EatSmart Precision Pro Digital Kitchen Scale, Black Chrome

NOV 9 2015 EDIT:Both scales are still working fine, and are used regularly. I called the giftee, and there are no problems. I see that Ozeri has another similar scale with a larger surface and a wider front, with buttons on the side. So, upon reflection and unreported originally, I find the narrow front makes it very easy to grip and place upon the cabinet shelf (on seldom used serving dishes). Further, I suspect that the bigger the scale gets the more annoying will be the problem of storage. The original tape I place over the readout is still intact and clear, and, I like the larger size of the buttons on this model compered with the newer one. My recommendation: get this one, now priced from $12 to $15!___________________________________________________________________Original:1. The EatSmart Precision Pro Digital at $25 (12/11) and the Ozeri Pro Digital at under $20 (12/11) scales are IDENTICAL. I have both, having had the Eatsmart for at least three years, and the Ozari I bought as a gift and tested it. One is black with a chrome-finish platform. The other is silver with a chrome-finish platform. The black body looks as if it is black plastic throughout; the silver body finish might possibly have been painted or otherwise applied (It's description says Elegant Chrome, but just the platform and buttons have a chromed finish.) Personally, I prefer the black, available in both brands.2. The readout is large; you don't need glasses. It is not backlit and is a problem only in a dimly lit room--solved by turning a light on.3. The clear plastic covering the LED readouts is recessed slightly from the body of the scales. Flour, spices, and liquids could get on the clear cover and in the corners, creating an annoyance and the necessity of occasionally cleaning the recessed edges. The solution I found was to put a strip of clear packing tape over the whole lens area, flush with the scale body and not pushing the tape down onto the clear plastic. Cleaning is now a simple wipe.3. The auto-turn-off period after registering a weight or momentarily tapping the weighing platform was within seconds of the three minutes specified, and differed between scales only slightly. This lag between registering a weight and auto turnoff is extremely important; do not buy any scale that does not have such a lag or does not specify a similar or longer lag time!4. For light weights and for a five pound weight they each gave the same accurate results. A nickel (US) is 5 grams even, and can be used as a test of your sample's accuracy, Use one, then use ten, for 5 and 50 grams, and more if you wish. Regardless of WHERE on the platform I placed a stack of ten nickels, the weight registered the same for both scales.5. Contrary to one popular review of the Ozeri: a) The scale in fact turns off very easily: CLICK THE TARE BUTTON ONCE TO GET THE SCALE TO READ ZERO, THEN CLICK IT AGAIN TO TURN IT OFF! I confess it took me a month or so of using the scale before that pattern occurred to me. b) Treat the scale reasonably and it will last a long time. My Eatsmart version is still going strong.6. The 5 1/8" diameter platform is sufficient for most uses, but when using a dinner plate to expand the platform size (taring out the plate's weight) I have to lower my head somewhat to "get at" the reading, because the edge of the plate hides the readout, preventing a reading from directly overhead. A larger diameter platform scale at times would be nice, but such would present a problem for convenient cabinet storage. Using a bowl instead of a dinner plate makes the readout easier for large volumes or weights.7. The scales measure grams in one gram units, i.e. 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. It measures ounces in units of .05 ounce (1/20 oz.), i.e. .05, 1.0, .15, .20 etc. Pounds are measured in units of .002 pounds. This is as much precision as you could possibly need in a kitchen.8. The scales work fine with rechargeable batteries. Battery life is reasonable, regardless of the type of AAA battery you use.9. Both scales came with a book of calorie equivalents.10. I appreciate the large buttons and the reassuring audible click when they are depressed. Small point, perhaps, but that's how I feel about them.11. Just the platform and buttons have a chromed finish on plastic. The "chrome" is not hard metal, though the pictures might lead one to think it is.Things I've learned that you may find useful, though not relevant to any particular scale:Using a scale guarantees me a consistent cup of coffee. Measuring coffee by volume can be deceptive, depending on the type of grind and type of roast. If kids argue over who is getting the bigger portions of a particular dish, give 'em the scale and let THEM adjust the quantities for "fairness"!* I've found that standardizing on a cup of flour of 4.8 oz works best with most recipes. If you measure by the level cup, you'll find that a "cup" can equal from 4.3 to as much as 5.4 ounces. 2 grams of loose tea equates with most teabags and the cruder measure of one teaspoon, commonly suggested for one to two cups of tea.*OR, let the complaining child divvy up the food in equal portions, but the non-complainers get to pick before the complainer!

