Garmin Index S2 Smart Scale Review // Body Composition, Wifi, Multi-User
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 ก.ค. 2024
- In-Depth Review of the Garmin Index S2 - a wifi-connected, smart, body composition scale providing body fat percentage, muscle mass, weight trends, and more!
Thanks for watching!
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Awesome! Thanks Des! I have been waiting for an update on the scale.
Sure thing!
Good review. Mine just arrived today. I’ve set mine up (I think) and will test it tomorrow. Best wishes from Scotland
Just got mine based on your review! Thanks!
Hope you enjoy it!
Hi @DesFit, just found out about your channel and been watching a few videos about watches and scale as I'm in the market for those. You give good overviews and info about the products you're reviewing and I like your style so you've earned a few more likes and a new subscriber.
It'd be nice for items with connectivity if you could mention whether wifi, bluetooth and whatnot can be totally disabled or not, I know I'd be interested in knowing it and it seems from forums and web searches I wouldn't be the only one. Keep up the good work!
Great review. I have owned the S1 since launch. I supposed it is hard to find many things new they can do with a set of scales. But they have done well to eek out a few new features. Not enough for me to upgrade I don't think, new design is good though 👌
Yup, definitely more of an update than a brand new device, but as long as your S1 is working then you’re good to go!
Loved the review thanks
Sure thing!
Great review Des - and great job highlighting the biggest flaw with the system: it is dependent upon your "activity class". If you slack off for several weeks but keep your activity class at 6, your metrics will not completely reflect your slacking off. It's not a great system. I assume other "smart" scales work the same way. Oh well.
Ya, the metrics seem better than the original but there is some room for improvement. I haven't necessarily found a consumer grade scale that is completely accurate. Thanks
Excellent overview. Does activity class also affect Garmin watches metrics ?
Yup, calorie calculations will be different based on activity class.
Thanks, wasn't sure about that, always just selected "none". Would explain why my Garmin always credits me with less calories than Fitbit, Polar etc.
@@charlesellwood5422I believe if you are tracking your activities with a Garmin watch 24/7 you don’t need to add an Activity Level.
This is cool. I need one (well, not NEED I guess). Great video Des!
It’s the season of want vs need! 😂 Thanks Eric!
@@DesFit Yep!
The wifi syncing is great, I have the polar balance and this looks much better and have more functionality
Thanks for great review
Thanks!
Thank you from the UK. I need to get one of these
Sure thing!
0:44 Two Polar watches, he must be "Bi-Polar".... Ok, that's just terrible
😂
What a polarizing comment.
Or his arms are polar opposites?
Great, thanks for this
You’re welcome!
Excellent review and well explained.
Thanks!
Thank you for the succinct review. I'm holding off to see if I can get a Black Friday Bargain but will get myself one either way 👍🏻
Thanks and enjoy!
Thank you nice review of the scale; interesting that it connects to the WiFi of the house to collect weather alerts.
@@cracked229 I think that was one of the features as the scale can work independently from the phone, what no other "smart" scale does or that I'm aware of, is tell you how the temperature is, especially if you go out in the mornings that head up will help you on selecting the right kind of cloth for the weather, that is what capture my attention, thank you for bringing up the connectivity to Garmin.
Nice review, thanks.😊
👍
Great vid. Have you compared this to the withings body+? It seems no one has done a side by side to see how the readings compare…
Nice review; it minght be time for an upgrade. After moving a couple of times, my old Garmin Index scale refuses to pair to my Connect phone app (despite pairing to the phone via Bluetooth) and I now have a $150 doorstop.
Freaking finally.. I've been considering a garmin scale since I'm in the ecosystem but the version 1 is pretty dated and I was expecting a refresh.
Just got mine delivered today! Thank you for the review!
Enjoy!
Im seriously missing some comparison of how accurate the body fat muscle and water measurements. I do not know what is the standard for measuring, but would have been nice to learn about it a bit in this video.
Just bought one of these. Setting up for main user is easy but adding users is a terrible experience. It took me more than half a day making things work.
Any pointer on how you got it done? I’m about 2 hours in and can’t get it to recognize my wife
@@jorgegutierrez8823 ahhh, i dont remember the actual procedure. i keep logging it in and out from main and sub use profile. took me a few hours as well. keep trying.
Thoughts on this vs the Fitbit Aria series?
