Tuesday, 1 March 2011

Internal Hard Drive


I have bought a LOT of the 2TB WD Caviar drives. I have had excellent results with them on my iMac. I use them primarily for data storage where fast data retrieval is not a consideration. I'm more concerned with plugging them into these USB-based drive docks when I need the data. However, I'm also interested in them from an electrical perspective, just because ... well, just because I'm interested in them. Over the years I have worked my way up the ladder of hard drive storage capacities. Like many of you, I've been rather appalled at how hot these older models would get. I swear, you could fry an egg on some of them. I never felt comfortable with their longevity, fearing that they would most likely burn themselves up. Fortunately, none did.



When the Caviar Green product line came out (1TB was when I first took notice), I was quite intrigued at the claimed power reduction. In electronics, heat is the main enemy of components. Usually every 10 degree C rise in temperature translates into a halving of component life. The Caviar brand looked like a way to get a much more reliable drive if the power reduction numbers actually panned out.



I took one of the drives in to work where I have fancy test gear at my disposal. In particular, I have some very good Tektronix current probes that let me measure DC and AC currents. I built a little cable that let me get to the +12V and +5V lines so that I could clamp my current probes around the wires to measure current consumption. I connected the two power leads to power supplies so that I could also vary the two voltages. In this fashion, I can accurately see and measure power consumption of the drive as I exercise the drive. I get far more accurate measurements this way than you can with a simple watt-meter, which seldom let you see fractional watts.



Since I can't (actually, don't know how to) embed scope photos in this review, all I can do is verbally describe my observations. My tests are far from extensive, but they will give you a good idea of how much power these drives draw, and when they draw it.



* When the drive is just sitting there, doing nothing but spinning, the +12V current drain is 0.24A and the +5V drain is 0.13A. That totals 4.2 watts of power during idle. I have not measured earlier, high-power drives, but I'm willing to bet the Caviar Greens draw at most half the power of traditional hard drives. I would not be surprised if it were 1/3 the power.



* If you shut off one voltage, the other supply stops drawing all power. It's a convenient way to power the drives on and off. I would suggest power cycling the +5V rail as the circuitry to shut off the +5V supply with a simple PFET is simpler than that for the +12V rail.



* When the drives are first powered up, +5V draws an almost constant 500-600 mA. +12V current is a ramp, starting at 200 mA and works its way up to 600 mA after about 10 seconds, when the drive is then up to speed. At this point, the +12V peak current drops down to idle spinning) current of 0.24A. It does not vary much after this, regardless of disk activity (erase, write, read, etc.). On the other hand, the +5V supply current gets busy. It's pretty clear that the head servo is driven from the +5V supply and not the +12V supply. It's hard to verbally describe the +5V current, but I would say the average current during head movement activity is about 400 mA. When there is no activity, the +5V current is about 0.13A. When the drive is done doing what it is doing, then it drops into the 4.2W idle power mode that I mentioned above. If you are a power supply designer, you should be aware that these DC currents I cite are averages, and that you have a "hash" of AC currents that result in the average values I list. The +5V current has a hash of about 300mA p-p, and the +12V current hash is maybe 400mA p-p.



* I have never succeeded in getting OSX to put the drives to sleep. I've tried all the utilities in the Mac universe (SpinDown, Cocktail), but no matter what you do, the drives never want to got to sleep, at least for me. If WD puts out a utility for the PC, they certainly offer no support for OSX. Even if you properly eject the drives from the desktop, they sit there spinning and drawing 4.2W. Hardly seems "fully green" to me.



* During the idle mode, my infrared thermometer measures a case temperature rise of 12 degrees C, which is a pretty low number. UL safety limits for human hand touch temperatures are usually between 50-55 degree C -- you'll begin to pull your hand back at that temperature range. So if the drive is 12 degrees above ambient, and you are sitting at normal room temperatures (25 degrees), then your drive temperature is only about 37 degrees (98.6 degrees F, just like a human!). This explains why people are reporting that the drive "feels pretty cool." As these things go, they do indeed run quite cool.



