If you're worried about accuracy, order three pairs for only $14 shipped, then clip all six of them to yourself at the same time, and average out their readings. For super-accuracy, ask a friend to order six more, and slap on a dozen of them.

I have an Omron Body Fat Scale. It's very accurate. Too accurate. I hate it. I want one that tells me what I want to believe. If this pedometer tells me I am skinny I will buy it. If not, I'll wait for one that does...

sweet, been looking for one of these cheap. in for 2x2!

On the bottom left corner of this, there is a little slide button with a - and a + sign. Next to it it says ADJ (Adjustment).

Adjust what? HELP!

alhaz wrote: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.

Got It.
For low dollars I get rattly balls, and for high dollar I get accuracey and No balls at all.

Hmm.
I am thinking I would like to keep my balls - even if they are rattly.

I have a much higher end pedometer that I got for about $30 on Amazon. You input your current weight and measure and input your stride length. In addition to steps, it tracks "aerobic" steps, distance, calories burned, and grams of fat burned. Comes with software to download the data to your PC and graph your progress.

All that being said, I really don't need these extra features. A pedometer, as long as it's consistent from day to day, doesn't need to be fancy. It works great as a visual motivator to get moving. Set yourself a goal and you actually make an effort to meet it.

For example, say the first week you have it you notice you walk about 3000 steps a day. Next week, try to get to 4000. Keep doing it. You'll be surprised by how eager you are to want to meet it and find opportunities to walk more.

I average about 10,000 a day. Some days I've gotten over 20,000 when I go for long walks (5+ miles) and am on my feet the entire day. It's nice little instant gratification to see that number go up. I would be all over this deal if I didn't already have one.

I'm wondering who had to sit there and shake the thing 31,337 times just for an "elite" message

stiletag wrote:I'm wondering who had to sit there and shake the thing 31,337 times just for an "elite" message

31338...doh!

I was going to try to answer the "Is this safe for kids?" question but I am not sure I appreciate all the potential risks...

fire-low
shock hazard-low
choking-...higher...
projectile-high
projectile from potatogun-very high

not safe for kids, suggest counting steps in the bubblewrap-suit manually.

Well, Two are great....that way you know how many steps you take Coming and Going!

jn082105 wrote:What if you just held this in your hand. Would it count right?

If you then put your hand in your pocket, then sure. Or hook your thumb in your belt.

Seriously? Hard to say, without trying it, but I'd guess not. Your arm swings back and forth once for every two steps you take, and I doubt the up-and-down motion of your hand during walking would do it. You'd have to hold your upper body and arm pretty rigid to get your hand to have the up-and-down motion of your hips... I'm sorry--I don't mean to laugh, but it's just hard to look at you seriously when you're standing there with your thumbs in your belt.

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.

Jogging isn't walking (sorry to be straight). Pedometers are only for walking. The measure your stride for each time you walk. One thing most people forget is that it needs to be placed around the hip area (that's why usually a clip) to feel the motion of your walking. It doesn't calculate speed but the distance average of one of your steps. I've had different models and you do a test "walk" for a certain distance - say 100 feet. They ask you how many steps you did and that calculates your stride. So if you share it with someone, it needs to be recalibrated!

[quote postid="3839808" user="velcrofog"]If you then put your hand in your pocket, then sure. Or hook your thumb in your belt.

I've own a few models... you don't have to do math, just calculate your stride and all 5 brands I've owned over the year say it needs to be placed on your hip, like on a belt. It measures your stride for each time you walk. It doesn't calculate speed but the distance average of one of your steps. I've had different models and you do a test "walk" for a certain distance - say 100 feet. They ask you how many steps you did and that calculates your stride. So if you share it with someone, it needs to be recalibrated!

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

The picture seems to show a belt clip.
Holding this in your hand probably won't work, as your hands don't necessarily move that much when you walk.

Shiftlock wrote:... 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.... 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.

You drop 30 pounds every few years? So, in the last 15 years you've lost maybe 180 pounds and now weigh nothing?

