What do you guys think of this scale?

[Johnez]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01LXXBQWD#Ask
I'm on the hunt for a scale that is:
Semi-cheap ($50-60 or less)
Accurate to .01 grams
Can handle some weight (~7-15 kg)

The above scale can handle all of that, and at a good price. Is there anything I should consider being it's a dual scale? The price is definitely right.

Now the why-I'm a home soaper and would prefer to make very small batches (150-450 grams) and some of the smaller percentage oils are difficult to measure for me right now. I have a jeweler scale but hate using it being it has a low weight limit. The reason I want the max weight a bit on the high side is I also want to replace my kitchen scale which I also dislike.

I'm not a big fan of the two scales in one, however this one seems to accomplish everything I need.

 

[gladysjones]

I don't own one, but I think the dual would have it's advantages. Soap and clay just did a review the other day of scales among other tools, if your interested in watching. I think the scales review is towards the end. There is one that has a ruler along the edge might come in handy.

I bought a kitchen scale from Walmart. It's functional but I'd much rather have the larger surface area like in the one you posted. And two decimals for more accuracy. And aren't there scales that use normal batteries? Hate fussin with those little watch batteries.

 

[Mobjack Bay]

I can’t add anything on that model, but agree it would be convenient to have both scales in one unit.

This thread might be useful, but I don’t recall that anyone had a dual scale model. Scale review

I have a battery powered Oxo kitchen scale and a small jeweler’s scale that is also battery powered. I check my scales periodically with calibration weights. I worried about running through batteries on the Oxo scale, but I’m still on the original set after 20 months of use.

 

[Tara_H]

Just to clarify since I'm not entirely clear from your comment if you realise this - one side is very sensitive and accepts a low weight, and the other side is less sensitive and accepts a higher weight. Personally I'd rather have the two scales so I can move them independently (there was another thread on this very recently) but it seems reasonable if you don't mind them being joined together.

ETA: in fact the other thread seems to be discussing the exact same scales so the responses there will hopefully be helpful to you as well.

 

[earlene]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01LXXBQWD#Ask
I'm on the hunt for a scale that is:
Semi-cheap ($50-60 or less)
Accurate to .01 grams
Can handle some weight (~7-15 kg)

The above scale can handle all of that, and at a good price. Is there anything I should consider being it's a dual scale? The price is definitely right.

Now the why-I'm a home soaper and would prefer to make very small batches (150-450 grams) and some of the smaller percentage oils are difficult to measure for me right now. I have a jeweler scale but hate using it being it has a low weight limit. The reason I want the max weight a bit on the high side is I also want to replace my kitchen scale which I also dislike.

I'm not a big fan of the two scales in one, however this one seems to accomplish everything I need.

I bought that exact scale from Amazon because I wanted a low-profile scale that I could pack and take with me when traveling. I kept it in the original packaging for safety when not in use, so it wouldn't get banged around. And it never did get banged around, because I handle my own luggage. I liked it very much while it worked, but sadly it didn't work as long as expected. My KD7000 is much older and still works very well, and although it is more expensive and does not have the precision for lower amounts, it is totally reliable for soap making. Perhaps if it is never moved like I did for travel, you will have better luck with the SmartWeigh scale than I did.

The very small jewelry scale I use for smaller weights, is fairly tiny & I learned that spilling Essential Oil onto it can & did destroy the scale, but it was cheap to replace.

 

[ImpKit]

I don't own one, but I think the dual would have it's advantages. Soap and clay just did a review the other day of scales among other tools, if your interested in watching. I think the scales review is towards the end. There is one that has a ruler along the edge might come in handy.

I bought a kitchen scale from Walmart. It's functional but I'd much rather have the larger surface area like in the one you posted. And two decimals for more accuracy. And aren't there scales that use normal batteries? Hate fussin with those little watch batteries.

I love that YouTube channel! I have her subscribed and watch daily. I also love her shop, having had a chance to visit in person since I'm in the greater Seattle area as is she.

ETA: The one with the ruler, which I own and use for my own soap making, is a bit sensitive but still good. And it uses 2 AAA batteries, not the little disc batteries.

 

[Johnez]

I bought that exact scale from Amazon because I wanted a low-profile scale that I could pack and take with me when traveling. I kept it in the original packaging for safety when not in use, so it wouldn't get banged around. And it never did get banged around, because I handle my own luggage. I liked it very much while it worked, but sadly it didn't work as long as expected. My KD7000 is much older and still works very well, and although it is more expensive and does not have the precision for lower amounts, it is totally reliable for soap making. Perhaps if it is never moved like I did for travel, you will have better luck with the SmartWeigh scale than I did.

The very small jewelry scale I use for smaller weights, is fairly tiny & I learned that spilling Essential Oil onto it can & did destroy the scale, but it was cheap to replace.

Thanks for the heads up. Apparently there's a return/replace policy that's honored for 2 years so maybe a bit of peace of mind there. The 30 year warranty on the KD7000 is impressive as heck tho, priced decently as well.

