I have only had this scale for several days, but so far it has been great. It is seemingly both accurate and precise. The readings seem consistent over time even with moving the riders back to zero each time. The zero stays the same each time too. Standing with both feet in the center vs. spread apart changed the weight reading very slightly, maybe a few oz difference. I didn't have any problems with the moving parts getting hung up and giving bad readings as some other reviewers reported. The build quality of the scale is good. It seems very robust and the look is of a high quality professional instrument.

Assembly was pretty easy. It probably took me about an hour to put it together and zero everything. The unit comes in 5 main parts: The base, the riser tube, the balance head, the height rod, and the height-rod-spacer. These pieces are secured together with a few simple bolts and screws. The instructions are pictographic and a little hard to decipher but I was able to get them sorted out pretty quickly. Make sure you're looking at the correct manual for the main scale assembly first, then use the separate manual for the height rod assembly instructions. Zeroing/taring was easy to do but hard to understand from the manual. You simply use the horizontal adjustment screw. If the range of adjustment in that screw is not enough then you can take further steps to move the counter weight. I did not have to move the counter weight.

On the negative side of things: the height rod paddle is a bit floppy and does not sit parallel to the base. Depending on how much downward pressure you apply and where you stand the measurements could be different by a few fractions of an inch. Also, the roller wheels used to move the scale around are very close together so when using them the scale it is prone to tipping over to the side when going over ground that is not perfectly smooth.

Overall I am very happy with this scale and am glad to be rid of the crummy electronic home scales I was previously using. I expect this will last me the rest of my life and do a better job.

When the height bar is pushed all the way down, it's not blocking anything. The 1/8 pounds is possible because the big weight is moved in 20-pound increments. Other balance beams use 50 pounds. One reviewer tested it and said accurate to 1/4-pound. The manual's technical data has an interesting chart that claims 0.22 pounds to 110 pounds. Then accuracy starts to drop. At 220 pounds, it is 0.44 pounds. I like the honesty, and the chart is in kg so I just did the conversion. Out of the box, I got readings 3.9% low. 201 pounds came in at 193.5 and 161.4 measured 155.4. Even tried adding 10.4 pounds and also got 3.9% less. Then somehow, 12 hours later with only gravity working on it, this scale corrected itself and appears to be perfect. The manual doesn't mention any of this. There is a partial circle-shape visible on the black standing surface but only when shined on with a flashlight. I guess they were stacking these platforms in the factory and a little residue attached. It didn't wipe off with water, but I don't want to keep rubbing since it is only visible with a flashlight. Weight is in pounds only, readable from both sides. Some Seca models have pounds and kg top/bottom from each other: this scale is easier to use without more grooves to deal with. The height bar is both inches and cm. The instructions don't say how to raise and lower the bar that rests on your head: you have to pull out slightly with both of your thumbs to raise it and both your index fingers to lower it. My last trick is to first step on my old electronic scale and then move the weights on the balance beam to that value. This saves time and I'm quickly learning how much to slide the bar smoothly for the final adjustment.

So far pretty happy with it, but the assembly directions could have been MUCH clearer. Still, I was able to piece it together. Unfortunately the balance bar kept getting stuck on the far end of the beam guard. Had to call Seca customer service to have them send me directions on how to correct it, as sending it back was not really a practical option. Customer service told me that this was unfortunately a common occurrence with their scales purchased through Amazon. After that, we then had to adjust the counter-weight. Still, after all is said and done, now that we have it fixed, we are very happy with it, and hope to not have to purchase another scale for a long time. It seems to be very accurate--we have it in our exercise area, and it has been accurate with all the weights we have put on it. We'll never have another electronic scale--those are worthless.

This is a great product. It works as intended and was easy to setup once it arrive (some assembly is required, but it was very easy to put together). You will need a phillips head screwdriver - since they don't supply one.

I got this because I was tired of my bathroom scales needing new batteries, and then they read differently each time I weighed myself (even in the same session - I could get on, get one reading, step off, then step back on and get a different reading by as much as 10 lbs off). This scale is spot on (makes sense, it is purely mechanical) every time.

It is a heavy (relative to a bathroom scale or such) device. So plan accordingly.

I bought this scale because of the width of its platform that you stand on. It is approximately 14 inches at the heals and 12 inches at the toes. All the other scales seem to have widths around 10.5 inches.

After calibrating, my weight measured about 10 lbs. light. I confirmed this at a local store that had a very grand Toledo scale and at a weight loss center a few doors down. When I got back home, I checked to see if the scale's platform was level. It was not. After turning the unit on its side, I saw that the "X" joints underneath the scale that transfer the force of your mass to the top of the scale appeared to be stuck. I tapped these joints a few times and gave the platform a shake. The scale then performed perfectly.

After fixing this issue I noticed that if you gently push the platform and then let go, the platform will oscillate back and forth for about a minute. This should confirm that there isn't undue friction present due to joints that became stuck during shipping.

It should also be pointed out that the scale measures weight in 2 oz. increments. So if the bottom slider is at 100 lbs. and the top slider is 3 hashmarks above 12 lbs., then your weight is 112 lbs 6 ozs.