20 Best Cheap Coffee Scale (2022 Updated)

Let me preface this with the fact that I am not a coffee expert. I bought this as a gift for my boyfriend for the Holidays. He is a self proclaimed “Coffee Snob” and is very particular about which tools he uses.

Based on what he’s told me, the Hario V60 is the industry standard for this sort of gadget. Depending on what kind of coffee you’re making and how you’re brewing it, you not only want it to be ground in a specific way but also need to measure it a certain way to get the best cup every time.

This thing does the trick. It’s easy to use, is very very accurate, and even has a built in timer if you need it. A big thank you to the staff at the Alpharetta Store location who had my buy online/pick up in store order ready only an hour after I purchased it.

They made going to pick this up extremely painless and I appreciate that.

Product is fine. Unfortunately just an overpriced digital scale. It doesn’t maintain accuracy to tenth of a gram above a certain weight on the scales – pretty low threshold too. Also, disappointing Hario, a Japanese brand, is making this product in China.

For the money I paid I incorrectly expected the scales to be made somewhere besides China. Has eroded my confidence in the quality of the product. Knowing what I know now, I wouldn’t have bought in the first place.

Hario must be making a huge margin on this.

While I was using the Hario Drip Scale, it was great. Nice sleek design, simple to use, and reasonably accurate. Was good for my home brewing needs (v60, Aeropress). Unfortunately, there is a big flaw.

Whilst the older version of the Hario Drip Scales was able to recalibrate, the latest version does not. Now that Hario has removed the calibration programming, once the scales have lost calibration, they are essentially useless.

I was away, and a family member accidentally stored it underneath some of my other gear. Sitting under the weight for a prolonged period of time de-calibrated the scales. I have not been able to fix them since and are rendered useless.

Nearly ALL other brewing scales on the market (both $ – $$$) are able to recalibrate. A definite drawback for the Hario Drip Scales. Although I enjoyed using them, I will not be buying them again unless this is fixed.

Purchased with high expectations for improving my morning pour over coffee routine, and overall I like this scale. Does what I need it to do (measure to a tenth of a gram and time my pours) and does that well.

Unfortunately, I experienced two issues and some annoying design considerations. 1. Out of the box, one of the tiny rubber footers was missing. Found it loose in the box and stuck it back in place. However, it repeatedly falls off and is now gone, resulting in the scale not able to sit flat.

it rocks between the three remaining footers. Hoping OXO can provide replacement footers. 2. Provided batteries worked for about a week before dying in mid pour. Replaced with new batteries. Then there are the design and functionality considerations.

1. It’s easy to accidently touch the on button when putting the scale away or moving things in the cabinet. Would be better to have a physical button rather than a touch-sensitive on/off. 2. Setting the Automatic Off functionality is completely counter intuitive/illogical (“A” on the screen indicates auto-off is disabled?? Set to A-ON to disable, A-OFF to disable?? Was this ever user tested?? 3.

Lastly, the illuminated crosshairs showing the center of the platform are a nice touch, but superfluous. Could have avoided that cost and simply printed a target on the surface or the pad surface. As I said, it does the job I need it to do and I like the relatively high weight capacity vs.

other coffee scales for other uses. But I may switch to one of the many coffee scales available elsewhere if these niggles continue to annoy me.

I bought this to bake bread and pizza dough. I wanted to weigh salt and yeast as well as the bread and water and my previous scale would not even weigh the little paper cups I use to stage my materials, much less weigh 5g of yeast.

The first thing I did was weigh one of my paper cups, putting in on the scale several times. 1. 7g every time. When I made my pizza dough with it it seemed to have no problem registering the weight of a 1/4 tsp of yeast as I spooned it into the cup, it took several tiny spoons to get up to 5 grams.

My next test will be to weigh out 500 grams of flour and then tare the scale and see if it will register the 5g of yeast and 15g of salt as I add it in a bit at a time. (If it doesn’t work I will revise the review).

