Who makes a good low cost scale?
- Thread starter KMAX
- Start date
There will be lots of naysayers but the Lee Safety scale is accurate. It maybe not be as easy to use as a 10-10 or the 505 but with a little practice it gets the job done accurately. I use mine a a backup. I found that filling the base with lead shot with epoxy made it much easier to use.
I think what is happening with electronic scales is what happened to hand held calculators years ago. I remember my first hand held/pocket calculator was the size of a package on Benson & Hedges cigs. Its functions were add, substract, multiply and division, and simple memory. It cost me close to $300 bucks. Now these simple calculators are much smaller and cost 1 to 2 bucks.
I believe the same is whats happening to scales. Course we all know the big market is not for weighing powder charges.
I believe the same is whats happening to scales. Course we all know the big market is not for weighing powder charges.
Bottom line, entry level best scale is the Lee Safety Scale. The scale is as accurate as any of the three I have. If the scale isn't actually broken, it's accurate (nothing to bend or warp as the "plastic" used is very stable). I like to use it for setting my powder measure and loading with dippers. I'l set the weight I want and lock the poise. Also once the poise is locked, if it's bumped it wo't lose it's setting (my Lyman/Ohaus 1/10 poise will jump around if the pan is removed quickly, or if the beam is bumped when replacing the pan). The one "problem" is the vernier poise. Some can't/won't learn to read the vernier scale so it's harder to use. It's drawbacks? It's not green. It's different. and it does look "cheap" when side by side with a $$$$ scale.
This is an excellent scale. Not sure why more people are not using it. The pan is tiny, so you will need to set a larger one on top of it (I use the pan from my Lee Safety Scale), but other than that it is perfect.
It is accurate to .02grains. Yes, .02.
http://www.amazon.com/American-Weig...UTF8&qid=1341528152&sr=8-1&keywords=gemini+20
It is accurate to .02grains. Yes, .02.
http://www.amazon.com/American-Weig...UTF8&qid=1341528152&sr=8-1&keywords=gemini+20
I like the Lee Safety Scale, and it always matches my check weights. You can pick one up on the internet auction site for $13-15 if you watch em, or maybe somebody here who hates em will offer you one they tried for less than that. It's definitely a love it or hate it relationship, judging from the responses every time it comes up. I love mine.
It's definitely a love it or hate it relationship, judging from the responses every time it comes up. I love mine. ScottRiqui
New member
The display resolution is .02 grains, but the manual doesn't mention the unit's accuracy anywhere (which I don't find comforting). Still, even if the accuracy is only 0.1 grains, that looks like a good deal for $25.
True. I use the thousandths decimal for reference purposes only. It is handy to see if a 4.0 grain charge is dropping loosely, like 3.92-4.08, for example, or if it is staying much tighter, like 3.98-4.02 (in the case of spot checking powder measure). It is also reassuring when you are trickling a charge for the same reason.
I check it monthly against my lee scale and the included calibration weights and so far it has been excellent. I have had it for about 6 months and 3000 rounds now. Couldnt be happier
David Bachelder
New member
The only scale I had ever used was the RCBS 505. I checked it with my expensive digital scales and it is right on the money.
Nowdays I mostly use the RCBS Chargemaster 1500. It is also highly accurate.
I still use the 505 to set my RCBS Flowmaster. I use the Flowmaster mounted on my Turret press for slamming out .40 S&W's. I can produce some high quality rounds in a short time that way.
Nowdays I mostly use the RCBS Chargemaster 1500. It is also highly accurate.
I still use the 505 to set my RCBS Flowmaster. I use the Flowmaster mounted on my Turret press for slamming out .40 S&W's. I can produce some high quality rounds in a short time that way.
Lost Sheep
New member
I have a green Lee Safety Scale, with the original box, too. I have no idea how old it is, but it looks (except for the color) exactly like ones of current manufacture.mikld said:
When I got my Lee Scale (in a trade), I had been used to the RCBS 10-10 and was spoiled. I hated the Lee, even though I am familiar with verniers. Then I got hold of the instructions for the Lee. I hate it much less now.
Set it on a securely mounted shelf in strong light and at eye level so you can get your face close to it. It will perform admirably.
Lost Sheep.
David Bachelder
New member
The weight slides (?) on my RCBS 505 move around a bit, especially the small one. Bumping the scale or the pan seems to be what causes it.
You have to keep an eye on that rascal or he'll fool you.
If I wasn't such a Klutz, I doub't it would be an issue.
You have to keep an eye on that rascal or he'll fool you.
If I wasn't such a Klutz, I doub't it would be an issue.
The Lee Safety Scale is one of the very few items from Lee I dislike. Its so light weight its hard for me to control, which I realize isn't Lee's fault but mine. I had Polio when I was in my early teens and some of the effects are starting to return, weakened muscles, and the worse, shaking. Try to work with a Lee scale with a shaking problem, a very bad shaking problem.
For others its an accurate and is you can operate it, its an excellant choice.
For others its an accurate and is you can operate it, its an excellant choice.
I think you are right about what is happening with scale price and quality. More bang for the buck is getting standard. I've heard folks complain the cheap ones are catch as catch can, and you sometimes get a good one and sometimes one that drifts all over or doesn't repeat well. You can read the reviews on Midway to get some idea. But it used to be you had to pay $500 and get a Denver Instrument variant to get decent stability with 0.1 grain resolution. You could try an awful lot of the cheap ones for that kind of money.
I don't know how the $25 gem scale compares on stability and quality unit-to-unit at this point in time, but you want to keep the 20 gram (308.65 grains) limit in mind if you go to weighing bullets.
Brian Enos sells a battery powered unit for $75 that has 1543.2 gr (100 gm) capacity, 0.1 gr resolution and is stable, can be programmed not to shut off automatically every couple of minutes to save batteries, and has a 20 year warranty (much better than the Denver Instruments unit). Enos told me on the phone that he'd never had a single return of that model. That point would put it high on my list of candidates.
Also, with any kind of scale, if you find a best load you want to be able to repeat, trim a little stainless wire to match it's weight. That way, if you ever doubt a scale, you can drop that weight on to get a reference reading that you know is the value of the charge weight you actually want.
I don't know how the $25 gem scale compares on stability and quality unit-to-unit at this point in time, but you want to keep the 20 gram (308.65 grains) limit in mind if you go to weighing bullets.
Brian Enos sells a battery powered unit for $75 that has 1543.2 gr (100 gm) capacity, 0.1 gr resolution and is stable, can be programmed not to shut off automatically every couple of minutes to save batteries, and has a 20 year warranty (much better than the Denver Instruments unit). Enos told me on the phone that he'd never had a single return of that model. That point would put it high on my list of candidates.
Also, with any kind of scale, if you find a best load you want to be able to repeat, trim a little stainless wire to match it's weight. That way, if you ever doubt a scale, you can drop that weight on to get a reference reading that you know is the value of the charge weight you actually want.
browninghunter86
New member
RCBS 505 is what I switched to a few months ago and I love it. Accurate keeps zero and easy to set up and use. Can be found online cheaper than some big retail name websites
Wish I would have started with this one instead of the LEE scale
Wish I would have started with this one instead of the LEE scale
Unclenick: "Also, with any kind of scale, if you find a best load you want to be able to repeat, trim a little stainless wire to match it's weight. That way, if you ever doubt a scale, you can drop that weight on to get a reference reading that you know is the value of the charge weight you actually want.
Wouldn't humidity absorption make a difference?
Wouldn't humidity absorption make a difference?