Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 35
 My Weigh XL-550 Heavy Duty Scale July 25, 2010
TheBigGuy
The My Weigh XL-550 Digital Talking Scale is a well-constructed product that performs as advertised -- sort of. If you are overweight and require a heavy duty scale, please read carefully. This scale appeared to be one of the physically widest consumer-grade scales on the current market, and its weight range -- up to 550 lb. -- is what many morbidly obese people will require. The stand-on surface is 11" deep x 14 5/8" across, plenty space for most feet. My shoe size is 12 1/2 EEEEE and my feet just fit with no toe or heel overhang; larger feet will have some overhang.
The scale comes ready to use out of the box except for loading the four (4) AA batteries into the compartment underneath (compartment has a simple snap-lock cover -- no tools required). The scale itself is very lightweight and easy for just about anyone to handle. When installing the batteries, you can also decide at that time to set the Voice Feature on or off with the small slide switch which is also located underneath towards the edge near the digital readout section. The switch's position is marked with two symbols -- a speaker for "on" and a speaker with a diagonal line through it for "off".
With the batteries loaded and the switch turned to the speaker (on) position, place the scale on any flat hard surface and it's ready to use. First, tap the surface with one of your feet. The scale announces "Hello" and you have to wait a few seconds until it says "I'm Ready". Step on the scale and either read your weight or wait for the announcement of your weight which is given to the tenth of a pound. When the announcement has completed, step off the scale and in a few more seconds it says "Good bye". All very nice.
But here is the problem. Even with the wider scale foot area it is still far too small for large people on which to stand with any stability. Remember - this is a heavy duty scale made for people weighing up to 550 lb.. I have size 12.5 EEEEE feet, none too small, and they fit on the scale just fine with no overhang. BUT...I weigh about 320 lb. (was over 350 when I bought this a month ago) and cannot balance myself with my feet being as close together as is required to stand on this and probably most other consumer grade scales.
Those larger persons among us with thick heavy thighs must stand with our feet a bit farther apart than normal to maintain balance. When my feet are close together as required to stand on this scale, I find myself wavering slightly back and forth to maintain balance - and this completely confuses the scales optional voice announcement feature. You have to stand motionless for several seconds in order for the scale to determine what weight it will announce through the speaker. Even the slightest movement changes the weight by tenths of a pound (the scale/readout measures to 1/10 of a pound). What's more, if you have an ample-sized torso and cannot simply drop your head to look down and see the readout on the scale on which you are standing, you really do need the voice feature. But if you bend over slightly to see the readout, I'll bet you, like me, cannot stand perfectly motionless long enough for this scale to determine an exact weight -- so it never audibly announces the weight. A bit frustrating. And you cannot hold on to anything for balance or else you will falsely reduce your weight reading. So I just use the readout and ignore the fluctuating tenths digit.
I would suggest the manufacturer consider making the scale accurate to 1 pound, not 0.1 pound, so that the voice would work most of the time for large people. What the heck's the use of a 1/10 readout for a person weighing themselves anyway? If some folks require it, make a separate model or give us a switch to reduce accuracy to 1 pound. By my own observations I can stand motionless long enough to keep the fluctuating readout within 1 pound, but I cannot maintain balance and stay motionless to stop the fluctuations within 0.1 lb.
So the XL-550 does the job as advertised; potential buyers must consider, if they want to use the voice feature, whether or not they can stand with their feet fairly close together for 6 or 7 seconds without moving AT ALL (it's harder than you may realize).
 great scale July 20, 2010
Edgar J. Puckett (MO.)
great item for an old geezer that can't see till he puts his glasses on.
Talking Scale July 17, 2010
rons
My mother-in-law has macular degeneration and can't read a regular scale. She need to weigh herself everyday because of weight gain due to fluid retention. This works great for her, she can understand the voice even with poor hearing.
 Don't buy June 24, 2010
Mike the Red
The other reviews are correct- the scale is inaccurate, glitchy, and mine stopped working after 2 months
Scale hates to talk somedays June 10, 2010
Vanster (Kent, WA USA)
Overall this scale is pretty good for larger people. The talking feature only works part time. If you shake or have any motion while on the scale, all you hear is "Good Bye" from the unit. You have to step off and rezero to try to get it to respond with your weight.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 35
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