Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program More than just a scale, this HBF-510W model by Omron measures several key components of body composition. In addition to providing weight (measured in either pounds or kilograms and in increments of 1/10), this Full Body Composition Monitor also offers body fat, visceral fat, body mass index, and skeletal muscle percentage. Overall body fat composition is important, as someone can be within a recommended weight range yet have too much or too little body fat. Similarly, visceral fat, the amount of fat in the abdomen surrounding vital internal organs, is also crucial, as it has been found to be linked to health conditions such as high cholesterol, heart disease, and diabetes. Body mass index is simply a number that takes into account both weight and height; I see it as being somewhat unnecessarily included here, as one could easily calculate it separately, although some may appreciate having this done for them. Finally, skeletal muscle is muscle that you can see and feel. The greater amount of muscle, the more overall calories that the body will burn, so a higher percentage of skeletal muscle is ideal.
The Omron Full Body Composition Monitor has the ability to save Personal Profiles for up to 4 people. Prior to your first use, you follow simple instructions to enter in your gender, age, and height (for use with the body mass index). This information can be modified or deleted; you can also skip this step by utilizing the monitor in the "Guest" mode. Unfortunately, although these settings are saved, the monitor does NOT save the measurement results from each user. (One of Omron's more advanced models, the Omron Full Body Sensor Body Fat and Body Composition Monitor, DOES offer the option of saving data for a 90-day period.) The Instruction Manual which comes with the unit also offers tips on "Recommended Measurement Times," generally suggesting that you utilize the monitor upon first waking up in the a.m. or at least 2 hours after a meal for the best results.
Although this monitor certainly looks more complicated than a traditional scale, it is fairly simple to use. After turning on the power, you remove the display unit from the base and select your user number. You then grasp the grip electrodes on the display unit, step on the electrode pads, hold the display unit straight out in front of you, and wait just a few seconds for the sensor to run through its full cycle. That's it! Your weight immediately is shown on the display, and pressing the SET/MODE button scrolls through the other readings. A very nice "Measurement Log" is included allowing you space to track your progress; this log reprints graphs from the Instruction Manual which will assist you in interpreting your result for each of the above areas. For example, body fat percentage is broken down into female/male, with three age groups listed for each (20-39, 40-59, 60-79) and with results including low, normal, high, and very high.
To date, I have used this Omron Full Body Composition Monitor for approximately one month, taking measurements in tandem with my old Tanita Ultimate Scale (no longer sold on Amazon), which also measures body fat. First of all, I found the weight measurements between the two scales to be very comparable and consistent (although the Tanita measures weight in 1/2 pound increments only); clearly, both units do a good job of measuring basic weight. With respect to body fat percentage, I was surprised to find that the Omron gave me slightly higher ratings than my old Tanita. However, I am inclined to rely more on the accuracy of the Omron, as there was very little variability within the measurements (most were within one percentage point), whereas the Tanita numbers moved up and down, on one occasion giving me a number that was 10 points higher than any of the other measurements!
As expected, the body mass index numbers varied slightly along with my weight. The visceral fat was very consistent: with only a single exception, it gave the exact same reading each time. And finally, the skeletal muscle percentage also fluctuated within only about a single point range. For added testing, I had my husband try both the new Omron monitor and the old Tanita. His results were even more consistent between the two units, with virtually the exact same readings for both weight and body fat percentage.
Over all, I am very pleased with this Omron HBF-510W Full Body Composition Monitor with Scale. I found it to be both accurate and easy to use, and I definitely appreciated the extra body fat composition information that it provided. One feature that it would have been nice to have had would have been the ability to save measurements from one use to the next; those willing to pay more for this function may want to consider a slightly more expensive Omron model, the Omron Full Body Sensor Body Fat and Body Composition Monitor. Otherwise, I would not hesitate to recommend this product by Omron.
Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program This scale is sturdy and solid-feeling, and seems built to last, especially if you are on the larger side. I have been using a Tanita scale that feels much flimsier and even wobbly when I step on it, but I didn't get that feeling with this Omron scale. I also really like how you can program in your information (age, gender, height, etc.) so that you don't have to enter it each time you use the scale.
That being said, this scale seems to run a few pounds high in weight and also a few percentage points over on body fat; it just isn't accurate. How do I know this? Last year, I had a Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) scan performed to check my bone density, and it also revealed my body fat and weight. DEXA scans are considered to be one of the gold standard measurements, and are extremely accurate. I've been using the information from my DEXA scan to track my progress on my Tanita scale, and this Omron scale has been giving me a reading that is three pounds over my actual weight and about four percentages higher than my actual body fat.