 

[earlene]

Thanks for the heads up. Apparently there's a return/replace policy that's honored for 2 years so maybe a bit of peace of mind there. The 30 year warranty on the KD7000 is impressive as heck tho, priced decently as well.

I could have got my money back? Darn! Too late now, it's long gone.

 

[Zany_in_CO]

That scale looks nice. I have the My Weigh KD7000. I bought the plug-in adaptor with it. I didn't want the batteries to die while in the midst of weighing something.

 

[Peachy Clean Soap]

Im like @Zany_in_CO & @earlene I too have the KD7000 & a small jewelry scale. both work well, the jewelry scale was fairly inexpensive the only thing I don't like about it' no option to turn off the auto shutoff' thats a nice feature to have in a scale. the KD7000 dose give the option.

 

[Johnez]

Well going through the various offerings online and it seems rather difficult as they all have various complaints. These are the three options I've found so far:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07TC2CYJN/ref=ox_sc_act_image_1?smid=ADCCZMUPOZXRM&psc=1
With this one, everything I want (except price) is there. 5000 gram capacity means I can weigh directly into my mini crock, which means more convenient measuring, less cleanup, and more accuracy being I don't have to pour from one container to another. Only problem is it costs over a hundred bucks.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00CITCEJG/ref=ox_sc_act_image_2?smid=A1QW63J7JPZYVS&psc=1
The Horizon SF-400D is cheap at ~$20 and is recommended by the vaping community and apparently has a faster read speed, meaning drops of EO or whatever I add are going to register quicker and I'll have less of a chance of overage. Only problem is that the capacity is lower at 500 grams.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005UGBG20/ref=psdcmw_678508011_t2_B00CITCEJG
Edit-This one is actually an AWS scale, not the My Weigh brand. My apologies for the mixup.


I'm torn. :+/

Maybe I'm overthinking this and too worried about the accuracy being this is just soap. Figured very small batches would be easier to avoid being overrun with tons of soap heh.

 

[ResolvableOwl]

Maybe I'm overthinking this and too worried about the accuracy being this is just soap. Figured very small batches would be easier to avoid being overrun with tons of soap heh.

No, no, and no:

1. You should not “throw away” precision with a false sense of generosity because “this is just soap”. You would just be annoyed over your own sloppiness when you fail to reproduce some gorgeous recipe! Soap is about precision, and +2% or -2% superfat can well make a big difference.
2. However, there are a ton of uncertainties in soapmaking of which the inaccuracy of a scale not necessarily is the worst, and could even give you a false sense of precision. Lye purity/age, saponification values of oils naturally variable due to source, residues staying in containers and on tools, evaporation losses, all those can and will make a difference™. However, they amplify when you can't reliably track/observe them, so this is a bad reason against an appropriate scale.
3. Staying with small batches sounds clever at first, but the single one thing it does not help you with is being overrun by vast numbers of soaps (at least I was told so by a “good friend” ). Batches from some 100g oils or less give you the false sense of manageability of the soap tsunami that is already speeding towards you. It is a too good excuse to “just try out that one thing by myself that everyone is freaking out about”, but on the other hand, you have little chance to learn scalability (emulsification/SB timings, self-sufficient gelling and/or overheating, HP cook, swirl designs, cutting). And don't forget you have disproportionately many dishes to clean afterwards (terrible dirty-pots-per-soap-bar ratio).

 

[earlene]

Well going through the various offerings online and it seems rather difficult as they all have various complaints. These are the three options I've found so far:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07TC2CYJN/ref=ox_sc_act_image_1?smid=ADCCZMUPOZXRM&psc=1
With this one, everything I want (except price) is there. 5000 gram capacity means I can weigh directly into my mini crock, which means more convenient measuring, less cleanup, and more accuracy being I don't have to pour from one container to another. Only problem is it costs over a hundred bucks.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00CITCEJG/ref=ox_sc_act_image_2?smid=A1QW63J7JPZYVS&psc=1
The Horizon SF-400D is cheap at ~$20 and is recommended by the vaping community and apparently has a faster read speed, meaning drops of EO or whatever I add are going to register quicker and I'll have less of a chance of overage. Only problem is that the capacity is lower at 500 grams.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005UGBG20/ref=psdcmw_678508011_t2_B00CITCEJG
This one costs a bit more ($45) than the first scale and has an even lower capacity at 300 grams, buuuuuuut is from the maker of the famed KD7000.

I'm torn. :+/

Maybe I'm overthinking this and too worried about the accuracy being this is just soap. Figured very small batches would be easier to avoid being overrun with tons of soap heh.

The second & third options would only work for very small batches and would not even be able to weigh 500 grams of oils INSIDE a vessel because the vessel is included in the total weight even when you Tare the scale.

So in my opinion, neither is suitable for the average soapmaker.


