Credit:
Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser
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Credit:
Reviewed / Betsey Goldwasser
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Renpho’s smart scale delivers quick, accurate measurements with handy app integration via Bluetooth. It has an upper limit of 396 pounds. Read More
This Wyze scale measures muscle mass, weight, heart rate, body fat percentage, and body mass index for an accurate assessment of your progress. Read More
The Garmin Index S2 could be a useful tool if you're already a Garmin watch user, but ultimately is not worth the price. Read More
We weren't impressed by this scale because it gave us inconsistent readings during testing. Read More
The Withings scale looks nice but isn't intuitive to use. Read More
For any number of reasons, you may benefit from having a scale in your bathroom. Studies show that folks who track their weight regularly are more likely to maintain a healthy body size, ostensibly because they’re quicker to notice undesired weight changes and nip them in the bud. A smart scale can be an even more valuable tool as it records both your weight as well as measures—or at least approximates—your body composition, or the percentages of fat versus lean body mass. By tracking all of these values over time, you can see if your efforts to eat better and exercise more are paying off, in terms of shedding unwanted fat while building desired muscle.
The Renpho Bluetooth Body Fat Scale (available at Amazon) is an excellent smart scale as well as an everyday basic bathroom scale in one that will satisfy anyone’s weighing-in and body-composition-taking needs—for a fraction of the price of others.
The Renpho smart scale packs all the features you'd want into a bathroom scale for an affordable price.
Large, easy-to-read display
Roomy platform
Small inconsistencies in measurements affect tracking log
Up to 4 people that can keep track of their weight and BMI
Easy to set up
Inconsistent readings
Sounds like it's going to break when stepped on
Sleek, attractive aesthetic
Feet can slide on smooth surfaces
Partner app is difficult to use
Easy app setup
Often gave inaccurate and wildly unreliable weight recordings
Weight on its own isn’t the most useful measure of your body size, as it only tells part of the story. While it provides a summary number that you can compare week to week or month to month, it doesn’t differentiate how much of your body is fat, muscle, or other mass—bone, skin, organs, even the water in your cells. That’s where a “smart” scale can be useful. These use bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), which passes a low-level charge of electricity through your tissues, using the speed at which the pulses return to the device to determine how much of each type of tissue (based on relative bone density) that it passed through.
Some smart scales claim to differentiate body composition into percentages of fat, bone mass, muscle mass, and body water content, while some only give “fat” mass and "lean" mass, which encompasses the other three. But this, too, is rife with its own accuracy and validity problems. With a typical bathroom scale that you stand on, the charge only passes through the lower body, so if you carry more fat mass below the waist, the scale will produce a higher body-fat percentage reading than is likely true. Secondly, your hydration level can alter the results, which is why taking readings at the same time every day is important.
All of that said, there’s value in keeping a log of both weight and body composition as a way to track progress while following an exercise-and-nutrition plan. Smart scales all have companion apps and beam data via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi to your phone to save your numbers electronically, so you don’t need to keep a pen and pad handy. Some also integrate with health and fitness apps like Apple Health and Google Fit, to allow you to store and analyze your overall health data all together.
For those with a weight gain or weight loss fitness goal, taking weight measurements on a daily-to-weekly basis can show the progress made, and at what rate. By recording weekly or monthly body composition percentages, you may see a shift in the percent of muscle versus fat—especially helpful for those following a strength- or muscle-building plan or to explain temporary weight plateaus. When someone’s aim is to “tone up,” they may not see a dramatic change in their total weight yet still be building muscle while losing weight and body fat. A log of readings from a bioelectrical impedance device could capture that trend.
The Reviewed staff is based in the heart of Cambridge, MA. Backed by our knowledgeable writers and rigorous test labs, we're working hard to make sure you can make the right decisions about what to buy.
Lily Hartman
Staff Writer, Search
Lily Hartman is a staff writer who also enjoys writing magazine articles about health and outdoor recreation. In her free time, she likes to hike, camp, run, and lift weights.
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