Sorry, your post shows exactly why dieting DOESN'T work. You lower your intake, your body lowers its metabolic rate, and the weight comes back.

Your claim that people would "never become overweight" if they didn't eat more than needed to satisfy hunger is not true. (And your claim that overweight people eat until they feel bloated after every meal is outright libel.I suppose you also believe that people NEVER get lung cancer if they don't smoke.)

I was born fat. Do you think I overate in the womb? I don't eat more than the minimum to satisfy hunger (and I eat LOTS of veggies -- I've been a vegetarian for 30 years), yet I'm morbidly obese. If I starve myself, my body temperature drops way down and I get infections, but I don't lose much weight.

I'm sick of people telling me that being fat is my fault when my lifestyle is WAY healthier than theirs. I'm also sick of the fact that every time I read reviews for exercise equipment (which I buy AND USE regularly), I have to wade through a barrage of insults about how my obesity HAS to be my fault.

Simple conversion factors

2000 "steps" = 1 mile

10000 steps/day = good target.

A teacher who is on his feet all day can easily hit 6000+ without trying.

I wouldn't worry too much about calibrating etc. Finding your baseline on a particular pedometer involves simply wearing it consistently and checking periodically during the day. Adding more trips down the hall on the slow days helps. All it really is is a feedback device.

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)

I fall into the same category, and I can categorically say that I have yet to see a step counting pedometer that was even decent. About 2 years ago I got a Garmin GPS-based pedometer and have never looked back.

Of course, those guys cost about 100 times more than this one, walking is a great activity, and if this deal gets you out there, go for it. But if you want accurate tracking for your distance, a GPS system is the way to go.

31,337? Does it only count up to prime numbers?

I never knew that bears ate birdseed.

I love teh wootcast.



* huggs woot! *

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

They work best with surplus WWII Help! Help! I'm being oppressed! ones. As long as you're goose-stepping, it will be able to detect your steps.

If you were to put one in each front pocket would they match at the end of the day?

The screen looks nice and big - I don't see that great - does anyone know if dead pixels are an issue?

(And, as a side note, the picture is a great nerd homage.)

All this workout cardio talk is making me tired, time to lay in my pokemon sleepbag from kids woot.

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...

That's assuming 1 step (also known as a "stride") is equal to 1'. Unlikely. Probably closer to 2' to 2.5' for the normal person. That would make it closer to 12 to 14 miles.

That's a long walk, but still not impossible.

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

Double nonsense!

"Has nothing to do with cardio?" So that means a good cardio workout can't be ONE WAY to burn calories and help create that caloric deficit? Of course it CAN.

That means that rather than saying "...and has nothing to do with...", you would have been more accurate by saying "...and does not necessarily require..."

The main problem with this one compared to the next Omron in the series is that it lacks a memory button. So, if you wnat to keep track of steps over a week, you have to reset and write down the daily total somewhere. But for the price it is not bad.

Be careful with these in the car, the bumps and other vibrations on the road cause it to count steps while driving.

I am in for 3 - always needing something to entertain the younger grandkids while camping. This will be good for some healthy compatition.

Wow this walker is a lot cheaper than the one I bought yesterday - Pokemon Soul Silver. I think I should have waited.

jn082105 wrote:On the bottom left corner of this, there is a little slide button with a - and a + sign. Next to it it says ADJ (Adjustment).

Adjust what? HELP!

Sensitivity. If it's not measuring steps accurately (counting too many or too few), you can increase or decrease it until it works properly.

useless!!!!

Just like this post.

Sorry but these things are not accurate at all. Spend a few more dollars and get one that works correctly if you want a accurate count.

jn082105 wrote:On the bottom left corner of this, there is a little slide button with a - and a + sign. Next to it it says ADJ (Adjustment).

Adjust what? HELP!

Usually, the adjustment feature on pedometers allows the user to adjust for average stride length.

Kudos to the Woot staffer who got the job of running the pedometer up to 31337 (leet!).

