☛ Official ☚ The Big & Dandy Scale / Balance Thread - Part 2.000±

[frasierdog]

Welcome to the Big & Dandy Scale Thread
​

Subthreads:

• Problems when weighing very small amounts
• Creeping & Drifting
• Brands and Models:
  • Gem Pro Series

****** Xorkoth's Note ************************
The Scale thread has also overgrown, so here is the new incarnation. The old one can be found in the archive here.
********************************************

i bought one of these supposed .001g scales on ebay. is it a piece of shit?

Link

 

[SoulSeeker]

Regarding the cheap eBay scales (AWS/Diamond/J-Precision, etc.),
reading through this thread, posters conclude:

1) These scales are generally "not great" and cheap in build quality.

^i head those scales suck.
iv also seen one break a couple days after my friend bought it.
.

These are very dodgy. Me and my friend have gone through 5 sets between us... First ones worked ok then just died and I got one set dead on arrival. The last set now still kinda works but only when you put 2 of the 4 batteries in and it only registers 1/2 of what you put on it so you have to multiply all readings by 2.

We wished we'd just gone halves on a decent £200 set from the start, which is what we're doing now!

2) The accuracy can be off by 2-6mg, which can very dangerous in terms of dosing RCs.

Its full of shit.

Those things are off by about 2-6mg every time.

Its good for measuring things where the dose isn't as sensitive but I wouldn't try it for anything else.

Anything that has the word "cheap" associated with it isn't going to be any good. That's a general rule to live by.

I have a set of those. They're ok, but they underread by about 10%
I wouldn't trust them on anything especially dose depenent. Mine seem consstent, but I still can't trust them.

3) Apparently, if the battery becomes low, the accuracy becomes wildly off.

I have the scale you're referring to. It's not bad for the money. The only thing I don't like is that when the batteries start getting low, the accuracy goes all to hell. I've tested it against a much more expensive scale, and it gets a little flakey under 10mg...

If I had it to do over again I'd be patient and save up the money for something more reliable with AC power.

4) They generally break after a year.

You get what you pay for.
I heard cheap scales only last a year or so.

So yes, they are not recommended. However, the good quality an accurate 0.001g scales are USD $200+ and into the hundreds of dollars. This is a big problem for the RC research community, since an accurate MG scale is essential to experimentation, but it has to be affordable. If you're shelling out the bucks for RCs, you should be able to afford a scale...

In order to address this problem, I'm currently in discussions with a manufacturer to import a high-quality 0.001g scale for under $99 (comes with AC adapter, lithium-ion batteries, full calibration weights, tweezers, scoop, the whole 9 yards).

I am getting a prototype model in a few days, and will be posting a full review. If it is positive, I can ship them to bluelighters (from the US). But I need at least 10 initial people who are interested, since I can only buy from the manufacturer in bulk...

 

[dankoni]

In regards to the "ebay scales"

If you are dealing with RCs that need accuracy to within 1-2mgs, then they are not recommended. If you are dealing with something like DMT or MDMA, they are not bad. And for the $19.95 current price tag at saveonscales, you cannot beat that deal. Plus, the Jennings ones come with a 5 year warranty. You ship them to a US place of business and they guarantee to fix it or ship you a new one within 2 days. But I completely agree that if you are dealing with sensitive RCs, then if you have the money to buy the RCs, you have the money to buy an Acculab VIC-123 or at least a GemPro250. Just don't let people tell you GemPros are crap. Yes, the GemPro50 was crap, but the 150 and 250 are supposed to be nearly as accurate as an Acculab and moreso than a Tanita. But, if you're going to spend $170-$190 on a GemPro250, why not pay $218 for the Acculab VIC-123? That's what I will be buying next unless they come out with a better one.

 

[Pretty_Diamonds]

Whoooooooooooooooo! I just recieved my Jennings Precision 20 Diamond Scale in the mail today! Plus, it was only 20 bucks, can't beat that! I love it.

 

[dankoni]

I'm looking for a cheap mg. scale

If I was going to get one of the folowing which one should it be?

