of the backlit, color-LCD display that includes little, illuminated "bar graphs" to help you interpret your body-fat and body-water percentages. (The included instruction manual has further information regarding those matters, albeit said information, while certainly sufficient and, on the whole, satisfying, seems composed in a somewhat perfunctory fashion and perhaps a bit too concise for my rambling sensibilities! Accordingly, you may wish to consult the Internet, library books, and/or your doctor for more detailed interpretation of the body fat and body water-percentage readings that this product provides.)
The Taylor 5563 determines your weight via its touted "high-precision, strain-gauge technology". It displays your weight (and is presumably accurate) to within ".2 of a pound" (unless your bulk is greater than 220 pounds, in which case it is displayed in half-pound increments up to the scale's maximum capacity of 330 pounds). Personally, having long been accustomed to my cheaper Taylor "7000" model whose weight readings were all displayed in the larger, half-pound increments, I've been very recently gratified to behold my consecutive morning weigh-in readings of "174.6," "174.2," "174.0," etc., via my new 5563 model. Thus, assuming you're a determined dieter, this relatively more precise scale might keep you from getting discouraged, now and again, during your ongoing quest to be a loser.
If you merely wish to WEIGH yourself with this scale, just step onto its platform (regardless of whether you're wearing shoes, socks, or nothing whatsoever), and only your weight will be displayed.
On the other hand, if you want to know not only your weight but also your body-fat percentage and/or your body-water percentage, you must first tap the little, yellow-gold "mode" key several times. (This quickly verifies your individual, current status regarding: height; age; gender; and whether you're a full-fledged "athlete" or merely a person of average fitness--all of which you initially need only enter ONCE, as the data are conveniently retained in the unit's memory thereafter. In this vein, the unit can store and recall such vital, personal statistics for up to four, separate users.)
When using this scale to obtain more than merely your weight (i.e., when you want to use its "bioelectrical impedance analysis" capability), you must step onto the platform with BARE feet (it ostensibly helps if you very slightly moisten--and thereby soften--your soles). When the unit gets to that point when it's ready to analyze your body-fat and body-water percentages, it will send a weak, harmless, electronic signal through your feet and into the fat and muscle of your body. (During this process, you'll see the LCD display performing some amusing little antics.) The electronic feedback is analyzed and translated to the digital readout in under 15 seconds. The color-LCD display then reveals, one-at-a-time (sequentially) your weight, body-fat percentage, and body-water percentage. It will continue to cycle through (re-display) those results about four times before finally shutting off automatically (to conserve battery power), unless you opt to step off the platform immediately, in which case the unit automatically shuts off even sooner.
By the way, if you try obtaining your body-fat (or body-water) percentage sans baring your soles, all you'll receive is a cryptic error message on the LCD display.
The model 5563 feels like a reasonably sturdy unit. When you step on its platform (positioning, respectively, your left and right feet's toes upon two, separate, silvery metal rings that vaguely resemble Star Trek "matter-transporter" berths!), and your heels on two analogous, lower rings, you feel like you're indeed on very solid, stable ground. Its "footprint" (12.75" x 11") is only very slightly larger than that of your average bathroom scale. And at two inches high, this product is twice as thick as, for example, Taylor's sleek model 7000 lithium scale. Of course, the latter unit not only lacks any backlighting for its display, but also it only weighs you; it cannot analyze your percentage of body fat and/or body water. (And, if you're SERIOUSLY interested in determining and monitoring your basic, overall level of health and thereby fending off future, chronic diseases, knowing your body-fat percentage is, arguably, AT LEAST as critical as knowing your precise weight!)
