The Best Digital Scales of 2023

best Digital scales

Looking for great digital scales? Well, you’ve come to the right place. Jewelry scales, bathroom scales, kitchen scales, floor scales, digital scales, postage scales, physician scales, balance beam scales, lab scales…we’ve reviewed them all so you can easily find the one you need.

Whether you’re weighing yourself for health purposes, weighing gold, diamonds, or other precious metals, or trying to calculate shipping costs, we’ll cover the most precise and accurate scale that meets your needs.


Digital Scales


Small Digital Scales

Digital Pocket Scales: These are small general-use digital scales used to weigh everything from jewelry, letters, and food ingredients, to ahem…medicine. They are usually battery-powered and come in many shapes, sizes, capacities, and accuracy levels. Be careful to pick the one that has the right level of capacity and accuracy for your needs.

There is nothing more annoying than trying to measure out 500g of flour for a recipe on a pocket scale with a capacity of 50 grams.


AMIR Brifit Digital Pocket Scale

amir brifit best digital pocket scale

Design: It’s a compact, durable, and sturdy model with great reviews. It has a smooth design with an LED light that displays easy-to-read measurements and big responsive buttons.

Features: The Scale includes a calibration weight to ensure you always get an accurate measurement. If you need to measure items down to the milligram level, this digital scale is for you. Great for jewelry, tea, food, CBD, and many other applications.

 Pros 

  • High-Accuracy
  • Multiple Units
  • Backlit LCD
  • Tare Function
  • Included calibration weight
  • Portable and Lightweight

 Cons 

  • Plastic construction
  • It can be inaccurate at lower measurements

Specifications

Capacity200 grams
7 oz
Accuracy0.01 grams
0.00035 Ounces
FunctionsTare function, calibration weight, backlit LCD
Supported UnitsG, OZ, OZT, DWT, GN, CT
Power2xAAA Battery Powered

*Paid Links


AMIR Digital Kitchen Scale

AMIR DIgital Kitchen Scale, 500g ).01g Mini Pocket Jewelry Scale

If you are searching for a general-use digital scale for the kitchen, hobbies, measuring tea, medications, or numerous other needs where you want a scale that is quite accurate but also has a decent capacity then this is perfect for you.

Design: It has a great simple design that looks good and is very functional at the same time. With its nice clear cover doubling as a weighing tray for loose materials this digital scale is perfect for so many different purposes we can’t list them all here.

Features: This scale is a great balance between being accurate it will measure down to 0.01g but it is still able to measure up to 500g or 17 ounces so it can be used in the kitchen for measuring most things. If you want a digital scale that measures larger amounts than this one here are the best kitchen scales.

One added little bonus for this one is that it comes in multiple different colors so you can get the one that you like the look of too. Not something that you will find on many other digital scales.

 Pros 

  • Metal body for strength and looks great
  • Includes a large tray for loose items
  • Battery-powered
  • Very portable
  • Great balance of capacity and accuracy

 Cons 

  • No calibration weights or calibration function
  • Max 500g

Specifications

Capacity500 grams / 17 oz
Accuracy0.01 grams
0.00035 Ounces
FunctionsTare function, measurement tray, backlit LCD
Supported UnitsG, OZ, OZT, DWT, GN, CT
Power2xAAA Battery Powered

*Paid Links


KOIOS Waterproof USB Rechargeable Digital Scale

KOIOS digital Kitchen scale USB Rechargeable

Of all the digital kitchen scales we have seen online this one really does come in as one of the best. It has a couple of features that make it perfect for any kitchen just because of its ease of use, simple operation, and the fact that it doesn’t need batteries.

This kitchen scale really does have all that you are looking for it can measure up to 5kgs so unless you are literally feeding an army it is enough for even quite large meals without any problems at all. It also does this while remaining accurate down to a single gram, so no matter what it is you are cooking from a huge pot of spaghetti down to measuring out some flour and sugar for a single mug of cake this scale will do it all.

Now for the best parts, firstly it’s waterproof, so cleaning is super easy. we would not suggest putting this in the dishwasher or running it underwater but it has no problems being wiped down with a damp cloth. this is awesome when working in a kitchen because anyone who spends any time in a kitchen knows that mess is unavoidable and having things easy to clean is a godsend for saving time.

The second great feature of this scale is the fact that it has an internal rechargeable battery, and you recharge it simply by connecting it via USB. this is awesome for so many reasons, you can find a charger anywhere first off. secondly, you never need to buy batteries for it. Really I don’t understand why all portable digital scales these days don’t operate in the same way.

