UK Kitchen Scales (again) :(

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Land_Rocket
Land_Rocket Posts: 35 Member
edited April 2015 in Health and Weight Loss
OK, I like to be meticulous about weighing everything as it really is the only thing that works for me with my mobility issues.

Yet again, I'm unhappy with my current kitchen scales (food weighing scales), so I'm looking to invest in replacements again.

Criteria:
Cost not an issue for the right ones. I've paid £50 before and they've been rubbish, so will spend a decent amount for the right product.
Accurate & reliable. Again, I want something that will last, but that's no good if they aren't weighing correctly.

Prefer: not to use Button cell batteries. Never seem to have them when they go flat, but always have AA/AAA lying around.

Need to able to order in the UK.

Please, wanting your suggestions. I did try googling but get so many mixed reviews, and I'm fed up buying replacements.

Thanks in advance.
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Replies

  • Land_Rocket
    Land_Rocket Posts: 35 Member
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    (bump) as got no replies yet..

    Surely somebody must have some positive advice? Or are they all really that rubbish?? :neutral:
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    Mine are Anthony Worrall Thompson scales from Wilkos, they were £14.99 I think and they work fine, I've had them 3-4 years if not longer.
  • isulo_kura
    isulo_kura Posts: 818 Member
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    I always use salter ones they're reliable and do the job they start from £10 to well whatever, my ones at present were around £15 a couple of years back. The only reason my other ones died after 10 years was I left them on the hob and they melted. You'll struggle to find ones without button batteries though but mine always last a year and I pick up a replacement easy in local Tesco easy enough. Just make sure you have one in stock. Salter scales are everywhere from Amazon to most shops
  • alyhuggan
    alyhuggan Posts: 717 Member
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    I used these when living with my parents
    234 5 stars and 25 4 stars
    9 voted 3 stars or below

    It served me well!

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Smart-Weigh-Professional-Tempered-Platform/dp/B00FJFJDGS/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1428177689&sr=8-10&keywords=kitchen+scales
  • Chrysalid2014
    Chrysalid2014 Posts: 1,038 Member
    edited April 2015
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    I'd second the comment about Salter scales. I got mine at Argos (so you could order them for delivery) and they have a ten year guarantee. My first set stopped working after around 7 years and I took them back to Argos with the receipt and they gave me a new set no questions asked, PLUS a refund of a few quid as the price had dropped slightly in that time!

    p.s. just had a look in the catalogue on the website and it looks like you can get the updated version of the ones I've got, but these ones have a 15 year guarantee and take a AAA battery, so even better:
    http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/1017889.htm#pdpFullProductInformation
  • jmaidan
    jmaidan Posts: 93 Member
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    I bought some of asda's own brand for 10 quid, they are accurate, take up to 10kg and use AAA batteries.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    Salter

    And buy batteries
  • ILoveGingerNut
    ILoveGingerNut Posts: 367 Member
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    never heard of unreliable scales... what's wrong with them? my mum had the same one for.. dunno.. 30+ years?? i bought mine with my ocado shopping. so far so good.
  • NobodyPutsAmyInTheCorner
    NobodyPutsAmyInTheCorner Posts: 1,018 Member
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    I have Salter scales. Absolutely Bob on.
  • Land_Rocket
    Land_Rocket Posts: 35 Member
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    Well, I have the Salter MaxView ones at the moment, currently £24.99 in Argos. Unfortunately, arthritis decided that it wanted me to drop them, so the top is now cracked. Also I found that depending on which kitchen worktop and where they are, the weight they tell me varies! So I'm not really very happy that I'm getting the correct results.

    I like the big display on the Salter ones, but when you look around, there's reviews on Ozeri scales, and OXO scales... but I'm not sure how "in-date" they are, so I thought it was time to ask the faithful MFP'ers...

    At the end of the day, I would imagine that the vast majority of MFPers believe in the CICO concept, and therefore would be able to give me up-to-date info...

    The first Amazon review I came to on the Smart Weigh scales say about metal bowls affecting them... is this something you've come across?

    My partner also being mobility restricted and having limited space on kitchen worktops, we find that we have to "drag" the scales forward to use them, and this does wear down the rubber feet if it has them, which also seems to affect the weighing capability.

    I can get button cell batteries, but if you buy them from the pound shop they last 10 minutes, and my nearest place in emergency would be halfords and I think they were about £6 each!

