Lightweight luggage scale, accurate and widely available

[backpack]

I need to start to do practice packing with weight limit so I need a scale for my luggage, Since I don't live on the hip U.S coasts, the product needs to be widely available, I can't waste money shipping back and forth.

I am very very very exited to play with my new Travel Dyneema bags.

I have brainstormed a minimalist wardrobe that matches my bags colors and can handle most weather.

[autolycus]

I recommend the Balanzza luggage scales. The mini version is even small enough to easily take with you in case you plan to buy souvenirs and want to make sure you stay within your weight limits. It is available from LL Bean among other places.

Here's their list of retailers that sell it (or others of their products): ::: Balanzza ::: Where to Buy » Retailers USA

[backpack]

I will need to take the small one and bring it with me.

I read a couple of reviews about the Balanzza which said that the batteries are hard to put in, the scale turns itself on and drains battery and sometimes the display doesn't work.

Obviously your experience differ.

[Lani]

One suggestion I would offer is to go to your local US post office. Many of them have those automated postal machines that allow you to weigh your package. When my husband and I were planning our trip to Europe and we were on a very strict weight quota for our carryon bag, we packed it with what we thought would work, then took it to the post office to get them weighed. We thought that would provide far more accuracy than the step-on weight scale we had at home.

[BPritchard]

Greate scale!!!!

I've used th following scale. Easy to use and the display is on the handle where you don't have to be a contorsionist to read the weight.
Precision Voyager Digital Luggage Scale w/ 110 lb. Capacity & SmartGrip
Amazon.com: EatSmart Precision Voyager Digital Luggage Scale w/ 110 lb. Capacity & SmartGrip: Health & Personal Care

[autolycus]

I will need to take the small one and bring it with me.

I read a couple of reviews about the Balanzza which said that the batteries are hard to put in, the scale turns itself on and drains battery and sometimes the display doesn't work.

Obviously your experience differ.

I haven't had those problems, but I don't travel by air a ton, so I may have just been lucky.

This is going to be a bit of an out there suggestion, but have you tried looking at a sporting goods stores (or sporting goods section of Walmart, Target, etc.) for a small fishing scale? Many of them are still being made without any batteries, just a spring.

[daisy]

I have one of these which I've been happy with
Salter luggage scale

I lugged it all over europe for 8 weeks in 2011 and I may have used it once .. to check my carry-on before the flight out, or maybe not.(we only flew in/out -- all boats/trains/cars once we were in europe, so weight wasn't that critical for most travel)

[backpack]

It seems that the Eat Smart is the U.S version of the Salter, so far two great reviews and I found a local retailer!

Keep the suggestions coming, because the smart minds of Tom Bihn forum users are always great at providing a nice brain storming.

[ceb]

I know that we all love our electronic gizmos - but...

I use a Samsonite analog model that I bought on sale at ebags a few years ago. It is very accurate and uses no batteries. You set the black hand to zero and then you lift the bag by the handle on the scale. You put the bag back down and then you look at where the black hand is pointing. That's how much your bag weighs.

It doesn't have an alarm clock, built in radio nor does it make you coffee or give you the weight of your bag to a tenth of a gram, but it gives you a good accurate reading. Batteries won't leak or run down.

Now, how accurate is it? From my testing with a variety of products with a known weight, I have found it to be accurate to less than a half pound off for a 50 lb suitcase. Dead on for a 10lb bag of sugar and just a hair off for the 25lb bag. It is certainly more accurate than the scales at airports which are notoriously wrong - always in favor of the airline. I've argued with them successfully by pulling out my scale and showing them - asking them to use another scale.

[TavaPeak]

Used a Balanzza scale (from REI? Target?) when we packed checked bags to go to Uganda. We were carrying conference and humanitarian supplies--a 50 lb limit per bag. At Ethiopian Air, the bags were weighed. Bag #1: 49.8 lbs. Bag #2 50.0 lbs. Score!

The Balanzza scale was big and bulky, and had a built-in flashlight, which wasn't used on the trip. I'd probably replace the scale with a smaller one. However, several folks have borrowed it for trips to Ecuador, Indonesia, etc.

[tangfj]

Ebags makes a good scale that I've used in the past.

It's cheap and works!

http://www.ebags.com/product/ebags/g...e-scale/222176

[tangfj]

I have the eBags gripscale that I've used with a lot of success. It's lightweight and easily packable which is nice...

eBags GripScale Digital Luggage Scale | Seen on Good Morning America - eBags.com

[Anniegill]

It seems that the Eat Smart is the U.S version of the Salter, so far two great reviews and I found a local retailer!

Keep the suggestions coming, because the smart minds of Tom Bihn forum users are always great at providing a nice brain storming.

Sure seems like a silly name for a scale that weighs a bag, the "eat smart scale"! None-the-less I ordered one and weighed my new Aeronaut, it weighs 3.3 #, it has something in it. So it's very easy to use, pretty accurate and packable. I recommend it.

[Edwin]

Why not you use any hanging scale because they are cheap and also provide you almost accurate results for your measurement. I have bought one last month in $15 and i think its enough for small measurement that i need. I buy that from ebay.

[ChrisG]

I have an older version of the Balanzza that we bought back in 2004 before we went to Australia and it's worked well for us over the years. It seems to be very accurate when compared to most of the airlines' counter scales, and its small and light enough to bring along to check the return trip weight. I'm sure I've probably had to replace the batteries sometime in the past 10 years, but I can't remember having any problems in that regard.

I had a spring scale before the digital one, but never liked it. Even though it had the indicator arrow that would show the weight after you set it down, it didn't seem reliable and seemed like the indicator would "rebound" sometimes once the weight was removed. The digital does a much better job of showing the weight after you set the luggage back down IMO.