 Pros 

  • Waterproof for easy cleaning
  • Rechargeable battery
  • USB charging
  • 5kg capacity with 1g accuracy
  • Black glass with touch controls is awesome

 Cons 

  • For a kitchen, we can find any…

Specifications

Capacity5 kg / 11 lb
Accuracy0.1 grams
FunctionsUSB rechargeable battery
Supported Unitsg/ml/ml (milk)
oz/fl’ oz/fl’ oz (milk)
PowerUSB rechargable battery

*Paid Links


Best Digital Jewelry Scales

Need to measure precious metals such as gold, rubies, and diamonds? These scales are precise down the 0.01-milligram level so when every oz, milligram, or carat can mean the difference between hundreds of dollars, you’ll want to employ one of these.

Smart Weigh Premium Digital Milligram Scale

digital scale

Need to determine the exact value of a stone? We think this will do the job perfectly for almost all jewelers.

While this is a general-use digital milligram scale it is perfect for jewelry, it has all the accuracy you need, it’s portable, has enough capacity to do the job, and has all the accessories that you could want. we love the premium look of the screen and the scale itself. With its satin black finish and stainless steel weight tray, it will look perfect in a professional jeweler’s workshop.

It also includes all the calibration weights you will need to keep the accuracy spot on, as well as the measurement trays and tweezers for small gems.

Be sure to read our full review of the best jewelry scales here

Specifications

Capacity50 grams / 1.7 oz
Accuracy0.001 grams
FunctionsTare + calibration weights, 3 measurement trays, Inverted LCD
Supported Unitsg, oz., ct., ozt., dwt and gn
Power4xAAA Batteries

*Paid Links


Best Doctor Scales

These are the kind you see at the doctor’s office. There’s a platform on the floor that the person steps on and a long vertical beam with a horizontal balance beam attached to the top of it marked in the pound and/or kilogram weights that are measured with a sliding weight.

Health-O-Meter Digital Medical Scale

digital medical scale

Health-o-meter has put together a great digital medical scale here, one of the best in our opinion. Good quality product and for the doctor who wants something modern that is very functional then this is the way to go.

With its ability to read height and body weight, it allows for multiple measurements to be taken quickly and easily. While also including inbuilt BMI calculation. This allows the doctor to save time taking measurements.

With the included USB port the unit can be quickly and easily connected to a computer for importing measurements directly into medical software making the process even easier and faster.

It features a very easy-to-read display at eye height and all the controls are easy to reach right next to the display. It is powered either directly with an AC adapter or if you wish you can use AA batteries in the case of a power outage.

The Health-O-Meter Digital Medical scale is the number 1 choice for doctors and will not disappoint with its high quality and ease of use.

Specifications

Capacity220 kgs / 500 lb
Accuracy0.1 kg / 0.2 lb
FunctionsEasy to read LCD, height and BMI measurements, USB connection
Supported Unitslb, kg
Power6xAA Batteries or AC adapter

*Paid Links


Scientific Scales

Analytical Balance Scale: These are the most precise scales that you can buy when you need to measure a really small mass amount down to the sub-mg level.

Typically, only scientists need this level of precision, hence the hefty price tag that most lab balance scales carry.

We won’t go into great detail but at a high level, a glass enclosure/ draft shield is used to keep air currents from affecting measurement, which is done at room temperature after much calibration.

Best Lab Balance Scale: Torbal AGZN120 Analytical Balance

Torabl agzn120 analytical balance

It offers extreme accuracy at an affordable price. When we say extreme accuracy, we mean precision down to the 0.0001-gram level. If you need more than that, you probably don’t need us to tell you which model to get.

It has a clear chamber that allows one to see inside the case, an easy-to-read display with a number of programmable buttons for mass and density measurements, and features that enable conversion to carats, grams, and pounds. Be sure to see our full list of Lab Scales.

Specifications

Capacity120 grams / 4.2 oz
Accuracy0.0001 grams
FunctionsPC conneciton via USB + RS232, Draft shield, 8 weighing modes
Supported Unitsg, ct, lb
PowerAC power adapter

*Paid Links


Scale Terminology and Definitions

A balance scale measures an object’s mass. It does this by taking the known weight of an object and comparing it to the other object, whose weight is unknown of course. A weighing scale (whether analog or electronic) measures the weight of an object.

It takes gravity into account and could even differ slightly based on your location this is why most digital scales have a tare function to zero the scale when it’s turned on. This is also why, for more accurate scales, it’s very important to calibrate them. Because gravity, where you are, could be different from where the scales were built.

What is the difference between Mass and Weight?

What is Mass

Is a measurement of the amount of material an object has, or how resistant it is to being moved, its inertia.

This is what a digital scale displays when you place an object on it to be measured. But a scale is actually measuring the force the object is

What is Weight

Is a measurement of the force between two objects due to gravity.

The formula for calculating weight is: W = mg

or, Weight = Mass x Acceleration due to gravity

This is what a scale actually measures, but is then converted to a measurement of mass and this is what you see on the display.

For example, a digital scale that is supposed to work on Earth would not show your correct mass on the moon. This is because the moon only has 16% of the gravity of Earth.

