Body Fat percentage wildly inaccurate, firmware algorithm update needed?

For a company that specializes in fitness and health related metrics, the Index S2 scale is an embarrassment. This morning my scales gave me a body fat percentage reading of 23.1%. This is me post work out a few hours later. Now I don't know what my actual body fat percentage is, but a look online at examples makes me fairly confident that I'm below 23.1% body fat, I'd even suspect more than 5% below, and it's said that impedance measurement can be plus or minus 5 percent. So the scales seem to be even less accurate than what would be considered the worst case scenario. Given the price of the scales, and that this is the kind of thing Garmin specialize in, it's an embarrassment. Will anything be done about it? And beyond keeping the surface of the scales clean, is there anything that can be done to try to improve the accuracy?

It seems to me that the algorithm is putting too much weight on BMI when trying to calculate body fat percentage, and that's making the measurements a complete waste of time and money.

  • Yeah, it would be nice if the algorithm added up to 100%.  However they want to slice that, a better explanation of each "measurement" (read: calculation based on age, gender, and weight) and exactly how the number is arrived at would be nice.  I want to understand why this scale thinks I'm obese.

    I really do wish someone from Garmin would get on here and give us some answers.  Maybe this is scale is only suitable for "average Americans," so overweight people?  Maybe they need to program a different algorithm for people who actually work out and care about being fit?  I don't know what the answer is, because I don't know the exact nature of the problem, but this scale has been extremely disappointing.

  • Just calc it yourself..  I don't have a scale myself.  but I doubt it's faulty to this "scale" 

  • I have, using several different formulas, several times.  It ranges from 22%-26%, depending on the formula.  I bought this specific scale so I wouldn't have to take a variety of tape measurements and plug those numbers into a formula!

  • ok I understand that I am just interested in buying one of those scales myself.

  • Right now I'd say DO NOT RECOMMEND.  This scale is supposed to use bioelectric impedance to MEASURE body fat % and other parameters, but it's pretty clear that only measures your weight and calculates everything else.  Disappointing.