Here's hoping that some of you more technically-inclined customers out there find this data useful. Western Digital 2 TB Caviar Green SATA II Intellipower 64 MB Cache Bulk/OEM Desktop Hard Drive - WD20EARS'


Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information


Internal Hard Drive Internal Hard Drive
Posted by at

Ipad 2 Case With Stand


Tuff-Luv Tri-Axis "Stasis" Series: Genuine Leather case cover for Apple iPad 2 - Black



I had purchased the Apple smart cover for my Ipad 2 initially. Although it works great propping up the Ipad either vertically or horizontally as well as hibernating it when closed ( as well as reawakening it when opened ) it did not protect the back of the Ipad. I wanted a case that protected my Ipad totally. I found it in the Tuff-Luv case.

The case is made of nice, soft leather that does the same thing as the smart cover with the added benefit of completely protecting your investment. Propping up the Ipad in a vertical or horizontal position is fairly easy using the Tuff-Luv case. The case has openings for the rear camera, charging port, ear phone jack, horizontal/vertical lock switch, and on/off button. The case also will turn off the Ipad when closed ( you can hear the distinct click ); same as what the smart cover does. Of course when you open the case the Ipad turns on again. The case has snaps to close the cover as well as a leather strap to keep the Ipad securely in place.

When the Tuff_Luv cover is opened the Ipad immediately turns on and the entire screen is available for viewing with indentations on top and bottom for the front camera and the function button respectively.

I 've had the case for a few weeks now and am very pleased with it. The only negative consideration may be that the case adds more weight and bulk to the whole thing as compared with the light smart cover. Tuff-Luv Tri-Axis "Stasis" Series: Genuine Leather case cover for Apple iPad 2 - Black

I was a little annoyed by how few iPad 2 cases were out when I was looking for one and it took me awhile to decide. Initially I was going to go with a cheaper one and get a more stylish one when more came out. But I finally went with the Tuff Luv and have been 100% satisified with it. I love the look and feel of real leather, didn't want a synthetic case. The iPad sits very snugly inside, never worry about it not being protected anymore. Which is a must since the kids use it a lot too. The different ways to set it up are great, love having options. I feel it is much sturdier then a lot of other models out there. And I love that you can bend the front part all the way behind for reading. The auto start up feature when you open it is great too. LOVE this case, try it, you won't be disappointed!

I should preface by saying that I love cases and have been searching diligently for the best case. This was the 11th one I have bought for both the iPad and iPad 2. This is hands down the best overall case. Versatile, very functional and real leather. I would definitely suggest anyone to buy this.



Pros:

1. Stand positions, there are 7 different positions you can have it used as a stand (all are sturdy may I add)

2. Protection- corners are exposed though

3. Smart cover works perfectly

4. Design is flawless

5. Real leather, feels great, looks classy

6. Good price w/free shipping from amazon



Cons:

1. Corners are exposed

2. Concerned about the life with a lot of Velcro being used for the positions of the stand(s)

3. Would be nice to cover the positioning spots for the stands somehow, you are drawn to them.

I received this case a couple weeks ago and it is great. I am using the multi positioning features all the time. I sat next to a guy on the plane that had a stand for his iPad and his iPad kept falling over while mine was stable the whole flight even in turbulence. The quality of the case is great compared to others I have seen. I highly recommend this to anyone looking for a versatile case.

I had my doubts... This case is authentic leather, it is sturdy looks damn good and fully versatile.



If your looking for a professional case, this is it.



It looked like a cheesy leather in the picture and I had my reservations about it. The case arrived and I was impressed with the Leather it is a matte black not the shiny patent leather look.



It fits the pad like a glove and the different Stand modes are great and sturdy.



I would suggest for any one to buy this case.



I purchased it with amazon prime on Saturday and got it Monday morning. Awesome.



If you buy this directly from Tuffluv it will take several weeks to get. Make sure you purchase it from Amazon and that Amazon is the one fulfilling your order.

I truly love this case. I specifically looked for a case that would hold the iPad in both landscape and portrait mode, this fit the bill perfectly.