ProScale Gemological 10(.001g) http://www.oldwillknottscales.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=47

Jennings/JScale (.002g) http://www.oldwillknottscales.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=297

Jennings/JScale Mack 20 (.002g) http://www.oldwillknottscales.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=453

American Weigh Gemini-20 (.001g) http://www.americanweigh.com/product_info.php?cPath=99&products_id=580

has anyone used the mack 20? i havent read any reviews of it. Also would the second 2 jennings scales vary less than the first one even though they are only .002mg, because they cost a little more?

about how much + or - would the jprecision vary? what about with a Gempro 250 ?
ALso with the gempro 250 would I have still need to remeasure a few times?

IMO, if you're going to go with a scale under $100, it doesn't really matter. It's either $200+ or not so great. If you are set on spending under $100, you can get the nearly the exact same scale as the ProScale Gemological 10 for $19.95 here http://www.saveonscales.com/product_clearance_jennings_j_precision_20.html

 

[lovebrisvegas]

i bought one of these supposed .001g scales on ebay. is it a piece of shit?

Link

I bought one of these second hand for cheap off ebay. (It still had pieces of weed throughout the case lol!)

It's interesting because it only turns on sometimes, like the screen turns on but it won't zero in or tar properly... so if you are breathing nearby it can't sit and tar so you have to sit there and continuously turn it on and off..

I think it isn't too bad in terms of accuracy, there is no way I would use it measure and exact 14mg dose of something, but I would say that the scales can be accurate to within 5-10mg.

If you play around with them you can get a feel for when they are ready well etc and probably drop that to 5mg.

I've had no problems measuring doses for coke, pFPP, K etc etc etc

In terms of RCs though I've only weighed 2c-b and even then I didn't really care because I just wanted to know how much I got ripped off (the caps were underweight by like fucking 10-20mg!)

 

[BodhiSvaha33]

In regards to the "ebay scales"

If you are dealing with RCs that need accuracy to within 1-2mgs, then they are not recommended. If you are dealing with something like DMT or MDMA, they are not bad. And for the $19.95 current price tag at saveonscales, you cannot beat that deal. Plus, the Jennings ones come with a 5 year warranty. You ship them to a US place of business and they guarantee to fix it or ship you a new one within 2 days. But I completely agree that if you are dealing with sensitive RCs, then if you have the money to buy the RCs, you have the money to buy an Acculab VIC-123 or at least a GemPro250. Just don't let people tell you GemPros are crap. Yes, the GemPro50 was crap, but the 150 and 250 are supposed to be nearly as accurate as an Acculab and moreso than a Tanita. But, if you're going to spend $170-$190 on a GemPro250, why not pay $218 for the Acculab VIC-123? That's what I will be buying next unless they come out with a better one.

I have a GemPro 150 purchased new for $170. It's a fine scale, and I doubt you can do much better for the money (maybe the Acculab VIC-123 is better, I dunno). It is quite accurate within 1mg or so provided the batteries are new or it is on wall current; when the batteries get low, the thing's accuracy falls apart completely. It's also a huge battery hog. One set of four AAA batteries lasts for about 20 minutes of accurate weighing. Basically I don't use batteries unless I have no other choice.

 

[dankoni]

^^ Like I said, anything under the $170-$220 mark is going to be about the same. From what I have heard, the Gempro250 is very good. Almost as accurate as the Acculab VIC-123, but since the Acculab is only about $50 more, that is my choice for my next scale purchase.

 

[~*geNeRaTiOn E*~]

any reviews on the jennings precision 20? for $31.90 it's a great deal but i dont' want to waste $31.90 on a crap scale. i COULD get a better scale but since i have a 3 year old running around my house and i also live with my mother, leaving a quality scale out in the open is a no-no. i was thinking of getting the tanita 1230 but if i'm going to pay that much money, i would rather spend it on something that is more accurate.

