Health o meter 402LB Mechanical Beam Scale, Height Rod, 400 lb. Capacity, 10-1/2" x 14" x 3-1/4" Platform

8 years in and the scale is still excellent! Original review follows...The scale just arrived (2 days!). It took 5 minutes to put together. Weighed me to within a pound or so of the electronic scale I am replacing. The difference is, when I step on and off the electronic scale, consecutive measurements can vary by a couple of pounds. This scale, I can step on and off as many times as I like and it does not give me different readings. Resolution to 0.25 lbs. I've found the way to get the best consistency from a scale like this is to find your weight (beam is somewhere between top and bottom stops), hold the end of the beam against the top bar, adjust the sliding weight downward slightly, then gently (slowly, without moving your body) release the beam. If the beam *just* moves down from contacting the top stop and stays clear, you have found your absolute minimum weight (for this scale) - I have not checked the absolute accuracy of the scale, since (as I said) it measures close to what I expected and I am more interested in consistency than absolute accuracy. I stepped on and off the scale several times and my weight stayed the same. I picked up 4 AA batteries sitting on the dresser (3.375 ounces, or less than 1/4 pound) and the beam contacted the top stop. In other words, without my stepping on or off, the scale detected that I had added 1/4 lb to my weight.The difference in weight between the beam just barely contacting the top stop and just barely contacting the bottom stop was ~1/2 lb. So, even if you aren't as nutty about obtaining maximum consistency, as long as the beam is somewhere between the top and bottom stops, you can be confident your weight will be "correct" (for this scale) to within +/- 0.25 lb.The scale is not as heavy-duty as I would like, but what do you expect from a ~$170 scale?. Based upon the construction, I believe that if I don't knock it over, toss it across the room, jump on it, or otherwise abuse it, it will be accurate in perpetuity and I will never have to worry about it getting wet or wonder whether or not the batteries are dying. If anything untoward happens over the course of the next few weeks or months, I shall update this review.

First, a few notes about setting the scale up:(*) In the box are a base, a pedestal, directions, and a baggie with four nuts and a laughably chintzy but functional wrench.(*) Protruding from the pedestal are four threaded studs. The studs can only go in the base one way.(*) With the base on the floor, you hoist the pedestal, guide it downward to the base and fit the studs into the appropriate holes.(*) Then, the hard part -- or, more accurately, the closest you'll come to a hard part while putting this thing together: You must hoist flimsily attached pedestal/base together and lay the pedestal on a table, so that you can hand screw and then wrench-tighten the nuts onto the studs accessible from the bottom of the base. You'll want a firm hold on the base/pedestal assembly while doing this, and, if you care about scuff marks on the table, will want to cover it with a tarp or tarp equivalent beforehand.(*) After the nuts are on tight: you slide a hook through a metal loop in the back of the pedestal (as described in the directions; it's easy, and obvious), put the whole shebang on the floor and you're done. You might need to turn a screw to get the balance beam to zero. I didn't. It was perfectly calibrated out of the box.I'm happy I got it. My weight is fine, but keeping it fine has been a daily effort for many, many years. I keep close tabs on my weight, and I think it was worth the money to know how much I *really* weigh, without the variability of spring scales. I might not recommend this for anyone who anticipates having to move in the next few years; this thing will be one more headache to cart along in the U-Haul. But, if you're planning on staying where you are ...I've never owned another pro scale and can't compare this to others on the market. It's one of the less expensive balance beam scales available, and all the Amazon reviews were good. That's why I chose it, and now I can contribute a positive review of my own.

Scale is consistent. Unlike conventional bathroom spring scales I have tried, I can get off this one and get back on and get the same reading. Scale reads to the nearest 1/4 pound, which is also good. There is no secondary scale on the end with the balance pointer (unlike commercial scales I have seen), so I would not try to go beyond that in accuracy. The numbers are painted on. It is not the commercial-grade high quality like the one in my doctor's office, but is more than sufficient for home purposes.Some assembly is required, and I thought the instructions were clear. The necessary wrench is provided. I did need to use a small screwdriver to make the final calibration to the weight scale.I got the version with the height ruler. One somewhat odd thing is that the scale reads the weight only in pounds but the ruler shows your height in both inches and centimeters.