Electronic scales

Hello from an overcast day here in Maryland! Been looking into
getting a small (don’t have much of a workspace just yet), possibly
portable, electronic scale and was wondering if anyone would have any
suggestions? There are 3 that seem to be pretty good and at decent
prices at itinscales.com, they have the Ohaus H-120 Portable and
Tanita T-1144 Toploading Digital models currently on sale, was also
checking into an Acculab scale…possibly a Pocket Pro Digital the
2 links are below for the scales. Since I am just starting up my
business, my cash flow is a little slim so I am looking for an
relatively inexpensive but accurate and easy to use scale!

http://www.itinscale.com/acculab_pocket_scales.htm

http://www.itinscale.com/scale_discounts.htm

Any suggestions, thoughts and or recommendations would be greatly
appreciated!!!

Thank you and take care all,
Pamela Livingston
Uniquely Pamela

Hi Pamela and All; I still use the old “triple-beam balance” for
weighing gold. All the weights I work with are in grams (easily
converted to pennyweights). For I still use the old
scales and counter weights. These instruments are inexpensive,
dependable, and if you know how to use them, very accurate. (On the
other hand, in my shop I still have an old wind-up, pendulum driven
wall clock.) You can get a triple-beam from Rio for $91 and a
50-carat mini balance from them for $28. Electronic
gram/pennyweight/ounce scales are relatively inexpensive, but if you
want one that measures carats too, you’ll be looking at considerably
more money. What you select will depend mostly on what you are going
to use it for. If you are weighing out alloys, your consideration
would be, does this scale allow me to weight amounts I typically work
with? If it’s a counter scale for weighing your customer’s gold, you
might be bound to get one listed as “legal for trade”. I understand
your financial concerns and sympathize completely. Let us know how
you expect to use this scale, for example, in the showroom, in the
shop, weighing gold or etc., that way, we can help you
make the best choice.

David L. Huffman

Wanted to let you know that Tanita 1144 is not desirable for Gold
Jewelry as the accuracy is by 1 gram. If you are looking for an
inexpensive gold scale that is reliable quality then look for Tanita
1477 (100gm & pennyweight) & for a larger capacity go for KP400
(400gms & penny weight)

1144 will be good for Semi precious stones, Beads & Silver jewelry
only.

Kenneth Singh

    There are 3 that seem to be pretty good and at decent prices at
itinscales.com, they have the Ohaus H-120 Portable and Tanita
T-1144 

I’ve got the Ohaus CS-200 200g x 0.1g (capacity x accuracy) for my
silver casting business, and I love it. Battery operated, auto
shutoff, and it weighs items as lightweight as 0.1 gram (important
for waxes) and as high as 200 grams, so it’s also useful in the
kitchen! It was $87.95 plus shipping from FDJ Tool.
http://www.fdjtool.com/store/showitem.asp?Cat=86&item=SC9856&store=5

(not affiliated, blah blah woof woof)

–Kathy Johnson
Feathered Gems Jewelry

I saw the electronic scales message & I can tell you my experience.
If you are going to buy one first check with the State you live
in-usually the Dept of Agriculture or Commerce-Most States have laws
about scales & some States are actively enforcing the law. You will
probably find a scale has to be “legal for trade” This generally
means you can’t tamper with the scale. Some States will even tell you
which brands you should consider purchasing. Don’t try to beat the
system as some States are sending inspectors to your site to check
the calibration. If you are not right on you may get a warning for
30 days If the scale is not" legal for trade" it probably will be
"red flagged" & told to replace in XX # of days. When buying a scale
go to a vendor that knows the laws of your State Someone who is in
the scale business that knows the product. they work with the State
to keep up on laws & are generally certified that the scale you
purchase meets the tolerances required. Oh yes, they send the report
to the State to show that you are in compliance.

States are starting to enforce the laws that have been put on the
books years ago its just been that the jewelry industry has been
ignored in most cases.

Pat Lewis Designs
Scott Lewis

Many dealers in both Quartzsite and tucson Arizona for the last two
years can attest to the vigilance and enforcement of the local
authorities with reference to scales.

These were not only carat scales but also those used for large rough
purchases. Some were actually closed down until in compliance.

Scales dealers also had a rough go of it.

Teresa