With the sheer number of bathroom scales on the market today, shopping for one can be overwhelming. You’re faced with a number of choices: Is brand name important? Do you prefer digital or analog? Do you need a body fat calculator? Do you have to have one with a memory to store previous weights?  Will it remember multiple users? By reading bathroom scale ratings before you buy, you can find a scale with the features that are most important to you.

Online ratings are generally provided by experts or users. In the case of bathroom scales, experts are scientists or accredited professionals in the area of heath, wellness and weight loss. The results of their findings are usually published in industry trade magazines or provided to consumer reporting publications. Users consist of customers who have purchased and used a particular scale. Insight from both groups can be helpful when it comes to purchasing a bathroom scale.

Some ratings are calculated using a system that assigns points based on different factors like functionality and features. A high overall score may indicate a high-quality product that provides a variety of benefits to the user. Some products may score high on the features you need, while scoring lower on optional features. By prioritizing the attributes you want, you can sort products and eliminate the ones that don’t meet your needs.

Other ratings are simply users’ opinions of the products. A satisfied customer may award a bathroom scale a high score because it’s accurate and easy to read, while another may award points based on the scale’s appearance or special options. A consumer may look for high scores for accuracy and ease of operation, while another may look specifically for extra functions, such as a body fat calculator or progress meter. Still others look for written feedback from users like themselves. Personal reviews can be useful, but it’s important to consider them in conjunction with other more subjective reviews.

Some bathroom scale manufacturers use their high product ratings as marketing tools. They may advertise their excellence on packaging, on websites and in print. You may read about scales that have won awards for their design, features or technology, which may help you decide on the perfect scale.

The objective reviews done by consumer advocates or professional organizations evaluate each product against a specified list of criteria. Low scores generally indicate that a product is of lesser quality than others. Subjective reviews done by users of the product are based on opinion, and low scores may not necessarily reflect your own experience with it.

By reviewing the professional and personal evaluations, you can be an informed consumer.  This will help ensure that you choose the best bathroom scale for you.