Brewer's Scale

[premington]

Can anyone recommend a good brewer's scale that can accurately measure in grams?

I've been through two scales. One died. The replacement is really inaccurate. Both I couldn't measure, like, 1.5 grams. The "good" scale would start reading at 2 grams, then I'd have to visually cut the amount in half and add half of the half back to get 1.5 grams.

There must be lab scales that accurately measure small amounts. What scales are other brewers here using?

 

[jtrentpearson]

https://www.midwestsupplies.com/escali-primo-digital-scale

This is what I use. Got them at a local headshop.

 

[premington]

https://www.midwestsupplies.com/escali-primo-digital-scale

This is what I use. Got them at a local headshop.

LOL! Love it... "Local head shop." We have some of those here. Love going in those place, with the smell of incense and the fancy bongs against the walls. Reminds me of my high school days, back in the late '70s.

Thanks for the link. I need a scale that'll measure .1 g increments. The ones I had were similar in style to the one you linked, but only did 1 gram increments. My water additions are in smaller gram amounts, and they're difficult to measure accurately using 1 gram-increment scales.

 

[cubalz]

Ahhh the 'ol head shop. Now that takes me back! I bought the scale I use from Walmart and had it calibrated (I manage a calibration lab) It was off by a real little bit but has held calibration +/-.005 for years and I recheck it every year. It was under $20.00, has held up well and I use it like a $5 whore on nickel night.

 

[joegbeer]

Got this in February to measure water minerals and hops. Works perfectly.

Scale on Amazon

 

[soccerdad]

I use one scale for grains and another smaller scale for hops and water adjustments. This has been remarkable reliable and long lasting for under $10

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004O792H2/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[Gonefishing]

I know nothing about it except that the reviews are good, but I found this one on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B016M7R98A/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[NeoBrew]

I bought this one over a year ago. I have three scales. A shipping scale for grain, a cheap harbor freight one for hops and small stuff, and then this one just for mineral additions.

It's worked really well. I feel like I can really be accurate with small quantities. It will measure the weight of just one prill of calcium carbonate. My only complaint would be the 20g limit. I had to find a lightweight cup to measure in. I ended up using a NyQuill cup. Even so for a big gypsum addition I might need to measure in two batches. I only do 5 gallon batches, so the small quantity is not too much hassle.

Smart Weigh GEM20 High Precision Digital Milligram Scale 20 x 0.001g Reloading, Jewelry and Gems Scale https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ESHDGOI/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[day_trippr]

Didn't follow all the posted links (so this could be a duplicate) but I can vouch for this small scale...
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ME8VI34/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Cheers!

 

[premington]

This is great... keep the suggestion coming, folks! I'm adding each of your scales to my Amazon cart, then will review them one at a time and make a final decision.

I like reading that some people use more than one scale. I've been using one for everything, but I never stopped to think a higher precision scale can be used for finer additions, like gypsum and calcium chloride, while another can be used for grains. So my less precise scale I'll use for weighing out the grain bill, and I'll use the smaller more precise scale for water additions.

That way, my prior scale purchase won't be a waste.

 

[jurgenph]

i'll throw another one in the mix.... this is what i use to measure water additions and hops

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GTX3LAI/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

i use a more expensive GemPro 250 for reloading ammo but if you want to spend the extra cash on a multi purpose scale, it's a really nice scale

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004C3I3AA/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

J.

 

[MrPowers]

I actually use a Hornady GS1500 powder scale for measuring hops and salts. Then I have another heavier duty/less precise scale from the kitchen store for weighing grains.

 

[chickypad]

The first one below is what I use for water salts and hops, had it about 5 yrs and very happy with it. Sounds like you already have a larger scale, but I also linked what I have. The detachable face is nice if you're weighing a lot of grain into a bucket or other large container.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001ODPFXE/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FSWB9K/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[day_trippr]

few, in addition to the mini-scale I linked previously I use this scale for everything bigger than an ounce:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00739RFHM/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Very capable and flexible, big enough to hold a grain bucket or a keg...

Cheers!

 

[vgmohag]

Thumbs up on the ultraship 55

 

[vgmohag]

Exactly the same 2 scales I use! sweet!

The first one below is what I use for water salts and hops, had it about 5 yrs and very happy with it. Sounds like you already have a larger scale, but I also linked what I have. The detachable face is nice if you're weighing a lot of grain into a bucket or other large container.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001ODPFXE/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FSWB9K/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[imasickboy]

I use this for my small stuff: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002SC3LLS/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[Jtk78]

Here's what I use for hops & water additions. I was looking at a small digital scale and remembered I had this, so I didn't buy anything.

 

[Pkrd]

Got this in February to measure water minerals and hops. Works perfectly.

Scale on Amazon

I like that it's labelled for what it's actually for: "Dealer".

 

[HausBrauerei_Harvey]

Didn't follow all the posted links (so this could be a duplicate) but I can vouch for this small scale...
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ME8VI34/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

Cheers!

i got this same scale in Dec and it works great for mineral additions and small hop charges.