looking for a cheap scale for diy ejuice

[Shadav]

need opinions
would these work?
$10 Digital Pocket Scale Gold Silver Jewelry Weight Balance Scales LCD 500g x 0.01g 710654389894 | eBay

$10.99 Portable Pocket Electronic Scales Jewellery Gold Weighing Mini Digital Scale | eBay

$4.99 WH-I2000 500g x 0.01g LCD Digital Electronic Kitchen Scale for Food Weighing#K 827556068755 | eBay

if not or even if so does anyone know of any for a good price that offer for electrical plug (either included or bought seperately)

 

[puffon]

I've been happy with this one
Includes AC plug and calibration weights:
https://www.amazon.com/American-Wei...63041&s=gateway&sprefix=aws+lb,aps,193&sr=8-1

 

[Nailz]

^^^^^^ got the same one a month back, due to seeing so many diyers recommending it, works really well and like it has a cover when storing.

 

[Spydro]

I have 3 scales, but the one I use for my DIY most of the time is a Horizon 500g x 0.01g High Precision Digital Scale SF-400D2 with USB Wall Adapter. It runs on 2 AA batteries as well. I paid $22.00 shipped for it on Ebay.

 

[Shadav]

o.oo1 would be a better choice

I had asked about that but people said that it's not really needed and would cost too much

 

[IDJoel]

o.oo1 would be a better choice

Why?

Given that almost everything (nic, flavor concentrates, or the base itself) a DIYer mixes with, is in a base of PG and/or VG. And, the approximate minimum drop size is 0.02-0.03g (at least; that can be reasonably administered with typical home DIY equipment). What practical function does having a resolution of 0.001g offer?

Sorry, but I have to respectfully disagree with your statement. In my opinion, and in my personal DIY experience; a resolution of 0.01g is satisfactory for most DIYers.

 

[GOMuniEsq]

Anything that measures to 2 decimal places up to 500g should work great. Just watch out for the battery powered ones, as they often have an auto-shutoff that'll give you a bad day. The AWS LB-501 wired scale is the gold standard for DIY mixing.

Don't fuss too much about precision. Just as with home baking recipes, DIY e-juice recipes are quite fault-tolerant.

 

[puffon]

I doubt anyone could taste the difference between .01 or .05, let alone .001 or .009

 

[DaveP]

Anything that measures to 2 decimal places up to 500g should work great. Just watch out for the battery powered ones, as they often have an auto-shutoff that'll give you a bad day. The AWS LB-501 wired scale is the gold standard for DIY mixing.

Don't fuss too much about precision. Just as with home baking recipes, DIY e-juice recipes are quite fault-tolerant.

Agree. I've used the AWS LB-501 for years and it's repeatable. That said, any digital scale is going to vary with vibration or even breath if you lean over the bottle while pouring ingredients. It's almost impossible to get dead accurate when you're mixing using a syringe or a pipette. A scale that reads two digits past the decimal will almost always go high by a few hundredths just from lag as you wait for settling after adding ingredients. I can drop single drops and get it dead nuts and then watch it go over by an inconsequential value as it settles.

I don't worry if I'm over by .1 grams or more on pg,vg, or even nic or flavor in a 50ml or 100ml pour. Tolerance adds up but it's not going to be detectable in the vapor. It is frustrating, but we aren't launching probes to Mars.

I have learned to slow down as I approach target on an ingredient. Since I use pipettes the measurements are harder to hit perfectly, but the pipette makes for easy handling of liquid ingredients compared to a dropper. Using a syringe would be even more tedious. It's too likely to squirt instead of create a drop when you get close to the target weight.

 

[Frenchfry1942]

Sometimes, cheaper is not better.

 

[Shadav]

Sometimes, cheaper is not better.

true but I still like to find the cheapest, I mean that's not totally crap $25 isn't bad, was just hoping to find a bit cheaper

 

[IDJoel]

need opinions
would these work?

