Omron HJ-112 Digital Pocket Pedometer Review.
"Keep Track to Succeed!" 2008-01-23
By Shelly
This is pedometer is Consumer Reports #1 rated digital pedometer- and I can see why. It's extremely light weight and really easy to use with just four big buttons on the front. Here's a few of its best features:
-it can accurately senses steps in your belt, pocket, OR purse!
-it has a large display for the visually impaired
-it has a 7 day history so you can see progress (or lack of)
-it calculates calories and distance in addition to steps
I'd recommend this little device to anyone who wants to lose weight- just begin one day, and the next day, see if you can maintain or beat your previous step record. Now how easy is that?
So what DIDN'T I like about it? Not much. Perhaps the ONLY sort of negative thing I can say is that you will need a tiny screwdriver to open the back of it to put in the battery. Other than that, if you're looking to increase your activity a little to improve your health, look no further. Also recommend The Sixty-Second Motivator for anyone who needs more motivation to stick with an exercise program.
"Best of Breed: The Gold Standard Among Pedometers" 2004-09-04
By Samuel Chell (Kenosha,, WI United States)
Since getting attached to pedometers a couple of years ago, I've gone through at least a dozen--Digiwalkers, Oregon Scientifics, Omrons. Sometimes the clips would break (Digiwalkers have no spring clip), or the cover would snap off, or they would prove highly inaccurate, or they would be bulky, or they would be too "versatile" and intricate to be practical for someone who was simply looking to get in 10,000 steps for the day. For this reason, I recommended the Sportline 330 as a comparatively rugged, accurate, and inexpensive step counter that, if need be, could be replaced with minimal financial damage.
But recently I saw this "high end" Omron at Walgreen's and thought I'd give it a spin. Its primary allure: it claims to be so sensitive that you don't need to wear it on a belt or some other outer wear. Just drop it in your shirt pocket or purse and forget about it.
Guess what? The Omron people aren't pulling your leg. This is indeed a very sensitive little machine that does what it says it will do, in addition to being fast, easy, convenient, and extremely durable. I decided to test it by walking 30-40 minutes with the Omron in my shirt pocket and the Sportline clipped to my belt. At the end of my walk the Omron and Sportline were within 80 steps of each other. Moreover, it was the Omron that gave me the extra steps (a bonus if you consider the amount of time it takes--practically 2 hours--to log the full 10,000 steps).
The only advanced feature I occasionally use is the memory bank. The device automatically resets to 0 steps while saving the previous day's count in memory (for up to a week). Although I set the clock, I rarely use the other extra features--calorie counter, aerobic read-out, or even distance covered. I don't even bother with things like entering stride length and attaching clips or necklaces. This particular Omron model rises above the field because of one thing: quality. It's accurate, it's easy and fast, and it's dependable if not indestructible (I've sat on it, inadvertently sent it through the wash, dropped it into a bath-tub). It keeps going, as long as you do. If you have a shirt pocket and know how to read from one to 10,000, you're on your way.
You can never have too many good pedometers, but this Omron makes it unlikely you'll need another one any time soon. There's no question in my mind that this is best of breed, the one that Tiger Woods would use even if he had to pay for it and realized no rewards other than the practical and motivational benefits of the device itself. At its current price, it's probably the best buy on Amazon.
"Eye opener" 2004-11-13
By TJ
My husband purchased two of these pedometers in an effort to fight our increasingly sedentary lifestyle. I figured I would probably use it once & then throw it in a desk drawer & forget about it...but that didn't happen! Not only are these little devices easy to set up & use, but they do the trick of really making you realize how little excercise you get at a desk job!! Just clip it to your belt at the beginning of the day & forget about it. I almost died when I realized that on average I was walking less than 800 steps a day. Talk about a much needed wake up call. We are now taking daily walks and steadily increasing our daily excercise. Well worth the money.
