secaClara 803 Digital Personal Scale with White Rubber Coating

Super

Purchased this scale because Seca professional scales in medical offices are so good. But this one is terrible. The size is fine. But the scale is a nuisance to use and inaccurate. First, the scale must be reset every time you use it. This is true with most digital scales. But with this one, it's not enough to step off and then step back on. You have to move the scale with your foot or jar it enough to get it to reset. If you weigh yourself three times (properly resetting between each time), you will probably get 3 different weights. Sometimes there will be a difference of a couple ounces. Other times there will be a difference of several pounds! It's basically useless for anything except keeping track of weight trends over a long period of time.

I purchased the Seca Clara 803 Personal Scale about a month ago because I was unhappy with a relative new Healthometer HAP 350, large dial mechanical scale. With the Healthometer it was difficult to get the same weight twice in a row and seemed very sensitive to being moved. I must admit, my wife who weights about 105 had much less trouble with the Healthometer than I did at 215 lbs. The Seca solved my problem. It is very consistent and typically weighs plus or minus 0.2 lbs. It might actually be better, but the display only shows 0.2 lb increments. Like all scales, it is sensitive to the surface it is on. So, moving it to a different location can produce somewhat different weights, as much as 0.6 lbs. However, the Seca 803 seems much less sensitive to moving than other scales I have used. Also, like all scales it is sensitive to the placement of the object being weighed. But, if you get on in the same position, it likely will produce the same weight. For a $60 scale it is remarkably consistent.However, there are a few frustrations. First, it is necessary to "tap" the scale to turn it on. It took some experimentation to find just the right spot to tap the scale. On mine it is about two inches from the display and it needs to be a hard tap. Second, the instructions are awful and apparently, in part, illustrate a different scale. While pictures are useful, sometimes spelling something out is required. There is switch on the back labeled kg, lb, and st. Kg and lb are obvious, but how many people will know that st = stones? Third, whereas it is consistent, I'm not convinced it is accurate. I put on 30 lbs in barbell weights and consistently come up with a weight of 31.4 lbs. I'm not sure if the barbells weigh more than they claim or the scale is off. Since there is no zero adjustment there is no way to correct. Regardless, this scale is very repeatable and easy to use. Despite these minor problems I would get it again.

My personal battle of the bulge requires a precise, reliable scale to keep me aware and honest. I bought another highly recommended scale and actually gave it away after discovering it showed weights in a range of 5 pounds when I repeated use within a minute or so. Some serious scale research lead me to the Amazon site and pointed me to SECA Clara 803, and after several weeks I am thoroughly satisfied with it's accuracy. There can occasionally be a slight (.20) differential if I go back on in a different position, but that satisfies even my obsessiveness. So nice to have a product important to me that does what it says it will do.

Accurate and easy to read. Light so easily moved as needed.