Do you trust new electronic powder scales??

[azrednek]

Don't know if I'm just being a stubborn ol'fogie stuck in the 20th Century but I just can't bring myself to completely trust the new electronic scales.

A few years ago I bought a cheapie Chinese electronic scale of off Ebay. The price was right and I got exactly what I paid for. It rounds out the weight to .0 or .5 which is fine for weighing lead boolits but if I want a powder load for example 25.2 or 25.7. The scale will read 25.0, 25.5 or 26.0. Not a real big deal as I load nearly everything on the low side but if I wanted to load say a belted mag to max I just can't rely on the electronic scale.

I have three balance scales. Much as I hate to admit it. Using RCBS check weights, the pain in the donkey to use, cheapie Lee scale is now the most accurate. I have no complaints about my older Pacific and Ohaus scales, I more than got my money's worth. The Pacific I bought new about 1975. The Ohaus I got used about 20 years ago. Both units have provided years of accurate readings and reliable service but have seen their better days and have simply worn out. About 12 years ago a now deceased machinist friend sharpened the blades on both units. Both worked fine for years and zeroed easily. The accuracy has been declining and the ability to stay zeroed has become difficult.

I've been considering moving into the 21st Century buying a name brand electronic scale. Have any recommendations? Any horror stories with an electronic scale? Should I modernize or just find a reliable balance scale. Please share your experience with electronic scales, your opinion or speculation either good, bad or indifferent will be appreciated.

[selmerfan]

I'm 32 and will never buy one. I love my magnetic dampened beam scales.

[zomby woof]

I have both electronic and beam. I go with the digital. You need to calibrate and warm up digital scales. Mine are good.

[jcwit]

I have 2 electronic scales and they both work very well and I trust them both,

I also have a number of beam scales from Lyman, Lee, RCBS & Hornady, they all work very well and I trust them also.

Frankly I like the electronic scales because of the speed and ease of operation.

[edsmith]

from a movie I saw, any one who trust his life to a hand full of battries is a idiot.

[462]

"Don't know if I'm just being a stubborn ol'fogie stuck in the 20th Century. . . "

Since I was born 100-years too late, it was not easy for me to deal with it.

Gravity.

[imashooter2]

I have a PACT that has been checked many times against a beam balance and its own check weights. It is accurate and I trust it.

You bought junk. Trusting it would be foolish.

[rintinglen]

I can't say as I fully trust mine--it is, after all, made by commies, but I haven't had cause to complain. .
The only issue that I have is that because it actually measures metrically and then converts to avoirdupois, some units may not ever appear. While weighing some 32-98 SWC boolits, I found that none weighed 99.7 grains, yet lots weighed 99.6 or 99.8. Checking them on my old Hornady scle I found several that did seem to weigh 99.7 grains. Consequently, for loading where a tenth of a grain matters, I still rely on my older balance scales. But for most other applications, the digital is more convenient.

Two tips: Make sure the batteries are fresh, low batteries can given errant readings, and don't leave it in the unheated garage or shed, cold temperature (<40 degrees F) seems to also bugger the readings. It will read lower cold than warm. I live in So Cal, temp is not an issue. Most folks don't.

[jcwit]

from a movie I saw, any one who trust his life to a hand full of battries is a idiot.

Tell that to the person wearing a pacemaker.

Plus who would trust Hollywood!

[satchmodog]

i have an rcbs 750 and it has yet to fail me. The Lee balance beam still comes out once in a while, but mostly now it's the 750.

I have a wonderful sister who buys me all manner of reloadind **** for christmas and my birthday.

[engineer401]

I have both a RCBS 750 electronic scale and a rCBS 505 beam scale. When I compare them they read the same. Therefore, I have no doubt of the accuracy of either. The troubling part with the 750 scale is it needs to be re-zeroed every minute. I have come to use the beam scale for reloading and the electronic scale for weighing bullets.

[Ben]

Gravity , ..........Digital Scales.......I'll bet on gravity every time.

Ben

[Dan Cash]

Gravity , ..........Digital Scales.......I'll bet on gravity every time.

Ben

Well, Ben, it is gravity that makes a digital scale work. I have had a set of My Weigh scales for about 10 years. There are 2 balance beam scales on the bench too but are rarely used. The digitals are checked when placed into operation and function with no issues during the session.

[1hole]

"Tell that to the person wearing a pacemaker."

My pace maker and its battery were made in the USA and it cost signifcantly more than a few dozen 'throw-away' digital reloading scales. There are no digital gimmicks of any brand on my bench, nor will there be unless someone gifts me and then it would only be used for cases and bullets, not powder. (I'm yet to hear of anyone spot checking their beam scale against a digital to see if it's reading correctly. ??)

[1bluehorse]

[I]" (I'm yet to hear of anyone spot checking their beam scale against a digital to see if it's reading correctly. ??)

I do it all the time.....I cross check both ways with check weights and more often than not the RCBS 750 is more accurate than either of my beam scales...

[Chamfered]

Over 5 years ago I bought a Pact electronic scale, to justify it I sold my RCBS 505 scale and used that money to go towards the Pact. Pact scale gives errror codes most of the time now and is a general pain. It seems less convienent when checking powder measure changes. I have used it for sorting large amounts of bullets by weight to narrow my target reloads, and that is pretty fast, but I rarely use a scale like that now.
Wish I had my old RCBS back.....

[jcwit]

I do it also, now you've heard it from two.

My pace maker and its battery were made in the USA and it cost significantly more than a few dozen 'throw-away' digital reloading scales.

Yup, I'm sure it did, and I'm also sure its significantly more complicated. Plus the pace maker is not a mass produced item. That alone changes the whole picture.

[C.F.Plinker]

I tend to trust a digital scale that I can calibrate. This means the ones that come with a calibration weight, not the ones that will weight 2, or 10, or 20 pounds that you can't calibrate at home. Now having said that I want to be able to tare it out right before I weigh for record and check the tare right after I do the weighing to see if it still comes back to zero. If It doesn't I go through the process again.

I use the digital scale to find out how much something weighs, not to check to see if it varies from a given weight. So they get used for balls, boolits, beeswax, etc. but not for checking powder charges. That is relegated to the old C-H balance scale or the RCBS 505.

[Kevin Rohrer]

I have the RCBS one and it works fine.

[mooman76]

I more or less trust mine. I made check weights by weighing a couple small pieces of brass and marking them with the weight. I always check the weight before I start after setting up to make sure it is right. If not right then I recalibrate the scale which only take a couple minutes and recheck with my check weights. I weigh every charge at first for the first 5-10 charges and every fifth charge after that. Once the powder thrower is set, the charges should weigh very close and if I am off by much I can recheck my scale with the check weights if needed. I use a Cabelas model scale that does up to 1500gr and have had it for 10 years now.