Sorry, @Shadav; I seem to have derailed your thread.

In an effort to get it back on track; yes, the ones you listed will all probably work.

What you are "risking" for the $15(ish) savings, in my opinion, are:
-- Manufacturer quality control. For those prices, the mfg. is not using the highest quality components. You may get one that works perfectly fine... or not.
-- Care for assembly, packaging, and handling; will all be minimal.
-- Little to no DIYer feed-back. You are agreeing to be the Guinea Pig.
-- Little to no real/usable warranty.
-- Unknown durability. How long will it last? How well it will hold up to "normal" wear and tear.

If that is acceptable risk/reward to you; then they are viable possibilities.

The real benefit, as I see it, for using a scale like the AWS LB-501, or the one @Spydro shared (that's the one I happen to use) is: they have been proven to work acceptably for DIY purposes, and they hold up.

For me, personally, that extra $15 (the price of a handful of concentrates) is worth the added peace of mind... knowing I am getting a scale that will serve me for the long hall.

For whatever it is worth; in my own scale research, scales in the <$50 price range (maybe even <$100?); is... they are all going to have their limitations, and quirks. The LB-501 can be a little slow to display changes, and for some, be a bit quick on the auto-off function. The SF-400 wants to auto-zero, and doesn't like to register the first couple of drops (though a temporary weight addition, like a coin, can overcome this). But, they are "known," and can be compensated for.

Unproven (for DIY) scales don't have this preexisting knowledge base. You are on your own.

 

[AngeNZ]

true but I still like to find the cheapest, I mean that's not totally crap $25 isn't bad, was just hoping to find a bit cheaper

I'm in NZ so I couldn't get one of the recommended scales.

I looked for a scale that could go as low as 0.01g and had an auto-shutoff time of at least 2 minutes. The one I ended up with was about $15us and works just fine.

I probably could've gotten away with one that had a 90 sec auto shutoff time, as I've never once got even close to taking that long, in between pours and hitting tare

 

[AttyPops]

Agree. I've used the AWS LB-501 for years and it's repeatable. That said, any digital scale is going to vary with vibration or even breath if you lean over the bottle while pouring ingredients. It's almost impossible to get dead accurate when you're mixing using a syringe or a pipette. A scale that reads two digits past the decimal will almost always go high by a few hundredths just from lag as you wait for settling after adding ingredients. I can drop single drops and get it dead nuts and then watch it go over by an inconsequential value as it settles.

I don't worry if I'm over by .1 grams or more on pg,vg, or even nic or flavor in a 50ml or 100ml pour. Tolerance adds up but it's not going to be detectable in the vapor. It is frustrating, but we aren't launching probes to Mars.

I have learned to slow down as I approach target on an ingredient. Since I use pipettes the measurements are harder to hit perfectly, but the pipette makes for easy handling of liquid ingredients compared to a dropper. Using a syringe would be even more tedious. It's too likely to squirt instead of create a drop when you get close to the target weight.

How the hell would "settling" change mass?

Evaporation, sure, as that has a time component, but it would settle to LESS mass. It doesn't matter how fast dispersal goes, once it's in the container...same mass. It's more about accuracy of the device and about how fast it adjusts and settles down for minute changes. You know, internal "friction" and/or reactivity of materials and stuffis. Maybe that's what you mean by "settling", not ingredients, but device response time?

 

[DaveP]

How the hell would "settling" change mass?
Evaporation, sure, as that has a time component, but it would settle to LESS mass. It doesn't matter how fast dispersal goes, once it's in the container...same mass. It's more about accuracy of the device and about how fast it adjusts and settles down for minute changes. You know, internal "friction" and/or reactivity of materials and stuffis. Maybe that's what you mean by "settling", not ingredients, but device response time?

I don't think I mentioned mass, but I did say off by .1 isn't a big deal. I was thinking more in the hundredths range, not tenths.