I have used an Omron HJ-112 and HJ-151. (See here: http://www.omronhealthcare.com/products/229-home-products-pedometers) Both of those used accelerometers and did not require ADJ controls (sensitivity). They were also completely silent in operation (no clicking).

I have not seen any reference to the type of sensor the HJ-002 uses, so it might use a low-tech weight rather than accelerometers. The weight bounces every time you take a step, causing the pedometer to click. I got a pedometer like that from McDonalds (free with a salad purchase). It did not last long, the weight assembly broke.

The HJ-112 and HJ-151 have one really useful feature this one lacks, which is aerobic step counting. If you walk uninterrupted for 15 minutes or more, the pedometer keeps track of the time and number of steps. That data is stored separately from the total number of steps, for 7 days. They also include distance estimation which this pedometer lacks.

The HJ-112 and HJ-151 did run their batteries down pretty quickly (needed a new lithium cell from Radio Shack about every 6 months). Not sure if this one will have the same issue since it does not have a clock and advanced features of the others.

Personally I'd go with a more advanced pedometer for $20 or $30, just be prepared to shell out $5 or so for a battery twice a year.

rpm1200 wrote:I have used an Omron HJ-112 and HJ-151. (See here: http://www.omronhealthcare.com/products/229-home-products-pedometers) Both of those used accelerometers and did not require ADJ controls (sensitivity). They were also completely silent in operation (no clicking).

ETA: The ADJ/sensitivity adjustment is used to ensure the pedometer registers the correct number of steps. According to the manual for a similar pedometer, it is mainly dependent on walking speed, not stride length. This pedometer does not convert steps into distance traveled.

Ok so I am in for one, for the wife. So how do I break it to her that she needs to, uh you know, start walking?
On a side note it's funny to look at the "fat" states that are not lit up on the map. They should be the ones buying these! I am from Michigan and we are a fatty state so I am trying to help out. I guess I should use the second one.

so what lucky woot employee got to shake it and how many tries did it take before they stopped on 31337 instead of 31338?

tjrbidder wrote:Double nonsense!

"Has nothing to do with cardio?" So that means a good cardio workout can't be ONE WAY to burn calories and help create that caloric deficit? Of course it CAN.

That means that rather than saying "...and has nothing to do with...", you would have been more accurate by saying "...and does not necessarily require..."

The problem with exercise is eventually the body becomes accustomed to the demands placed upon it-- in that it becomes very efficient at the demand. Any program, diet only, exercise only, or a combination of the two eventually culminate into diminishing returns.

So it's not the change that causes weight loss, it's adapting to the change. Once the adaptation is complete you must enact another change to adapt to. The overload principle works in theory (increase INTENSITY: duration, frequency, repetition), but again there's only so much faster, farther, more often one can go. So the simple thing is to change: if you only walk, run. If you only run, swim. If you only do aerobic exercise add anaerobic exercise (resistance training) and vise versa.

In all cases, have a plan and have a goal. Something like these pedometers can help you stick to your plan, their cheap enough and you got one to stick to a training partner.

I wonder if it works on monkeys. . .

Kizzbot wrote:Excellent! One for the left foot and one for the right one!

My left foot walked 3x as far as my right foot...

My organic memory bank says that we currenlty walk the same distance as those in the past. We travel more, but walk the same distance, on average.

SyracuseNP wrote:Jogging isn't walking (sorry to be straight). Pedometers are only for walking. The measure your stride for each time you walk. One thing most people forget is that it needs to be placed around the hip area (that's why usually a clip) to feel the motion of your walking. It doesn't calculate speed but the distance average of one of your steps. I've had different models and you do a test "walk" for a certain distance - say 100 feet. They ask you how many steps you did and that calculates your stride. So if you share it with someone, it needs to be recalibrated!

These pedometers are made for walking-- and that's just what they'll do.

If you own Wii Fit Plus (newer version) you can use these to count your steps during the day and enter it into the Activity Log. In for 6!