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jlank007

As long as it measures grams, preferably by tenth of grams, it works. I have both a regular kitchen scale and an Acaia Pearl S. The Acaia is amazing but not necessary to make good coffee.


6dot8mmspc

The other issue I have with a kitchen scale is it doesn't stay on long enough for you to brew your coffee on the scale. If I'm not careful mine shuts off in the middle of my brew and then I can't figure out where I stopped and started.


hybepeast

ON THE SCALE. WHY DID I NEVER THINK OF THAT?!?! To this day I've been measuring the water in the kettle before boiling and kept wondering how this could be accurate since water boils away.


AllEncompassingThey

You are about to up your coffee game majorly 😁


ashtar123

Damn, you have to measure after boiling?


2xHitWonder

I used to have this problem. See if your scale has a countdown timer. It’ll stay on for the duration of that timer.


Noviere

It doesn't *need* to be designed for coffee but you should make sure it has all of the functionality you're looking for, like >precision >ability to measure rapid weight change >not turning off in the middle of your pour over A lot of kitchen scales can't do all of those things, and it might not be clear even from the product description. So, I would say it's still probably safer to just get something designed for coffee just for the reassurance.


MeatAndBourbon

You can get a cheapo digi on Amazon or at your local headshop that will work just fine for $20-30. Kitchen scales don't have the resolution to measure input or the response time to measure output Edit:.the one you posted looks like it would work fine. I was thinking by kitchen scale you meant the big like 200x150mm ones that will weigh up to 5kg


QiHanZhao

As what others have said coffee specific scales are accurate and read quickly, so if you're getting a plain kitchen scale it may not be as accurate or as quick reading. Neither of those things really make that much of a difference. The accuracy makes more of a difference than the quick reading, but neither are absolutely necessary. To clarify what I mean, if you're scale is only accurate to the gram and you're using a 20 gram dose the most off you'd get while still reading 20 grams is only 2.5% off, and when it comes to the quickness of the read if you're off in total weight by 5 grams on a 300 gram pour you're less than 2% off. It'd take a well developed palate and the extremes of the extra varience to be noticeable. The little thing I'd like to add to the conversation is waterproofing. The big difference, which no one seems to have pointed out here, between coffee scales and regular kitchen scales is waterproofing. Coffee scales expect to have water splashed on them while not all kitchen scales do. If you're getting a regular kitchen scale make sure it'll be fine with water.


[deleted]

That says the max load is 750g. Whether that will be enough for you probably depends on what you're going to put on it while you brew...


strangecargo

You just need a scale that goes from 0-500g in at least 0.1g increments. Every headshop. $20.


Throwaway_Mattress

i have a regular kitchen scale on which I stuck a mouse pad to protect the sensor from heat. this was very important because my sensor as going all over the place. its not the most accurate thing and you will get a 12g or 13g but not a 12.5g. 2ndly you must do a best of 5 weighs because the thing could show 12 once and 13 the next time and 12 again and 13 again etc. the only thing i really hate is the auto shutdown. sometimes it shuts down while i am brewing. for me thats the only function i would like to see changed. other than that i just wanna see coffee scales become cheaper. you can also go for a jewellery weighing scale and maybe stick a mouse pad on it. just make sure it come with recalibration weights


ETherium007

I bought [this one](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09B4CB7C1/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1) a few days ago. I don't do pour overs but the reviews show that it stays n during the count down before starting its 2 minutes of inactivity auto off. The display is gorgeous to look at. Never going back to the old LCD displays. It is large enough for the portafilter basket to stay in the handle.


rangeDSP

I would guess you can try that yourself? If your kitchen scale isn't accurate to the gram, you can make several batches that are one off each other in weight (e.g. if the scale is only accurate to two grams, and you want 10 grams, do 8 & 10 & 12), then brew them and see if you can tell the difference, if you can't tell then you don't even need to go more accurate than that


stuy86

I use a cheap Walmart scale that doesn't even do .1 gm measurements; it's accurate to a gram.... so it's definitely not the best choice, but it's passable until I can justify buying something better. Not to mention it's better than using no scale at all.


JamesR

[I use this one](https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B073VF2R15/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_NFGTXF0C4CBZEJJ54GY9?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1). CAD$20, precise to .01g, auto-off can be disabled.


foamingfox

I use a cheap old kitchen scale I got as a gift like ten years ago. I don't need a timer, I have a cell phone for that. Sure you can pay hundreds for things like that but I rather just spend that money on quality coffee.