Given its backlighting feature, the (approximately .8" by 2”) color-LCD readout is remarkably easy-to-read. During the inputting of your vital statistics (e.g, height, age, gender, etc.), small, colorful indicators or icons provide visual feedback regarding your key presses, which you provide via the only three keys (pushbuttons) on the unit's face: one key is labeled "mode", and the other two bear "up" and "down" arrows. The accompanying "instruction manual" (a single sheet comprising 10 fold-open, illustrated pages) is a relatively well-written reference. While you'd likely be able to figure out how to operate this user-friendly product minus its manual, spare yourself some initial head scratching and consult the manual from the get-go. Its step-by-step approach makes everything reasonably idiot-proof. And its supplementary information makes it worth storing in a handy, easy-to-recall place.
The presence of those three little push buttons on the top surface of this model 5563 scale give me some modest degree of concern given that I sometimes I locate my unit near a source of moisture, i.e., a shower stall in my basement. While it seems unlikely that very much, if any, splashed water could get into this scale's electronic innards via the hairline gaps between those hard-plastic buttons and the surrounding housing, I can't absolutely rule out the possibility. Consequently, that may be one relative disadvantage of this deluxe 5563 model versus Taylor's cheaper, simpler, model 7000 unit that lacks any user-input buttons and that seems entirely invulnerable to any amount of water droplets splashed onto its upper surface.
Although this 5563 unit's construction seems rather rugged, obviously, you'd still be well advised never to drop any such electronic product or subject it to any form of strong impact or abuse. Accordingly, if you've got rambunctious toddlers on your premises, you might take measures to keep this product beyond their reach, or else opt for a much cheaper, old-fashioned, analog scale.
[Moral: just use a modicum of common sense when locating and/or protecting this deluxe, 5563 model.]
NOTE: Albeit my particular 5563 unit has been working splendidly for days now, initially it suffered from a very substantial glitch. Specifically, after I'd initially read the model 5563 instruction manual and, accordingly, installed the included, 9-volt battery (which, according to my battery tester, was fully charged), the color-LCD display's "backlighting" feature mysteriously would not function. In other words, the display was virtually unreadable. However, for reasons still unknown to me, the backlighting feature suddenly began working fully properly (very legibly and brightly) after I'd been tentatively using (fiddling with!) the scale for perhaps 20 or 30 minutes. Perhaps there had been a loose wire, or perhaps a partially nonconductive wire or internal component that needed to warm up before "initializing" itself--I can only hypothesize. But I do know that--barring any other quirks cropping up--I now intend to keep my new Taylor 5563 unit. If something goes wrong a year or more hence, the "lifetime" warranty should help console me, albeit this would involve a bit of cost and hassle to ship it directly to the manufacturer [reminder to the frugal consumer: always keep and safely store your dated store receipts for just such eventualities].
I should add that, in the event you buy an absolute "lemon" from the outset, it's nice to know that such retail stores as Wal-Mart make it pretty quick and easy to exchange your unit for one that does work (otherwise simply receive a full refund). In this vein I suggest that you don't necessarily too hastily give up on such a mass-produced product just because there are always bound to be a relative few "bad apples" per bushel!
The 5563 unit does seem to be giving me reliable, consistent results regarding not only my weight but also my body-fat and body-water percentages. Be aware that the latter readings are bound to fluctuate depending on various factors including your current level of hydration (e.g., if you've been downing a lot of coffee). Likewise, even wearing certain kinds of heavy clothing (despite your feet themselves being bare) might marginally affect the accuracy of a body-fat reading. You are generally advised to take body-fat/body-water analysis readings consistently at particular times of day (e.g., either mornings or evenings) so that a reliable average or pattern can be determined over time (perhaps months).
I suggest you go to Wal-Mart (probably the cheapest retail source for the Taylor model 5563) and compare and contrast this product's features with those of other models first-hand. Unless, that is, you simply have NO interest in knowing your body-fat (and/or body-water) percentage and ONLY want to monitor your poundage, in which case Taylor's cheaper (roughly $19) "model 7000" scale should very admirably carry its weight.
Recommended:
Yes
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henry_thoreau
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Member: Mike
Location: Olathe, KS USA
Reviews written: 214
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About Me:
Our children will enjoy electrical energy too cheap to meter. ~Atomic Energy Commission Chairman, 1954
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