So far, I am very pleased with it and hope it continues to perform up to expectations.

Working well so far. Wanted to get the scale by Hario but this one was a little cheaper and goes up to 6lbs, good for everything in the kitchen, so I decided to get this instead. The silicone mat it comes with does help so there’s no slipping and sliding.

In hindsight, I’m not sure why I splurged on a scale in this price range, feel like the ones in the teens ($) may work just as well. But these dedicated coffee scales have timers on them and it does come handy.

My only (sort of) complaint is that it turns on very easily. I have it in a drawer and it turns on easily when I need to move the scale. It’s not a big deal but I definitely would use better quality or rechargeable batteries with it.

This scale is perfect for pour over or any other weighing needs. For espresso it’s a little bit big and will probably not fit under the portafilter unless you have a huge tray and a lot of clearance.

But, the scale is very responsive, readable and dependable, and although lightweight due to its plastic frame it does not feel fragile at all. There’s also no way for water to get into it unless it’s coming directly from below in jets.

For comparison, I also have a Lunar (which I had to buy for espresso) and regularly check the accuracy of the BlackMirror using the 100g acaia weight and the BlackMirror is spot on. Also, I love having the external buttons to turn it on and off, and have not had to charge it yet after more than a month of use.

All in all I’m very satisfied. I only wish it was a little bit smaller, but can’t ask for more for the price.

Works just as great as the other reviews say. Sleek design and just what you need to improve your coffee. Sensitive scale and built in timer is great. Only has grams but you don’t really need much else.

Perfect size and the rubber mat is good. Do wish the mat had some small tabs on the side to lock into place. Would recommend first to anyone looking for a coffee scale.

Initially the scale consistently gave the weight of the dosing cup as 111. 6, but a couple of weeks later it started fluctuating between 111. 5 & 111. 6. That’s with the cup on the scale empty. Then I noticed after using the tare button & removing the cup the scale read -112.

Nothing has been spilled on it & it’s only used on the counter top. Is this considered within tolerance for a scale at this price?.

So far I’ve only use this for the third time and it works. I mainly bought it for the look and it looks great on my counter with the rest of my coffee set. I still have to learn how to use all of the settings.

Overall, it is expensive but looks great than most of what’s available in the market.

If you’re like me and you are considering buying this scale in the wake of a terrible breakup because retail therapy sounded like the right thing to do, then you might have unrealistic expectations of what the Acaia Pearl can do.

And then again. you wouldn’t be too far off. This scale far outperforms my previous scale. The new software has some incredible features that make the brewing process easier and extremely enjoyable. By far my favorite mode is the brewing mode, where the scale prompts you to add each element to the scale, taring in between each piece of equipment.

The automatic timer function is a lifesaver for those of us who have a mental breakdown when trying to push a timer and pour in the center of the brew bed at the same time. So yeah. if you’re looking for some retail therapy to feel better about a breakup, or if you just need a KILLER scale.

look no further.

I originally bought the Rhino dosing flip – top scales for $30 odd bucks from eBay, thought I’d save big dollars. I ended up putting them on my list of biggest mistakes. They were inconsistent, unreliable, and weighed differently every time with the same weight lifted off and put straight back on Time to buy quality.

These Acaia Pearl S scales purchased in NOV 2021 have faultlessly, consistently weighed, tared-off and re weighed perfectly. I had even bought 01 – 100 gram M1 calibration weights expecting to have to use them, after the horrific Rhino rip-off, but the S scales have not needed them.

The Acaia Pearl S scales are one of my best life purchases – at least in the coffee world. I use them to weigh beans then to weigh as I recover the brew from my 6 and 10 cup stove tops, dosing, H2O and recovered espresso all a part of the invaluable calibration process.

As far as this retailer goes, nothing went wrong, everything went right.

I bought an Acaia Pearl S and it became an irreplaceable part of my pour over routine. I use the basic features almost every day; the weight accuracy and speed is fantastic to use. 0. 1 increments are absolutely essential for my coffee routine.