My only issues with it are, I would prefer to see a much wider tab to hold my iPad within the case. The current closure is maybe a quarter inch Velcro tab. I would like to see either a top loading case, or at the very least a closure that is at least an inch wide, or better yet, an inch wide and have two tabs, instead of just the one in the center.

Second and larger issue is the Velcro used to hold the case in landscape or portrait mode started to lose its strength within days. I noticed first with tab "strips", then with tab on the stand. I then noticed it on the tab that holds the iPad within the case, since I had not removed my iPad from the case since purchase, I don't even use that tab. It was at that point I contacted customer service since I've had the case less than a month. They immediately sent a replacement, I hope the one I had was a lemon in regards to the Velcro because other than that, this is the perfect case for me.'


Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information


Ipad 2 Case With Stand Ipad 2 Case With Stand Ipad 2 Case With Stand
Posted by at

Electronics Cleaner - eye glasses, iklear


I have eyeglasses, am a prosumer photographer, iPad, iPhone and Apple laptop user. These cloths are like non other. These are in a different league compared to a micro fiber cloths you by in bulk at Costo or Home Depot. These are a much finer fiber. I am very particular when it comes to cleaning my eyeglasses and the iKlear microfiber cloths clean the best I have ever seen. They clean very oily glasses with no streaks and they do it almost instantly with no cleaning liquids.



As for iPads and iPhones they are hands down the best I have ever used. And all this with no cleaning liquids....just the cloth! They almost work better with no liquid at all. I do use liquid iKlear cleaner on my MacBook Pro screen before using the cloth because it seems to get spots on it that need a bit of liquid to loosen enough for the cloth to remove.



I could keep going about my great photography lens experiences as well.



If you want the best cleaning cloth available......buy this! Klear Screen iKlear Micro Chamois Kloth

I purchased this cloth along with my iPad and I must say that it is awesome! This cloth will clean up the screen to it's original shine every time, with no water or cleaning solution necessary. At one point I splashed a little coffee on the screen, didn't notice, and it dried up. By just breathing on the spots and a little buffing with this cloth the spots came right off.



With an item as expensive as an iPad ($500+) a $12 investment is peanuts for the piece of mind this cloth gives. I would say that this cloth is an absolute must-have for any iPad owners!

The "Klear Screen iKlear Micro Chamois Kloth" is a great product and does everything it says it will do. We introduced my wife's ipad2 to her sisters on Easter and of course no one used the stylus. When we finally got it back, it was fill of fingerprints and smug marks. This presented no problem for this cleaning cloth. After a few wipes the ipad2 screen looked new again.

I highly recommend this product.

There are many screen cleaner cloths out there (microfiber, disposable, etc.), why spend $10 on this chamois product? Because it works and it lasts very well! I bought my first one of these in 2005 and just recently bought another to use only on my large screen TV.



The Klear Kloth weathers VERY well, the edges of the cloth are stitched so it doesn't fray. It is washable. Show me another product in this class that lasts 6 years and is still going strong.



I use the Klear Chamois Kloth to clean my laptop, my desktop monitor, my GPS screen, phone screens, etc... pretty much anything electronic related that I want to be careful with, I trust this product.



It is a nice large size, so it makes cleaning large computer monitors easy and also works well on large screen TVs.



My philosophy when buying anything is... even a simple cloth to clean screens... if I can spend a bit of time and find the best a high quality product that lasts, and does its job (mainly to clean and not damage my expensive equipment), then it is time well spent.



I've spent the time looking for you.... this is the product I recommend and think that you will want.

This cloth is really great for the iPad. It takes off all the prints and grease with just one swipe. It came with a smaller cloth that is perfect for my husbands iPhone, and two moist travel wipes that I have not tried yet. These were not listed so it was a nice surprise- getting two for the price of one!

This is the best microfiber cloth I've ever used.

You can use it on any screen/glass.



If you own eyeglasses, iphone (or any mobile phone), laptop, desktop screen, TV, etc. and you need

a cloth to wipe off marks buy this. It is very high quality and durable.