Nice review Des. I am seeing some fringe complaints on forums that it it's wildly inaccurate. I find that hard to believe. I just purchased this and a Withings Body+ and am returning one of them. Do you have any further comments now that it's over a year since your review? I'm guessing its about as accurate as the Withings and as good. I appreciate your comment on consistent readings over a short duration. I just want a reliable measurement to gauge progress from. Thanks for your videos.
Which one you returned? Thanks!
I returned the Garmin Index S2. I decided I was happy with the Withings Body+ and it’s ability to sync across multiple apps.
Do you guys have an idea when the Vivosmart 5 will be released?
Great review I’ve had an issue with the water % with old one, why wearing the 2 Polar 2Apple Watches😁.
Always testing!
@@DesFit quick change though. thank you for your time and always excellent reviews👍🏼.
Oh, because I unboxed the Index S2 weeks ago while I was testing the Vantage V2s. I’m now wrapping up testing on the two Apple Watches 👍
Thanks for the review Des, any recommendations on how to match the activity class to the volume of work out?
Not really - I just played around with it for a few weeks, changing the settings from day to day until it matched what I have found to be close to my daily caloric burn. I'd look up your BMR and then add in the calories burned during workouts as a baseline and go from there. Not a perfect science unless you go to a lab. Thanks!
Love the review - ordered One today! Are u stil using it?
Every day!
Hei Des. Great review. I was thinking in purchasing the scale, but my wife is not a garmin connect user and would also be using the scale for only weight display purposes. Would this be a problem with this scale? Best Regards.
I think it will work for your wife. I have a Garmin watch but my wife has a Fitbit. She just installs the Garmin Connect app an and adds the scale as a device.
Will the data sync to Apple health as well?
Looks like a nice refresh, though I don't really see anything to justify upgrading from my previous model which is still going strong. I don't know about the accuracy of the metrics as I haven't ever had "professional" measurements done, but I agree that the numbers do at least seem to be consistent after using my scale for a couple years, so I find them to be valuable for trending, even if they might not be 100% accurate. Battery life also seems to be crazy good on mine rechargeable AA last me several months of daily use.
hmmm what is the motivator to upgrade from the first to the S2 version, just the colours display from what I see, all the other things had the firest Index1 already.
I haven’t owned one before, should I get 1st generation used one for $80-100 on eBay or buy 2nd generation new one for $150?
Basically are the new features worth it by getting a newer one ? I appreciate and thank you,
Is there any other weight scale that will sync to Garmin connect? Index S2 costs 140 EUR wich is way too much for weight scale
@DesFit Thank you for the review. 2 ?s . . .
1. During travel or away from a WiFi connection for some reason, what happens to the data collected? Meaning is it saved to a “hard drive” & synced later about a WiFi connection is established? If so, how “much” (# of weigh ins) data can be stored?
2. What is the cost of this device?
I'd imagine in that situation you could set up a WIFI hotspot on your mobile phone to allow it to update Garmin connect. As for the price Google will have the latest news
It can probably connect with phone via bluetooth to update Garmin Connect app, but it’s just a guess
Question, do you know you there is a scale that weigh the right and left leg separately, to see how off you hipp balance is?
I am surprised that you need to enter the activity level, wouldn't your garmin connect know that?
Good point!
this is one aspect of the garmin ecosystem that just blows my mind. you can arbitrarily pick a number that effects your metrics with absolutely no guidance as to qualifying said numbers. its so stupid.
If you do 24/7 monitoring just enter 0 :), activity level is legacy stuff when 24/7 monitoring was not available.
That's horseshit
I wish Garmin would add things like this, even when you go to set up a running/ coach plan you need to enter how much you run weekly.. dumb
Don't get this scale if you are doing fitness and have a higher BMI (because you're muscular, not because you're overweight). This scale calculates body fat percentage based on BMI. On the Garmin forums there were many complaints from athletes with body fat around 10% (professionally measured) but this Garmin scale shows 24/25%. It's not accurate for body fat percentage if you have above average muscle mass. Garmin didn't do anything about it and just closed down the topics in the forum. It's also a bit buggy/laggy compared to the Fitbit aria scale. I will be looking for a better alternative and can't recommend it, unless you have a normal body type or you don't find body fat percentage interesting. I did like the weather widget at the end, since you usually step on the scale in the morning, and based on the weather prediction know what type of clothes to put on. Very nice.
Have you found anything that would fit an irregular body person more? Something that actually measures muscle and fat instead of just calculating it from the BMI. I was about to get this but now that I saw your comment I definitely don't want to anymore, because that's exactly what I wanted from the scale.
