The problem with cheap pedometers is that they detect a 'step' by rattling a metal ball bearing around in a box with some metal contacts in it.

All of those style will short-change you on stairs, etc.

for a lot more money you can get a more accurate model based on an accelerometer.

jn082105 wrote:is it even possible to walk 31,337 steps?

at about 1 meter every 2 steps ...that's only <16km or less than 10 miles.....
piece of cake (if no elevation gain)

No wonder American are getting so fat.....

Was once trying to go to a grocery store which is only 1 block away. The American manager goes...."How do you get there without a car"........


(It was Standard sized street block, to be more spec. door to door is about 1000 feet, incluidng the distance you have to walk thru the parking lot)

TaylorConsulting wrote:I have had the opportunity to own about fifteen different pedometers in the past ten years (I average walking about six miles per day) and I can say that without a doubt, Omron makes the best pedometer out there. Unfortunately, this is not the one that I would recommend, but for the price I will probably buy three pairs of them.

The Omron that I would recommend is the HJ-112 which can be seen right here: http://www.omronhealthcare.com/product/1131-187-hj-112.

My pedometers would last an average of about four to six months, but I have put in approximately ten batteries in my Omron HJ-112.

I agree with this poster.

I love the higher-end Omrom pedometers ($14-$25), because they have almost perfect accuracy due to the dual sensors they have to eliminate false counts. My favorite is the HJ-112. This one looks awfully cheap, and probably isn't accurate.

I would honestly say 1 good pedometer is much better than 3 cheap ones.

yeawuteva wrote:actually yes- since there are 5,280 feet in a mile, that equals to just under 6 miles... no big deal if your in good shape...

actually, the average step is 2.5 feet, so there are a few more than 2,000 steps per mile. 10,000 steps are about 5 miles, so 30,000 steps are about about 15 miles.

of course, if you take *teeny weeny itsy bitsy li'l* steps, YMMV.

btw, omron is a good brand. i'm in for six (which i'll distribute to patients who'd benefit).

Ha! Kudos on the '31337' (elite) on the Pedometer. That actually made me laugh out loud.

Will this work with my Veritech mecha? Is there a way to set it so it doesn't register close-proximity concussive blasts as steps? It's not of great importance - the VF's mainly used for security. Still, I prefer to run in battle mode, so it'd be a nice feature to have.

It's a great classic suit, but it's still hard to believe there's no odometer built into the thing. How did Rick Hunter know when he was out of warranty, I wonder.

Hm...

jn082105 wrote:is it even possible to walk 31,337 steps?

When i worked at the amazon dot com factory i would walk over 15 miles in a 10 hour shift, its easily possible to work 30k steps in a day or even more.

I don't have need for one, much less two. But if I did, I would just use a pocket sized GPS to keep track of how far I go. No adjustment necessary if you switch back and forth between running, jogging and walking. Accuracy should be far better (especially the WAAS enabled ones) than a pedometer.

eastercat wrote:Pedometers measure your step based on the sample you give it. With jogging, you do vary your stride and speed. It might be harder for your pedometer to accurately gauge your steps taken.

I think it will work pretty well for jogging when counting steps--my 99-cent one from Fry's does, anyway--and will only start to have issues if you switch to distance mode, in which case it will assume your steps are more frequent but not shorter and the count will be higher than it should be. However, this model does not have a distance mode and therefore that's not an issue.

These things are genuinely useless. If you want a way to measure how you should be exercising, measure how long you keep your heart rate elevated. If it's not elevated for at least 15 minutes, you are not working hard enough to lose weight.

paltex9 wrote:does the display light up>?

Nope.

TaylorConsulting wrote: so I went and checked my records.

So Taylor consulted their records??? What a perfect screen name for the post.

What brands of treadmills do these work well with?

rocknrollohio wrote:That would be just a little more than 3 days of suggested walking steps. experts recommend 10,000 steps a day

You say it like it's an upper limit they want people to not go over... The suggestion is for lazy people (like me) to get off of our fat arses and move a little. 10,000 is a nice easily attainable goal if you add walking into your daily routines.

jn082105 wrote:is it even possible to walk 31,337 steps?

It is if you attach it to a paint mixer... that will rack up the steps VERY quick!

nonstopjoe wrote:What brands of treadmills do these work well with?

The kind where you take steps. That way it has something to count.

yeawuteva wrote:actually yes- since there are 5,280 feet in a mile, that equals to just under 6 miles... no big deal if your in good shape...

actually, it's approximtely 10,000 steps for 5 miles (unlss, ofcourse, if you take really, really long strides)

Higher end pedometers estimate your DISTANCE WALKED based on a "sample walk."

This pedometer measures number of steps taken, and nothing else. No distance, no calories. Steps taken.

You have to do the math yourself!

Susan

eastercat wrote:Pedometers measure your step based on the sample you give it. (snip)

My posts aren't working for some reason. I want to know how safe these are for my children.

nonstopjoe wrote:What brands of treadmills do these work well with?

