So you are looking for the best, most accurate bathroom scale available. In other words you want a scale which is a) at most no more than a pound off, b) displays the same weight no matter how you stand on it, and c) displays the same weight no matter when you stand on it. While many scales will claim to meet these criteria, user experience doesn't always match up with manufacturer claims.

As such, it is interesting to hear what real people say when asked to recommend a high-quality, accurate bathroom scale. I therefore searched online and came up with the following list of the best bathroom scales based on recommendations from real people on sites such as Google Groups, Yahoo Answers and Ask MetaFilter.

First I noted which brands and/or types of scales people thought were the best. Here is the list:

1) Tanita digital scale. Recommended by a number of people.

2) A physicians scale (you know, a scale with manually adjusted, sliding weights). They are big, but accurate. What's more, you don't need your glasses to actually see how much you weigh and you know that 30 years from now it will still be around.

3) A Taylor digital scale. However, don't get the glass Taylor scales, they aren't suppose to be very good.

4) Hammacher Schlemer Best Precision Measurement Digital Scale

5) HealthOMeter (with a 10 year lithium battery).

From these general recommendations, I proceeded to create a list of the eight best bathroom scales. To create this list I went to Amazon.com to see which particular models of bathroom scales were the most popular on these sites. I searched according to each type of scale mentioned in the section above (i.e., I searched for Tanita digital scale, physicians scale, etc.). I noted also the price and reviews of each scale. Here is the list that I came up with (note: all data is of Dec. 3, 2007):

1) Tanita UM080 Scale with Body Fat and Body Water Monito -- Cost - $32.00. Rating - 4 1/2 stars (based on 19 customer reviews).

2) Tanita BF679W Duo Scale Plus Body Fat Monitor with Body Water -- Cost - $50.00. Rating - 4 1/2 stars (based on 27 customer reviews.

3) Tanita BF680W Duo Scale Plus Body Fat Monitor with Athletic Mode and Body Water -- Cost - $65.00. Rating - 4 1/2 stars (based on 19 customer reviews).

4) Health o Meter 402KL Physician Balance Beam Scale -- Cost $175.00. Rating - 5 stars (based on 8 customer review)

5) HealthOMeter 160LB (Health O Meter) Professional Home Care Weight Scale. Cost $59.00. Rating - 4 1/2 stars (based on 2 customer review)

6) HealthOMeter 349KLX Digital Medical Scale. Cost $165.00. Rating - 5 stars (based on 1 customer review)

7) Taylor 7009 Electronic Lithium Scale. Cost $17.00. Rating - 3 1/2 stars (based on 48 customer review)

8) Taylor 7000 EXP Precision Tech Lithium Electronic Scale. Cost $17.00. Rating - 3 1/2 stars (based on 24 customer review)

There you have it, the best bathroom scales available. True, it's not the most scientific method, but it's probably good enough to get you a high quality, accurate scale. And that, ultimate, is what we are after. Happy weighing!