Budget espresso scale find

Want to talk espresso but not sure which forum? If so, this is the right one.
Kran
Posts: 236
Joined: 6 years ago

#1: Post by Kran »

I didn't need it but am always in the market for "impulse" buy accessories. I think I stumbled upon an almost ideal lower end espresso scale in the same form factor as a lunar. From left to right are Felicita Arc, SearchPean tiny coffee scale (amazon), and Timemore:



Just started playing around with it but the SearchPean is as responsive as the Felicita. It looks and feels like a tiny version of the Timemore, so plastic but somehow substantial. Packaging says not waterproof but I don't have concerns about that. And at ~$55 I'd be fine if it lasted a couple of years. The only thing I don't like is the red for the timer but for the price I'm ok with it.

jgood
Posts: 893
Joined: 6 years ago

#2: Post by jgood »

For the cheapskates like me this
Rhino at $24 is pretty good - no timer but 1/10th gram - and fits under a Cafelat Robot.

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Jeff
Team HB
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Joined: 19 years ago

#3: Post by Jeff »

The SearchPean looks pretty slick.

I was using a MAXUS/Weightman/... $10-15 special earlier today to weigh beans into my dosing jars. It would eventually settle to within 0.1 g when adding or removing a bean, but sometimes needed a tap to convince it that something had changed. What's your impression of the SearchPean when adding/removing a bean or a pinch of grounds?

If it has a manual or a web page for instructions, does it describe if/how it can be calibrated?

Thanks!

thirdcrackfourthwave
Posts: 571
Joined: 5 years ago

#4: Post by thirdcrackfourthwave »

I got this one almost four years ago. I was waiting to see how it would hold up before an endorsement. Seems pretty water resistant :) Fits the Robot.

https://www.amazon.com/KUBEI-Rechargeab ... =8-12&th=1

boren
Posts: 1114
Joined: 14 years ago

#5: Post by boren »

I have both the Timemore Basic Plus and the Nano and they're not good products in my opinion. Silly me for being fooled twice by the good reviews. The SearchPean seems to suffer from one of the same major issues as the Timemore scales - touch buttons instead of tactile ones. Another point is that for this amount of money one can expect flow rate display. The Nano has it, but it's implemented poorly, with readings displayed too frequently (up to about 10 times a second).

I'm not willing to pay Acaia hundreds of dollars for a scale, at least not yet. I'm giving another cheap scale a chance, this time a $25 scale that seems to tick every feature I want - tactile buttons, thin profile, timer and flow rate display (unfortunately both via an app and not on the scale screen). It seems to be based on a very common design that's used by other digital scales, under different labels, e.g. this Kubei which I have very good experience with. I'm cautiously optimistic.

larscoffee
Posts: 15
Joined: 2 years ago

#6: Post by larscoffee »

Just picked up a Açaia after years of sitting on the fence. Also got caught in the timemore trap, the charging port is terrible, the form factor huge, it doesn't auto turn off of its not in use... and worst of all the battery hardly last that long!

In the past 8 years gone through two of these: https://www.amazon.com/AMIR-Upgraded-50 ... 519&sr=8-9

IMO great little scale if you are timing your shots on your phone or watch.

All my retired scales become the scales for camping.

Kran (original poster)
Posts: 236
Joined: 6 years ago

#7: Post by Kran (original poster) »

I don't use any of the smart features on my scales. So the timemore is for brew and works fine. Buttons aren't as responsive compared to the Felicita arc but it also was a fraction of the cost.

For the espresso scales I'm mainly looking for form factor and repeatability. This one hits all the things i personally need. The felicita is going into the drawer.
Jeff wrote:The SearchPean looks pretty slick.

I was using a MAXUS/Weightman/... $10-15 special earlier today to weigh beans into my dosing jars. It would eventually settle to within 0.1 g when adding or removing a bean, but sometimes needed a tap to convince it that something had changed. What's your impression of the SearchPean when adding/removing a bean or a pinch of grounds?

If it has a manual or a web page for instructions, does it describe if/how it can be calibrated?

Thanks!
It registers 1 bean difference appropriately. On a tared scale if I drop a bean on it recognizes the weight. And with a 15g dose it recognizes adding or removing 1 bean.

No mention of calibration so likely not a built in function. This also isn't a big deal for me. If it's using standard load cell with an amp to convert to weight then the calibration shouldn't change much once done initially. If this is important to you then likely this is a pass.
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jgood
Posts: 893
Joined: 6 years ago

#8: Post by jgood »

I use a small scale for my Robot -- here's what I'd like to see: A scale with the numbers on the top as I set the Robot with the gauge facing away from me (so I can watch it as I bend over the Robot); of course the weight numbers are inverted. A scale with the numbers on the top would read correctly. Anyone see one of those?

vecchi della seattle
Supporter ❤
Posts: 124
Joined: 5 years ago

#9: Post by vecchi della seattle »

I just got this one after inadvertently pouring a shot into my old one. $15. A tad big but works pretty well.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M9H2XZ9?ps ... ct_details

crwper
Posts: 131
Joined: 3 years ago

#10: Post by crwper »

larscoffee wrote:In the past 8 years gone through two of these: https://www.amazon.com/AMIR-Upgraded-50 ... 519&sr=8-9
I have a similar scale I've used for many years. It seems to be offered under several different brands. Not sure how much the firmware differs between brands, but there are a couple of issues I've found with mine:
  • Within about 0.2 g of a whole number, it tends to "round" toward the whole number. To solve this, I made a bit of folded aluminum foil which weighs 0.50 grams, and any time the reading is in this range I just add the foil and subtract 0.50 grams from what the scale says.
  • The version I have uses 2 x AAA batteries. The scale uses a cheap voltage regulator, so when the battery voltage drops below about 1.2 V, it stops working. This means the scale works well with alkaline batteries, but if you use NiMH batteries, you'll only get a couple of days out of it before they need to be charged.
Otherwise, it's a good scale for the price--and these issues have been minor enough for me that I haven't replaced it.

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