• If you are being asked to change your password, and unsure how to do it, follow these instructions. Click here

digital scales


I've used lesser electronic balances with much frustration, until I spent the money and bought this one a year ago, couldn't be happier!! Just like they say, "cry once". This is the outfit from where I bought mine and that's a pretty good price, I've seen them retail for $1500. It displays the weight value in seconds, it's fast, accurate and everything you'd want in a good quality Balance....
 
I used a Chargemaster for years, at about 5 years it started to throw heavy and light charges, so I double-checked using a Gempro 250 (mine works well, drifts sometimes and needs to. be zeroed). I just bought an A&D FX120i with auto trickler and auto throw - an amazing unit, I am still learning how to use it. Gempro 300 replaces the 250. Balance beams take time but are accurate and not that expensive. Electronic scales can be sensitive to powder distribution in the pan, everything can be a trade-off.
 
Things I've learned about using electronic balances.
It needs to warm up for an hour, If I'm using mine a lot like everyday, I don't turn it off .
Static drives these machines crazy, producing erratic values.
Gun powder has a natural static charge, you can't eliminate it completely but can be reduced to a minimum.
Depending where I set mine up to use:
If I'm using it in the garage on the metal bench, I have "grounded" the table. I installed a single conductor from the nearest 120 volt receptacle and tied it into the system ground, so it's now grounded with the entire electrical system of the house which is a "earth ground". If I'm using it inside the home, I set the unit on a rubber anti static mat and ground that to a outlet, the mat has a ground wire and simply attach it under the receptacle cover plate screw ( all part of the device frame and green grounding screw)
Use a anti static clothes dryer sheet and wipe down everything, scale pan, powder container, balance, etc
Carpet holds static. Ever discharge (shock) yourself touching a grounded light switch after walking on carpet..... avoid setting up your electronic balance in a carpeted area.
Using a AC filter helps sometimes
I've seen scales go nuts when on a same circuit as a microwave when it's running.
Owning a good Balance has eliminated much of the headaches, you get what you pay for..
 
Don't buy a GemPro250. Had two go down in 6 months.

I had the 250 and 300, hate them with so much passion and the customer support is inexistent I had to use words like lawyer and police to get them to replay to my emails.

From what I understand, RCBS Charge Masters are excellent. No matter what digital you get, IMHO you also need a GOOD Beam Balance (BB) to check it against.
I have Lyman DPS II with a very accurate Digital scale, but I ALWAYS check it against with an Ohaus 1010, or RCBS 5-0-5 Beam Balance. Verify Digital, them check with BB every 10 rounds.
The Digital system warms up for 30mintues, and it is also an a UPS for voltage stability and every once in a while it needs to be recalibrated.

I found my chargemaster lite to be off as much as 0.9 grains without a warning.

I use the autotrickler package, buy once cry once.
 
I went with the sartorius Entris 323 milligram scale. I cried a little with this one but I was especially tired of crying with the old gempro's I had. It got old having serious inconsistencies with them and not being able to load because my scales were off being repaired (or replaced) or not working so I am not able to load. I almost went with the A&D fx-120i or the A&D 700. But a little more research and I found that the sartorius model is the one that I thought it seems it had more accuracy and dependability. All based on the types of measuring instruments they use. From my research I found sartorius scales use slightly higher grade components. The entris 323 is the lowest cost magnetic force resolution scales available. Here is a link that helped me decide.

Here is another site that has a tremendous amount of information on it as we as has many options you may be looking for.
 
Last edited:
I, had several digital scales, I treat them like a box of eggs, they just do not seem to last. Went back to beam scales. Noooo more digital for me. They are electricionic they will fail. Beam scales do not wander, they last and last.
 

I've used lesser electronic balances with much frustration, until I spent the money and bought this one a year ago, couldn't be happier!! Just like they say, "cry once". This is the outfit from where I bought mine and that's a pretty good price, I've seen them retail for $1500. It displays the weight value in seconds, it's fast, accurate and everything you'd want in a good quality Balance....
I really wanted this one but would cost me another $400 I did not have.
 
I have always liked and still use the RCBS 5-0-5. If I were to shop for a digital scale I'd look for one that has calibration weights and is enclosed to keep any drafts from disturbing the measurement. I'd also like the factory calibration to be traceable to the NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology).
 
Last edited:
Do the initial load with RCBS Chargemaster and final work with the A&D 120i and powder trickler. I took a little extra time and perfectly matched 2 measuring cups in weight and this makes loading very quick and precise. My RCBS is good to 0.5 grains and the A&D is repeatable to 0.002 grains. Don't know if this level of accuracy is needed or not but it takes one more variable out of the equation. I run both scales through a current conditioner.
 
Do the initial load with RCBS Chargemaster and final work with the A&D 120i and powder trickler. I took a little extra time and perfectly matched 2 measuring cups in weight and this makes loading very quick and precise. My RCBS is good to 0.5 grains and the A&D is repeatable to 0.002 grains. Don't know if this level of accuracy is needed or not but it takes one more variable out of the equation. I run both scales through a current conditioner.
I certainly like the added accuracy with the higher end scales. Removing one or more variables from the equation makes it easier and give a little better peace of mind.
 
Warning! This thread is more than 5 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.
Top