Looking for a cheap .1g resolution weight scale

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urg8rb8

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Any recommendations?? My scale only does 1g and I am looking for something more precise.
 
What are you weighing with it? And what is max capacity? I have a 22lb 10kg kitchen scale that I use for grain and hops accurate to .05oz or 1g. Perfect for 5 gallon batches. I have a second scale for my brewing salts that is max 50g to 0.001g resolution because I want to measure salts to 0.01g.

Rule of thumb is you buy a scale that has max capacity and precision to 1 sigificant figure more than what you need. So if you want to measure to 0.1g you buy a scale that can do 0.01g. Hope that helps
 
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Aristoi said:
What are you weighing with it? And what is max capacity? I have a 22lb 10kg kitchen scale that I use for grain and hops accurate to .05oz or 1g. Perfect for 5 gallon batches. I have a second scale for my brewing salts that is max 50g to 0.001g accuracy because I want to measure salts to 0.01g.

Rule of thumb is you buy a scale that has max capacity and precision to 1 sigificant figure more than what you need. So if you want to measure to 0.1g you buy a scale that can do 0.01g. Hope that helps
Click to expand...
I need to it measure salts. The 1g scale I have isn't great for it.
 
Look for jewelry scales on amazon. I got this one that has been good for past 1.5yrs, just changed the crappy stock batteries AAAs that came with it.

WAOAW Digital Milligram Scale 50 X 0.001g Reloading Jewelry Scale Digital Weight with Calibration Weights Tweezers and Weighing Pans (Batteries included) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06W5VXN53/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

This one goes to 0.001g and 50g capacity. If you only plan to do salts this is all you need. If you want to do hops you may want a 100g or 200g jewelry scale but it will likely be limited to 0.01g resolution. Good luck
 
Aristoi said:
Look for jewelry scales on amazon. I got this one that has been good for past 1.5yrs, just changed the crappy stock batteries AAAs that came with it.

WAOAW Digital Milligram Scale 50 X 0.001g Reloading Jewelry Scale Digital Weight with Calibration Weights Tweezers and Weighing Pans (Batteries included) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06W5VXN53/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

This one goes to 0.001g and 50g capacity. If you only plan to do salts this is all you need. If you want to do hops you may want a 100g or 200g jewelry scale but it will likely be limited to 0.01g resolution. Good luck
Click to expand...
Yeah, 50g is probably not enough for hops, unless I do 1oz weights. But I'll check it out.
 
What's your definition of "cheap"???

I recommend a mechanical, triple-beam scale. No batteries, no inaccuracies, no rounding and best of all, no malfunctions, just hyper-accurate measurements each and every time.
 
TwistedGray said:
Within a hundredth(s) usually. You just need to verify with a nickle.
Click to expand...
IMHO, consistency is far more important than accuracy. Get a scale with .01 resolution and calibrate with the same weight each and every time. Repeatability is what you're after, even a cheap scale can do that if used properly.
 
urg8rb8 said:
I need to it measure salts. The 1g scale I have isn't great for it.
Click to expand...
Will you be able to dump in the salts quickly? If you slowly pour the granules, a cheap strain-gauge scale absolutely will not give you a correct reading. The firmware is designed to assume small changes are noise, and disregards them. I can drip water onto my 0.1 g scale and the number never changes, no matter how much I add. If you plan to measure less than 2 g of stuff, a 0.01 g scale will have the same problem but 10x less severe than a 0.1 g scale. My milligram scale doesn't to this, but it's a pain to use because it lacks a big flat plate. It's the Gemini-20, and is cheap and accurate. But Gemini has poor quality control, since the sample plate doesn't balance and slides around. They are still a good value milligram scale.

I've used 3-4 different inexpensive rectangular gray Chinese-made scales. I like them so much I keep a backup for when I break one. They all have this problem. Don't think you can avoid it by luck. I am about to buy an ultra cheap analytical scale ($48) if I can verify that its firmware does not erase small changes and the value does not drift over time. This is the way to go if you want to have a very good general purpose scale, but if not, you need two scales: a big one that can measure a couple kg, and a small one that measures 0.01 g (little error when you pour slowly) or 1 mg (no error when you pour slowly).
 
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piojo said:
Will you be able to dump in the salts quickly? If you slowly pour the granules, a cheap strain-gauge scale absolutely will not give you a correct reading. The firmware is designed to assume small changes are noise, and disregards them. I can drip water onto my 0.1 g scale and the number never changes, no matter how much I add. If you plan to measure less than 2 g of stuff, a 0.01 g scale will have the same problem but 10x less severe than a 0.1 g scale. My milligram scale doesn't to this, but it's a pain to use because it lacks a big flat plate. It's the Gemini-20, and is cheap and accurate. But Gemini has poor quality control, since the sample plate doesn't balance and slides around. They are still a good value milligram scale.