I never thought about the speed of a scale in finding a precise measurement until this scale. It isn’t essential, but it really increases my enjoyment to see instant feedback on my pouring. The brew timer is also a very good feature.

I would suggest using the protective cover/heat protector on top to avoid scratches if you care about the cosmetics of the item. I do run into some frustrations with the brew timer. I sometimes like to swirl my brew, which involves lifting up the scale.

This often stops my brew timer when it senses the weight leave the scale, often halfway through my brew, and will not allow me to continue the timer, instead of restarting. I hate this, as it makes me lose track of my brew time and wish that I had just used the stopwatch on my phone.

However, if there is a way to stop this from happening, I would love to know about it. I could stir instead of swirling, but that’s not the point. It’s just something that frustrated me. As far as the app goes, I have not used it as much as I thought I would.

There are like 4 separate apps and at the beginning, I felt overwhelmed when using them. But they have a lot of functionality, and when I fully explored them and got into them, they are fun to use from time to time.

Not that they have much competition (coffee scale apps are apparently horrendous overall as shown in a video by James Hoffman), but the apps are quite good if you are into tracking different coffees and fiddling with your scale.

Such an awesome product. This scale has some great functions and has taken my V60 pour overs to the next level. I am able to log each brew and refine my procedure to get the best output. I’d highly recommend this scale for people who want consistency.

***Props to Prima for correcting a shipping issue with USPS and sending me a second scale no questions asked. I will be a return customer for my remaining coffee needs***.

TranslateShow in original languageIch mag die Waage. Sie ist günstig, recht genau und klein. Sie wurde extrem ungenau, als etwas Wasser und Kaffeemehl zwischen Basis und Wägeplatte kam. Ein paarmal ganz durchdrücken konnte das Problem lösen.

Etwas negativ auffällt die Aktualisierungsrate: Geht etwa eine halbe Sekunde, bis eine zusätzliche Bohne im Mahlglas registriert wird. Am meisten störte mich jedoch der Deckel. Damit war es fast unmöglich einigermassen schlau die Waage mit einer Tasse unter den Siebträger zu stellen, bevor der Kaffee bereits über die Hände lief.

Zwei Schrauben gelöst, Deckel abgenommen, jetzt ist die Waage brauchbar und ein guter Begleiter im Espressoalltag.

TranslateShow in original languageTrès bien en général. Petit défaut: la balance se met en veille trop rapidement (peut-être 30 secondes) ce qui lui fait oublier la tare. Si on enlève le contenant par exemple pour aller le remplir au dessus de l’évier et qu’on ne se dépèche pas, quand on revient elle est éteinte et a oublié le poids du contenant.

C’est un peu énervant mais pas très grave.

The scale started having problems with “Tare Drift” while in weigh only mode #1. I sent a video to Acaia of problematic behavior, and they commented that it was very strange and were appreciative of the detailed video.

Acaia happily emailed me a shipping label and they are looking at it now. Good thing for me, I also have the newer 2021 Acaia with USB-C, which is working perfectly. Normally, I use the Micro USB scale for only weighing the coffee into the portafilter, and the USB-C scale for espresso out only.

On each scale I have turned off all the other un-used measuring functions, so I do not have to scroll thru them. This is done in settings. I gave the Micro USB scale a “Good” only rating, because the Acaia Lunar is really expensive, and I feel like is should have not started acting up so quickly.

I purchased it on: January 25, 2022. If Acaia can get it working properly, send it back and provide at least a year of trouble-free service, I’ll consider revising my review. At the end of the day, it seems likely to me that it is the best overall coffee scale available, by a mile.

Acaia Tech support is first class also.

You probably don’t need this scale. I purchased this knowing that it had features that were more robust than what I currently use for home espresso making. But I figured that the scale would work well and that those additional features might become useful over time as my skills grow and I experiment more.