I've heard that the top quality scales measure body fat % through sending electrical pulses into you. So supposedly the garmin doesn't do this? If so kinda weird
Is this still a solid buy, or are there others that are better?
I've noticed on the phone app it doesn't show metabolic age, is this still shown via the Garmin connect website and I believe the website will only show one weigh in per day?
How is it compared to the Withings? I’ve had Withings for a while but not a fan of the UI app. I’ve recently left AW to Garmin fr255 and enjoying Garmin connect.
Would it be with the switch or fired it capture the same stuff
Great review Des :) I want to clarify one thing, I'm living with my gf and she would be using it ( if I would get crazy and buy this ridiculously expensive and overengineered scale >.< ) without Garmin Connect, just as normal analog scale. Will Index distinguish us, me beeing connected to Garmin and her as a "guest"?
Ya, she can definitely use it, and as long as she doesn't have nearly the exact same body comp as you then there is no issue with her weigh-ins accidentally getting uploaded to your Garmin Connect account. Thanks!
Thanks a lot, that clears things up :)
Was honestly expecting to see more metrics on the lines of the withings body cardio scale
Same. I miss the PWV of the body cardio. I avtually wrote to Wihings CEO over a year ago and asked him to reenable it after Nokia killed it. He actually replied and said that he would but still nothing yet...
I was hoping there would be a better set of metrics to justify an upgrade from my current scale which has the exact same metrics.... Just doesn't connect to the Garmin eco system. At 149 the price seems $50 too steep
Des - What is the most accurate at-home body fat scales you have used ? I am a Withings Body + which is quite good but would like a more accurate scale ?
Higher end Tanita scales seem to be pretty good.
@@DesFit Okay, thank you. Very expensive though. I note that Huwawei do a scale with handles which may be good....
Good review. But lets say a friend comes over and he/she does not own a garmin device nor have a garmin connect account. If that person wants at some point to quickly jump on the scale just to see what he/she weights, and without it being added to the owners personal account, is that possible?
Unless that person has nearly the same metrics as the main user it shouldn’t register and sync to the main users account. Hope that helps! Thanks!
How accurate is the body fat % numbers compare to Omron and Tanita’s hand holding products. Thanks
on Index 1 it was off by 1-2% for me, but the readings are consistent so good enough for me
I have the first one and its sadly only good for weight. If I gain 1 % in weight one day its alwas says the fat gain is 1% (so 15% goes to 15,15%), the muscle gain is 1% and bone weight is 1% more...
While my withings dont change the fat and muscle in the exakt same way. And the withings is close to the dexa scans I do a couple of times a year but the garmin is way of.
Any cheaper option to connect with GARMIN CONNECT?
Does this work with Fitbit and Garmin apps? I need a scale that works with both. My wife uses Fitbit😒.
Hi. I just bought it. I have done everything just like u showed. But when Im weighing in i cant see my user name. The one with the 4 letters.
Has it happen to anyone of you? How did you solve this ?
Nice
👍
Hey I am refreshing the channel every 5 min 24/7 waiting for the series 6 vs se Apple Watch comparison. Have not bought them waiting for your review thanks!
I have one (of many) Apple Watch videos dropping very soon. Thanks for your patience!
are there any options that would have more accurate metrics?
February 24th Des? So am I... :). Hello~
The bad part about watching scale reviews is that you have to see peoples feet, and most feet are fungus-eaten and beat up. I appreciate the fact that your feet look normal and weren't beaten with an ugly stick. Great review! About to buy one to jump ship from Withings.
Gross…and thanks! 😂
You have issues.
@@LuciTulcea LOL probably.
The reliance on activity level is the weakest point of this scale. Flicking between activity levels causes my Garmin scale to make a 10% jump in %body fat.
It is very consistent though, so even if the body fat and muscle mass is off, you get a great relative reading.
I just wish it uploaded to zwift automatically
Are you going to review the ticwatch pro 3?
Mobvoi contacted me a while back but my schedule has been too full to dedicate time for it. I may try to look at it in a couple months after I free up.
Any rumor's about a new version S3 update here in 2024?
Can a guest use the index as a regular scale without a Garmin connect account?
Yup, it will just register as a guest user on the scale and won’t update any of the primary user’s GC accounts.
When coming the aw 6 review ?
Coming soon!
I always wonder why it doesn’t know if you are wearing your watch to subtract the weight of it 😅
In a nutshell, if you have the 1st version, no need to upgrade.
Ya, the S2 is more of a refresh rather than a completely new scale.
