I have been toying with buying the Gem Pro 250 for a couple of years or so. My first experience with an electronic scale was many years ago and it ended badly, especially for the scale. (I bounced it off of a tile floor and tossed it in the trash.)
While I have had it bookmarked for at least two years, and eyeballed it from time to time, this recent thread got me excited about the idea again. I bought one, set it up and played with it the other day, and used it for the first time today.
They say to let it adjust to room temp for an hour and turn it on for 5 or 6 minutes before using it. I have found it likes to be turned on for at least a half hour before fluctuating if you open or close the top. Once it did, open or closed was at 0.00, before it would be 0.00 with the top up and go slightly negative with the top open. It would go back and forth if you opened and closed it. After warming up long enough it would stay at 0.00 all the time.
I don't think it is any faster than my balance beam, but it can certainly be more accurate in so far as instead of over and under on the pointer to the same amount to get an average drop, I can easily read exactly what it drops every time. No more accurate for the drops from the measure, but more accurate telling me exactly what each drop is with out adjusting the tabs on the balance beam, which I don't usually do, I just adjusted the measure until it dropped at the weight set so that over many drops the pointer will be dead on, and above and below the same amount for all drops.
The scale has been pretty much dead on with check weights and very consistent weighing charges and objects. Weigh something, leave it alone for awhile, weigh it again, and it weighs exactly the same again.
I am very happy with it.
While I have had it bookmarked for at least two years, and eyeballed it from time to time, this recent thread got me excited about the idea again. I bought one, set it up and played with it the other day, and used it for the first time today.
They say to let it adjust to room temp for an hour and turn it on for 5 or 6 minutes before using it. I have found it likes to be turned on for at least a half hour before fluctuating if you open or close the top. Once it did, open or closed was at 0.00, before it would be 0.00 with the top up and go slightly negative with the top open. It would go back and forth if you opened and closed it. After warming up long enough it would stay at 0.00 all the time.
I don't think it is any faster than my balance beam, but it can certainly be more accurate in so far as instead of over and under on the pointer to the same amount to get an average drop, I can easily read exactly what it drops every time. No more accurate for the drops from the measure, but more accurate telling me exactly what each drop is with out adjusting the tabs on the balance beam, which I don't usually do, I just adjusted the measure until it dropped at the weight set so that over many drops the pointer will be dead on, and above and below the same amount for all drops.
The scale has been pretty much dead on with check weights and very consistent weighing charges and objects. Weigh something, leave it alone for awhile, weigh it again, and it weighs exactly the same again.
I am very happy with it.