In April, I got a FitTrack Dara BMI Smart Scale to feature on the blog and really liked it. Then it started getting weird after six months, and now it’s totally dead after only nine months. I was sent the scale free for an honest review, so I’m updating my previously positive review with the news that it’s a great scale, until it stops working.

I have recently switched to the The GAIAM Smart Weight Scale and so far really like it.

The Good and the Bad about the FitTrack Dara BMI Smart Scale

The Good: When I got it, I really liked it! It was very easy to set up and synch with the app. I love the way it automatically keeps track and updates. I had no complaints. It was really interesting to see all the things it measures and keeps track of.

You can read more about my experience using the scale, and see more of how the app works in my post: Tracking My Fitness with the FitTrack Dara Scale

The Bad: About six months into my new fitness kick, I really started to lose weight! Then one day it said some crazy low amount and I was like…there’s no way that’s right. So I moved the scale to a different spot and my weight was higher. I found out my weight would be different if I put the scale in a different spot.

Then one day I stepped on it and it said I was 300 lbs. Then it said 10 lbs. And it kept going up and down. So I replaced the batteries and tried pressing the reset button for good measure. So then it came on, displayed something like 888 and totally died. Just to be sure, I took those batteries out and put in new ones. Same thing. The scale was completely unresponsive.

I tried contacting customer service, which sends you to their Facebook page. So I messaged the Facebook page and got a reply back pretty quickly. I described my issue, and asked if there was anything I could try to get it to work. The answer was pretty much, No. They asked for my order number to see if it was still under warranty. I let them know I got it for free for my blog, and didn’t have an order number. They let me know that it would be replaceable if it was within a year and I had my order number. They were polite and quick to respond, but I had no order number, so I was out of luck.

Let’s Try Something New

As I mentioned, I did really like the Dara when it was working, so that left me with a little void when it died. I enjoyed keeping track of all those health-related details. It made me more accountable. So I hopped on Amazon to see if there was a cheapo option, and yes of course, there was.

Say hello to my new $20 smart scale: The GAIAM Smart Weight Scale (click here check it out on Amazon)

It synchs to Apple health and Google Fit and keeps track of all the health things. I will update again after I spend some time trying it. And of course I’ll update if it poops out on me! But I figure if an $80 one craps out after six months, then I might as well take my chances on a cheaper option.

But if you are looking at the Dara, it is a nice scale. I do feel like the customer service could have been a bit more like, “Oh, you’re reviewing our scale and it totally busted on you? Let’s get you a new one because that never happens!” But instead they asked if I’d dropped it. So apparently, do NOT drop it, lol. I can assure you, I never dropped mine and treated it very nicely. I’m sad it stopped working and am hoping this new one works out! Although after the holidays I’m a little afraid to step on it….lol.

Update: The GAIAM Smart Weight Scale looks very similar to the Dara. In fact, when my husband saw it, he asked, “Isn’t that the one that broke?” The app was easy to download and set-up, and it also easily connected with Bluetooth to the scale. I noticed it doesn’t measure quite as much stuff as the more expensive FitTrack scale, but I can’t recall what was missing. It still measures everything I needed. So far I would recommend this one!