@@DesFit So how many years for basically the same functions? I have the original and won't be upgrading, if you could call it that.
can this scale also connect with my fitness pal and sync the weight automatically?
The old one does that, so I guess this one does it too.. you just need to connect the Garmin app to My fitness pal
I was hoping to find out if it’s possible to use this for household members who don’t want Garmin Connect. Can you just get on it and have it give you the stats without trying to store data,
Yup, absolutely
Trouble is , the fat% it throws out is very inaccurate , I had a calliper test at my gym and I came out 13.5% , the Garmin scales suggested almost 30% !! , looking in the mirror you can see my abs so I’m guessing 13.5% is pretty accurate.
Caliper tests are unreliable and so are scales impedance tests, you want a dexa scan for REAL accuracy. People often under estimate Thier body fat.
pls review amzfit stratos 3
Out of curiosity - can you have multiple users synced to their own Garmin Connect apps? Lets just say I don't want to see me wife's pr children weight, is this possible? Withings does it.
Yup! That actually the way it works is each user needs their own separate GC account.
@@DesFit so my wife who uses a fitbit, how could she use the scale? Just DL the Connect app and be good to go regardless of not having a Garmin watch?
Does the Index S2 also work for children?
Many Greets
Is it accurate on carpet with those thingy u put on?
I have the original, but not quite happy with it. My fat% is around 9, however the scale always says I'm 6. I've emailed garmin and after looking at my data, they said I'm outside their algorithm, with no intention to fix it sadly. I've been on other scales which do give me a decent measurement, which actually allows me to track the trend. Just wanted to share my experience..
$150 vs. $30 for the Wyze scale, which give basically the same metrics. Is it worth $120 more?
Yes. The problem is not price vs features but price vs quality of components. Same as Magimix vs Thermomix.
Meven2001 I have the Wyze scale. I can tell you emphatically, as an owner of dozens of Garmin devices, the quality is not lacking. It’s unbelievable bang for the buck device. There is no way, in my mind, the Garmin scale is worth 5x the Wyze scale.
No it's not. It is buggy/laggy and the body fat percentage is incorrect if you have above average muscle mass. The calculation is wrong in that case. Could be fixed with a software update but now more than a year later and many posts on Garmin forum, it was never resolved. People in the customer support have no clue what they are talking about.
I do have a Garmin Tactix Delta Solar, would you get Index S2 or Whithkngs Body+ scale? Thank you.
If you're within the Garmin ecosystem I'd lean towards the Index S2.
@@DesFit thank you 😊
The problem with this scale for multiple users is that it requires them to setup a Garmin Connect account even if they don't use Garmin Connect. With Withings Body+ I simply added my wife to the scale via the app so she would see her name and such. It was super easy. My wife doesn't care about a tracking app.
Well tell your wife to buy her own fe**in scales!! :D - im kidding lol
It does not recognize the user, only appear an icon of guess, I looked up one by one but the inicial doesn’t appear
When I travel I use scale to weight my luggage. Wouldn’t it confuse the hell out of the scale, or would it ask me to register a new user?
Oh wait never mind it’s a lockdown time.
you can get Withings Body+ which do exactly the same for half the price
9months later do the battery still working and did you have any other issue?
Still using it basically on a daily basis and it's still using the original batteries.
Instinct solar review?
Soon
I get differen result when I weight my self several time in row. It is not so reliable
Good video, would have been better if you had flashed the activity class table from the garmin website so we could understand what it does without a lot of need for detail
support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=DJEru6ns626MZTh2kvUXZA
any gossip about a S3 :D?
Is it available in India.
How does this know the body water and muscle mass?
Bioelectrical impedance (BIA)
Hi, Thanks for this review... This comment is not on your review, but on the product itself....How are the BMI, bones, mucle, fat, water index determined ??? Since you have to enter your height to get those values, I'm pretty sure it's just a normalized table driven by your weight and ONLY that....When you weight changes, the unit simply looks at the corresponding weight-height row in it's internal fixed table.... To determine real fat/muscle/bone and water, you have to make physical measurement.... So these are pretty useless unless index and do not provide more user specific information..... And, for those who are thinking that resistivity can be used, your resistivity changes depending on your electrolites.... and other factors....
ok, responding to myslef now, but I found this: The Garmin Index™ smart scale uses bioelectrical impedance to calculate your body composition. The device sends a small amount of electrical current (which you will not feel) from one foot through your body to the other foot. The device measures the electrical signal after it passes through your body to estimate aspects of your body composition.