The first option is extremely costly, and although it can handle the weight of a large batch including the vessel for measuring (up to 176 ounces), the accuracy for minimal weights does not appear to be acceptable. (See answered questions and reviews section.) Some reviews indicate variable and inaccurate readings, so I wouldn't buy it.

 

[SPowers]

For me personally, the biggest asset is a plug! Too many times the auto shutoff would engage before I wanted it to or I'd forget to write a weight down.

I have the KD7000 which is really quite affordable in the US... I paid almost $80 for it in Canada.

 

[Johnez]

For me personally, the biggest asset is a plug! Too many times the auto shutoff would engage before I wanted it to or I'd forget to write a weight down.

I have the KD7000 which is really quite affordable in the US... I paid almost $80 for it in Canada.

I agree. Most annoying thing is weighing, going to get something, coming back and scale is absolutely blank. Push the button....and 0.0.

The second & third options would only work for very small batches and would not even be able to weigh 500 grams of oils INSIDE a vessel because the vessel is included in the total weight even when you Tare the scale.

So in my opinion, neither is suitable for the average soapmaker.


The first option is extremely costly, and although it can handle the weight of a large batch including the vessel for measuring (up to 176 ounces), the accuracy for minimal weights does not appear to be acceptable. (See answered questions and reviews section.) Some reviews indicate variable and inaccurate readings, so I wouldn't buy it.

And this is why I'm finding it difficult to pull the trigger on any of them. If you want to see extremely expensive, the only perfect scale that has the ability to way my mini crock (which isn't even a whole kg!) and be accurate to .01 g is an Ohaus which costs over $600. I just can't justify this as a hobbyist. Thankfully the batches I'm making now are less than 500 g, my last was only 150 grams total oils.

No, no, and no:

1. You should not “throw away” precision with a false sense of generosity because “this is just soap”. You would just be annoyed over your own sloppiness when you fail to reproduce some gorgeous recipe! Soap is about precision, and +2% or -2% superfat can well make a big difference.
2. However, there are a ton of uncertainties in soapmaking of which the inaccuracy of a scale not necessarily is the worst, and could even give you a false sense of precision. Lye purity/age, saponification values of oils naturally variable due to source, residues staying in containers and on tools, evaporation losses, all those can and will make a difference™. However, they amplify when you can't reliably track/observe them, so this is a bad reason against an appropriate scale.
3. Staying with small batches sounds clever at first, but the single one thing it does not help you with is being overrun by vast numbers of soaps (at least I was told so by a “good friend” ). Batches from some 100g oils or less give you the false sense of manageability of the soap tsunami that is already speeding towards you. It is a too good excuse to “just try out that one thing by myself that everyone is freaking out about”, but on the other hand, you have little chance to learn scalability (emulsification/SB timings, self-sufficient gelling and/or overheating, HP cook, swirl designs, cutting). And don't forget you have disproportionately many dishes to clean afterwards (terrible dirty-pots-per-soap-bar ratio).

Thank you for the good shoulder shaking and reminding me of the things I already know.....or should have known by now! And ay...regarding point 3 haha, I thought I was clever with avoiding the 10,000 dish problem by merrily weighing everything in the crock. I did not realize I'd come to the point of nearly rationalizing spending $600 to make that possible with these small batches. Yes....yes....I have picked the most ingeniously difficult way to have a go at this LOL. Why oh why did I have to find soap making AFTER I moved away from everyone I know? The holidays are a coming tho. :+)

 

[AliOop]

I thought I was clever with avoiding the 10,000 dish problem by merrily weighing everything in the crock. I did not realize I'd come to the point of nearly rationalizing spending $600 to make that possible with these small batches.

You could weigh out all ingredients into one lightweight plastic container that your scale can handle, and then pour that into your crock. It only adds one dish to the pile, and you get to use a less expensive scale with a lower weight capacity.

My wonderful small scale was $15.49 via Amazon. It is accurate to one gram and goes up to 5000g. Despite staying on longer than other battery-operated scales I've owned, it is only on the second set of batteries in seven years. Since they don't make it anymore, when it finally dies, I'll probably get the KD 8000 or whatever version they are putting out at that time. It would be nice to have a plug.

 

[Tara_H]

If you want a point of comparison, these are the two scales I use and I'm very happy with them:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00Q505...abc_97NDVM90M4X6D2CH8Q96?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01JKX4...abc_05M5ER21GYGQ12RT2JP3?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
I use the big one for oils since it's accurate to 0.5g, and the little one for micas, fragrance and the like.
The timeout on both of them is reasonably long, but the small one is better, I've never had it turn off on me unexpectedly.

ETA: the big one has been my standard kitchen scales for many (maybe 10?) years and I think I've only changed the batteries once. I never even heard of a scales with a power supply before this thread

 

[Johnez]

You could weigh out all ingredients into one lightweight plastic container that your scale can handle, and then pour that into your crock. It only adds one dish to the pile, and you get to use a less expensive scale with a lower weight capacity.

Perfect solution. Thank you so much!