Is this digital scale suitable for powder measurement ?

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Just make sure you can return it. My experience with 'budget' digital scales is that they don't hold zero and can't be relied upon to give you an accurate weight repeatedly. My beam scale suffers no such shortcomings.
 
It depends on how you use them. What the above poster says is correct but these scales still have their uses. They work great for weighing bullets, or setting up or double checking a powder measure or even verifying you didn't put a weight on your balance scale 5 grains the wrong way. The zero wanders too much for repeated measurements but they're great for spot measurments like I mentioned.

Ebay sells similar scales for the same $$$ that will weigh in grains, buy one of those. I wouldn't recommend doing conversions as the math is one more item to get wrong
 
Drill down to the product manual and you find a resolution of 0.1 grams or 1.54 grains, 0.01oz or 4.38 grains. Even if you accept the metric value, that is hardly useful for reloading even if accurate.

Edit to add: the troy conversion, 4.80 grains and the pennyweight conversion, 2.4 grains don't help.
 
I would stay away from it. Buy a mechanical scale that is made for powder if you can't afford a decent electric one. They are made to measure grains unlike the one at Harbour Freight. If you are on a budget look at a Lee mechanical. The fingers you save may be your own!
 
I'd have to say no. You're going to need as precise a scale as possible and you don't want to add another step where an error can happen. You'd be better off with a mechanical scale if the price of the electronic one is too high. And try to get one with a dust cover.
 
When differences as small as 1/10th grain can affect accuracy and or pressure (saftey) in the reloading process. I would not trust having to do mathematical conversions to get the charge weight.

A very accurate and safe analog scale is available from Lee precision for less than 20$. But if you inclination still leans toward digital go with one of the other that will weigh in grains!
 
Did anyone read the specifications on that scale? Nowhere I did see where it would weigh "GRAINS". Grams, ounces, troy ounces and pennyweight. But no grains. The answer would be a resounding NO!!!

Spend some money and get a powder scale. One designed for that purpose. Don't shortcut this important tool...
 
"Is this digital scale suitable for powder measurement ?"

No. I have it but ue it for other measurements. It's useful for some things but isn't nearly sensitive enough for powder. Or bullets. Or cases. Nothing for reloading in fact.
 
I've used a Durascale 50 for a few years and been satisfied with it ... resolution is .01 grams which is .15 grains...not ideal but adequate as a double check on the balance. You can find them all over the net for around $55 - 60 with a single checkweight included. One example is:
http://www.oldwillknottscales.com/my-weigh-durascale-50.aspx

The Durascale line seems to have become a bit dated, as are their prices. I ordered an American Weigh Gemini-20 which claims .001 gram accuracy. That would be .015 grains. The MSRP is around $100 on those but you can find them on e-bay or around the net for $40 - 50. Max load on this higher precision unit is 308 grains. Manufacturer's specs are here:
http://www.americanweigh.com/product_info.php?cPath=60&products_id=580

It's on the brown truck right now so I should know in a day or 2 whether that's a good investment. The Durascale has been surprisingly durable and consistent w a set of checkweights. The American Weigh comes w a 10 yr warranty.
/Bryan
 
although i've done well for 20+ years with just a dillon beam, when i have enough cabelas points to halve the price of a rcbs 750, i will buy it. its a want, not a need
 
I've used the same Ohaus beam scale for more than 40 years. A good one is very inexpensive and lasts forever if you don't abuse it.

I have a $20 digital that is accurate down to 0.03 grains. It is made for gems, and it's the same as the digital scales they sell for reloading but a whole lot less expensive.

I use both scales, but for different purposes. The beam scale is actually more convenient and reliable, especially for weighing each charge individually, but the digital has its shining moments.
 
.03 GRAINS for $20 ??? In that price range I'd expect .03 grams. A lot of vendors just list 'gr' and leave it up to the buyer to figure out whehter they're referring to grams or grains.
/B
 
I would NOT get one that does not read out in grains.One mistake in math could possibly be your last.

However...
my buddy has a 20.00 eclectronic that we use along with our beam scales just becasuse he has it,and it is ALWAYS nuts- on with the beams.I think these scales get a bad rap because of low price.Why not ask 'the big boys' why theire are so high priced ???
 
Why not ask 'the big boys' why theire are so high priced ???
Click to expand...
I think its the little brass pan to hold the powder, the cool logo and color coordination to your other reloading equipment. OR it could be that their market is for reloaders who want a sturdy and accurate bench top scale rather than mostly to junkies and pot heads who want something portable to weigh their drugs.
 
Yep, the delicate mechanism would be more appealing if it were encased in a sturdy block of aluminum or iron but, it wouldn't be any more accurate. In my experience, there's no justification for the prices charged by 'brand name' reloading firms for their electronic scales and calipers, other than people seem willing to pay it. The same or better quality is available less expensively from multiple sources that just don't have the cachet of a name brand (Dillon, RCBS, etc.) among reloaders.

Anyway, I got the American Weigh Gemini-20 discussed above. It's typical for the genre ... feels light and flimsy. However, it also appears to be dead on accurate and repeatable to 2 decimal places (in grains) ... To minimize the chance of accidentally knocking it across the room, I'll probably mount it into a recess in a block of wood ... of course, then I'll have to decide whether to paint it blue, green, red ...

At $43.98 delivered, it beats hell out of fooling w a balance. Further test results when I get a chance to bring home some standard weights from the office.
/B
 
That's a reasonable price but not in the same accuracy category as the one I discussed above ... The Midway model is advertised as "displays to 1/10th" - doesn't say it's accurate to 1/10th. It's not unusual for the least significant digit on these scales to be mostly random variation.

The $40 one I referenced above (and I assume others must exist from competitors), displays to 3 decimal places in grains (that's thousandths) and is advertised as accurate to .02 - ie. 1/50th of a grain.

I'll know if it can achieve those numbers when I get time to run some calibration weights.
/B
 
I have the Midway one mentioned- it times out way too quick for me. If you pause for just a moment the stupid thing turns off.....
 
Hummm...I can see that when my RCBS Powder Pro gives up the ghost (It's at least 20 years old) I might be in trouble. Sooo many choices out there...(And it's a "name brand":D).
 
How about $32 bucks
Click to expand...

Heh, that was one of the digitals I tried and returned. Glad Midway had such a (you should pardon the expression) liberal return policy.
 
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