We purchased the Klear Screen iKlear Micro Chamois Kloth to clean our new, shiny iPad 2 (which quickly becomes not so shiny with fingerprint smudges after a few hours of use). It came with 2 travel wetwipes, a large microfiber cleaning cloth, and a smaller antimicrobial cleaning cloth. Just using the microfiber cloth is plenty enough to wipe the screen clean of any fingerprints and smudges! Highly recommended to iPad owners as they can collect fingerprints like no other.

Use this for cleaning the screen on my iPad. Works great. Lifts off the dirt and grime with minimal effort. The spray cleaner really isn't necessary. Just breathe on the screen to get a bit of moisture on the screen and this cloth does the rest of the work.

I bought this because Apple says it is best to use to clean my MacBook Pro. I also use iKlear Cleaner Polish for Apple. My computers clean well, lol. Truthfully though, I had a MacBook Pro for 5 years before I bought my new one, and, although this product could not keep it from wear on the trackpad area where your hands rest, it did keep my screen in pristine condition and still going strong - my husband uses that computer now. - Dust - Eye Glasses - Iklear - Ipad'


Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information


Electronics Cleaner - eye glasses, iklear ipad Electronics Cleaner - eye glasses, iklear
Posted by at

Component Cable - hdmi cable, hdmi coupler


I purchased two of these connectors in order to string together a long line that I needed to run. They have worked brilliantly.



I don't understand why anyone would pay the prices that the big box stores continue to charge for this type of equipment. These adapters have worked well and seem to do the job that I have asked them to do. HDMI Female to HDMI Female Adapter Coupler

This is a good product for connecting two HDMI cables. I ran a total of 85' from a HD dish network receiver to a second TV--with no degradation of quality. The connector was very good. I wrapped it with electrical tape after making the connection-because it would end up inside of a wall. great company, fast service--quality all the way.

Tried to use this coupler with several different cables and two different TV sets. Without the coupler signal was fine, but with the coupler the signal would not go through, no matter how I rearranged things. For me it's useless. At the price it was no big deal, just a time-waster.

This is a great solution for extending an HDMI cable. I hooked up my PC to my HDTV, but the 25' cable I ordered wasn't long enough. I ran an extra 6' cable to the pc, using the connector, and it doesn't lose any signal strength. This was a great purchase, and you can't beat the price!

Although a caution sticker indicated that connecting lengths of HDMI cable over 15 feet was not recommended, I connected two 25' lengths from my desktop to my televison with no apparent degradation. Works great.

With 6' HDMI cables showing up for a buck seemingly every week, this is a perfect tool for linking the short ones together to span greater distances. I haven't pushed it to see whether the coupler loses anything from the full HDMI bandwidth, but it works great for hooking up the hdtv or an hdmi-capable monitor to the computer for streaming hulu. Well worth the itty-bitty price.

This thing was supposed to extend two HDMI cables together but for me it did not work. I tried it with several cables and three TVs to no avail but for $2 who cares. I have a 25' cable that stretches far enough so I'm good. - Hdmi Coupler - Connector - Hdmi Cable - Hdmi'


Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information


Posted by at

16gb Flash Drive


I have been a Cruzer user for the past 3 years and, yes, I like and use U3 software. I own a 4 Gb Cruzer and decided to buy the 16 Gb to get some additional space.

Even if you use U3, or like the Cruzer, the 16 Gb version is not a great buy. It works perfect and comes with additional U3 software, but it is terribly slow.

I was appalled at the slow speed of the new drive, so I made three experiments to compare it rigorously with my former 4 Gb drive:

(1) Copying a 291 Mb RAR file from the hard-drive to the Cruzer

(2) Copying a combination of 8 main folders (with multiple sub-folders and files in them) totaling 307 Mb from the hard-drive to the Cruzer

(3) Deleting both the RAR file and the 8 folder structure from the Cruzer drive.



Here are the results:

Cruzer 4 Gb: RAR - 37 s, Folders - 1:02, Delete - 13 s

Cruzer 16 Gb: RAR - 1:06 min, Folders - 1:57 min, Delete - 27 s



So.. basically twice as slow as the 4 Gb drive, which is a pain when using the drive daily. It is up to you. All I can say is that I am currently back to using the 4 Gb Cruzer and using the 16 Gb as backup. SanDisk Cruzer 16 GB Cruzer USB 2.0 Flash Drive SDCZ36-016G-A11

I have had this device for over a month now and I have filled it over 65% already and have had no issues with speed or compatability. Worked on all platforms. I did remove the U3 SW as I prefer to use Portable Apps. I will break down the review as such:



Compatibility: I have used it on Win XP, Win Vista, Mac OS X and Windows 2000. No issues at all.