Not a clue. However, many treadmills track distance with built-in computers, which is a far more effective way to measure exercise progress than number of steps taken.

kogaku wrote:I thought The People's Ministry of Silly Walks had implemented a five year plan to resolve that issue.

Nope, not going to work - they have shorter legs than us.

Stavius wrote:These things are genuinely useless. If you want a way to measure how you should be exercising, measure how long you keep your heart rate elevated. If it's not elevated for at least 15 minutes, you are not working hard enough to lose weight.

Nonsense. Losing weight is about running a caloric deficit and has nothing to do with cardio.

All non-surgical weight loss methods boil down to burning more calories than you eat. Nothing more, nothing less. A good cardio workout is good for you too, but not required.

Would one of these work if attached to the leg of a pet dog?

Do these make any noise, like a "click" when they count a step? I don't want to annoy people in the office or sound like I'm signaling to turn as I'm walking around.

nonstopjoe wrote:What brands of treadmills do these work well with?

Sorry, this is not compatible with iRun treadmills.

Did someone actually walk that many steps with it? Is it a sticker? Will this make me walk more?

alhaz wrote:Nonsense. Losing weight is about running a caloric deficit and has nothing to do with cardio.

All non-surgical weight loss methods boil down to burning more calories than you eat. Nothing more, nothing less. A good cardio workout is good for you too, but not required.

I think his point was that a cardio workout is a good way to burn calories. You're right though, because I'm lazy as hell, and whenever I want to drop a few pounds, I just eat very little while continuing to sit on my ass like normal. I honestly don't understand why so many people have a hard time losing weight. Lower your caloric intake by eating less food, and you lose weight. Period. It's so simple. Every few years I eat one small meal a day for a couple of months, and drop ~30 pounds. I'm doing it right now, as a matter of fact. It's not fun, but come on, it's only food and hunger doesn't kill you! In fact, people would never become overweight if they waited until they were actually hungry before eating, and didn't eat so much they feel bloated after every meal. Less calories is the magic formula in all the trendy diets that come and go. Simple.

I don't use the expensive one I have now sitting at the bottom of my gym bag, so even at 2.99 it's probably best I don't buy this just to not use it also.

I'm curious if this can be easily hacked into a simple electronic event counter. The accelerometer-based ones probably aren't practical, but if this just uses a cheap switch-closure type of mechanism it should be easy. Then its just a matter of how fast it will count. Anyone ever cut this model open to see how it works? How fast it counts?

fright01 wrote:Did someone actually walk that many steps with it? Is it a sticker? Will this make me walk more?

It will make you an elite walker. You will walk 31337 steps every day. If you don't, the display indicates: L A M E.

Edit: Why does this board sensor the word "l a m e"? That's so fakon. See, it just did it right there. Odd.

nonstopjoe wrote:Would one of these work if attached to the leg of a pet dog?

This just gave me a great idea...

This vs the Pokewalker I got with HeartGold.... Pokewalker...

Oh won't you you give me 31,337 steps, give me 31,337 steps Mr., give 31,337 steps toward the door

~Lynyrd Skynyrd~

would this make a good device to practice for 'Minute to Win It'?

as seen here



and here

Ten miles will get you those 30,000 steps you are looking for. Anybody had one of these for a while who can vouch for their accuracy? Most inexpensive (cheap)ones I've tried aren't worthwhile.

Excellent! One for the left foot and one for the right one!

TaylorConsulting wrote:I'm guessing that you take steps in the two to three foot range, that would make it 12 to 18 miles.

Well ... if we're gonna get technical here ... hubby's steps are about 2 to 3 feet in stride, where mine are about the actual one foot ... since I'm a short one. BUT ... I walk faster than he does and can out walk him side by side any day of the week. LOL Blows the theory, but I like the geek explanation better anyway.

On a separate note ... if you are considering this as a means to get out and walk to get healthier or lose weight ... JUMP IN FOR 2 OR 3!! Cheaper than the treadmill I bought when losing 150 pounds! Even my short legs could get up to 4.5mph. I can't jog or run due to a previously crushed ankle.

I was gonna jump in for 3 to have 6 stocking stuffers, but the bad reviews chased me to bed. Gnight WOOT!

Just go to a dollar store and get one. They are probably all made by the same company anyway.

jn082105 wrote:Is there a clip for the belt? What if you just held this in your hand. Would it count right?

this pedometer uses a pendulum type counter, so it wont work if you just hold it. (unless you hold it at the right angle and you don't move it around a whole lot) you can get one that uses an accelerometer like an iphone has and you can just put that kind in your pocket and it will count in any orientation. or if you want to have something in your hand you can get a gps. any way you look at it though, you will spend more than $2.99

this pedometer isnt the best, but if you just need something to count your steps and be somewhat reasonably close to what you actually walked, this is the one for you. they usually cost $12 a pop, much less for 2