I regret the purchase. This scale is exceptionally fiddly to use. Acaia has decided to sacrifice usability for elegance in design. It looks great, but would be a million times more useful with actual buttons to do things like tare, switch modes, start the timer, etc.

I generally feel like I am fighting with this thing as I use it and end up switching to modes that I don’t want to be in as often as I end up doing things like starting the timer, turning it off, etc.

I’ll keep using this scale, as I’ve now invested a lot of money in it. But before you purchase it, I strongly advise considering whether its features will really do more for you than scales that cost a third of the price.

If not, you’re buying a pretty thing that is a pain to use.

It’s fine. The smart features aren’t that useful based on how clive coffee’s espresso course taught me how to pull a shot. The iPhone app is comically bad too. So, basically, this is a really nice, overpriced “dumb” scale that may improve with software/firmware updates.

That said, it’s a convenient size for my espresso machine but not great for using with a portafilter so ironically I still use the old scale I was trying to replace for half of my workflow. To make matters worse, y’all emailed me within a month of going all-in on Clive Coffee saying you were giving away this scale with the purchase of an espresso machine (it might have required the purchase of a grinder too but either way I would have qualified).

That’s awesome but don’t email someone about a deal they literally JUST missed out on by 2-3 weeks. Like, I’m not going to ask to retroactively get the deal but don’t tell me about it! Literally gave me a buyers remorse completely unnecessarily.

In terms of quality, I was hoping this would be more like my Timemore Chestnut C2 grinder, which feels like it should be much more expensive than it is. While this scale is of reasonably good quality and works pretty well, it’s definitely not a premium product.

The buttons are a bit sensitive and at times difficult to deal with. It does take care of the basics well enough: the scale is fast, accurate, and very responsive, making this perfect for pourovers. I just wish Timemore had put the same level of effort into this product as they did for the brilliant Chestnut grinders.

This is a good basic scale for coffee brewing. Nothing fancy. But works well. Does what you need it to do: weighs accurately with taring, and provides a timer. One small little gripe I have would be the 200g limit for the o.

1g resolution range. Then it switches to 0. 5 g resolution. I would like the 0. 1 g resolution to be available especially for weighing coffee. For me this is doable since the container I am weighing my coffee in is typically under 100g, which leaves me plenty of leeway of another 100g for weighing the coffee before it shifts to 0.

5 g resolution. This is good for me when making pourover coffee for myself or a few people. Theoretically I could see this being an issue, though, for larger amounts of coffee or if the container that you use to weigh your coffee in is over 150g itself in weight.

But it works great for making smaller amounts as long as you are aware of this limitation.

These scales are very well made. The materials on the base and top are great. The materials around the screen could be slightly improved to give them an extra premium feel. But the buttons and display are functional and make them a good workhorse set of scales.

The 6 modes are well thought out and work well. My favourite is mode 5 which allows me to dial in my espresso machine in a breeze. Auto cup tare then auto time as first drip takes away the hassles. My only gripe.

It is a bit slow to respond. If you want to use mode 1 for basic weighing then switch through to mode 5 it takes some time. You can’t just press 4 times quickly to get to mode 5. You need to wait just a little too long for each mode to load.

The slight delay between first drip and the weight readout is also on the slow side. Overall, the slight slowness is easily forgiven based on the price compared to other units that do the same thing.

Roughly a year after purchasing this scale it started regularly acting up. Searching forums on this issue, I saw plenty of people having the same issue. The “fix” was ensuring the device was kept well away from any sources of steam.

Umm. correct me if I’m wrong but coffee scales should be built to live their life sitting on a drip tray. It’s like suggesting that a certain car works great, as long as you keep it away from bitumen.

If you want scales for espresso, buy a different brand.

My old scale was the Hario Metal Drip Scale and it was definitely not my favourite because the buttons were always so unresponsive and it drove me crazy. The Pearl 2021 has worked flawlessly so far. I wanted the white scale (would show less fingerprints) but ordered the Black for readability sake.

