scales of justice. or food.

by Stacy

With the bread-baking I have been doing, I have been considering getting a kitchen scale. Better accuracy in measuring helps make baking ratios correct. It might also inspire me to try some trickier recipes that would be difficult using volume measurements.

But which one to get?

Do I go with an inexpensive basis model? Do I invest in a nicer one that will (ostensibly) last longer? Does it matter? Does a higher price indicate higher quality? Or should I just pick the best color? Even just searching the blogs I read, there are multiple recommendations (sometimes within a single site).

Some prospects:


Escali Primo Digital Scale
$25, 11-pound capacity, 9x6x2 inches, AA batteries


Leifheit Page Kitchen Scale
$40, 11-pound capacity, 8.2×5.2 inches


OXO Good Grips Food Scale with Pull-Out Display
$50, 11-pound capacity, 1/8 ounce increments, 11.25×8.5×2 inches, AAA batteries


Salter Stainless Steel Scale
$49, 11-pound capacity, 9.2×9.2×1.7 inches


Soehnle Digital Kitchen Scale
$35, 10-pound capacity, 9.7×8.8×4.5 inches

I am probably leaning towards the first or the third options. The first has lots of reviews, so the percentage of good reviews is fine, and it’s inexpensive. The third is more money, but is recommended on several sites and carried by high-end housewares shops, so hopefully that means it’s a good item. But that green one is so cute!

Some reviewers thought the small ones were TOO small, others liked the easily-stashed size. All have both positive and negative reviews. Maybe I need to go to a brick-and-mortar store to look at them. Or someone rave about their kitchen scale that they have had for several years and just love! That would be great, thanks.

{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }

Birch May 3, 2009 at 6:12 pm

I’d wonder about the increment size, can you get the precision you need? Do they all have “tare” buttons? Then the size doesn’t matter as much as how well you can balance your vessel. What is the lowest weight they can read accurately?

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stacy May 3, 2009 at 10:19 pm

All of them can tare. #1 and #3 are 1 gram/0.1 oz increments. #2 is .04 oz increments. #5 is .05 oz increments. #4 is 2 gram increments. Lowest weight I am not sure, but I am not as worried about.

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katiebug May 5, 2009 at 8:41 am

I have #1 and I really like it. Just my two cents. ; )

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stacy May 6, 2009 at 10:08 am

Thanks, Katie! How long have you had it? No weird racing numbers or problems with the tare function? It had a ton of positive reviews on Amazon, but a good number of negative ones.

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katya May 11, 2009 at 1:34 pm

Hi Stacy,

We have a digital scale that looks fairly similar to your #1.. we like it a lot. Peter bought it for measuring juggling ball filling (making his own) but we also use it for cooking. It gives grams and oz, and tares… and you can tare a pyrex bowl and fill it for large items (as suggested). i think it’s pretty good, we like it, but I can’t recall it’s range on either end, nor have we encountered a problem yet.

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