Electronic Scales

[JTJones]

I was wondering if anyone uses a electronic scale. If so what brand and how do you like it compared to a balance beam? I was looking at the lyman xp 1000 in the t-mag II expert kit but it seems to a have quite a few bad reviews. Thank-you for your input. Also if anyone has any advise on a kit for reloading for a newbie it would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Mike Kerr]

Welcome to the High Road. I know you will probably receive numerous responses but actually there are about 6 or 7 "sticky's at the top of the reloading forums which have Many Many Many topics which will be of interest to you - including the topics you indicated.

Regards,

 

[loadedround]

Being a retired Chemical Engineer with many hours spent in a laboratory, I have to say that for the past 10 to 15 years, the electronic balance has replaced the beam balance 100% in the research, hospital, and university laboratories. Electronic balances are quicker, easier to read and use, less sensitive to the environment, and have better reproducibility. Untill recently decent electronic balances were too expensive for us reloaders, but Ohaus, Lyman, RCBS, and others make a decent balance in the 100.00+ range. A world of caution though, stay away from those cheap Chinese made balances sold on Ebay and some mail order houses, they are pure garbage!

 

[Racinbob]

After a ton of research I settled on a RCBS 750. I turn it on about an hour before using it and it's rock steady and accurate. Any combination of test weights from .5 to 60.5 is right on. I agree on the cheapies...avoid. I read about the issues with the Lyman. A friend loves his Dillon.

 

[Creature]

I'll bet that the RCBS and Dillion scales are chinese manufacture...

 

[jcwit]

A world of caution though, stay away from those cheap Chinese made balances sold on Ebay and some mail order houses, they are pure garbage!

I always question when somone makes a blanket statment such as this.

I have a $40.00 chinese electronic scale I purchased a few years ago "5 years?", works excellant, repeats perfect, gennerally a good scale without a huge cash layout. When it weights the test weights accurately time after time what more is the instrument supposed to do?

Just asking?

 

[Yarddog]

+1 jcwit. I've got a set of Frankford Arsenal Digital & work great and match the Beam scales to the .01 ; )
Y/D

 

[KBintheSLC]

I'll bet that the RCBS and Dillion scales are chinese manufacture...

I bet you are right. My RCBS Rangemaster 750 says "Made In China" on the bottom. However, being the reputable maker that RCBS is, I believe their QC is better than some nameless bargain brand. Mine does very well, is consistent, and is accurate to 1/10 grain. It wasn't cheap though at over $100

 

[Turn Key]

A world of caution though, stay away from those cheap Chinese made balances sold on Ebay and some mail order houses, they are pure garbage!

I'll 'betcha' you cannot find a digital scale not made China.

TK

 

[ranger335v]

"I was wondering if anyone uses a electronic scale."

Yeah, they are the current fad. If you want one may as well get it and get it over with but, as a retired electonix instrument tech there is no place on my loading bench for a cheap digital powder scale. All the reloading branded scales are cheap, good digitals cost several hundreds of dollars and up. And that's just for the scale, not including a digital powder dumpster.

Chemical labs, drug stores, grocery stores, etc, use some very expensive digitals and they have routine recalibration and certification schedules by trained and well equipped technicians like me maintaining them too; reloaders don't. And I don't know of any reloading scales that aren't made in China.

JC, I'm glad you got a good inexpensive digital. But not many do.

 

[viking499]

Which Ohaus models will work for reloading? Where are they made?

 

[dc.fireman]

I use the Dillon D-Terminator - and like it. I'm considering buying the PACT model (made in TEXAS), because I want to give the weighing/dispensing at the same time a try. Pact is offering them for $229 on their website right now. I'll let you know how it works. If I understand it correctly, they make RCBS' scale for them; my kid brother has one, and loves it.

-tc

 

[zxcvbob]

I just bought a digital scale today; it was on sale at Cabela's for $25. I have a Chinese kitchen/postal scale that I bought on eBay many years ago that I've been very happy with. It is surprisingly accurate and repeatable.

The new scale will be very handy for weighing bullets, black powder, empty cases, etc. It will be a long time before I trust it for measuring smokeless powder, but maybe someday. Meanwhile, I continue to use an old Herters cast iron oil-damped balance beam scales.

 

[MYREDTAIL]

Iv'e been reloading for the past 25 yrs. using a Lyman PRO 500 Beam scale with 100% reloading accuracy, & never a problem with it. Reciently I bought an electronic scale from Midway USA a Lyman also for about $99.00 on sale, but have not begun to use it as of yet, Hopefully I will get around to trying it out soon, & compare it's accuracy to my ol'e beam scale.

 

[Scrapperz]

I use the Lyman digital scale that came in the T- Mag II Kit along with the Redding Model 2 beam scale. Haven't had any complaints at all with either.

I will say I use the digital with the power cord even though it has a 9 volt battery in it.

 

[snuffy]

Sorry to burst every bodies bubble, but pact makes the RCBS 750 and dispenser, and it's AMERICAN MADE! Maybe the newer version is made in China, I don't have one. Why would I stop using my Pact/RCBS disperser that's been working fine since 1996?

After getting my 750, I checked it against my balance beam Ohaus. After getting the same answer time and again, I stopped checking. Then a set of check weights took over, it weighs them exactly what they're supposed to weigh each time!

In my set-up, the scale is RCBS green.

 

[The Bushmaster]

20+ year old RCBS Powder Pro that I purchased 20+ years ago. Just plain faster then my RCBS 5-0-5.

 

[rockhunter]

The PACT and at least one RCBS (made by PACT) are made in the US (Texas) so probably a small number are US made

 

[kludge]

Read the fine print. A 0.01g scale does not have enough resolution when converting to 0.1 grains. 0.005g resolution will do. 0.002g resolution is better. 0.001g resolution is more than you need but is more common.

Many of the brand name "reloading" scales for under $100 (I don't know about the ones over $100) have 0.01g resolution. You can bet that all of them are rebranded Chinese scales.

I'll take a no-name Chinese 0.001g scale for half the price, thank you.

My $23 (shipped) Chinese reads the same as the $1500 Ohaus (20 years ago) in my lab - to within a few thousands of a gram anyway. Which one is more accurate? I would need a $500 check weight to tell. Since I only need 0.1gr of resolution for reloading, the difference is moot.

 

[jfh]

The only comment I can add to the above is to try to buy a scale that includes a 120v current adapter--or at least buy one using larger (AAA) batteries.

My experience with the cheaper scales (I used / use three different ones so far) is that the cheaper ones tend to drift when the voltage goes down.

I think that EABCO (E.Arthur Brown) has a decent cheaper one right now--or, at least, I would trust them to at least stand behind it.

Jim H.