I just wish the apps (Acaia coffee and Brewmaster) were better designed to go along with the scale as each app has its pros and cons. The Pearl’s screen protector is easily scratched would be a small negative.

I am taking my coffee making a bit more seriously lately, and every source I’ve researched has stressed the need to weigh your beans and water – this Hario scale is small, sleek, and beautiful to look at, and serves its purpose with an elegant design.

The tare function makes weighing your coffee-in-progress very easy, and the time function makes tracking your bloom and subsequent pours effortless. The scale is pricier than some, but I think the value is there and I’m very pleased with this purchase.

I love my new drip scale. The scale top is a bit skew but fortunately it doesn’t affect the coffee.

Easy to use. Compatible with the Hario drip stand.

I really wanted an Acaia Lunar, but at almost 3 times the price, I couldn’t justify it. First let just say I don’t care for any of the Bluetooth functions, nothing against it, it’s just not for me. Anyway, the Timemore Nano is a good scale, it’s well built and will probably last a good while.

There’s a few different modes, again I don’t use them. All I need is a solid and precise scale, it fits the bill for me. Some people don’t like the buttons on the side, it doesn’t bother me. I would have liked real buttons, instead of what is there now.

I left the sound on, I helps to confirm you have pressed the button. I like the real on/off switch, no more timing out if you get distracted while grinding….

I’ve been using this in espresso mode and it’s great. I know it has other modes but this is the only way I’ve used it. Readout is angled up and looks clear. There are buttons for putting into sleep mode and waking it, and switching between modes.

Sometimes it can be a bit fidgety to get into sleep since pushing on the buttons registers weight which seems to make it not want to sleep. Way more accurate than my kitchen scale for weighing coffee (0.

1 g). Automatically starts timing your shots from the first drop of coffee and shows a running count of coffee weight. Automatically stops when the coffee stops. It also has an automatic sleep mode when inactive.

Pros: Sleek look. Slim design. Durable scale. Espresso mode is great auto starting and stopping the timer when you initiate and stop the shot. Cons: A little clumsy to switch between weighing beens for a precise shot.

If you leave it on auto mode it will keep taring. The buttons and use are not intuitive but I might need more time to delve into the details. Shipping was quick and bonus got a bag of beans with the order!.

I would return this if I hadn’t thrown out the package. The buttons are unresponsive and the interface is temperamental. The auto functions are impatient and often reset in the middle of brewing. Don’t waste your money.

It looks good but is a real piece of junk.

This is the first quality coffee scale I’ve had my hands on and it blows my cheap kitchen scale out of the water. This thing is incredibly responsive. I’m a pour-over novice, but I cannot detect any lag in weight display.

-The auto timer function is easy to use. It gives a countdown for you to begin pouring but doesn’t start until weight is detected. It allows me to swirl the bloom (James Hoffmann’s method) without stopping the timer.

The timer does stop on its own when you remove weight later in the brew cycle (or maybe it’s when you remove sufficient enough weight) which allows you to keep track of total brew time without having to remember to pause the timer.

Of course, you can set the scale in manual if you prefer. For a newbie, the auto timer is excellent. -The white numbers on a black background are easy to read. Instructions are clear and there’s a protective overlay that explains the buttons, but it’s pretty intuitive.

-It comes with a charging cable but no wall plug. I presume they want the slow charge you get from a computer. Mine came fully charged. -Packaging was excellent. There’s some plastic foam packaging, but the box is cardboard.

There are pieces of silicone sheet between the weighing platform and scale body to keep it stable in shipping. -The silicone sheet has ridges that can capture a little mess, but it’s easy to clean.

In terms of accuracy and speed this scale has been fantastic and if that’s all you care about then I can wholeheartedly recommend this scale. There’s really only two detractors that hold me back from calling this scale perfect.

Firstly, the automatic timer function, while extremely convenient, will stop timing if weight is removed from the scale at a certain point in your brew, so if you like to give one final swirl to your V60 the timer is going to assume you’re done and stop.

