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Digital Scales Are Reasonable-Finally Bought One

I bought a digital scale(forget the make) from a headshop for about $30 I think. I've been happy with it. I would be curious if anybody has ever compared a cheaper digital to one of those $200+ audiophile scales.
 
pioneervato said:
I have one from Harbor Freight and is accurate but is difficult to use because it sits high. A few months ago I finally opted for one of these and I am extremely happy with it. Considerably more expensive than the $12 one from Harbor Freight but easier to use and extremely accurate.
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For scales that sit high, you can make up a little bent metal bracket that sits across the scale platter and bends down over the edge and then bends back level to form a ledge to put the stylus on. Just use double sided tape to stick it to the scale platter, re-zero user the tare button, and you're away.
 
I bought a small, slim electronic scale from a local shop in Hong Kong that clears out excess stock and such, for relative peanuts. Brought it home and checked it using a set of precision weights from an old jeweler's balance (Practically an antique, but a high-end European-made one that is quite precise.) The scale was spot-on accurate, and the results were consistently reproducible. It has worked fine for me, and cost me less than what the Shure or many others might have. It's about as thick (thin) as a typical platter mat, so I usually just remove the mat and,if necessary, use a thin plastic shim (or two) to bring it up to appropriate height. I'm not too picky about getting the exact height, as the differences would be almost immeasurable, and certainly not audible. There is difference in the thickness of the records themselves, which can introduce as much variation. Even I'm not THAT obsessive! :no: :D
 
guiller said:
I've found this link interesting: http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=67124
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I was going to mention this too. The posting reviews different scales and also tells you how to make your own.

I followed the instructions in the posting and wound up with a $90 (MSRP $150) scale for less than $33. The price included a 100gm calibration weight, shipping and a free "hand scale".

I offered the freebie hand scale to my college age daughter as a novelty - didn't really think about it. She laughed and said "Dad, you do know what people use that scale for, don't you?" Boy, they grow up fast.
 
I use the harbor freight pocket digital scale to set my tonearm. Accurate to .1 gram. I found balancing by siting when the arm is level caused me to be up to about .2 grams off.
 
Last week I bought this nice digital scale:

200g.jpg


It's been a great investment (25 $). I could now make sure of having the right tracking weight in all my three TTs.The scale is good, with 0.01 gram precision reading (I've check it's accuracy using local coins and verified the correct official weights within 0.01 gram precision). It is also quite flat (no more than 0.5 cm in height) and has a nice steel platform were the stylus can land gently.
 
Bob_in_OKC said:
I tried my digital scale at slightly different heights and the difference was extremely small...like 0.01g.
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yep, I did the same thing.

many places are selling audiophile-specific scales for $120 or so and I cannot for the life of me tell what the difference is between those and the 'jewelers scale' I bought on E-bay for $10 shipped.
 
Picked this one up for $7.50 shipped. It calibrates well using coins but I ordered 2 1g calibration weights to dial it in.

Scale%20002.jpg
 
Got a similiar jewelers digital scale for $10 shipped free from ebay. A nickel weighs 5.0g to check accuracy. And the pic above is exactly how i check tracking force too. Take the platter off and weigh with the stylus protector down (or stylus on top of a small chunck of CD, if no protector.) No need to waste time balancing the tone arm anymore and guessing where you are at. Easy peasy. No worries. No unnecessary wear to your beloved vinyl either! :thmbsp:
 
Just ordered one! Yay! :banana: So cheap even I can play! When it gets here I can check the accuracy of our deck's integrated scale. Thanks for the tip Aerobat.
 
One thing a Shure can't do (that my Electronic one can) is set VTF on one of my Technics or Mitsubishi vertical 'tables (not that it matters to the snobs).
 
They're probably wondering why a bunch of orders came in all at once this afternoon. Glad to help...
 
If there was any question about the accuracy of these cheapo digital scales, I present to you the attached photos. I used two 1g calibration weights from a scientific supply vendor. The weights cost more than the scale, but I now know what my VTF is within 1/100 of a gram:music:

Scale%20004.jpg


Scale%20003.jpg
 
Same here if you don't mind, Mark. I'm having trouble locating it from my searches of the usual suspects.
 
You could post the link in D&S, Mark -- just preface with 'no affiliation'. I'll do it if you're out of touch for a couple days.
 
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