From Tanita The Body Fat Experts comes the BC 554 Ironman Innerscan Body Composition Monitor. This scale is a unique and highly accurate body composition monitor. This product not only measures weight and body fat it also tells you your muscle mass body water % basal metabolic rate (BMR) metabolic age bone mass visceral fat and rates your physique! The muscle mass feature indicates the weight of muscle in the body. The Body Water % is the total amount of fluid in the body expressed as a percentage of total weight. The BMR is the daily minimum level of energy or calories your body requires when resting (including sleeping) to function effectively. The Metabolic Age compares your BMR to the average age associated with that level of metabolism. The Bone Mass is the weight of your bone in your body. The Visceral Fat is the fat in the abdominal cavity (stomach) surrounding the vital organs. The Physique Rating is a rating of your body type; 1-9. Its sleek modern design of glass and silver accents is a compliment to any bathroom. Monitor your health and fitness with an Ironman Body Composition Monitor.

• Highly accurate body composition monitor


• Easy to read 2.25" LCD display


• 4 person memory


• Weight body fat recall body water and muscle mass recall


• Physique rating

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Directionally Correct but Accurate???

I've used a simple model from Tanita for over 5 years and was as happy as a man with one clock -- I knew exactly what time it was. The added features of the BC554 were irresistable but now I had 2 sources of data and they were not in agreement by a significant amount (e.g. 3% body fat difference on a base of 16%).



The weight measurement is as good as ever: precise accurate and consistent. The best that can be said of the other functions is that they seem to be directionally correct and some are simply 'figures of merit' not measurements at all.



Customer support is surprising. When I asked the inevitable questions via their web site I received a phone call from them. The answers made sense but only reinforce my assessment.



It seems that the algorithms are based on a statistical sample using gender age height and 'athleticism'. If your actual profile is close to the sample population the accuracy is probably pretty good. But as you progress toward 'athletic' and away from the calibration population accuracy declines.



It seems to me that anyone purchasing this model is serious enough about fitness to fall into this 'no man's land'. The other issue is that I would expect some continuity between the measures for 'standard adult' and 'athletic adult'. But there is a chasm! I measured 19% at 'standard' and 9% at 'athletic'. The first is clearly too high and the second is too low. Maybe a calculated average is closer to an accurate reading but that is a serious shortcoming in a top-of-the-line product.



So simpler & cheaper is my recommendation. Accept the idea that you are getting directionally correct numbers that are only accurate if you match the calibration population profile.More detail ...

excellent scale

I just got this scale to replace an older digital scale that broke and I'm very impressed.



To weigh yourself you step on the scale wait about 3-4 seconds for the scale to stabilize and look at the reading. The weight is easy to read -- large numerals with a backlight. The only drawback of the backlight is that it will increase battery usage. You have a choice of units -- pounds kilograms or stones.



The scale itself is very sleek and low profile. It's 11.8 inches (width) x 11.7 inches. Some scales (both digital and analog) make a clunking sound as you step on but this is totally silent.



Like most digital scales it has to be placed on a hard surface such as tile or wood.



Some digital scales have a "fake repeatability." That is if you weigh yourself and then hold a small weight and step on again it gives exactly the same value. This scale doesn't have this undesirable feature. If you hold a small weight it gives an honest result.



I measured the variability of nine readings. The range (max minus min) was 0.4 pounds and the standard deviation was 0.12 pounds. This is excellent and much better than my previous scale.



I think that the absolute reading is very close to correct but I haven't had a chance yet to compare this scale to the one at my doctor's office.



The instructions warn that the glass surface is slippery when wet. It's not a scale you want to use after stepping out of the shower or bath.More detail ...