    Like they keep saying, it's not a diet, it's a lifestyle change, so I envisage using scales regularly for the rest of my life. I therefore regard them as an essential piece of equipment.
  • Land_Rocket
    Land_Rocket Posts: 35 Member
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    Well, I bought a set of Tanita ones from Amazon for £25, and already they are going in the cupboard to never see light again.

    They have "micro mode" which allows them to weigh in 0.1g increments, but they are sooo slow to switch on, and it seems to take forever to update when you add to the weight. So you tend to shoot past the wanted weight before they've updated. Absolute rubbish, but I noticed the same ones are in Argos for £35!

    So, on to my next set... I have bought a set of Ozeri Touch because I've read they are supposed to be very good for accuracy... the only thing is that they run on those CR2032 button batteries (argh) - so I will just have to make sure I've got a few spare batteries just in case. I also won a set of Nutriplus scales on eBay for £0.01- will be interesting to see if they are accurate at all since really they just seem like an iPhone toy.

    I've already got my eyes on a set of My Weigh iBalance scales if this doesn't work out.... with AC adapter, so no more batteries!!!!!
  • bolty17
    bolty17 Posts: 7 Member
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    Ive just bought Heston Blumenthal ones from amazon. My criteria was a plate must not obsure display when i weigh and not cell buttons as my old ones kept popping out. These take aaa's. They are stunningly beautiful but bit pricey at £49.99. I bought them after a recommendation.
  • KayleighIsGoingFatToFit
    KayleighIsGoingFatToFit Posts: 203 Member
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    I have the Salter Diet Scale, its a small one but works great and very accurate :smile: plus it has a a lid for the tub.
    They are cheap too: http://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/?id=253900377
  • Land_Rocket
    Land_Rocket Posts: 35 Member
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    bolty, are they the dual platform ones? I was unable to find any reviews of them, and knowing my luck with Salter, decided to give them a miss. Apparantly, a 5p coin should weigh 3.25g(!) so I have a stack of 20x5p coins now that I am using to test accuracy. I really hate the fact that a lot of these scales start giving false readings once they've been pulled across the worktop.

    I just feel that if you're going to weigh stuff, what's the point in weighing it if you're not getting a true result? I have found that because of my immobility, I have to be extremely careful about how much I can eat without gaining weight so it can make a big difference :(
  • Land_Rocket
    Land_Rocket Posts: 35 Member
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    Also Kayleigh, thanks for the input, but mechanical scales are out of the equation for me. Depending on what angle you look at them you seem to get different readings, and being that I'm actually sat level with my worktops, I find that I get all manner of different results.

    So, got to opt for digital.. but thank you anyway, appreciated :)
  • jeneveg
    jeneveg Posts: 57 Member
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    I have these Salter scales and they take AAA batteries. http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/household-appliances/cooking/utensils-gadgets/salter-black-glass-digital-kitchen-scales-21913641-pdt.html?gclid=COzwusL57sQCFernwgodmasAGA&srcid=198&cmpid=ppc~gg~~~Exact&mctag=gg_goog_7904&s_kwcid=AL!3391!3!55105100604!!!g!99683609844!&ef_id=@jVO@jQjuhMAAI4m:20150411190741:s
  • tdubya22
    tdubya22 Posts: 1 Member
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    These have been fantastic for me... and a great price too.

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Salter-Stainless-1035-SSBKDR-Electronic/dp/B00140VYBE/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1428779471&sr=8-2&keywords=salter+kitchen+scales

    You mention cell batteries - I have not had to change these in the three years I have owned them.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,925 Member
    edited April 2015
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    Land_Rocket wrote: »
    I really hate the fact that a lot of these scales start giving false readings once they've been pulled across the worktop.(

    Get a scale that zeros when you press a button. Any scale if placed on a location with give (or if the top is not even) will give incorrect readings...
  • Land_Rocket
    Land_Rocket Posts: 35 Member
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    Sorry, yes they are at zero before I weigh. So, starting from zero, their position in the kitchen can cause the readout to change.

    The thing is that the scales are higher than my eye level, which is why I'm wondering whether I should get some scales where the display is vertically flat or removable like the OXO scales?
  • bolty17
    bolty17 Posts: 7 Member
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    Yes they are dual platform . here's the reviews.

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00DW419G0/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1428782685&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX200_QL40&keywords=heston+blumenthal+scales&dpPl=1&dpID=41zdJqu2KXL&ref=plSrch

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