"Very good design -- deserves a MOMA award" 2006-04-18
By Cynthia Raxter (BYNUM, NC USA)
I wanted to start walking more as I have a very sedentary job. I bought a Sportline pedometer first (Sportline 353 Talking Pedometer) about a year ago. It worked fine counting steps but had other issues.
It was constantly slipping off my waistband and bouncing off the floor. It also easily reset. If I bumped the reset button with the seat belt all my fine walking data was lost. You could theoretically keep a walking tally for a week - but I accidentally hit the reset button 2-3 times a day at times. It was very frustrating. The clip broke after about 3 months, so I retired it.
I bought a Omron HJ112 Premium Pedometer and have worn it almost every day since. It has a teather. Even if the clip slips off my waistband, the pedometer dangles from the teather - it doesn't bounce off the floor. Also the clip is part of a separate holder - if the spring breaks it could easily and inexpensively be replaced.
It also works attached to my bookbag or purse strap, in my pocket or in my purse. It doesn't count as well attached to a down jacket pocket -- but a denim jacket or blazer lapel works fine.
It has a clock, and a 7 day memory. At midnight it automatically stores the day's data and resets to zero. It tallies daily: steps, mileage, calories burned, aerobic steps, and time spent in aerobic activity. It saves that information (except for time spent in aerobic activity) for 7 days. This is good if I am traveling and not near my fitness log for 2-3 days.
One trick: Sometimes I go out walking at 11:30 PM -- especially if I have been on the computer all evening. But the pedometer resets at midnight -- late night walks would get split over 2 days. So I leave the clock off by one hour. The pedometer starts its new day at 1AM. And I am always in bed by then. Promise. :-)
I like very much that it counts the number of aerobic steps and the time spent. My goal (in addition to just walking more) is to walk a minimum of 30 minutes a day at an aerobic pace (and increasing this amount). According to the manual: "Aerobic steps are counted separately when walking or jogging more than 60 steps per minute or more than 10 minutes continuously."
The pedometer has been very helpful. If I come in from the bus stop and just go to my desk I walk about 1000 steps. If I come in from the bus stop and keep moving for just a few minutes longer - climb the stairs to my office on an upper floor and then go get water for coffee - I get in 10 minutes of aerobic activity.
When I started wearing a pedometer I was getting in about 3000 steps a day (none aerobic). I average about 8000 now and working up to 10,000 (about 4000 aerobic).
I haven't changed much noticeabe. I park on the other side of the parking lot at the grocery store. I walk the cart back to the store -- not just the buggy coral. I get off the bus a stop early - about a block and a half away (1000 steps). I take the stairs at work (20 steps per floor). I walk the dog each night for about 30 minutes (5000 steps). I sit outside for lunch instead of sitting in my office with a sandwich (1000 steps). Little extra steps like this all day long add up.
Walking is great exercise and unlike swimming or going to the gym, all I have to do is walk out the door. "Aerobics on a stick" I call it. The pedometer helps me stay motivated and it reminds me to walk walk walk!
"The winner and still champ!" 2005-12-01
By bensmomma (Ann Arbor, Michigan)
If you are wondering whether you want a pedometer, let me add my vigorous "yes". Wearing a pedometer has a way of making you parse every step you take as exercise....even walking down the hall to ask an officemate a question raises your step count just a bit, and soon enough you will be raising your ambitions to 10,000 steps a day or even more without needing to make a production over going to the gym.
If you are wondering "which pedometer," I'll add my pitch for this nifty little Omron. My last pedometer: inaccurate, physically uncomfortable, impossible to wear with a dress, broke after 2 months.
My Omron: accurate, comfortable clip, even works if I just stick it in a pocket or purse, have dropped it frequently to no ill effects. Best of all, it has quite sophisticated features: it tracks not only steps, miles, and calories, but "aerobic steps" - if you keep walking for 10 minutes or more it counts as aerobic - it is even smart enough to let you pause for up to a minute and still count subsequent steps as aerobic. Finally, it has a 7-day memory that allows you to track all these features back a whole week so you can see your improvements.
