Update 2: I just replaced the battery (CR2032) so I guess it lasts about six months. This pedometer is probably one that I have used the longest. After losing nearly 20 lb the first time I tried to clock 100,000 steps a week, I'm embarking on another 20+lb loss target.
Update: I've been using this regularly, and found that I can stick it in a change pocket where it does a great job of accurately reporting my steps. I've left the clip, holder, and cord behind, so it's a lot smaller now. I use the GMaps pedometer for distances and calories, but this is great to get accurate steps.
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I hate to take away a star considering there are a lot of things to like about this pedometer. I've used many, and I'm hoping this one is the last I have to get. Or at least if I get another one, it may be this one. Still, the folks at Omron might want to learn something for the next revision.
What I like:
- I don't have to keep it clipped to my belt. It stays in my pocket all day, as do other objects like my wallet, keys, phone, etc. And it counts away fine.
- Although the buttons look like they could get pressed in a pocket by other pocketizens, like keys, change, fingers looking for stuff, they don't. Especially Reset, which I feared would get hit somehow. But yet, over a week into the product, I haven't seen a reset happening to my step total.
- I'm beginning to like that it resets itself to 0 every night, and also keeps a history of the past week. I can easily track what I did in the week and see what kind of activity gives me more steps. I don't like to chase step counts like some people, but I like to do things that up the count. After all, we're building a lifestyle here, not trying to win a count game.
- You may see lower counts, but that's because of no false hits. This device works like skip protection on a CD player. It doesn't start visibly counting even after you've started walking. This seems to be a defect at first, but this is what I assume is happening: The pedometer senses motion and starts recording it, and takes a few seconds to decide whether this is real walking or merely an occasional jolt. If the movement is a jolt or tap, or just a solitary step or two, the count is discarded before ever showing in the display. If the movement continues and has the characteristics of walking, the recorded steps are then added to the counter. So no bogus steps.
- Accuracy: I've walked 50, 100, 500 steps that I manually counted (sorry can't keep count more than 500) and the pedometer was off by a maximum of two steps for the 500 step walk. Otherwise it was off by 1 or exact. I've never had a pedometer that stays so true.
What I don't like:
- Limitations: Why would all users be less than 300 lb? Are people over 300 lb incapable of walking? The setup doesn't let the user go more than 300 lb, so the calorie counts are likely to be lower to start with. Then there's the following point.
- Assumptions: Every step is the same length. This is fine for people going walking as a regular exercise, but that gets old fast. At different times of day, different levels of energy, and different situations and terrains, steps are not uniform. So the mileage and probably the calorie count is probably off by a lot. I walked a known mile and yet the pedometer counted 0.7 miles because my step length was off. And the step length was determined by the manual's directions. In fairness, all pedometers that calculate calories burned and distance walked will have this problem
- Size - it's bulky, like a handheld stopwatch. I don't see why it couldn't have been smaller
- Visibility. It's hard to read from your pocket. The downside of the pocketability. It might have benefited from some thing like a light (maybe I haven't found it)
- Shape. It's too much like a key fob and I often pull the wrong thing out of my pocket.Get more detail about Omron HJ-112 Digital Pocket Pedometer.
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