Speed: I copied 8 GB worth of data on the very first day. With write speeds around 15+ MB/s - it performed as expected. Its not the fastest but it is adequate for 99% of users.



Durability: Well, I didn't think I could say much about this except that it has worked fine daily for the last month or so. I will add that this little device did survive a full wash and dry cycle and still is chugging along. I think that speaks volumes about its durability. I know its a SSD so it should be expected to survive such things - but you don't believe it until you see/experience it.



Asthetics: It is very compact. It has an orange light that flashes when it is in action. The USB connector retracts. Simple, nothing fancy though it does have a nice look to it - what more can you ask for?



Price: This is certainly not the cheapest 16GB drive out there but with the SanDisk name behind it, it certainly is a value buy. Another plus.



I would highly recommend this product to anyone who is looking for a fast, widely compatible, durable and value USB drive that has enough space for anything you would want to put on it.



So in short- Buy It!

This product works great as a storage device for the Xbox 360. It meets all of the requirements for the 360 and performs perfectly! I have half of it set aside for my Xbox and use the other half for personal files and my PS3 save data backups as well!



There are only a couple of drawbacks. The first is the very tiny spot on the back for attaching a keychain (actually, I couldn't get a keychain to fit and instead put a cell phone lanyard with a keychain on the end on it). The second drawback is that when you have the device plugged into something there is a very bright, annoying pulsing light that emanates from the top. This can be very distracting when trying to watch Netflix movies from your Xbox.

16 gig, slide out type is great, no cap to lose. But it came with a "special" U3 program on it that I had to research on google to remove. It was not hard. A remover program was on the drive. But it took me an hour to figure all this hout.

Then it took me more time to figure out how to format this drive for NTFS since this is the best way to store files larger than 4g (like video files.) A youtube vid and google showed me how. Typical of windows this is not straightforward -- it takes a bit of looking to find the right piece of Windows that can format this drive (on XP). My regular way with Disk Management did not work.

Did not come with a cord or ring that would allow you to attach it to something.

Worked fine, I stored a 13 gig file. Did not try it on a Mac.

Got this flash drive to add some more space to my 20 GB XBox 360. Works great and I moved some downloadable content and even installed games from the actual disk just like the hard drive install. Helped with Mass Effect 2 since it uses 2 disks and I almost never play games off the disk anymore.

I purchased this Cruzer, having owned both a Cruzer Titanium and a Cruzer Micro. The Titanium and Micro are a bit more expensive (a difference of several dollars), but in my opinion they're worth the premium. Both the Cruzer Titanium and the Cruzer Micro are faster than this one. The Titanium is maybe twice as fast, while the Micro has a smaller speed advantage. In any case, Windows seems to agree: when you insert a USB drive into a computer running Windows Vista or Windows 7, it automatically does a test to determine whether the drive is fast enough for the ReadyBoost feature. Windows 7 determined that while the Titanium and the Micro were fast enough but this Cruzer was not.



The build quality on the Micro and especially the Titanium are definitely superior. The plastic on the Micro and the "liquid metal" finish on the Titanium are of a visibly higher quality. This Cruzer looks and feels cheap by comparison. The sliding mechanism on mine also failed less than a week into use, so that it's now quite difficult to extend the USB connector out of the retracted position. The Micro and Titanium have been fine after months, even years of use.



In terms of functionality, they're all the same, and they all come with U3 which can be removed.



Finally, though I did not factor this into the rating (since it's well outside what the manufacturer designed them for), I ended up leaving a Cruzer and a Cruzer Micro in the pocket of a pair of pants that ended up in the washer. I got them out before there was too much soaking, but they were both wet when I took them out. The cheap Cruzer worked right away but the Cruzer Micro did not. Several hours later, though, this had reversed: the cheap Cruzer no longer worked but the Cruzer Micro worked fine, and they have stayed that way. Might not mean anything, or might be some indication of relative quality.