I can't say enough about this product. I know they call it "premium" but for less than the cost of a couple of weeks at a gym, you'll have a permanent and genuinely practical exercise system. It is the best fitness value of any kind on the market.
By Shelly
This is pedometer is Consumer Reports #1 rated digital pedometer- and I can see why. It's extremely light weight and really easy to use with just four big buttons on the front. Here's a few of its best features:
-it can accurately senses steps in your belt, pocket, OR purse!
-it has a large display for the visually impaired
-it has a 7 day history so you can see progress (or lack of)
-it calculates calories and distance in addition to steps
I'd recommend this little device to anyone who wants to lose weight- just begin one day, and the next day, see if you can maintain or beat your previous step record. Now how easy is that?
So what DIDN'T I like about it? Not much. Perhaps the ONLY sort of negative thing I can say is that you will need a tiny screwdriver to open the back of it to put in the battery. Other than that, if you're looking to increase your activity a little to improve your health, look no further. Also recommend The Sixty-Second Motivator for anyone who needs more motivation to stick with an exercise program.
By Samuel Chell (Kenosha,, WI United States)
Since getting attached to pedometers a couple of years ago, I've gone through at least a dozen--Digiwalkers, Oregon Scientifics, Omrons. Sometimes the clips would break (Digiwalkers have no spring clip), or the cover would snap off, or they would prove highly inaccurate, or they would be bulky, or they would be too "versatile" and intricate to be practical for someone who was simply looking to get in 10,000 steps for the day. For this reason, I recommended the Sportline 330 as a comparatively rugged, accurate, and inexpensive step counter that, if need be, could be replaced with minimal financial damage.
But recently I saw this "high end" Omron at Walgreen's and thought I'd give it a spin. Its primary allure: it claims to be so sensitive that you don't need to wear it on a belt or some other outer wear. Just drop it in your shirt pocket or purse and forget about it.
Guess what? The Omron people aren't pulling your leg. This is indeed a very sensitive little machine that does what it says it will do, in addition to being fast, easy, convenient, and extremely durable. I decided to test it by walking 30-40 minutes with the Omron in my shirt pocket and the Sportline clipped to my belt. At the end of my walk the Omron and Sportline were within 80 steps of each other. Moreover, it was the Omron that gave me the extra steps (a bonus if you consider the amount of time it takes--practically 2 hours--to log the full 10,000 steps).
The only advanced feature I occasionally use is the memory bank. The device automatically resets to 0 steps while saving the previous day's count in memory (for up to a week). Although I set the clock, I rarely use the other extra features--calorie counter, aerobic read-out, or even distance covered. I don't even bother with things like entering stride length and attaching clips or necklaces. This particular Omron model rises above the field because of one thing: quality. It's accurate, it's easy and fast, and it's dependable if not indestructible (I've sat on it, inadvertently sent it through the wash, dropped it into a bath-tub). It keeps going, as long as you do. If you have a shirt pocket and know how to read from one to 10,000, you're on your way.
You can never have too many good pedometers, but this Omron makes it unlikely you'll need another one any time soon. There's no question in my mind that this is best of breed, the one that Tiger Woods would use even if he had to pay for it and realized no rewards other than the practical and motivational benefits of the device itself. At its current price, it's probably the best buy on Amazon.
By TJ
My husband purchased two of these pedometers in an effort to fight our increasingly sedentary lifestyle. I figured I would probably use it once & then throw it in a desk drawer & forget about it...but that didn't happen! Not only are these little devices easy to set up & use, but they do the trick of really making you realize how little excercise you get at a desk job!! Just clip it to your belt at the beginning of the day & forget about it. I almost died when I realized that on average I was walking less than 800 steps a day. Talk about a much needed wake up call. We are now taking daily walks and steadily increasing our daily excercise. Well worth the money.
By Cynthia Raxter (BYNUM, NC USA)
I wanted to start walking more as I have a very sedentary job. I bought a Sportline pedometer first (Sportline 353 Talking Pedometer) about a year ago. It worked fine counting steps but had other issues.
