Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I was asked to try out this product for a friend who works for SWAY.
Pros
1. It has a nice glass platform with a black base--very sleek looking--looks great in my bathroom. I think this scale really dresses up a bathroom.
2. Large display and easy to set up
3. Awesome instructions--can really tell someone took the time to make them as informative as they could. I didn't know what the importance of monitoring body fat, body water and muscle as part of the weight loss process, but now it really makes sense. I mean, thin people can still have unhealthy amounts of body fat and "larger" people like me may not necessarily be too fat--I am though. Very nice informative instructions that really educate!
4. As far as I could tell, compared to another scale I have, the weight was accurate and the proportions of fat to water and muscle seemed to make sense as how the instructions explained it--should work great for trending purposes.
5. I know I'm going to lose the instructions, so SWAY thought ahead and added some basic, short instructions on the back--still looks nice too if you turn it over.
6. User memory and scroll-through functions. I'll be able to get my whole family to use it as it has 10-user memory. Also, allows to review the readings by scrolling through after you have been measured.
7. Weight limit is 396 lbs (lets just say 400 lbs) so it can handle a heavy load. I had a friend try it--easily close to 300 lbs--and he had no problems.
Cons
1. The device turns off a little too fast--so you have to be ready to work with it when you get on and off. I think it just caught me off-guard the first time, but in the future I should be ready.
2. I'm not sure exactly how accurate it is. I haven't ever been to a doctor to have my body fat, body water and muscle measured, so I'm not sure how close it is. That being said, I feel confident that I'll be able to trend the readings over time to see as I'm losing weight if how body water, body fat and muscle are being affected. I guess the main thing is it will let me know if I'm losing the right kind of weight--which I think most people do not, which is why they rebound to their original weight after going through a diet.
I have to say that overall, this is a very well made product that should do the job well. I would recommend this product--well done.
--Updated 2/4/2010--
Still using the scale and just wanted to say a little on the results. Since I got the scale, I've been off and on diets several times-currently on one again. The great thing about this is to see the direct results of the diet on the scale--not just pound wise, but in percentage of body fat. Back in the fall I didn't really exercise and as a result, the body fat percentage didn't drop as much. Then it was depressing over the holidays to see it swing in the other direction. I've now gotten back on a diet--this time WITH exercise--and the change is a lot bigger. In 10 days (I've lost 8 pounds) and I've lost 1.4% body fat and gained 0.8% body muscle. Since muscle burns more calories than fat, this is a good thing that will help me lose more weight. Again, I'm not sure how accurate this is, but it doesn't matter. What really matters to me is being able to see the trends, which really helps.
I also got my mom one of these (her choice) for her birthday last month. She's just getting started with it, so I'm interested to see how it works for her.
--Updated 3/25/2010--
Still on the diet and down 25lbs now. The great thing about dieting this time is I'm really able to track body fat and body muscle. The update on where I'm at now...6% body fat gone and up about 3% muscle. I will always keep a body fat scale so I can see what's happening internally--make sure I keep the right percentage of body muscle so I can maintain a certain metabolism. The great thing is with losing this 25lbs, I've still been able to eat a lot of what I want (about 1-2 times a week) as long as most of the week I keep a handle on things. Even if you don't get one of these Sway Body Fat Scales (I would recommend one of these) you should get one no matter what.
--Updated 4/16/2010--
This week I finished the formal part of my diet (I was part of a team that was competing in a 12-week Biggest Loser competition), but I will continue to keep this going as I'm now training for a 5K on May 1 and a Speed Triathlon in late July. I just posted "Before" and "After" pictures of my diet--which actually won me "Employee of the Month" for being the single biggest loser in the competition by losing 28lbs in 12 weeks!!
I have a few more comments on the scale, at the request of someone else who left a comment to my review.
1. As peoples bodies fluctuate throughout the day, it is highly recommended to weigh yourself at the same time each day. I've read that the best time to do this is at the beginning of the day (before taking in food and drink that can alter readings.) So I actually weighed myself every morning usually within about 10-15 minutes after I got out of the shower with just my underclothes, before I got dressed. I just wanted to be as consistent as possible, not throwing in any other variables that could throw off the readings. One thing that stayed consistent is that my feet (which are the contact points of my body) were freshly washed and clean, so they should have conducted the same each time.
2. There was also a question to see if there was any change when re-weighing myself several times within minutes of each time. I did do this at several occasions and I found that they were pretty much the same each time. The weight was dead-on each time, but the percentages changed just slightly as I stood differently or shifted weight while it was reading--but I would say this was all within an acceptable variance. To me, it was accurate enough to produce a trend.
3. During this twelve week period, I didn't just keep on a downward trend the whole time. I actually weighed myself pretty much every morning. I like having this be my conscience--I could see direct results when I had an "off" day, so I knew right off each morning that I needed to get back on track.
4. The interesting thing was to see changes from night to morning. Sometimes I weighed myself before bed and after I got up and there would sometimes be .5lb to 1.5lb differences--and for some people it could be even more. That was cool to see how much it can fluctuate. I could also see how much I lost after a good workout--a lot of which was water weight lost through sweat.
For me to lose the 28lbs in 12 weeks, there were a couple key things for me that really helped and this body fat scale was definitely a critical tool in assessing my progress. I did change my diet--but in a reasonable way--and added exercise. The one thing that helped me get toned up to be able to do other exercise was a T-Zone Vibration Machine--which uses vibrations to work the muscles in your body by just standing on it--similar to what NASA uses to help astronauts maintain bone mass and muscle strength.
I hope I have not rambled on through these reviews--may have been better going on a blog--but I thought it would be helpful to other people looking to buy this scale and looking to lose weight. I hope others can find success in using this scale with their own diet system. The main thing is, just a regular weight scale really isn't enough--you need to know what type of body tissue you are gaining or losing--it really matters! Good luck out there!
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