The Fresh Loaf

A Community of Amateur Bakers and Artisan Bread Enthusiasts.

Kitchen Scales Recommendation UK

AlisonKay's picture
AlisonKay

Kitchen Scales Recommendation UK

I am fed up with my dodgy digital kitchen scales. Two equal weighs aren't always equal, they don't return to zero when I remove the item and I have suspicions they have helped mess up more than one recipe.

I've changed the batteries and my surface is level.

I can see so many £10-£20 ones on Amazon, all, if you dig, with several reviews that say things that hint at my current problems. I don't want to buy another set only to find the same issue. I don't have a budget that stretches into £100s, but I am willing to pay a little more than average for a reliable set.

Can anyone in the UK recommend a genuinely reliable set that goes at least down to 1g and up to 3kg?

Thanks!

Our Crumb's picture
Our Crumb

I’ve been very satisfied with my Salter scale for about 7 years now. I saw some a couple days ago on the shelves at Peter Jones/John Lewis in Chelsea, if you’re in or near London.  Terrific kitchen store in basement there. And you can then walk across the street and have a sandwich at Poilâne!

Tom 

AlisonKay's picture
AlisonKay

But I'm in Penzance :-)

Thanks for the recommendation.

lesbru's picture
lesbru

I love the ones I bought online from Bakery Bits. About £45 Inc VAT. They do all you ask plus you can always see the read-out  even with a large bowl on them. Lesley  

AlisonKay's picture
AlisonKay

Thanks Lesley, I see them.

pmccool's picture
pmccool

which is the same scale that I have used for several years with no problems here in the US.  Their price, with VAT, is £44.39.  Ouch!  Amazon has it for $35.15, here.  

The scale can handle up to 8kg with a sensitivity of 1g.  

MyWeigh also makes a KD-7000, with a 7kg capacity.  Perhaps you can find that for slightly less cost.  

I liked my Salter scale, until it died.  Then I liked my Oxo scale, until it died.  If/when the MyWeigh dies, I will buy another; it's that good.  

Paul

AlisonKay's picture
AlisonKay

Thanks Paul. Not quite worth shipping a US-bought one over here, still quite a price difference. Do you use the baker's percentage feature?

pmccool's picture
pmccool

No, I don't use that feature, Alison.  That feature struck me as being in the "interesting but not necessary" category when I read the directions.  Here's a link to the User's Manual, where you can read the directions for use.  

And, even if I develop a new formula, I do that on paper or in a spreadsheet ahead of time.  By the time I pull out the scale, the baker's percentage is something I already know.  

Paul

AlisonKay's picture
AlisonKay

I think I'd be the same.

chockswahay's picture
chockswahay

Salter scales are good,

I have had these for about a year and the square model before that (it broke and Amazon gave me a full refund after 5 years!).

I have found these easier to read with large bowls

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Salter-Stainless-Digital-Kitchen-Weighing/dp/B00140VYBE/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1548965121&sr=8-5&keywords=salter+digital+kitchen+scales

and for really small stuff I use these 'drug dealer' scales hehe

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Zacro-Pocket-Scale-Portable-Multipurpose/dp/B01M2751V7/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1548965325&sr=8-6&keywords=100g+scales

you will see many versions/makes but they are all out of the same factory!

I would not be without EITHER of these scales in the kitchen, best things I ever bought (well, apart from the Lodge oven hehe)

albacore's picture
albacore

I've owned many scales over the years and the KD8000 are about the best of the bunch - I have one.

  • big platform
  • proper AA batteries - not expensive CR2032
  • large clear backlit display
  • best of class 8kg capacity

Don't skimp on less - you will regret it. There's a set on Ebay at the moment, unopened return - worth a look.

Agree you should also buy a set of cheap druggie scales too for weighing small amounts. Eg if you are weighing 4g of yeast, a 1g resolution scale will have a potential inaccuracy of +/- 25%.

Lance

not.a.crumb.left's picture
not.a.crumb.left

bigger platform as this proves a nightmare at the moment for me when I want to scale dough...so tempted by the one on eBay Lance! 

7oaks's picture
7oaks

Hi Alison,

I have been using Salter scales 1104 SSDR since  I took up baking. These weigh up to 5kgs but I have noticed as I have been experimenting with very low inoculation doughs that they are not reliable down to 1g. A newer model exists, 1068 SSBKDR. I saw on BB the Bakers' Scales they sell which weighs up to 8 kg. I was not sure whether to buy the mains adaptor so I asked their live chat and was told that was not essential as the batteries have a good life. I then asked about their accuracy for small quantities and they said the scales were not reliable at amounts down to 1g, it was a trade off against the ability to weigh large amounts and that if I needed that degree of precision to buy their pocket scales as well. So I decided to investigate the scales designed for small quantities (I had not realised that they even existed) and found on Amazon https://smile.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00C73FXXM/ref=oh_aui_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1, which I like a lot and they measure down to 0.5g or 0.02oz. So I kept my older scales and use the small ones to add small quantities and that works well for me now.

Alan

AlisonKay's picture
AlisonKay

Thanks Alan. Interesting to have confirmation of this. I have a pocket scale that I love (Salter), they do .05g. I think I'll end up like you with two sets.

foodforthought's picture
foodforthought

Like yours, my old scale was getting squirrrely so I bought this Ozeri from Amazon. It's been working great as far as I'm comcerned. No decimal fractions of grams (seriously?) and no backlight but it works for me and just $12. No idea if it's available in UK?

Good luck,

Phil