It was constantly slipping off my waistband and bouncing off the floor. It also easily reset. If I bumped the reset button with the seat belt all my fine walking data was lost. You could theoretically keep a walking tally for a week - but I accidentally hit the reset button 2-3 times a day at times. It was very frustrating. The clip broke after about 3 months, so I retired it.
I bought a Omron HJ112 Premium Pedometer and have worn it almost every day since. It has a teather. Even if the clip slips off my waistband, the pedometer dangles from the teather - it doesn't bounce off the floor. Also the clip is part of a separate holder - if the spring breaks it could easily and inexpensively be replaced.
It also works attached to my bookbag or purse strap, in my pocket or in my purse. It doesn't count as well attached to a down jacket pocket -- but a denim jacket or blazer lapel works fine.
It has a clock, and a 7 day memory. At midnight it automatically stores the day's data and resets to zero. It tallies daily: steps, mileage, calories burned, aerobic steps, and time spent in aerobic activity. It saves that information (except for time spent in aerobic activity) for 7 days. This is good if I am traveling and not near my fitness log for 2-3 days.
One trick: Sometimes I go out walking at 11:30 PM -- especially if I have been on the computer all evening. But the pedometer resets at midnight -- late night walks would get split over 2 days. So I leave the clock off by one hour. The pedometer starts its new day at 1AM. And I am always in bed by then. Promise. :-)
I like very much that it counts the number of aerobic steps and the time spent. My goal (in addition to just walking more) is to walk a minimum of 30 minutes a day at an aerobic pace (and increasing this amount). According to the manual: "Aerobic steps are counted separately when walking or jogging more than 60 steps per minute or more than 10 minutes continuously."
The pedometer has been very helpful. If I come in from the bus stop and just go to my desk I walk about 1000 steps. If I come in from the bus stop and keep moving for just a few minutes longer - climb the stairs to my office on an upper floor and then go get water for coffee - I get in 10 minutes of aerobic activity.
When I started wearing a pedometer I was getting in about 3000 steps a day (none aerobic). I average about 8000 now and working up to 10,000 (about 4000 aerobic).
I haven't changed much noticeabe. I park on the other side of the parking lot at the grocery store. I walk the cart back to the store -- not just the buggy coral. I get off the bus a stop early - about a block and a half away (1000 steps). I take the stairs at work (20 steps per floor). I walk the dog each night for about 30 minutes (5000 steps). I sit outside for lunch instead of sitting in my office with a sandwich (1000 steps). Little extra steps like this all day long add up.
Walking is great exercise and unlike swimming or going to the gym, all I have to do is walk out the door. "Aerobics on a stick" I call it. The pedometer helps me stay motivated and it reminds me to walk walk walk!
By bensmomma (Ann Arbor, Michigan)
If you are wondering whether you want a pedometer, let me add my vigorous "yes". Wearing a pedometer has a way of making you parse every step you take as exercise....even walking down the hall to ask an officemate a question raises your step count just a bit, and soon enough you will be raising your ambitions to 10,000 steps a day or even more without needing to make a production over going to the gym.
If you are wondering "which pedometer," I'll add my pitch for this nifty little Omron. My last pedometer: inaccurate, physically uncomfortable, impossible to wear with a dress, broke after 2 months.
My Omron: accurate, comfortable clip, even works if I just stick it in a pocket or purse, have dropped it frequently to no ill effects. Best of all, it has quite sophisticated features: it tracks not only steps, miles, and calories, but "aerobic steps" - if you keep walking for 10 minutes or more it counts as aerobic - it is even smart enough to let you pause for up to a minute and still count subsequent steps as aerobic. Finally, it has a 7-day memory that allows you to track all these features back a whole week so you can see your improvements.
I can't say enough about this product. I know they call it "premium" but for less than the cost of a couple of weeks at a gym, you'll have a permanent and genuinely practical exercise system. It is the best fitness value of any kind on the market.
