This week CONOR POPElooks at bathroom scales
Salter Mi Body Analyser Scale, €90.49
Highs:Pricewatch did not know it was possible to spend this much on a bathroom scales but nor did we know there was one that could do so much. This measures body fat, body water, muscle mass and your basal metabolic rate among other things. A USB stick allows you to upload the info onto your PC so you can track what's going on and it is ridiculously cool looking
Lows:And ridiculously complicated. All the numbers that flashed before Pricewatch's eyes had our head spinning. While it may be useful for people tracking their weight in detail, it might provide just a bit too much information to people who just want to know how much they weigh. It takes six AAA batteries which will add to its cost over the course of its life.
Verdict:Exhausting and expensive
Star rating: ***
Boots Mechanical Bathroom Scales, €7.70
Highs:It is hard to argue with the price of this as it sells for less than a tenth of the price of the dearest model we found. It also requires about a tenth of the brainpower to use. You stand on it, the dial moves to your current weight and you step off, either slightly more pleased or slightly more depressed than you might otherwise have been.
It is the only one to have an effective non-slip surface and is perfectly unobtrusive.
Lows:Its accuracy was questionable, although that might just be because it put Pricewatch's weight at a kilo heavier than any of the other machines, something which frankly did not endear us to it one little bit. It's hard to get a very precise reading as the gradations on the dial are on the small side.
Verdict:Cheap as chips
Star rating: ***
Homedics 6 Function Body Analyser and Scale, €40.49
Highs:This comes from America's number one-selling scales manufacturer and, while it provides much the same information as the Salter option, it's just that little bit easier to set up and a whole lot cheaper too.
The LED display is very easy to read and, critically, to decipher. It also has a special child setting, which is likely to prove more useful for more people as the obesity crisis deepens. Its combination of brushed chrome and shininess is pretty funky and its slimline appearance is also to its credit.
Lows:It is impossible to fault the price - given all its bells and whistles - although we did think the buttons were on the cheap and clunky side.
Verdict: Good value.
Star rating: ****
Weightwatchers Electronic Scale, €50.49
Highs:Weightwatchers promise us that this LED display will be easy to read and they're not lying, its extra large numbers could be read from the moon (or from at least three metres at any rate). It has a glass platform which you press with your foot to turn on, reducing the need for any bending. The long life lithium battery and a 10-year guarantee are also to its credit. It is straightforward and sturdy.
Lows:It seems a bit pricey, though, and we were unsure about buying such a heavily branded product, something which inevitably contributes to the cost. It was a little slippery when wet, what with it being glass and all.
Verdict:Straightforward but dear
Star rating: **
EKS Electronic bathroom scale, €45.29
Highs:The lovely blue backlit, luminescent display is easy to read even in the dark, although why you'd be reading the weighing scales in the dark is hard to say. It also has a glass platform and is nice and compact. Its gradations come in 100 grams or 0.2 pounds and, like the other glass option, it turns on with the tap of a toe. It is also one of the cheapest of the digital options we reviewed.
Lows:It seemed to take a long time to produce a result, well longer than the competition anyways, and had Pricewatchweighing nearly four pounds more than any of the competition, which was an unwelcome surprise and one which we decided to ignore. It was also slippery when wet, but at least the manufacturers warned us of this fact.
Verdict:A decent option
Star rating: ****
