Accessories

great
i really like it, its nice to know if you are losing (or gaining) body fat or lean body mass and this product allows you to do that not only privately, but also frequently.

Bad design, inaccurate results.
The tester has a moving plastic piece in the middle that you are supposed to set all the way to the right before making a measurement. This makes it almost impossible to take accurate measurements. Also the instrument doesn't click so you don't know how much pressure to use.

Great little device
Considering the price and simplicity of this little tool, I really like it a lot. As other reviewers have said, it does take a little getting used to to ensure repeatability though. Here's why:

These calipers use a clever little "half arm" sticking out from the side to help you to gage how hard to pinch before taking your reading. At the tip off this half arm is a little round tip that, as you pinch the calipers closed, nestles into a little pocket (on the long arm where Accu-Measure is printed). The problem is that you just have to pay careful attention to when that little round tip is fully seated in its pocket and not pinch to squeeze the calipers any more than that.

I consider myself pretty technically inclined and it has taken me a few weeks to get very comfortable and repeatable with squeezing it just right. Now it's no problem at all.

I will say though that an even greater source of variability in measurements (at least for me) is where specifically you measure. There's a little diagram that shows approx where to pinch your gut to measure. I found though that the more I move outward toward my side, the lower the body fat measure. I'm not all that concerned with the specific percentage...I've been using the calipers to mostly gage progress. And I can do this by looking at the millimeters of "pinched fat" and seeing that slowly reduce over time.

You just have to be VERY specific about pinching at EXACTLY the same location and not moving the location around inadvertently. Today I measured 20mm in one location (easily repeated 3 times very accurately) and 1.5 to 2" away (toward my side) measured 14mm (again easily repeated 3 times in a row).

So in short, the calipers are an awesome tool and will read VERY repeatably as long as you pay close attention to what you are doing. I can't vouch for how accurately they translate mm of pinched fat into % body fat. I'd imaging that there are lots of factors beyond the control of these little calipers that affect the accuracy of that correlation. But if all you need to do is track progress, this is a perfect tool for me.

This is a good cheap way to check your bodyfat level
I was frustrated with the way my Omron Bio-Impedance Body fat analyzer (Omron HBF-306C Fat Loss Monitor) would give me different numbers based on if I'd had a glass of water, or the time of day, or the position of my arms, shoulders or elbows - so I decided to try the Accu-Measure Caliper to see if all of these variables would diminished in number. I found that they did, but the Caliper has far less precision. I liked how the electric body fat analyzer would give me a precise number down to a tenth of a percent while a one millimeter difference in a skinfold using the caliper would be the difference between 15.4% and 13.6%. I now use both body fat testers but I would say that I prefer the electric one.

Great tool to measure your body fat at home
I love it! It is so easy to use, and I have used it to track my fat loss on a weekly basis. The Accu-measure 3000 is quick and reliable. I would recommend it to anyone who's serious about shedding fat.