Seca Clara 803

Nothing as promised – This set of scales is inaccurate and difficult to use. As a medical professional I bought the scales as it was advertised that they were accurate, "precision for health", "gives exact results", "easy to use". All completely essential features for anyone using scales and particularly in the medical profession. I tested theses scales when received on a hardwood floor and following the manufacturers instructions. I weighed myself six tiimes over a two or three minute period. Not once did I get the same reading and the results differed by up to 2.5 kg. the product is advertised for medical professionals yet in reality is completely useless for such a purpose. Looks sleek, nice appearance Inaccurate, difficult to turn on and re-set, did not meet companies claims

Great accuracy, but the brilliance stops there – Ok so the accuracy is great, but the brilliance stops there. I found three significant shortcomings with my SECA Clara 803 (in black) after receiving it yesterday: 1. The tap-on function is not simple, easy or reliable. I could not turn mine on with a simple tap to the rubber surface - I tried every square centimeter with a range of pressures. It requires tilting and this means getting down and tilting it with my hands, or getting underneath it with my foot and tilting it with it then crashing down. Not good for my back, and impossible on days I'm in so much pain and can barely bend to put on my pants and shoes.

2. The claimed easy-to-read LCD display is in fact very difficult to read in low-light conditions that are normal for a bathroom / bedroom corner or up against the wall where I want to keep my scale. This is because it has a cheap reflective LCD display, certainly not a transflective LCD display (combination reflective & backlit) and not even a backlit display (even the much cheaper EatSmart scale offers this, though I can't vouch for the accuracy of it having never tried it). Anyway, cheap reflective LCD displays require sufficient overhead light to reflect off them for you to see the display. This means that every time I want to use my scale, I've got to move it out into the open where there's good overhead light or I can't see the reading. Again, not good for my back and downright annoying as I intended to locate the scale in a corner of my bathroom and leave it there for regular usage and never move it.

3. The scale is housed in very light, brittle-looking plastic, not the heavy-duty, solid plastic that I expected from SECA with its price tag. Looking at it, I'd be very concerned that if someone in heavy boots stepped on the edge it may well crack. I certainly wouldn't want to accidentally drop anything near it for fear of cracking the frame.

Come on SECA, get these shortcomings sorted out. A reputation for producing the most accurate scales is not enough if those scales are so user-unfriendly they're not only a bitter disappointment, but a downright annoyance. Accurate. Simple design. Non-slip rubber surface. Cheap reflective LCD display can't be read in low-light conditions up against wall or corner of the room. Tap-on function fails, very unreliable - it generally has to picked up and tilted before it will switch on. Housed in light, cheap plastic, not the durable, solid plastic I expected from SECA.