I've used 3-4 different inexpensive rectangular gray Chinese-made scales, and they all have this problem. Don't think you can avoid it by luck. I am about to buy an ultra cheap analytical scale ($45) if I can verify that its firmware does not erase small changes and the value does not drift over time. This is the way to go if you want to have a very good general purpose scale, but if not, you need two scales: a big one that can measure a couple kg, and a small one that measures 0.01 g (little error when you pour slowly) or 1 mg (no error when you pour slowly).
Click to expand...
Yes this was essentially the problem I was having with my 1g scale. I would pour and the weight wouldn't change. Then I wondered what the heck was going on so I would scoop the powder out and just dump it all in and it's like 5g more than before. Haha
 
piojo said:
Will you be able to dump in the salts quickly? If you slowly pour the granules, a cheap strain-gauge scale absolutely will not give you a correct reading. The firmware is designed to assume small changes are noise, and disregards them. I can drip water onto my 0.1 g scale and the number never changes, no matter how much I add. If you plan to measure less than 2 g of stuff, a 0.01 g scale will have the same problem but 10x less severe than a 0.1 g scale. My milligram scale doesn't to this, but it's a pain to use because it lacks a big flat plate. It's the Gemini-20, and is cheap and accurate. But Gemini has poor quality control, since the sample plate doesn't balance and slides around. They are still a good value milligram scale.

I've used 3-4 different inexpensive rectangular gray Chinese-made scales, and they all have this problem. Don't think you can avoid it by luck. I am about to buy an ultra cheap analytical scale ($45) if I can verify that its firmware does not erase small changes and the value does not drift over time. This is the way to go if you want to have a very good general purpose scale, but if not, you need two scales: a big one that can measure a couple kg, and a small one that measures 0.01 g (little error when you pour slowly) or 1 mg (no error when you pour slowly).
Click to expand...
So I think I will go for his one:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06W.../?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

It's a 50g, .001g scale.
 
urg8rb8 said:
So I think I will go for his one:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06W.../?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
It's a 50g, .001g scale.
Click to expand...
Beware that the tray will be a bit hard to pour into. Probably smaller than it looks in the photo. But it looks like an excellent choice, better than the Gemini. There may be an awkward gap between 10-40 g which won't be ideal to measure in either of your scales, but I think you'll do fine. Pick the big one for ease or the little for accuracy.
 
piojo said:
Beware that the tray will be a bit hard to pour into. Probably smaller than it looks in the photo. But it looks like an excellent choice, better than the Gemini. There may be an awkward gap between 10-40 g which won't be ideal to measure in either of your scales, but I think you'll do fine. Pick the big one for ease or the little for accuracy.
Click to expand...
What's the big deal with the 10-40g gap?
 
urg8rb8 said:
What's the big deal with the 10-40g gap?
Click to expand...
It might be difficult to pour too much into the small tray without spilling onto the scale, and also annoying to measure that amount with only the ±1g accuracy on your big scale.
 
Jayjay1976 said:
IMHO, consistency is far more important than accuracy. Get a scale with .01 resolution and calibrate with the same weight each and every time. Repeatability is what you're after, even a cheap scale can do that if used properly.
Click to expand...
So that AWS scale uses a 100g calibration weight. If a clean nickel is 5g, you recommend keeping the same 20 nickels together for calibration?
 
piojo said:
It might be difficult to pour too much into the small tray without spilling onto the scale, and also annoying to measure that amount with only the ±1g accuracy on your big scale.
Click to expand...
Got it. Thanks!
 
urg8rb8 said:
Yes this was essentially the problem I was having with my 1g scale. I would pour and the weight wouldn't change. Then I wondered what the heck was going on so I would scoop the powder out and just dump it all in and it's like 5g more than before. Haha
Click to expand...

What you experienced is why you want a smaller capacity scale to begin with. If you decide to go with a higher capacity scale that has the resolution you are looking for it may not do the low end of the scale well anyway. Measuring <2g salt additions on a 500g scale may have the same issue of registering. The resolution of 0.01g may only be applicable to larger weights.

There is a minimum weight a scale is designed for to initiate a reading and typically measurements close to that point are not accurate. I recall when looking into scales before i bought mine that the minimum weight you intend to measure with it should be in the >10% of the scales capacity. 50g x 0.001g was the closest i could get. Not saying a 100g or 200g x 0.01g will not do the job, i would let people that have used those scales with low weight salts chime in, but i think 500g is way too much and you may be in the same boat.

Good example is a typical bathroom scale is 300-450lb capacity and is good for most kids through adults. You would not weigh newborns or young kids <25lb and expect it to be precise, you may get a number that is repeatable but it may not be right.
 