Yes, I assume it's scale response time. It's not a big deal for me. I just drip slowly from a pipette and wait a second for the numbers to change. Since the LB-501 is sensitive to hundredths of a gram, the display will change as the recent addition causes a settling time.

I'm talking about scales settling within a couple hundredths of a gram. It's normal as you add drops to reach target. Then, sometimes your perfect x.00 reading becomes x.01 or x.02. It's expected when you are dripping drops of rather thick liquid on a sensitive scale.

The moral of that story is to drip slowly and wait a second for settling time.

 

[DeloresRose]

EDITED

Big talk from someone who can’t spell. If you hate us and this forum so much, why do you stay? Just to pee in someone’s Cheerios?

 

[Shadav]

Sorry, @Shadav; I seem to have derailed your thread.

In an effort to get it back on track; yes, the ones you listed will all probably work.

What you are "risking" for the $15(ish) savings, in my opinion, are:
-- Manufacturer quality control. For those prices, the mfg. is not using the highest quality components. You may get one that works perfectly fine... or not.
-- Care for assembly, packaging, and handling; will all be minimal.
-- Little to no DIYer feed-back. You are agreeing to be the Guinea Pig.
-- Little to no real/usable warranty.
-- Unknown durability. How long will it last? How well it will hold up to "normal" wear and tear.

If that is acceptable risk/reward to you; then they are viable possibilities.

The real benefit, as I see it, for using a scale like the AWS LB-501, or the one @Spydro shared (that's the one I happen to use) is: they have been proven to work acceptably for DIY purposes, and they hold up.

For me, personally, that extra $15 (the price of a handful of concentrates) is worth the added peace of mind... knowing I am getting a scale that will serve me for the long hall.

For whatever it is worth; in my own scale research, scales in the <$50 price range (maybe even <$100?); is... they are all going to have their limitations, and quirks. The LB-501 can be a little slow to display changes, and for some, be a bit quick on the auto-off function. The SF-400 wants to auto-zero, and doesn't like to register the first couple of drops (though a temporary weight addition, like a coin, can overcome this). But, they are "known," and can be compensated for.

Unproven (for DIY) scales don't have this preexisting knowledge base. You are on your own.

it's ok, I'm used to my threads going offtopic still good information to know I'm always trying to learn

How the hell would "settling" change mass?

Evaporation, sure, as that has a time component, but it would settle to LESS mass. It doesn't matter how fast dispersal goes, once it's in the container...same mass. It's more about accuracy of the device and about how fast it adjusts and settles down for minute changes. You know, internal "friction" and/or reactivity of materials and stuffis. Maybe that's what you mean by "settling", not ingredients, but device response time?

*waves* hey AttyPops long time no see

 

[Skeebo]

EDITED/QUOTE]

Because someone disagreed with you?

 

[Shadav]

this one looks to be good.... thoughts? and it's on sale for $15
can't tell if it has a spot for an ac adapter or not though
https://www.amazon.com/Smart-Weigh-Back-Lit-Features-Included/dp/B00ME8VI34/

 

[Punk In Drublic]

this one looks to be good.... thoughts? and it's on sale for $15
can't tell if it has a spot for an ac adapter or not though
https://www.amazon.com/Smart-Weigh-Back-Lit-Features-Included/dp/B00ME8VI34/

I personally think the ability to calibrate is key. These scales are mass produced and not always calibrated properly from the factory.

This scale does allow for calibration (not all do), but does not include the calibration weights which if purchased separately puts it at a higher price than the highly recommended AWS LB-501 (which includes the calibration weights)

I know you do not want to spend a lot of money on a scale, but this is an investment which should last for some years to come. Not saying this scale is junk, never used one, but purchasing something that is cheaper could mean you are replacing it in a year or 2.

I use the LB-501. It was a difficult purchase for me for here in Canada it fetches for a significantly higher price than in the US. But it has an excellent track record that is backed by many DIY’ers.