Skulpt Chisel Review

We have more gadgets than ever before to help improve the way we live, including our health. From the vast collection of fitness trackers out there, to some of the obscure things like those full body analyzers, we can track our health progress every step of the way using a combination of these gadgets.

Last year, we checked out one of these specialized health gadgets, the Skulpt Aim, which is this compact, hand-held body scanner device. Obviously, it was a very different sort of health oriented product, one that requires strict measurements to truly get the most out of it. For this year, however, the same team that brought us the Aim is bringing to market the Skulpt Chisel.

One quick look at the Chisel, it’s instantly recognizable that it’s a display-less version of last year’s model. It’s just one slab that reminds us of a solid bar of soap, contoured on both sides, so that its underside is better able to establish contact on our skin. Essentially, the Chisel, much like the Aim, sends a small electrical signal through the muscle it’s placed over to measure muscle quality and body fat.

Before taking a measurement, though, we’re required to spray some water over the Chisel’s electrodes, which acts as the conducting medium to achieve better contact with our skin. When taking a measurement, the outer rim of the Chisel lights up in green and blue to indicate a correct measurement – giving the process a somewhat rewarding feeling. Once that’s all done, the data is transferred wirelessly via Bluetooth to our connected device; an iPhone 6s in this case.

The accompanying Skulpt app has been updated to now show each muscle’s progress over time, something that was missing with the app experience last year. Now this is especially crucial, seeing that tracking our progress is key to keeping people informed, and more importantly, motivated to constantly achieve higher goals. In addition muscle quality, which is given a numerical value of 0 to 100 within the app, the Skulpt Chisel can also measure body fat as well.

Even though the process seems simple enough, there were times when the Chisel would have difficulty registering contact with a muscle – the forearm muscle seems to be the most problematic. When this happens, the unit’s trim glows in a red pulsating color, which is also brought to our attention on the app. From there, we proceed to try again to establish contact, usually with a firmer press against the muscle. Measuring other muscles, however, is a simpler process that involves gently placing the Chisel over them.

Going back to the app experience, the Skulpt Chisel only supports iOS at launch, but we’re told that Android support will be added later in the spring. Unfortunately, the app is only able to keep track of a single person, so if someone else wants to use it, they’ll have to install the app on their own device. Measuring muscles individually is a great way of keeping track of our progress, but the app experience would certainly benefit from having some sort muscle group monitoring – such in the case if you’re to focus mostly on upper body workouts. Yes, we can get a total muscle quality score, but the score is based on measuring the triceps, abs, and quads – nothing more.

Thankfully, the Skulpt Chisel benefits from a lower starting cost than last year’s Skulpt Aim. At half the cost, the $99 price tag makes it slightly more acceptable. The difference here essentially is that the Chisel lacks the LCD display found on the Aim, so you’re paying half the cost for it. That’s not too shabby, considering that the LCD display of the Aim enables it to work independently from a phone, but at the end of the day, they both measure muscle quality.

The Chisel isn’t for everyone, especially given the fact that it’s a specialized kind of gizmo. It’s not something you’ll need on you all the time, much like a wearable fitness tracker. Hardcore fitness junkies will appreciate what the Chisel brings to the table the most, giving them a unique tool to measure muscle quality over a period of time – in the hopes of improvement.