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piojo said:
Beware that the tray will be a bit hard to pour into. Probably smaller than it looks in the photo. But it looks like an excellent choice, better than the Gemini. There may be an awkward gap between 10-40 g which won't be ideal to measure in either of your scales, but I think you'll do fine. Pick the big one for ease or the little for accuracy.
Click to expand...

I cant see the links either, if it is similar to the 50g scale i linked to earlier with the little black tray i can confirm it is useless. I use my little 5oz plastic cups i use for hops measurements or my small polycarbonate 1/4 cup measuring cup (weighs 35g) instead. I like to dunk the cup in the water to make sure all of the salts go in
 
Aristoi said:
I cant see the links either, if it is similar to the 50g scale i linked to earlier with the little black tray i can confirm it is useless. I use my little 5oz plastic cups i use for hops measurements or my small polycarbonate 1/4 cup measuring cup (weighs 35g) instead. I like to dunk the cup in the water to make sure all of the salts go in
Click to expand...

Is it worth getting a calibration kit like this?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LCPLMBC
 
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I wouldn't go with the jewelers scale. It's capacity is pretty small and you don't need that sort of resolution unless you're brewing 1 gallon batches. I'm concerned that the load cell might be damaged easily if you overload it.

I use a triple-beam Ohaus scale that has 0.1g divisions, but I'm not going to say that I can read it to that precision. I do like the fact that its completely mechanical and it has a capacity in the 1.5 to 2 kg range, but I'm pretty sure that they aren't inexpensive to buy.
 
Jayjay1976 said:
IMHO, consistency is far more important than accuracy.
Click to expand...

I agree with this. That's why I use steel measuring spoons for my salts. I'm not really sure I trust these cheap scales to measure .5-1 gram increments but I know the spoons give me the exact same amount every time, even it's not 100% accurate.
 
mabrungard said:
I wouldn't go with the jewelers scale. It's capacity is pretty small and you don't need that sort of resolution unless you're brewing 1 gallon batches. I'm concerned that the load cell might be damaged easily if you overload it.

I use a triple-beam Ohaus scale that has 0.1g divisions, but I'm not going to say that I can read it to that precision. I do like the fact that its completely mechanical and it has a capacity in the 1.5 to 2 kg range, but I'm pretty sure that they aren't inexpensive to buy.
Click to expand...
I'm planning to only use it for weighting out salts. I have another scale to weigh out grain and hops.
 
You can go to your local headshop and take a look at scales if you want to get hands on, they'll also have weights you can put on to make sure its 100% accurate before buying. A bit risky having them shipped considering how delicate they can be.
 
urg8rb8 said:
So I am basically trying to decide between:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06W5VXN53
and
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0012LOQUQ
Click to expand...
I guess you've already bought it, but if not, the AWS 0.01 g scale looks better. If you aren't measuring less than one gram (or even if you are, but you are able to dump the material in quickly rather than pouring it as a slow stream), a 0.01 g resolution scale is plenty. That's what I use for powders, but as I said, I look forward to buying a scale that doesn't treat slow changes as noise. You can't get a scale like that in this price range unless you count old fashioned balances.
 
piojo said:
I guess you've already bought it, but if not, the AWS 0.01 g scale looks better. If you aren't measuring less than one gram (or even if you are, but you are able to dump the material in quickly rather than pouring it as a slow stream), a 0.01 g resolution scale is plenty. That's what I use for powders, but as I said, I look forward to buying a scale that doesn't treat slow changes as noise. You can't get a scale like that in this price range unless you count old fashioned balances.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I ended up getting the AWS with the 100g calibration weight and I should be getting it on Friday. I'll play with it using grains of table salt to see how sensitive it reacts. I doubt I'll ever measure less than one gram, but if I do, I'll just add some other adjunct weight to get the scale into the operational range.
 
Love it how amazon links that to a crack pipe, (sorry,"oil burner glass pipe"). You probably can't get a better recommendation than that.
 
VirginiaHops1 said:
I agree with this. That's why I use steel measuring spoons for my salts. I know the spoons give me the exact same amount every time, even it's not 100% accurate.
Click to expand...

Provided thatthe grains remain 99% consistent in size, weight and volume. Weight is more consistent as grain size is ot a factor.
 
S-Met said:
Provided thatthe grains remain 99% consistent in size, weight and volume. Weight is more consistent as grain size is ot a factor.
Click to expand...

I think it's consistent enough. People have been cooking and measuring ingredients that way for a long time. I agree weighing would be more precise but only if your instrument is 100% accurate. I don't care to spend the time or money ensuring it is, so I just use teaspoons for the tiny salt measurements and my cheap scale for grains/hops. To each their own, for those that have their processes that tight and dialed in that it matters measuring the salts so precisely I raise a glass to you.
 
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