scales

[sg43]

Originally Posted by sg43

SWIM has had a J Precision 10 that he only paid $80 for about 4 months
with no problems as of yet, although he will probably break down and
get a tanita sometime soon incase his cheap scales days come to a end
soon.

Well just an update that SWIM's scale died yesterday, but for only $80 it lasted almost a year and a half, he is thinking about just getting the same one again!

[MadShroomer]

Originally Posted by sg43

Well just an update that SWIM's scale died yesterday, but for only $80 it lasted almost a year and a half, he is thinking about just getting the same one again!

We'll the manufactur's waranty says "5 years" and SWIM has found that "touching" the scale and applying "pressure" is a BIG NO NO as this is how SWIM's first scale ended up breaking (idiot who barrowed it was pushing down on scale while on to pick up tiny grains of white dust).

SWIM's 50x0.01 "RightWeight" scale has been in use roughly 3 years with no problems...

[beezaa]

SWIM bought a J Precision 10 and is anxiously awaiting its arrival. oldwillknott sells them for 80$

[MadShroomer]

j precison 10 is oneof the bestscales for the price. definately a must have!

[acolon_5]

SWIM is still quite happy with his GemPro 50....not too horribly expensive and gives pretty consistant readings. Not too good for really small amounts 4mgs) but still a good little scale.

[radiometer]

The Tanita 1230 is available for under $200 brand new, from a very reputable web company, if you search a bit.

Also new on the scene is the Acculab VIC-123. This model is not very portable, but is reported to be extremely accurate and measures to .001g. I've seen it advertised for under $250, which is a steal if it's as good as people say it is.

[turkeyphant]

SWIM acquired a milligram scale for a ridiculously low price and is very pleased with the result. You should make sure your scale is precise to at least this level reliably and, just as importantly, accurate. To ensure this, a substantial portion of your budget should go on a good set of ANSI/ASTM Class 2 calibration masses.

[radiometer]

Don't make them sound so expensive, you'll discourage people from getting them! It's not that substantial an addition if one is buying a decent scale to begin with. Such a set of masses costs less than $40 last time I checked, I think SWIMs set was about $35. This seemed like peanuts when buying a $200+ scale, not unlike coughing up for a power cord!

It seemed priceless when SWIM discovered his scale was perfectly accurate, except that it would not register a reading predictably until about 5-8mg was on the weighing tray. He'd really be in trouble if he'd gotten this thing out of the box and tried to weigh out single doses of DOx on it, for instance.

I've had a chance to test out some of these el-cheapo calibration masses on an analogue scale which reads easily to .1mg and technically to .01mg. The masses were all within a hundred µg or less of the stated weight, so I think they're plenty adequate for testing a .001g or .002g scale's accuracy.

Reputation Comments on this post:

thanks for confirmation about class 2 masses

[MadShroomer]

Originally Posted by radiometer

SWIY has had a chance to test out some of these el-cheapo calibration masses on an analogue scale which reads easily to .1mg and technically to .01mg. The masses were all within a hundred µg or less of the stated weight, so SWIY think they're plenty adequate for testing a .001g or .002g scale's accuracy.

WOW that is VERY acurate. SWIM had no idea the precision calibrating mass could have such a profound effect. SWIM always uses the one that comes with the scale as this is almost always the case....

edit: Oh ok thanks SWIM somehow got confused but that clears things up. SWIM always thought a 5 cent piece (called a "nickle" here in the states ) weighs 5.0g and would suffice...

[turkeyphant]

Originally Posted by radiometer

Don't make them sound so expensive, you'll discourage people from getting them! It's not that substantial an addition if one is buying a decent scale to begin with. Such a set of masses costs less than $40 last time I checked, I think SWIMs set was about $35. This seemed like peanuts when buying a $200+ scale, not unlike coughing up for a power cord!

My scale was such a bargain they are expensive in comparison. They are also much pricier over here than in the States. Still, worth every single penny.

Originally Posted by radiometer

I've had a chance to test out some of these el-cheapo calibration masses on an analogue scale which reads easily to .1mg and technically to .01mg. The masses were all within a hundred µg or less of the stated weight, so I think they're plenty adequate for testing a .001g or .002g scale's accuracy.

If you ensure you get ANSI/ASTM Class 2 masses, this is guaranteed.

Originally Posted by MadShroomer

SWIM always thought a 5 cent piece (called a "nickle" here in the states ) weighs 5.0g and would suffice...

It will not "suffice".

[MadShroomer]

We'll SWIM compared an empty pill capsule (size 0?) and it weighed .10 on the 50x0.01 scale and 0.100 on the 10x0.001 But the variation in capsules might still be an issue as this was only tested with 1 capsule :P
peace out

[radiometer]

The masses we're talking about aren't really for calibrating the scale per se, but for checking its accuracy. A typical set comes in various weights from 1mg to 100mg.

What I meant was that I have a scale of the above stated readability, and when I used it to weigh the calibration masses in my set, they were within the range I indicated. I appreciate your editing my quote, but so far it's ok to own and use scales in the US, so I'm not worried about the non-drug-related use of my scales.

An electronic scale needs to be calibrated with whatever weight calibration mass it comes with. If one's weight becomes damaged, one can buy a new one to replace it from the same sort of sources. I hope this clears up any confusion.

Also I'd like to add that SWIM has double-checked some 12-26mg doses initially weighed on his Tanita 1210 with the fancy scale mentioned above and vice-versa, and they match up closely enough to have faith in the Tanita reliaby reading +/- 2mg accuracy. Doses carefully weighed on the Tanita were just a hair above the Tanita's reading when checked on the more sensitive scale, as might be predicted.

[grandbaby]

Just want to weigh in (pun intended) on cheap scales. DON'T DO IT. Someone's first RC experiences were with a crap scale he bought on eB*y, thinking a generic brand was as good as another for larger measurements. (He thought he would weigh out larger amounts and then use the volumetric method to get into the 10mg range; but the scale was NOT accurate even in the hundreds of mgs.) Why didn't he listen to the voices of the wise men and women who came before him? He's out the $$$ for the cheapo scale and had to buy another that would give him the necessary accuracy. Poor fool. Glad that didn't happen to me.


Might as well go spend $50-100 on talcum powder that a dealer swears is pur uncut Bolivian cocaine. Bunk is bunk is bunk. So sez the elephunk thru his eletrunk.

[grandbaby]

Why not spend twice that much on one that'll last for years?

[Nagognog2]

The new Tanita 1230 looks excellent in the $200 range. Bongo's 1210 works perfectly despite some road trips and being knocked about. Calibration masses confirm this.

One thing I can't over-emphasize is not to touch the masses, or the calibration weight, with one's fingers. Just the oil in your skin will throw off the accuracy. If you should touch these, or they get dirty, use iso-propyl alcohol to clean them and allow to dry completely.

[sg43]

Yes SWIM is probably going to get the new Tanita 1230 thats on amazon, its a great deal and probably well worth the extra $100.