iMore Verdict
Bottom Line: The FitTrack Dara Smart BMI Digital Scale provides 17 different body measurements so you can get to know your health and fitness on a deeper level. Paired with the FitTrack PRO app, you can store and track your progress over time so you can manage your weight and health accordingly. Sometimes it's inaccurate, and it's pricey, so you'd want to do your research and make sure this product is for you before purchasing.
Pros
- +
17 different body measurements
- +
FitTrack app is easy to use and tracks progress over time
- +
Sleek design
Cons
- -
Inaccuracies
- -
Pricey
- -
Does the science really work?
You can always trust iMore.
Having a smart scale and the power to get 17 different health insights on your body composition can be a powerful thing. FitTrack's Dara Smart BMI Digital Scale paired with the FitTrack PRO app claims accuracy in delivering 17 different body measurements for up to eight users so you can get to know your health on a deeper level and track your progress over time.
I got to take Dara for a spin, and the science behind this scale is interesting. I found the number of body measurements it's able to take via an electrical current through your feet very impressive. Do you necessarily need to know your weight without fat, protein mass, and bone mass? No, but is it fascinating? Absolutely! I would recommend the Dara BMI smart scale to anyone looking for full body composition analysis that would be motivated and inspired by such readings instead of disheartened.
Dara Smart BMI Digital Scale Features
The Dara BMI smart scale uses dual BIA technology and two different gentle electrical frequencies to accurately find 17 different body measurements: weight, BMI, BFP, muscle rate, body water, bone mass, BMR, protein rate, metabolic age, visceral fat index, subcutaneous fat, standard weight, weight control, fat mass, weight without fat, muscle mass, and protein mass.
The affiliated (and free) FitTrack PRO app recognizes Dara users and tracks results for up to eight different people, including your baby (if desired), while keeping individual results private. FitTrack Pro keeps your measurements on your smartphone so you can track the progress of your body health indicators and set weigh-in reminders for yourself. The Dara smart scale and the FitTrack Pro app help you be more aware of how your diet and lifestyle affects each aspect of your body's health. The athlete and infant modes increase effectiveness for all types of users.
Health insights What I love
This scale, paired with the FitTrack app measures your weight, body mass index, body fat proportion, muscle rate, body water percentage, bone mass, basal metabolic rate, protein rate, metabolic age, visceral fat index, subcutaneous fat, standard weight (where you should be), weight control, fat mass, weight without fat, muscle mass, and protein mass. That sounds like a lot because it is. The different measurements this device can take are truly amazing.
It takes these different measurements and puts them on a line graph that is organized into three to four categories: low, standard, high, and very high. I found these insights to be fascinating and fun to look at, but I have no way of testing how accurate some of them are. I found the most helpful categories to be my BMI which is my body mass index or my weight in relation to my height, my BMR which is the rate your body uses energy when at rest/inactive, and my visceral fat index which is the extent of visceral fat that would indicate a likelihood of health related factors occurring in the future. These types of measurements are helpful with weight management and could potentially help you avoid health pitfalls in the future in relation to your weight.
FitTrack Pro app
The FitTrack Pro app is easy to use and extensive. It was super easy to connect to my Dara smart scale and has always been able to register her when I use it. The app is where you get to see your fully body analysis, aka that's where all of your 17 measurements are stored, explained, and kept.
It even has a feature where you can weigh your infant, which I loved because I have a 9-month old daughter. Take note that it doesn't break down your baby's weight into 17 different categories, it will simply give you your baby's weight alone. You find this by stepping on the scale yourself first (without baby), then holding your baby and stepping back on. The scale simply shows you the number difference in weigh-ins.
You can easily switch weight unit measurements in your FitTrack app from kilograms to pounds to stones, and height unit measurements from centimeters to inches for convenience. You can also access the history of each user so you can track each user's progress over time.
Design
I never thought that I would call a scale "sexy," but that's exactly what Dara is, she's sexy. She features a sleek design that looks clean and futuristic. She's lightweight, portable, and easy to move to any room or bathroom of your house. When you step on her, she displays your weight alone. All 17 health insights appear in your FitTrack app, where they are explained and stored.
The user manual is straightforward and informative and tells you how to set Dara up and connect her to the FitTrack Pro app, but it doesn't break down how the science really works, and that's something I would have liked to see there. I had to look up how the technology works on www.getfittrack.com.
