Ease of use is worth it, even if body fat % isn't that accurate
The automatic logging of daily weight on the Fitbit site is a real convenience. Yes, I know you can remember or write down the number and enter is manually, but what gets put off often doesn't get done, so I can't complain about the convenience. The weight also seems to be pretty accurate if you keep the scale in the same place on a hard surface and step on it the same way each time. Different foot placement or leaning a bit can give inconsistent weight, but that's true for an extent on any digital scale so you just do it the same way each time and i doesn't vary more than one would expect from normal daily weight fluctuations.<br /><br />The body fat % is not an exact science on these monitors regardless of brand. It only measures the path up and down your legs and through your hips and not your entire body. Legs tends to have more lean mass (bones, connective tissue, etc...) so the formulas have to make some assumptions based on height and weight to extrapolate that measurement. The sales are also very prone to hydration and how well your feet conduct electrically, but that's the nature of the beast. Most people have different body fat percentages on different parts of their bodies, so it's all just an average estimate anyway. Compared to skin fold calipers, the scale reads mine as a few percent higher than the calipers. As with most things, the truth is somewhere in the middle  and based on comparisons to photos of people at different body fat percentages, the calipers seem more accurate, so the scale is measuring mine a couple percent too high. Your mileage may vary.<br /><br />What's been frustrating lately is that because I've been gaining muscle mostly in my upper body, the scale is correctly measuring as weight gain, but since it's using the same amount of lean mass in my legs which hasn't changed much at all, it seems to be calculating the extra weight as fat so my body fat % number is increasing, but I know visually and from clothes being looser that I'm getting leaner. I tried setting the scale to the &#34;lean&#34; setting, but that reading is way off the other way being far too low.<br /><br />I wish there was some way to enter in your own personal adjustment somewhere in between lean and regular or at least have Fitbit do the adjustment after the fact based on your profile, but there isn't. If there was, I'd give it five stars. I'm giving it four because its a great product within the limitation of what it does. Digital scales do need flat hard surfaces and standing the same way and electrical body fat measurements are estimates based on lots of varying factors. It doers what it does well. WIFI uploads are fast and trouble free and the batteries last at least six months, so it's pretty much a set and forget device which is what I wanted.
Rating: 4 stars