Anyway, the bottom line is that you get what you pay for. I suggest that anyone looking at this drive consider paying a few dollars more for a Micro or Titanium.'


Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information


Posted by at

Mp3 Cassette Adapter - adapters, car accessory


I wasn't sure what to expect from this no-name brand cassette adapter but was pleased to find it worked well with my car tape deck stereo. I wanted to pipe music from the mp3 files in my LG enV3 cell phone through my car speakers. At first try, there was a noticeable hissing sound and the volume was quite suppressed. I ejected the cassette and pushed it back in to try again. This time, the volume level was corrected and the hissing noise went away. The sound quality is very good.



I realized the initial problem was due to not having used my tape deck in a quite a while. The contacts must have been very dirty! Anyway, I highly recommend this item. Great price and prompt shipping from Eforcity. Universal Car Audio Cassette Adapter, Black

I recently purchased this adapter to play my iPod through my car speakers. It works well, but the sound quality is not great. I cannot turn my iPod volume level to its highest without the music becoming distorted through the adapter. It requires me to keep my iPod volume level around mid-level while turning up the car volume, creating a slight hissing noise from the speakers. Overall, it is a good, easy-to-use product and definitely worth the money if sound quality is not a big issue.

Not the convenience of wireless, but works way better than fm transmitter units. Be sure to have Tape option turned on in your stereo unit if it does not activate sound automatically.

Also folks remember , even when car or car stero is turned off, most portable mp3 players will need to be turned off independently.

I guess you get what you pay for. The sound quality on this adapter is horrible. You're much better off spending a few more dollars for one that's better constructed. I recommend the Philips PH2050W. Picked it up at walmart after receiving this piece of junk and the one from Philips is fantastic! Only cost $8 too.

I have had many pleasant interactions with EforCity in the past. Their merchandise had always worked and was priced very competitively.

This time I tried to replace a noisy Monster adaptor with this inexpensive one. I didn't work. It played only one channel and had no bass response.

I emailed the company and they sent out a replacement in short order....It looked exactly the same (the pic in this dept) but it works perfectly.

Even better, it doesn't make a lot of noise, so when the volume is low, I can't hear the tape adaptor clatter anymore.. This is almost noiseless.

Great experience....

No-nonsense adapter. No moving parts, no clicking, reversing, or other annoying operational quirks. Sound transfer quality is great. I'm really tickled with how easy this is to use. Ordering another one for "just in case"!

I tried putting the cassette into the player in my car and it keeps rejecting it. It works with other tapes but once I put it in it makes a scratchy sounds and ejects it. I am disappointed that I put faith in this and it only rejects this. I do not suggest purchasing this.

I was skeptical about buying this at first but it was so cheap I couldn't pass it up. I don't know to much about these but I did some research and read that if it doesn't work you just have to open it up and take the gear out so it can spin the other way. Mine didn't work which I expected since the car is old, so I opened it up and took the gear out with no problems. It still didn't work so I now have it sitting in my drawer.

I bought one and it was defective. The seller immediately sent me a new one. Hardly any better. If you really want to save money and don't care about true quality sound, then this is OK. If you want high quality, then get a better adapter with a better tape head. This one is very small, hence the poor quality sound. I wouldn't buy one again for any reason. - Adapters - Mp3 Cassette Adapter - Car Accessory - Car Adapter'


Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information


Posted by at

Bathroom Scale


I changed my review from a 1 to a 5...here's why I am impressed. First, I had a Tanita scale; it told me my weight, body fat, water weight, bone weight, if my toe nails needed to be cut, etc. However, I could not read the display and as executive/non-athlete I did not need all this information. When that scale died, I went looking for a good solid simple scale. I liked the way this scale looked and the reviews on Amazon were good. Plus, the price was great. I got it right away, and it was great. Looked good, easy to read, and I liked the 0.2 denominations. However, unfortunately it stopped working after two weeks. I went to return it on Amazon and posted a disappointing review. Then the most amazing thing happened...this really happened...about an hour after I posted my review, I was contacted by the company. They read my review and apologized that my unit was not operating the way that it was supposed, discussed their high quality control and that this should not have happened, and then they sent me a replacement right away. THAT IS CUSTOMER SERVICE!!! They are family run operation that prides themselves on customer service and providing people with a quality product. THEY STAND BEHIND THEIR PRODUCTS! There are so few of these good companies left. I was very impressed. I am a very happy customer again and will buy other products from this company!! I hope you will too.

