I've been using a Tanita scale for the last couple years that I'm pretty happy with.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0047B ... VK51P0YJVF

It's definitely not going to win any awards for looks, but for everything else it really works well. If you don't like the bright green scale top it can be removed. I like the fact that it runs on batteries, not AC, so that it is easy to move around and stow in the cupboard when not in use. Auto shutoff time is 10 minutes which is more than enough for any coffee related task I can think of. It's made to be wiped down with a damp sponge or cloth so cleanup is easy. And the display is very easy to read and the buttons are easy to use. Oh, and it's still going on the original batteries it came with! No timer, though, so I use my smartphone for that.

I've never checked the calibration on it before. Using coins is a good idea. I'm going to have to check standard weights of local Hong Kong currency and give that a try.


Or maybe your fiancee would like the pink one better.
http://www.amazon.com/Digital-Cooking-S ... SZN0R5ZXJZ

Not really necessary as a new US penny weighs 2.500 grams according to the US Mint.

That's an interesting fact, and I will use it to verify my scale's calibration. My trusty (I think!) Jennings Cj4000 weighs in 0.5 gram increments.

I don't think it'll work for someone trying to confirm that a scale promising accuracy to the 1/10th of a gram is as accurate as claimed. For that you need something that is not in increments of 0.5 grams.

Now this H-B, the home of coffee-controversy, so one could ask - does it really matter when pursuing a god shot, to be able to weigh out in 0.1 gram increments vs. 0.5 grams? I honestly cannot say as I am an experienced siphon and clever brewer and now brand new owner of 50-year old Faemina, with zero real espresso making experience. My gut tells me 'nope'.

Bob_McBob wrote:Is the Acaia's display as hard to see as it appears to be in videos? There is not a whole lot of contrast against the white, and most videos make use of the app rather than the display itself.

No. It's perfectly readable in normal lighting.

The Acaia may be expensive, but it's by far the best scale I've used for espresso. I weigh my shots, and eventually all the other scales I've tried became contaminated with coffee or water and stopped working. They all timed out too fast and most had poor battery life (and with some there was no warning when the battery was low. The Acaia's design prevents water contamination, it doesn't timeout when I don't want it to and a charge lasts for months.

That said, there's some lag in response time, but that's been true of all the digital scales I've tried. I generally have to stop the shot when the scale is showing 3-4g below the target weight.

Thank you everyone for all the advice and sharing the scales you use. I have decided on the Acaia. The only negative I have read is the price. Though it does have a water tight and, As peppersass mentioned, coffee ground tight build. I like the fact it is cordless and the time out can be programmed. The ability to utilize the app is attractive, I do like the idea I can keep records of the recipe and tasting notes in one location with out killing trees. On top of this it will look good in the kitchen.

I just learned that there's a firmware upgrade for the Acaia scale so I downloaded the Acaia firmware tool on the Wife's iPad and updated my scale for better timer-weighing mode options for brewed coffee and espresso. Now I won't necessarily need to run a separate timer app (Bloom) on my phone for manual pour-overs.

IntrepidQ3 wrote:Thank you everyone for all the advice and sharing the scales you use. I have decided on the Acaia. The only negative I have read is the price. Though it does have a water tight and, As peppersass mentioned, coffee ground tight build. I like the fact it is cordless and the time out can be programmed. The ability to utilize the app is attractive, I do like the idea I can keep records of the recipe and tasting notes in one location with out killing trees. On top of this it will look good in the kitchen.

I'll get one when they finally deliver the (promised) Android app.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... offeescale

Does this not work?

Interesting. When I last looked, not long ago, their website indicated it had not been released.

Thanks for the link!