Digital Scale or Steel Beam Scale, which is more accurate?

I own a digital scale, that has been pretty consistent with right around what my weight should be (or so I think) but the scale has faulted on me twice...

At work we have a medical steel beam scale and it has been zeroed properly.  But the scale at work says I am three pounds lighter then my digital scale at home claimed I was.  And when I was at home I was actually wearing just my underwear where when I was at work I was wearing pants and a shirt...  And no I didn't have any liquids or foods inbetween the measurements. 

Which scale is more accurate and which scale should I trust?

hmm, did you talk to your co-workers to see if they had any differences also?

I tend to have a lot of problems with my digital home scale because depending on where it is, it gives me different numbers. I live in an older house so I guess the floors are uneven so I just try to keep it in the same spot.

In terms of weighing yourself, as long as you're consistent with the scale that you're using/what you wear etc., it'll be a good indicator of your efforts.

Good luck! :)

I second what Nads said - I would pick the scale you use most, and use it to gauge your progress. After all, who really cares what the most accurate number is, as long as it's going down!

Well based on the fact that when my doctor weighed me he used what seemed like a standard mechanical scale, id be inclined to say that digital ones cant be all that good!

To windra, I personally know a few doctors with digital scales, and they are highly accurate.  I remember in wrestling we had the same one a couple doctors I've seen have.  Takes the human error out of it too.

But yea, I think as long as you keep the variables down you're fine.  Don't get caught too much up in the number of the scale, but moreso the direction of the number since the last one.  Try to weigh at the same time of day, the same amount of clothes, the same spot, same scale, etc.

asking which type of scale is more accurate is like asking whether a four-door is faster than a two-door.

generally, i would expect a good quality mechanical medical scale to be accurate, but some digital scales are accurate, too. 

but in weight loss, consistency is more important than accuracy.  does your digital self-calibrate?  movement and temperature changes can affect consistency, but if the scale accounts for this, you can trust it.

I was worried about my digital scale too so I weighed my 5lbs free weight.  I tried moving the scale around and moving the weight around to different places on the scale, including the very edges.

It read 5.00 lbs every single time.  So I knew it was good. :)

Wow, surprised at the responses to this.  Thank you guys very much, I think I will stick with the digital scale, as that is the one in my home.  I will try moving the scale around and seeing if it reads a different response.  Great advice and thanks again to everyone.

I also wondered this. I have three scales and one of them always reads 2-3 lbs. heavier than the other two, so i put my 6 lb. weights on each scale and sure enough, the one that reads 2-3 lbs. heavier said my 6 lb. weight was 8 lbs, but at least it was consistent. I think consistency is key and every scale is going to differ 2-5 lbs.

Also do make sure you weigh yourself at the same exact time every day on the same scale, wearing the same thing (or nothing). I weigh in the morning after I've gone to the bathroom with no clothes on and I get consistent readings of losing or gaining or whatever. When I weigh myself at night (even without clothes and after I've gone to the bathroom) I'm anywhere from 1-5 lbs. heavier than I thought and it's completely different every night depending on what I ate, so I say mornings are best for weighing in and getting consistency.

^ya know thats is very good method to see if your scale at home is accurate. I may do that when I get home. I need to fine our weights though.