I am SO happy to finally have a bathroom scale that WORKS! My old Taylor scale was just crap. Seriously. I lost so much motivation because of that thing, it would give me different weights anywhere within a 5-pound "range" every time I stepped on it, so I never had any idea what I actually weighed, or whether or not my hard work was paying off. Drove me nuts!



Because of that, I put my new EatSmart scale through a lot of "tests" when I got it today. I stepped on it 5 times in a row, alternating between it and the old Taylor scale each time. The old scale gave me 5 completely different numbers, as usual, but the EatSmart stayed the same each time! I even tried putting the laundry basket on it in between weighs, to make sure it wasn't just "remembering" the last number. Nope! So then I tried drinking a big glass of water, and sure enough, the EatSmart registered a .6 pound increase. Fantastic! I'm so pleased with the consistency and accuracy of this scale. I'm feeling 100x more energized and motivated than I was yesterday, because I know now I'll be able to see the REAL results of my actions, good or otherwise. :)

The scale is very accurate. I stepped on and off multiple times, and always got the same number. Then I put on a light jacket, stepped on again, and it was up .6 pounds. Perfect! However, it is somewhat tricky turning the scale on. They say you're supposed to "tap" it with your foot to activate it, but nothing happens when I tap. The only thing that seems to work for me is if I slide my foot underneath the scale and lift it up slightly. This seems to turn it on, but it's a somewhat awkward maneuver. So I take off two stars for the difficulty in turning it on.





UPDATE (3/25/2010) since writing my previous review, EatSmart has updated their product and gotten rid of the need to tap on. They sent me a new version, and it really does work much better. It seems just as accurate, though there is a .2 pound difference between the old scale and the new (which really isn't too bad). You step on the scale, and it just works. Much better!!

When I finally decided to replace the old analog scale that I have had for the last decade I thought it was going to be an expensive and borderline painful process. After doing a little research, I purchased the EatSmart scale primarily because the large display was appealing (I have a very small apartment bathroom with one small overhead light) and the price seemed right.



I have been nothing but thrilled with this purchase so far. The large screen allows for me to easily read the scale every time (even after I get out of the shower and the bathroom is fogged up). With my old analog I was always hunching over to figure out what major weights the dial was between. It also is very accurate (I weighed myself multiple times the first few times to test this) and has none of the huge weight fluctuations reported in the reviews of some of Amazon's other scales. Best of all the price was very reasonable versus scales with similar features I have seen elsewhere.



Highly recommended.

This scale has a very sleek design, and the large back-lit display is very useful! It's very easy to read. When I first received the scale, I had trouble tapping it and getting it to turn on. I would have to pick it up and set it back down in order to turn it on. So, I eventually contacted the customer support through e-mail about the issue. And wow, they are extremely fast at responding!! I received a call from them after about (literally!) two minutes of e-mailing them. The representative was really helpful and worked with me to get the scale running properly.



If you have trouble turning it on like how I did, you should first try to tap it with your knuckles (with a bit of force, but not extremely hard) or grab a tennis ball and drop it from 4-5 inches above the scale. If it turns on, then it's probably not turning on properly because of how you're tapping it with your foot. The area I now tap is slightly below the display window (above the center of the scale). That seems to get it to turn on every time. Also, make sure you're placing the scale on a hard surface. The scale is very accurate, and my weight doesn't fluctuate like crazy compared to scales I've had before. I've stepped on it several times in a row to test that out. Awesome product, awesome service! I highly recommend buying from them!!'


Detail Products
Detail Reviews
Click here for more information


Posted by at
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)