I would prefer to write this review after some time has passed, but I want to make sure I get my thoughts out here early on.
This is my third kitchen scale. I bake all my own bread at home and good baking requires weighing the ingredients rather than volume measuring.
This scale feels very light which made me nervous at first, but I've used it for three weeks now, through a lot of baking over the holidays, and my concerns seem out of line.
This scale fits all my needs. Here is what I look for:
1. CAPACITY - AT LEAST 10 LB (this has 11 lb, or 5 kg). This is required to be able to tare out a glass bowl which can weigh near 5 lbs empty. 11 lb is still borderline when I'm making bread in a 6 qt kitchenaid bowl, but I just weigh ingredients separately in another bowl if it becomes a problem.
2. PRECISION - DOWN TO 1 GRAM - Another scale I have was only good to 5 grams and, although this was probably good enough, it drove me nuts not to be able to go down to 1 gram
3. STABLE PLATFORM FOR VESSELS -- My previous scale had a platform that sat on top of a pillar and eventually came detached. After that it was a balancing act to weight anything
4. ORDINARY BATTERIES -- I liked my old scales fine, but it drove me crazy that I had to keep buying overpriced CR2032 batteries for the things. These batteries don't last long and cost too much to replace. I can't figure out why they use these "button batteries" rather than the more common higher capacity AAA, AA, C, D, etc cells. It's not like these scales are micro-sized. In any event A BIG BIG PLUS for this scale is that it uses standard batteries! Don't sell this point short.
5. PRICE -- $50, $30, $70 for a scale to do this is crazy. the circuitry in these things is cheap. It's not rocket science. All these scales that have "features" are a waste of money. This scale does what needs to be done for $20.
6. FEATURES -- Zero the scale, read negative numbers, switch between metric and English weights, tare a bowl....that's it...that's all you need. All the rest of it is a waste of money and a further chance for failure. this does what is needed and no more.
7. EASY TO READ -- big numbers. this scale is good....Not so good about this scale (and the ONLY problem I have so far) is that big bowls tend to cover the read out a little and make it hard to pick up the weight. So far it hasn't been a big deal, but it can be a slight annoyance.
BOTTOM LINE:
This scale gets 100% on items 1-6 and about 50% on item 7 for a 93% grade overall...enough for me to give it 5 out of 5 stars.
The only remaining unrated item is DURABILITY....I'll report back in a year. My old, $50 scale only lasted 3.5 years. I'm betting this one goes at least that long...plus I won't be forking over for new button batteries every month and a half.
** This review has been edited ** I now give the product 5 stars (stupidly, Amazon doesn't allow changing the rating when editing).
Originally I wrote a bad review indicating the unit eats batteries. We didn't use it frequently and every time we did, the batteries were dead.
About a day after I submitted the review, Bill from EatSmart Products emailed me indicating he had seen the review and short battery life is not typical of the product (he stated they should last ~1 year). With no prompting from me, he sent out a new scale along with some batteries to replace the ones the original scale consumed. Although it hasn't been very long, so far the batteries in the new unit are holding up well.
So as I stated above, I now give this scale a 5-star rating due not only to its good performance, but the great customer service from the manufacturer!
Item Reviewed: EatSmart Precision Pro - Multifunction Digital Kitchen Scale w/ Extra Large LCD and 11 Lb. Capacity.
EatSmart Precision Pro Digital Kitchen Scale, White
I am no scale expert, but EatSmart has offered me a free book if I write a review of their scale, and this has prompted my review. I have only been using the scale for two weeks, but I haven't had any problems with it so far. My only nitpicks at this point are that the "white" color has a pinkish tone and that the buttons aren't perfectly even. Aside from these minor cosmetic issues, the scale is exactly what I expected: a functional, easy-to-use, accurate, inexpensive ($25), small, lightweight, plastic scale.
When making my scale purchase, I also considered buying the Escali Primo Digital Multifunctional Scale, Chrome. The only advantage that the Escali Scale has over the EatSmart Precision Pro Scale is that the Escali Scale has buttons that prevent food from getting into the cracks. In contrast, when using the EatSmart Scale, you have to be careful not to drop food in between the two buttons. For this reason, I put my scale in a plastic Ziploc bag (gallon size) to protect it from drippings and droppings - this keeps it clean, and it still works great! In all other respects (except for the few noted below), the two scales seem to be very similar according to the product descriptions.
In the end I decided to purchase the EatSmart Scale over the Escali Scale because I preferred the EatSmart unit options. The EatSmart Scale allows you to switch back and fourth between four different unit modes: 0000 grams, 000.00 ounces, 00.000 pounds, and 00.000 kilograms (resolution: .05 ounces/1 gram). This requires pushing the right button once for each mode (for example, start on grams, then push once to get to ounces, then again to get to pounds, then a third time for kilograms). The EatSmart scale will remember the last unit-mode you chose, so you don't have to readjust every time. If you always use pounds, just leave it on pounds. When you return the next day and turn on your scale, it will still be on pounds.
In contrast, The Escali Scale only offers three unit options: 0000 grams, 000.00 ounces, and [00 lbs + 00.0 ounces]. I prefer the EatSmart Scale because it provides pounds with decimals (00.000 lbs) - for me this is easier to deal with than [00 lbs + 00.0 ounces]. I frequently measure out meats, which are labeled in pounds with decimals (00.000 lbs) at most grocery stores. If I buy a pound of hamburger and want to divide it into three 1/3-pound portions (0.33 lbs), the EatSmart Scale makes it easy. I just measure out the 0.33 lb portions right there on the scale. With the Escali Scale, I would have to do some conversions to measure out my portions, because the Escali Scale will not measure out pounds in decimals. In some cases these conversions can be difficult without a calculator. The conversion required in this example would be:
(0.33 lbs/portion) * (16 ounces/lb) = 5.333 ounces/portion ---> Possible to do without a calculator, but not ideal.
Another EatSmart feature that I have found convenient is that you do not have to use the tare button. Simply place your empty bowl or plate on the scale BEFORE turning it on, then push the left button once to turn it on. It turns on very quickly and is zeroed-out upon starting up. Then you can add your ingredients to the plate without having to wait for the scale to tare! If you would rather use the tare button, that is easy as well. Simply push the left button to turn on the scale, then place your empty plate on the scale, push the left button a second time to "tare" the scale, wait for the scale to zero out, and then add your food items that you want to measure.
With its three-minute automatic shut-off feature, the scale gives you plenty of time to make your measurement before turning off. I haven't had it shut off on me yet in the middle of a measurement. It also allows you to shut it off manually by pushing the button on the left twice (you have to wait for it to zero out to 00.000 before pushing it the second time - if it is at 00.003 when you go to push it the second time, it will just tare again to 00.000). The scale also seems to give its readings rather quickly - so no problems there.
IN SUMMARY: The EatSmart Scale has three battery-conscious features: generous three-minute automatic shut-off, option to turn off manually, and ability to tare without actually spending time taring! It also uses standard AAA batteries which are easily replaceable. It offers four convenient unit modes: 0000 grams, 000.00 ounces, 00.000 pounds, and 00.000 kilograms. Overall a simple and functional scale without any bugs. I'm completely satisfied with my purchase - I would buy it again! - Compact - Diet Scale - Weighing Scale - Kitchen Gadgets'
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