 

[tobala]

any reviews on the jennings precision 20? for $31.90 it's a great deal but i dont' want to waste $31.90 on a crap scale. i COULD get a better scale but since i have a 3 year old running around my house and i also live with my mother, leaving a quality scale out in the open is a no-no. i was thinking of getting the tanita 1230 but if i'm going to pay that much money, i would rather spend it on something that is more accurate.

There are "mother-proof" scales out there, but one that can withstand a 3-year-old is going to carry a five-figure price tag...

 

[~*geNeRaTiOn E*~]

^ yea, i know and even the most durable scales are probably not 3 y/o proof, kids can get into anything if they try my daughter mimics everything i do as well so if she saw me fooling around with it, she'd probably think it was a toy and try to play with it.

i went ahead and ordered it anyway. i figure it's better to have SOME form of measurement instead of eyeballing chemicals. i'm only going to be using it to weigh out things ~20mg+ so i think i'll be ok for now. it's not the best scale but for $31.90, i'm not gonna complain.

 

[dankoni]

^^ I have it. If you are not going to get a gempro250 or an Acculab VIC-123, then this is the smartest buy, IMO.

 

[DoubleTrouble]

Let me just say that AWS scales (www.americanweigh.com) are shit. I purchased this scale--supposedly good to .01g--about a year ago and now it is almost completely unreliable. Measurements are consistently off by .05 to .10 grams...and yes, I have replaced the batteries and recalibrated the scale numerous times. Order from somewhere else...I am in the market for a new scale myself.

 

[Pretty_Diamonds]

any reviews on the jennings precision 20? for $31.90 it's a great deal but i dont' want to waste $31.90 on a crap scale. i COULD get a better scale but since i have a 3 year old running around my house and i also live with my mother, leaving a quality scale out in the open is a no-no. i was thinking of getting the tanita 1230 but if i'm going to pay that much money, i would rather spend it on something that is more accurate.

It's $20 here:
http://www.saveonscales.com/product_clearance_jennings_j_precision_20.html

 

[delta_9]

I was reading something earlier today and apparently these everyday items can be used to calibrate scales. *NOTE* all masess are approximate

Plastic pen cap (Bic): 1 gram
A single Smartie: 1 gram
Paper clip: 0.5 grams to 1.5 grams
1 US banknote (any denomination): 1 gram
1 Litre of air: 1.2 grams
A teaspoon of salt: 4.745 grams
Typical sheet of A4 paper: 5 grams
United States nickel: 5 grams

if anyone has a chance to try these out please let us know. Oh, and you should obviously keep these items as clean as possible if you intend to use them this way since dirt and other stuff adds weight.

 

[~*geNeRaTiOn E*~]

It's $20 here:
http://www.saveonscales.com/product_clearance_jennings_j_precision_20.html

yea, that's where i bought it. it's $31.90 including shipping (no tax).

i'm hoping it will be here by saturday but i'm expecting it to be here on monday or tuesday. i'll post a review once i receive it.

 

[dankoni]

I was reading something earlier today and apparently these everyday items can be used to calibrate scales. *NOTE* all masess are approximate

if anyone has a chance to try these out please let us know. Oh, and you should obviously keep these items as clean as possible if you intend to use them this way since dirt and other stuff adds weight.

I know that a nickel is 5 grams and a US banknote is 1 gram. This is useful for making sure a scale with readability to 0.1grams is accurate... but pretty useless for calibrating a milligram scale.

 

[~*geNeRaTiOn E*~]

got my scale in the mail yesterday and i love it. it was easy to calibrate and works very well.

 

[Lynna]

I came across this site: www.digitalscalescenter.com. I don't know about their shipping because I haven't ordered, but their site seems interesting. They have a lot to offer.

Lynna

 

[MKUltra]

got my scale in the mail yesterday and i love it. it was easy to calibrate and works very well.

I shied away from this after reading "This scale displays that it reads in 0.01 Carat increments: it actually reads in 0.05 Carat increments. " Which is 10mg, which is pretty much useless for RCs. Now I be confused. Does it weigh to 2mg or to 10mg?