This means that the scale would read a small force between you and the moon and would not be correct. You would need a special scale calibrated for the gravity of the moon for it to work properly.

Unless you’re a scientist for all intents and purposes, you’re going to want the object’s weight, which is what’s commonly used.

You often see balances used as scales for measuring the weight of an object these days. Basically, a balance is used to refer to a scale that has greater precision than a traditional scale.


Calibration

Second, calibrate the scale. What does calibration mean? It just means that the scale should read 0 whenever there is no weight placed on it. If it’s either below or above 0, you need to re-calibrate the scale.

Many digital scales are shipped pre-calibrated right out of the box. Regardless, you’ll often want to keep a small calibration weight handy in order to ensure your scale is consistently accurate and precise.

digital scale smart weigh

How to determine the digital scale that’s right for you?

First off, what are you weighing? How much precision do you need? Generally speaking, the more weight that a scale can accommodate, the less precise and granular it will be.

Analog vs. Digital Scales

Digital scales, which run mostly run on batteries or electricity, use electrical resistance to determine an object’s weight. They are generally more accurate than analog scales.

However, analog scales, such as physician scales found in many doctors ‘ offices may be more reliable and less likely to break since they have fewer working parts.

Capacity vs. Precision of a Digital Scale

When looking for a digital scale there are two factors that you will need to think about the get the scale that is fit for your purpose. The capacity and precision of a scale work against each other in scales and you need to find the right balance between them to select the correct scales.

▲Increase Capacity▲ / ▼Decrease Precision▼

For example, a scale that is capable of measuring a truck may only have an accuracy that goes down to the kg or lb, or even 10kg or 10lb. This is not an issue when you are weighing something that is in the 10’s of tonnes.

But you would not be able to use the same scale for measuring yourself or ingredients for dinner as it would be wildly inaccurate for the size you are trying to measure.

▼Decrease Capacity▼ / ▲Increase Precision▲

Alternatively, if you are trying to measure the correct dose of medication for someone then you will need to have an incredibly accurate scale for this. This also means that the overall capacity of the scale will be very small to allow the scale to be measured very precisely.

Similarly, you would not measure yourself on a scale like this.

Analytical Balances like this are extremely sensitive and need regular calibration and other changes to ensure they remain accurate to the required level.

This is why it’s very important to know 2 things when you go to buy a digital scale.

  1. Is the maximum mass of the objects that you will be measuring?
    This is so that you can buy digital scales that can measure the maximum weight of the object you will be producing.
  2. What precision do you need to measure?
    This is very important to know how precise your measurements need to be. It can be to mix ingredients correctly or to meet regulations that require certain precisions in measurements.
Spirit digital pro scale

Once you know these two things you may be able to simply find the scales that suit your needs. It’s also possible that you will need several scales for a production line, for example. You may have a company producing bags of nuts.

Firstly you will need a scale to measure each bag of nuts. Each bag is 100g and you need it to an accuracy of 0.1g.

Then you need a scale to measure each box of nuts. Each box is 40 bags, at 100g so that’s 4kg and it needs to be measured to an accuracy of 10g.

Finally, you may also need a scale for a pallet of nuts so you can load the truck correctly for delivery. Each pallet contains 480 boxes of nuts at a weight of 4kgs each. So you need a pallet scale capable of 1920kgs with an accuracy of 1kg.

Why Are Digital Scales Better?

The modern invention of digital scales has changed the world. Digital Scales are so easy and fast to use that they are found everywhere now. This has allowed us to control our weight, have better control over our food and so many other areas of our lives.

While mechanical scales will still work there are many reasons why digital scales are superior and unless you are a doctor who loves the traditional ways of your old mechanical body scale there really is no reason you should use mechanical over digital.

Accuracy

Firstly digital scales are generally more accurate than mechanical ones. This is especially true for bathroom and kitchen scales that tend to drift over time and are also harder to read from.

Reliability

Because digital scales reset and zero themselves every time you use them they remain more accurate over time.

Mechanical scales have various problems like metal fatigue, bending, and other problems that cause them to get more inaccurate over time.

Durability

While mechanical scales can be quite durable they are nothing on a digital scale. This is because there are very few moving parts in a digital scale generally less than 10. Compared to possibly more than 100 for a mechanical scale.

Readability

Mechanical scales can be difficult to read at the best of times. Using a needle to show the weight can introduce errors just from how you look at it.

This is all fixed with a digital scale as it simply displays the reading on a simple-to-view digital display. Some even have backlights to make it easier. So there is simply no way a measurement can be misread.

Features

Mechanical scales are very limited when it comes to features. Usually, there are none at all anyway.

Whereas digital scales have many different features that you will find on different models. Including the ability to connect it to a computer, Bluetooth connectivity, BMI and body fat Calculations, simple and fast unit conversion, and many many more features specific to your application.

We hope this helps you choose the correct scales for your purpose.