The second issue lies with the scales tendency to reduce its accuracy when introduced to heat. This sounds quite significant but in my personal testing I find that I typically never lose more than a gram over the course of a brew, and mostly towards the drawdown when weight is less important anyways.

In spite of those shortcomings this scale is probably still a great option for the price and I would absolutely buy it again.

I have two of these, one of the older versions without a physical on/off switch, and a newer black one with the switch. I also have an acaia lunar and used to have a V1 pearl that died. I still prefer the lunar for espresso.

However, the black mirror is worlds better than the pearl for pourover because it does 99% of the same thing as the pearl for a fraction of the price. The newer pearls have all sorts of crazy Bluetooth functions and stuff, which I’ve tested out before, and just don’t see myself using.

This also uses usb C, so I don’t have to keep around any of those old fashioned micro usb cables. Just buy this scale instead of the others and spend the savings on some blue mountain beans lol.

I was considering buying scales at over £100. Then thought I’d try these first to see how much I use them. I use them for every cup. Which. should mean it’d be worth buying the more expensive ones. But.

these are good enough not to spend the extra. I’ve tried the accuracy with weights. The biggest discrepancy was only 0. 1g! Amazingly accurate.

The scale itself is good. Weights seem accurate, it’s quick to tare and use. But the timer is awful. for some reason they thought it would be a good idea to pause the timer when you lift the brewer off in any way.

This wrecks most brewing styles and there is no way to turn this function off. Ended up just using my phone to time brews for v60 and aeropress. Would not recommend this scale, would not buy again. There are heaps better scales you can get for the price with a timer that actually works.

I found that the timer would stop at random times while stirring water into an aeropress. Maybe when the weight is going up and down. I also found the measuring of the weight too slow while pouring water.

However i do like the size of it and found the rubber top that it comes with useful. Does the job for what i need it for at the moment but isn’t perfect. Really good for its price. I would still reccomend these scales for my friends that are starting off.

This has changed my coffee game hugely. Very impressive how accurate this unit is. Yes it’s costly but if you’ve invested a hugely into your coffee game this upgrade will be a worthwhile purchase. It’s small and will fit under the Profitec Pro 500 Espresso Machine w/ Quick Steam.

The scale is very responsive. I have a $30 model from Amazon and I can say this is scale is very responsive. I believe the company just announced a new model with some upgrades this model doesn’t come with.

Personally I find these upgrades aren’t worth waiting but will leave it to you to see if waiting for these features/model to hit the market.

Works very well. Simple but effective. Good size overall. Packs away nicely. Good to have the timer. Would recommend.

The scale on this works fine, no issues. The timer however is very frustrating to use. When brewing pour over, many recipes require stirring or swirling. This scale stops the time when you do these things.

interrupting the brew. I was very disappointed with this feature. I also don’t think a back light is necessary, for me anyway. Alos the included batteries were crushed.

TranslateShow in original languageMit der Waage bin ich sehr zufrieden. Einfache Bedienung und funktioniert wie sie soll. Leider war die erste Waage, welche ich bekommen hatte etwas verzogen, wodurch genaues wiegen nicht möglich war.

Eine E-Mail an den Support von Ca. STOLL und ein Ersatzgerät würde ohne zu zögern zugesagt und sofort Versendet. Die neue Waage funktioniert Tadellos! Das nenne ich Kundenservice der begeistert. Weiter so!.

TranslateShow in original languageEine gute Waage. Gut verarbeitet, gute Haptik, mit Tara und Timer. Wir verwenden sie für das single dosing mit der Ceado E5SD. Sie startet schnell (gefühlt 3s). Was mir sehr positiv aufgefallen ist: nach kurzer Wartezeit geht die Displaybeleuchtung aus, um Strom zu sparen.

Die Waage bleibt aber betriebsbereit. Da hat ein Entwickler mitgedacht.