Another reviewer mentioned a study done by Texas A&M that showed that this scale reads about 3.5% higher, and, as that reviewer mentioned, if you Google it you can find that study on-line.
Overall, I would give this product 3 1/2 stars. If you know that its readings run a bit higher than your actual ones, you can still use this to track your progress. Most experts agree, in fact, that if you are trying to reduce your body fat, you can just focus on the downward trend to know you are meeting your goals. However, it would be nice if this scale were more accurate.
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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program I have had three Tanita body fat measuring scales prior to receiving this unit. One of the Tanitas supposedly measured hydration levels and muscle mass. They all seemed to work well enough. I had no way of knowing how accurate they were, but they were very good for monitoring progress. They were all consistent in their measurements.
I still have a Tanita to compare this Omron to, so I was able to at least compare body fat percentage and weight between the two units. The Omron fat percentage was about 1% different from the Tanita. According to Consumer Reports, the Tanita fat monitoring scales weren't all that accurate. CR is able to test these units properly, so I am inclined to believe the Omron is closer to reality than the Tanita due to the way it is dividing the measurements between the feet and hand held sensors.
The Omron gives you some key benefits like BMI and Visceral, or Belly, fat numbers. First time I have heard of a scale that gives you the belly fat number. I am right at the highest numbers for those two measurements and still within the healthy range. So, I have some work to do to get those numbers down.
Bottom line: I think this is an extremely useful and motivating tool. As far as a scale, the good news is you don't have to pull the handlebar sensor out of its holder just to get your weight. But, to get all the measurements, it is not the most user friendly device to use. There is a slight learning curve. Still, I think the potential health alerts far outweigh the hassle factor.
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Prior to purchasing this scale, I owned an earlier-generation Tanita, which had the footpads only. The Omron HBF-510W is definitely an improvement in accuracy. The body fat % measurements with the handheld sensor are quite close to values that I get with caliper measurements.
The interface is easy to learn and use... just be sure to leave the handheld sensor on the scale as it calibrates, then pick it up and select the "user" before stepping on the scale.
As with any body composition device, there are limitations. For example, if you are slightly dehydrated (as you might be in the morning when you first wake up), the scale will "think" that your body fat % is higher than it really is. But this is the case for ALL bioimpedence-based scales, not a flaw in the Omron. For best results, choose a consistent time of day for your measurements, and keep yourself at a consistent hydration level.
All-in-all I am very happy with this purchase. The unit has worked reliability during the couple months since I purchased it; the quality is fine relative to the price; and it provides accurate body-composition information.
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I purchased this scale six months ago when it became too hard to ignore the fact that the past 15 years of middle age were turning me into Fatty McBlimperson. It's been a great help in tracking my weight ever sinceit's cheap, reasonably reliable and does what it should. That said, I think a lot of the negative commenters need to understand more about the scale itself and realize the limitations it has
1) Like most scales, it's sensitive to location and tilt. My bathroom has a somewhat uneven stone floor and the scale will vary by a pound or two depending on its exact location. Keep it in one spot for accurate readingsmultiple readings within a few minutes are reproducible +0.2 pounds for me, which is plenty.
2) It's not measuring fat/muscle directly, it's measuring conductivity. Because of this, the fat/muscle measurements are extremely sensitive to your hydration levels. If you want to throw the scale off, drink a couple of glasses of water an hour or two before and congratsyou gained muscle! In the same vein, if you measure yourself at night and then again in the morning as soon as you wake up, you'll be amazed that you gained 2% body fat. Obviously, you haven't done eitheryou're just dehydrated in the morning. It's nowhere near as accurate as a DEXA or displacement measurement and complaining that it's not is silly. That said, if you take the measurements at the same time every day and average over a number of days you'll get a pretty good idea if you're running too high a body fat %over the past six months I've seen ~2% variation from day to day but the running averages are really clearly heading in the right direction.
3) The BMI computations are accurate and are what they are. I know everyone else out there is a serious bodybuilder and thus all their BMI ratings are thrown off by their massive amounts of extra muscle, but I'm just a regular guy and it's a good measure if I'm overweight.
It gets a five star rating simply because it does exactly what I need it to.
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I like this little brush set because the holder is easy to clean. My last set was a tall steel set and it was a real chore to keep clean. It cost much more than this set and it rusted. This set is more sanitary, can't rust, and inexpensive. Its stiff bristles do the job well. Great value!
