Battery powered digital scales

$1500 is a lot of money for a scale. Would love to have the Sartorius but reasoned it wouldn't help my shooting. I did buy a A&D FX-120i earlier this year when I could get one for $350 after a rebate. It seemed like a bargin at that price. And it is. Excellent scale compared to my Gempro, RCBS Chargemaster, balance scale and some other scales. After adding the Auto Trickler and Auto Throw plus a bunch of bling from Area 419, I'm sure I've got over $1000 invested in my weighing system. Will it help my shooting? Probably not. But that scales is reliable and repeatable which is important to me. I keep telling myself it's only money and to buy now before I retire in a couple of years and can't afford it.
 
Last edited:
If the A&D fx120i ever drops below $400 again I will jump on one, I would not buy the lower priced 123 version or anything with 123 in it's name unless it is around the 200 price mark. My Tree KHR 123 is extremely drifty, I expect to wear the tare button out before anything else on the scale dies. Tare it when it drifts off zero and it is pretty accurate and fast
 
I have been in a similar boat, even struggling with the not cheap RCBS 1500. I won a scale at a match and did some testing with it over the last few weeks. I then got the more sensitive version, and have been very impressed with it.

Here is an out of the box comparison video: https://youtu.be/Ybw7YfX6sPY
 
If the A&D fx120i ever drops below $400 again I will jump on one.

That rebate was so popular, Cambridge and A&D ran out of FX-120i and started to substitute with the 200i and the 300i ($15 more). When you add the Auto Trickler and Auto Throw, it's a nice system. I had no intentions of buying new scale, but couldn't resist getting a scale of that quality at that price point. Maybe they'll offer the same deal next March.
 
I won a scale at a match and did some testing with it over the last few weeks. I then got the more sensitive version, and have been very impressed with it.
Click to expand...

Do not discount these inexpensive Chinese scales. That $20 Smartweigh is my favorite scale on my bench right now. I gave gotten fast enough on my loading where the auto shutoff does not bother or affect me at all. The drift is almost non existent after it warms up and a good set of batteries will last a dozen ot more load sessions. I amm still on my first set of Duracells, the no name batteries that came with it were crap. Using the Johnson Quick Measure, the Smartweigh, and my patented thumb and finger trickling I can measure a load faster than my RCBS Chargemaster and a heck of a lot more accurately
 
McCarthy said:
So you have always sold those cheap scales or returned them due to inconsistencies and drifting, and now you want to buy an even lower quality product that uses the same technology?

Looks like you are not learning from your mistakes.

If you owned 3 x F-350 trucks in a row and they all had ongoing issues, why would you now buy a F-250 that uses 98% of the same frame / engines / transmission / cab?
Click to expand...

It sounds like I can expect no better accuracy from a $300 scale than a $20 scale, so why spend the additional money. I would be little inclined to return or sell a $20 scale like I would a $300 scale. For what I using it for, I can live with the scale being off by .2, just not for $300. I'm certainly not going to spend $1200 on a scale to get 2 decimal place accuracy.

So, back to my original question, which is "where can I buy a cheap one that is no less accurate than a $120 set.
 
Roland Thunder...

Reloadr Sharpshooter. It has beat everything $300 and down that I have compared it to. Fast and accurate. I just loaded a bunch of rounds with it on the T7.
 
Ok, bottom line, you can't. You get what you pay for.
Click to expand...

I have to disagree there RC20, these were loaded on a $20 scale. Five out of eight sets had single digit standard deviation and two had single digit extreme spreads. I doubt I could get better velocity consistency using a $1500 Sartoius. I also shot my personal high score at 300 with a 198/11X with ammo loaded using that $20 battery powered scale. When checked against a modified M5 beam it is dead on

So for the OP, get a Smartweigh Gem20 from Amazon if you want a decent $20 scale

rLwIrlr.jpg
 
Last edited:
I have seen a number of cheap scales do well and a number do badly. You have only to read the Amazon reviews on them. It seems to be hit and miss. Brain Enos used to sell a couple when he was still a Dillon dealer. Since he ended that relationship, it seems to have stopped. He had a few criteria for them, including the ability to trickle a charge without balance settling producing a lockout. IIRC, his were German-made. You could call him and see where they are available now or what he recommends currently.
 
I would be curious as to how yours works when you get it Roland to see if I just won the lottery on mine. I just ordered a Smartweigh 100 pound postal scale to use with my arbor press to record bullet seating pressures. I hope it is a good as the gem scale.

BTW the batteries that come with it are crap, just put a good set of alkalines in it and toss the no names. I just wish there was a way to deactivate the auto shutoff, that is my only real complaint

Also be aware that when looking for consistent velocity the weighing is only one leg on the horse. It has to be the right powder for that barrel or you will get inconsistent velocity even with a 20,000 dollar scale
 
Last edited:
hounddawg, both of the Truweighs I have, the auto-off can be deactivated
Click to expand...

thanks, I will keep that in mind in case the Gem20 ever dies.

Autoshutoff is roughly a minute so I can throw, trickle seat and throw again before the auto shutoff kicks in. I will probably be using the Tree KHR123 for most of my reloading here on out, I was just using the little one to see how accurate it could be but mostly it will be a backup in case I get a wild hair and start weighing bullets at my desk or something. The Tree sometimes drifts over a period of a few hours but I calibrate and tare before each session so that is just more a annoyance than anything
 
I have a feeling that they might be coming out with another version. At least they seemed to like the recommendations I made to cater to reloaders.
 
That's good for reloaders then, it damn near broke my hillbilly heart to pay 200 dollars for a scale so it is nice to see things more affordable that work well
 
The problem with cheap scales is the technology they employ. They use load cells which are temperature sensitive and are limited by the very small signal they produce. The more expensive and more accurate scales use force restoration. They use a beam or similar type scale, but use the force required to move the beam back to the zero position which is a much finer resolution and therefore more accurate technology. It also costs more money.

I use the auto trickler and autothrow for my powder measurement. I've tried some cheaper ones but you can't get milk from a stone. I have also found that case prep and attention to neck tension is much more important than charge weight. Of course we aim for broad load weights that velocity flattens out at so that minor variations don't matter. I can achieve ESs below 15 and SDs below 5.

You can not overemphasize any one aspect. Case prep, good bullets, load development and neck tension are involved. Just one or two will not get you where you want to go. In a past life I was an instrument tech. Most instruments are limited in resolution by technology. I still use a cheap digital scale for case weighing and such. Drifting and accuracy are much better when large changes are made quickly. People tend to get tunnel vision when concentrating on a single aspect. It is a synthesis of all elements that brings the best results.
 
hounddawg said:
hounddawg, both of the Truweighs I have, the auto-off can be deactivated.
Click to expand...

Do you recall how to de-activate the auto-off? I haven't been able to find it in the owners guide. My daughter bought me one for Christmas. I really like the scale so far, though.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top