For best accuracy, ensure you use the device under the same circumstances and at approximately the same time of day each time you use the device. Activities that temporarily impact your body's weight, hydration, and distribution of water can impact the accuracy of measurements.
Garmin® recommends waiting two hours before using the device after eating, drinking, exercising, bathing, or visiting a sauna.
And the say also that: Garmin® recommends waiting two hours before using the device after eating, drinking, exercising, bathing, or visiting a sauna. So this is it, it will vary so much that it's meaning is questionnable.... but.. enjoy :-)
@@gilou28 no. its meaning isnt questionable as you answered it yourself in the second comment
"For best accuracy, ensure you use the device under the same circumstances and at approximately the same time of day each time you use the device. Activities that temporarily impact your body's weight, hydration, and distribution of water can impact the accuracy of measurements."
I weigh myself every Sunday in the morning before eating and drinking - and it shows how and what changed throughout the week. its not rocket science.. bioelectrical scales have been around for ages...
When is Garmin coming out with a smart-toilet?
Currently testing 😂 OK, not really...
Price is wild. I'll just manually add it 😆😔
Why do you wear 2 watches?
Wearing 4 different smartwatches during review? What does it show if you put an old fashioned metal pound weight on it? A pound? Because two different scales never seem to show the same weight.
This was filmed over a 2 week duration, so many watches were worn :) I placed a 10lb dumbbell on there. Exactly 10 lbs.
How does it gets body fat percentage and other details ?
Impedance
So if other users in the household aren't garmin users, they can't use the scale?
They can still use the scale but they would just need a Garmin Connect account to have the data sync. They can always just remember or write down the info that displays 👍
@@DesFit Cool! Thanks for the reply
Sure thing
it looks lovely, but i Samsung Health. it not work for me.
Unfortunately Samsung Health does not play nicely with other platforms but I have seen some workarounds that may work to syncing information between platforms: bearable.app/support/howto/additional-resources/ I have not tried this but it could be worth a look at.
Have you taken a dexiscan to know that your 8% body fat?
Usually about once a year.
I have a Garmin account but my wife does not so would she still be able to use it as a 'normal' scales?
Yup, the scale would likely just default to an “other user” during her weigh in and shouldn’t update your weight in Garmin Connect (unless she has similar body comp metrics, which at that point the scale could get confused distinguishing between users).
@@DesFit Great. Thanks for the reply and all the great videos!
Sure thing!
@@DesFit "unless she has similar body comp metrics, which at that point the scale could get confused distinguishing between users" - so what happens in that case? Can you correct the data? Or can I add a password to my account so that others don't accidentally update my data?
You can delete any weigh ins in Garmin Connect if for some reason that happens. The only false positive I had was with myself with two different accounts. Everyone else that hopped on the scale always registered as a different user.
Does this scale use AAA batteries or is it usb-rechargeable? I hate changing the AAA batteries, even if it's not very often. Do you have any tips for a good scale without AAA batteries that measures weight accurately (body fat measurement is a nice bonus but not necessary for me)?
What macros do you use to stay ripped
I’d consult a dietician for your specific needs.
@@DesFit they all say different lol I’m cutting at the min on 25 percent fat 35 percent protein and 40 percent carbs sound ok?
I’d maybe check in with someone who does more bulking/cutting. I tend to stay the same most of the year for the sports that I like to do which are endurance based sports.
No Visceral fat? 😢
Where to buy this scale in Europe !?
You can go GARMIN website and order it.
@@adelalotaibi2752 Nice try, but no. In France, Belgium, Austria, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, you can't.
@@Meven2001 that’s new to me and stranger. I thought GARMIN is Europe company.
I can't justify the price when you have Repho with their 13 different body composition data for $30. Garmin connect should work with other manufacturers.
I'm quite disappointed related to what it can track and weigh. I used to have some chinese Yolanda scale that was also able to approximate muscle mass. Garmin's can only approximate Skeletal muscle, not regular muscle tissue. This is quite sad. However, I'll say that weighing consistency is much better than that of its chinese counterpart. That's not to say I'm a bit disappointe to see the amount of data it can extract is a bit... frugal. :/
skeletal muscle is 'regular' muscle. the only other kind are heart and smooth.
Funny, the Garmin say i got 20% Bodyfat, 3 other sclaes say that i have 13%
So i guess the Garmin is not that good!
Hello, tell me the other scales that are better, please 🙏.
Plot twist, the Garmin scales was the accurate one the whole time 😂