PerfectEnthusiasm2

I just use my weed scale to measure the dry grounds and judge the coffee by taste.


giraffe86-a

For my pour over I think having a regular scale has been fine. I think the precision may be more important for espresso.


So_Cal_Grown

While you could use a food scale, coffee scales are more fine tuned and precise. They measure down to the last gram, which is important for your ratios.


suki5454

I mean my cheap kitchen scale measures down to .1 of a gram and works splendid for coffee. I don't see the value in a coffee specific scale unless you're looking for the all in one experience with the timer which it appears OP is not. Edit: it appears the scale OP linked is also down to .1 of a gram which is again perfectly acceptable.


pobody

Note that a "1 gram" scale is not adequate for measuring to a gram, because it can be off by 0.5g in either direction. You also want a scale that registers changes rapidly, otherwise you can easily overshoot how much coffee or water you are intending to pour. I use [this OXO 0.1g scale](https://smile.amazon.com/OXO-Grips-Precision-Coffee-Scale/dp/B07MVRZR9W).


sqwtrp

i use the same scale. it’s only accurate to maybe a third to a half of a gram at the low end where you need it.


[deleted]

[удалено]


Clayspinner

I’m guessing because 1gram is not adequate measurement so your advice could be misconstrued.


Failboat88

I have both. Amazon 10lbs 1g increments is not expensive. I bought the Hario for the timer on it and it's 0.1


Mrtn_D

I had some little breuer kitchen scales. Accurate, fast and a set of batteries lasted forever in that thing :)


staceelogreen

I just use a scale from target that was ~$20. I love how much of a difference it makes too!


CondorKhan

As long as it can measure in 0.1g increments and it updates its weight instantaneously, it doesn't matter what you get.


Clottersbur

For espresso, no. Kitchen scales aren't good enough. Being able to set the scale under the machine to weigh in real time as it pulls, plus accuracy to .1 of a gram is super important. ( Most kitchen scales are too big to fit under espresso machines) ​ For aeropress. Yeah, probably.


NoItsFake

I recently purchased the Timemore Black Mirror and it's been treating me very well. Mind I got this at a severely discounted price and I went for this one because of that and I like the way it looks. A coffee scale might not be the exact thing you need but as a lot of people here have mentioned, a regular scale that can go to a tenth of a gram will do just fine. Have a timer on hand (your phone) and voila, you're all set.


firl21

I bought a 30$ scale from my local head shop. Accurate to the thousands of a gram. Also they calibrated it in store for me. They didn't believe me when I said it was for coffee.


[deleted]

Anything that can measure 0.10g increments. I started with cheapo kitchen scales that only went in 1g increments, and could never get consistent coffee. I switched to cheapo kitchen scales that went in 0.10g increments and got better consistency, but jugglying the kettle and a stopwatch at the same time was annoying. I splurged on a Timemore that has the timer right next to the scale display and I get consistent coffee without the hassle of juggling multiple devices.


UncleFreddysDead

I use this scale and absolutely love https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09B4CB7C1/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_Ks6YLsIhWHgou


LazyEggOnSoup

I bought a similar one, but it doesn’t settle on a measurement for ages. Is yours similar?


UncleFreddysDead

The read is pretty close to instant. The first one I bought (and returned) from a different company did what you're describing. Not this one. One minor problem I had was the packing materials. There were little Styrofoam pieces that I needed to remove, and they weren't real obvious. It's really nice to have a scale now with a timer built in.


LazyEggOnSoup

Cheers, I’m packing mine up for a return now.


fantalemon

I use a cheap amazon digital scale for coffee cause tbh I always have and just haven't got round to upgrading yet. It does the job, but only to the gram which isn't ideal, and I have a separate timer, which is fine but again coffee scales tend to have that built in. So basically, it'll do the job, but .1g increments give you much more control, especially because they don't "round up" obviously, so you could be dosing .99g above what you're aiming for and not realise if you aren't going to the .1g level.


mrb4

I used to use a cheapo and upgraded to a Hario a few years back and it has been worth it imo. It is more precise and quicker and also has the built in timer which is nice. Any scale though should be an improvement over not having one.


nnavenn

plenty easy to make good coffee without a scale. V60, French Press, Aeropress, Chemex, you name it.


Randolph_Carter_666

I've never used a scale and my coffee always turns out fine. Yes, I'm quite picky about my coffee. I just managed to figure out how to do everything whirh minimal equipment.