Etekcity Smart Scale Review (ESF24)

A few months ago, I tested the Etekcity smart fitness scale ESF37 and it was a well-rounded device which besides displaying your weight, it would also offer lots of other information about your body, such as the bone and muscle mass, the BMI, the metabolic age and more, all that paired with a responsive app.

Etekcity Smart Fitness Scale
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Now we have another smart scale from Etekcity, the ESF24 which, on paper, doesn’t differ that much from the ESF37, since both can handle up to 400lb, are made of 6mm tempered glass and can gather lots of data from the four bottom-placed sensors, but there is a significant difference in design and the conductive metallic pieces are now differently placed; the ESF24 also relies on a LED panel instead of LCD, it can gather 13 types of data (instead of 12) and the number of users per account are now unlimited (unlike the previous device, which were limited to 8).

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But the question that you will immediately ask is why would you need a smart scale instead of a regular one? The regular digital scale will simply display the weight and nothing more, while the smart scale borrows some features from the fitness-focused scales that could show various types of data (such as the devices from Tanita), but at a reduced price and you do get the convenience of checking your stats via an app (which can also sync with Fitbit and Google Fit devices), so if you’re currently on a diet and want to track your progress as accurately as possible, then you do need a smart scale. It is important to know that you should not weigh yourself too often since you won’t see any significant difference on a daily basis (and it can quickly turn into an unhealthy obsession), so once or twice a week should be perfect.

If you put a regular body weight scale next to the Etekcity smart scale, there won’t be any design elements to will let you know that the latter can connect to your mobile devices, well, except for the fact that it stands taller from the ground (to accommodate the additional internal hardware). But that’s about it, the ESF24 still features a 6mm tempered glass top surface which is thick enough to allow people to up to 400lbs to measure their weight (if the user is heavier, they’ll see an error) and towards the four corners, Etekcity has added four metal plates which need to come into contact with your bare feet in order to get the additional data (the device will only show you the weight if you’re wearing socks).

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The way the scale accomplishes this is by sending a low, electrical current through your body and, depending if it passes through your muscle or fat tissue, it will either go faster or slower, letting you know the detected data in the app. It’s still not a perfect system since abundant consumption of water or dehydration will impact the readings, but if you use it over a longer period of time, it will show you accurately the changes in your body.
Note: The electrical current is not dangerous for most people, but those that have a pacemaker installed should avoid using it and the people that are pregnant should speak with their doctor before using the scale.

The Etekcity ESF37 has a small display on the top surface to quickly let you know your weight and I was surprised to see that the ESF24 was completely black lacking any contour for a display, but, it’s there alright and you will only see the numbers in red when you climb on top of the scale (it’s 2.9-inch wide and 1.3-inch tall). One complaint that I had in regards to the Etekcity ESF37 smart scale was that the bottom plastic piece attached to the plate didn’t really feel that high quality and the plastic on the ESF24 seems to be more robust; I also noticed that the four feet are significantly larger, but they’re still as accurate as on the other Etekcity model. The size of the glass slate is 11.8 x 11.8 x 1.0 inches, so it will occupy the same space as the ordinary scale and to power it up, you will need to use three 1.5V AAA batteries (the scale does have the batteries already included).

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You can add the best hardware to your smart product, but if the application does not offer a good user experience, then the device will fail, especially considering how overcrowded IoT market is right now. Thankfully, the VeSync application seems to be well made and I had a decent experience when I tested the Etekcity ESF37. The ESF24 smart scale uses a similar app (compatible with both Android OS and iOS) and you do have to go through pretty much the same steps in order to pair it to the scale. First of all, make sure to remove the plastic lip from the bottom of the device to allow the batteries to get connected to the scale and then download and install the VeSyncFit app. The first thing that you’re going to be asked is the weight unit (kg, lb or st), the height unit (cm or inch) and then to sign up (or log into an existing account).

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Immediately after, you can pair the app to a FitBit or Google Fit device (you can do this step afterwards, from the Settings menu) and then you can create a new profile (I already had one from the VeSync app) – the VeSyncFit requires to know your location in order to access the Bluetooth connection from your phone and Etekcity says that the smart scale does not read or store the location info. And that’s about it, you can now sit on the smart scale (with your bare feet) and the device will measure your weight and will send the other metrics towards the app (the process happens in about 2-3 seconds) which will be displayed on the main page (Measurements section).

At the top of window, you’ll see your name, the last measured weight and immediately underneath, you can Set a specific Goal (tap on the option to be taken to a new page, where you can make the necessary adjustments). Further down, the app will display a block of info with the collected metrics: the Weight, the BMI, the Body Fat, the Fat-Free Body Weigh, the Subcutaneous Fat, the Visceral Fat, the Body Water, the Skeletal Muscle, the Muscle Mass, the Bone Mass, the Protein, the BMR and the Metabolic Age – tapping on any of the aforementioned metrics will display additional info for what should be the ideal values.

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Beside the Measurements section, you can also visit the Trends (tap on it from the bottom), which will display how your stats have changed over a certain period of time (weekly, monthly or yearly – you can also go to History) and lastly, you can visit the ‘My Account’ section where you can view the stats for every user – yes, you can add more members (there number of users seems to be unlimited) and from the Settings, you can adjust various aspects of the app: the Color, the Goal, the Weight Unit, enable/disable the Measurements Sounds, check for Bluetooth anomalies, pair the app with either Google Fit or FitBit devices, redo the pairing process, set Reminders for when to measure your weight or set a Lock PIN for the app; you can also view Video Tutorials (from YouTube), contact Customer Service Hotline, change the Language, Delete the Account and more. On the Measurements page, you can also notice a small Plus sign to the top right corner, where you can Manually Input your Weight and Body Fat, access the Device Management or Share the collected Data with other devices.

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Note: Just like on the ESF37, the Etekcity ESF24 will have a measurement tape added inside the package.

Conclusion
Not all devices that can connect to an app will improve the well being of their users, but the smart fitness scale has been generally regarded as a welcomed addition to the smart home since it has managed to keep the simplicity of the non-smart device (you just have to stand on the scale) and the user can check at any time the additional data from the app. Similarly to the ESF37, the Etekcity ESF24 smart scale remains a reliable device which can help you keep track of your progress, so, if you’re in the market for this type of device, you should definitely have a look at the Etekcity smart fitness scales.

Etekcity Smart Scale ESF24

-
8.3

DESIGN

8.0/10

EASE OF USE

8.0/10

FEATURES

8.3/10

AFFORDABILITY

9.0/10

Pros

  • Able to collect lots of info
  • The application is responsive
  • The design doesn't differ that much from the traditional scale
  • Supports an unlimited amount of users

Cons

  • Can only connect to the mobile device via Bluetooth

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