Inaccuracies What could be better
I did experience some inaccuracies while stepping on this scale. I really wanted to test it, so I did some of my own experiments. One day I weighed myself without clothes, and then I stepped back on fully clothed, and it weighed me two pounds lighter (clothed vs. unclothed), which honestly, I wasn't upset about. Who doesn't want to lose two pounds in two minutes - even in error? On another occasion, I stepped on with clothes, and it weighed me five pounds heavier than it did five minutes later completely unclothed, so I definitely experienced a few weigh-in inconsistencies. It should be noted that this only happened a couple of times. Most of the time, it provided the same reading when I stepped on it a few times in a row, so it could have been user error on my part.
I will say that they urge you to wear nothing or light, loose fitting clothing when weighing yourself and that you have to put your feet perfectly square on the metal electrode pads so the electrical signal can pass through your body evenly and deliver the correct insights. If your feet are lopsided on the scale, it's going to give you inaccurate readings.
I also think it's important to note that this scale told me I was 15.2 pounds heavier than "normal" for my height (I'm 5'5"). Don't get me wrong, I could afford to lose a few pounds, but 15 pounds is a lot. I am physically fit, healthy, and I am not overweight. I think these types of statements from a scale could potentially be very dangerous and are setting an unrealistic standard of normal.
To test this theory and to ensure that it's not just wishful thinking on my part, I had one of my best friends step on this scale as well. He is very fit, toned, has a very low BMI, and is the same height as me (5'5"). The scale told him he was also 15 pounds above normal for his height (it does take sex into account), and there's no way in the world that could be true. He would literally start disappearing and would look unhealthy and frail if he lost 15 pounds. I think these types of measurements could potentially be very triggering. The scale is obviously using some sort of equation here in relation to height that seems to be unrealistic and could be truly damaging to the user.
Pricey
At $90 a pop, this scale is definitely pricier than your average scale. If you're a tech junkie or someone who would directly benefit from getting 17 different body measurements every time you weigh yourself, you will love this product. I definitely found the body measurements interesting, but they can get overwhelming, and again, I'm not sure how accurate they are. While the 17 insights are a neat feature, I don't really need to know all of this information every time I weight in; especially if it's not extremely accurate.
Does the science really work?
This was the big money question, and I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical considering FitTrack claims Dara can determine all of these measurements through an electrical signal passing through your feet. In my experience, measurements like these are done with very expensive equipment in a gym or a doctors office, and I've always had my BMI measured via a machine that I hold with both hands and an electrical signal that passes through my arms.
Nonetheless, this is how FitTrack says the Dara science works. When you stand on a FitTrack scale, a very low, safe electrical signal is sent from four metal electrodes through your feet to your legs and abdomen. The electrical signal passes quickly through water that is present in hydrated muscle tissue but meets resistance when it hits fat tissue. This resistance, known as impedance, is measured and input into scientifically validated FitTrack equations to calculate body composition measurements.
Sounds high-tech and cool, right? I find it amazing that all of these insights can be calculated via your feet, but who am I to question it? I am not a scientist. It also says that this electrical signal is traveling through your legs and abdomen, but not your entire body. I'm a pear shaped woman, so my lower half is definitely meatier and larger than my upper half, so I'm not sure if I'm getting an accurate full body analysis because this scale is not sending signals throughout my entire body.
Bottom line
Overall, this is a very informative scale that delivers a complete body analysis every time you weigh in. I would highly recommend it to tech-junkies, smart device enthusiasts, serious athletes in training, or anyone that would directly benefit from a full body analysis every time they stepped on the scale. The FitTrack Pro app is user friendly and pairs really well with the Dara smart scale. You can use the scale and the app to get to know your body on a deeper level, set weigh-in reminders, and track your progress over time to better manage your health.
The Dara BMI scale is a smart scale that uses Bluetooth to connect to the FitTrack Pro app to deliver 17 different body measurements so you can get to know your body and health on a deeper level.
Get 17 different health insights
Full body composition analysis
This scale provides you with 17 different body measurements using FitTrack's dual BIA technology. Paired with the FitTrack Pro app, you can store the measurements of up to eight different users and track your progress over time to get a better understanding of your health and reach your fitness goals.
Nicolette is a freelance writer for iMore. She's been hooked on Apple products since she got the very first iPhone in 2007 and made the switch from PC to Mac in 2008 after inadvertently dousing her laptop with a hefty dose of water. A dedicated creative, Nicolette has had the pleasure of working with some of the top websites, studios, and brands in the industry throughout her career, and enjoys writing about all things: Apple, health, fitness, audio, and home. With over a decade of high-level experience as a health and fitness professional, Nicolette specializes in tech pertaining to the field. If she’s not working, you can find her sipping a glass of wine, enjoying a concert, or hanging with her family.