Customer Reviews
Scale 
2007-01-12
This is a great scale reads everything key in your body. Great price also
Tanita BC553 Ironman InnerScan Scale 2007-01-09
Great product. Holds info. for up to 4 people. I purchased the scale for my husband who is a triathlete who wanted to keep track of his hydratio level, body fat, etc. The scale does it all, and it's easy to use. Also works as a regular scale and is acurate to .5lbs. I even use it for packages to be sent over Christmas! Overall, a good product for the money!
Great if you understand how to use it... 
2006-12-06
I bought this scale about 6 months ago with high hopes and lots of curiosity. I've learned that it doesn't work quite the way I THOUGHT it was going to work, but I have found it to be a very useful and motivating tool when I put it in perspective. For starters, I have discovered that I must weigh myself at the same time each day, as all measurements will be greatly affected depending on what time of day it is (ie: by lunch I've eaten 2 meals, therefore I'm more hydrated and weigh more vs. when I first wake up...). I take all measurements each morning since, well, I'm a pretty "regular" guy and I figure this is probably the best time of day to get the most accurate day-over-day results. Even with this in mind, I've learned that this body composition scale is best used as a "trend" viewing tool, over the course of weeks and months, although I definitely use it as a motivating tool while trying to lose weight and improve overall body composition (ie: lean muscle vs. fat percentages). I do highly recommend this product, assuming the potential buyer understands what they're getting.
Nice features but varied results 
2006-03-26
I enjoy the vast array of features on this product. I understand that my body weight and water composition would change significantly over the course of the day. However, body fat, muscle mass, and bone mass shouldn't vary much over the day. This product seems VERY sensitive to hydration levels. My body fat as reported by this scale has varied from 20-30% (absolute) in a single day! I know that body fat didn't turn into muscle that fast. That is significant considering that it "displays" body fat to 0.1%. They recommend using the scale before dinner (I guess your body would be a proper hydration but without extra weight in your tummy). Schedule your GI right, and you can be a bit lighter, but be careful when you workout, as that can impact your hydration, and thus the readings from this unit.
Accurate and Easy to use 2006-03-21
The Tanita BC553 Ironman is much easier to read than other scales. It also has more useful information than our old Tanita scale. Based upon other information (body fat measurement and caloric estimations), this body composition monitor seems quite accurate. We like it so much, we gave it as gifts to several friends.
Terrible Inventory Management 
2008-07-23
I placed my order, received an order confirmation on the same day and then, SIX days later recieved an out of stock notification. Way to set the appropriate expectation!
Be wary about using your Tanita in a bathroom. 2008-05-22
Be wary of Tanita and their warranty claims. The product itself was decent, and fairly accurate, however Tanita is not a company that prides itself in customer service and product support. I used my scale in a normal bathroom environment, and after just 3 months you could see evaporation underneath the screen. I don't know if a gasket had a crack in it, or what the issue might have been, but the unit couldn't withstand the normal humidity of a bathroom. In fact, the unit was a good 20 feet from any active water, like a shower and tub.
I shipped the unit in, and without even so much as a courtesy call, the "customer service manager" returned my unit with a note that my warranty claim was refused, even though I had spoken to someone before about the issue, and said it would be replaced no problem. The customer service manager was nice enough, but said that even though it was well within the boundaries of his discretion, he was going to refuse the claim, because they refuse all like claims regarding evaporation. He even admitted that it happens fairly often.
Stay away.
His recommendation? Buy another Tanita, and not place it in the bathroom. Right.
Very good scale 2008-05-13
I got this scale last week and love it. I realize some of the numbers are not exact, but it gives you a pretty guy idea of where you are. I had bought several other scales to measure fat, water, etc and found them lacking. The display is large and easy to read. It has 4 different user settings, plus a guest setting. The set up on those took about 30 seconds. I would definitely recommend this to anyone.
Unreliable seller 2007-09-04
I bought this scale and found that I didn't like it. Should be simple, right? But this seller DEMANDS that they issue you a "return number" before you can return an item. You have to call their 800-number, you get a recording, and then they NEVER CALL YOU BACK. Be wary. If you like the product, great. But you will not be able to return it.
Love it! 2007-04-01
it does everything it says it will. it is easy to use and accurate. I had one that just did weight and fat, but got this one because it includes water % (hydration), metabolic age, and bone mass features.