This is a very good scale for the price! It is very accurate and gives the same measurements repeatedly for the same weights. Only complaint is that it is a bit cheap feeling. It is entirely made of plastic. The buttons have a loud clicking sound when you press them down and the text on the buttons starts to wear off quickly. Aside from the cheap feeling, the scale works great and I will continue to use it!!

The problem I have with this product is that there are times when it is sitting on the table and the numbers randomly change; even though nothing is touching it or near it. When it is not malfunctioning it works great. It has the option to change from grams, oz, lbs and more. I got this primarily to measure solutes, and solvents for my lotions. After only using it twice for that person, I decided to use it to measure food. Unfortunately, I have only used it for 3 weeks and it is already been malfunctioning. If this item did not malfunction it would get 5 stars, since it is exactly what I wanted.************************************REVISION***********************************************************************************The company provided me with another EatSmart Precision Pro Digital Kitchen Scale. I am very happy with it. The units do not change on the one that I have. I have been using it for over a month. I love it. :)*************************************UPDATE************************************************************************************It is 11 June 2013, I originally ordered this item October 20, 2010. The scale was replaced April 26, 2011 by the company. Originally I got the scale for lotion making. I was not able to use it for long and it sat in my house. When it was replaced, I started using it again not only to have accurate measurements for making lotions but to measure food. I started using it daily since 2011. My scale finally died a couple days ago. So for daily use it lasted me a little over 2 years. I used grams the most but sometimes I used ounces. The scale was very useful and I ordered a different one elsewhere. The numbers are large and easy to read. Additionally, it is easy to zero the scale. I am uncertain why it died. The battery needed to be changed-this is the first time the battery has been changed. The reason why I knew it needed to be changed is because the scale had a low battery sign, and then when I turned it on again, the scale numbers were light. However despite the light numbers I could see the numbers going up and down on the scale randomly with nothing on it. I replaced it with two AAA battery and the scale still went up and down randomly. Even though the numbers are dark, the scale will not stay the same. In other words it is no longer accurate. The customer service is great and this scale lasted a very long time with consistent use however, I will not by another one at this time. I originally got a lemon and the company was great enough to assist me. If my new scale is not comparable then I will think about getting another EatSmart Precision Pro but right now I want to try something else to see if there is something better.

I decided to buy this kitchen scale because I was trying to continue losing weight. I have been keeping track of my calorie intake as my main method of weight loss, and I decided that a kitchen scale was necessary to calculate exactly how many calories I was consuming, especially in fresh foods that don't necessarily have a listed serving size, or is difficult to tell how much a serving is. This has allowed to be accurately measure out exactly what I am eating, and has worked exactly how I planned when I decided to buy this. When I first got the scale, I thought it seemed a little small, and it felt like it would be cheaply made. But so far, it has not disappointed, and has worked exactly like it should. The controls are super easy, allowing you to easily tare the scale. In fact, there is an auto-tare feature, which sets the scale at zero when there is something on it already when you turn it on (so you can put a plate on the scale, turn it on, and it will already tare out the weight of the plate, so it only measures weight of food you put on the plate). Having multiple units of measure is really handy, though grams seems to be what I use the most. It has a large display, so you should have no problem seeing the numbers. It runs on AAA batteries; although I wish it also had an external power source, it certainly isn't necessary. And with the battery-saving auto-off function (after 3 minutes of no activity) helps conserve battery life. It also comes with a very helpful calorie guide, which tells you how many calories are in a certain weight of many different types of food. This is a nice feature, but I don't use it much (I actually use an online calorie database/counter, MyFitnessPal), but this book would also work just as well. The only thing I would change is that the tare button was separate from the power on/off button (makes it so you have to tare the scale before you can turn it off). However, this is an extremely minor detail, and certainly shouldn't stop you from buying this. Put all this together for only $25, and this is a great purchase (especially since this should qualify for Free Super-Saver Shipping, if you don't mind waiting a couple extra days for it to arrive). I would definitely recommend this to anyone trying to become more aware of what exactly they are eating, and especially if you are trying to lose weight. I have lost an additional 15 lbs. since I purchased this (after having already lost 45 lbs.), so it certainly is a great tool for weight loss, and worth the money.

I like this scale a lot. It does exactly what you want it to do and does it well. I have had no issues with accuracy on any part of the scale platform. I love the Tare feature allowing you to put a bowl or plate on the scale, zero out the weight and weight your food accurately. I like being able to have so many options when it comes to units from ounces to grams and more. You can also cycle through the units on the fly which is neat. I also like that the unit does not automatically shut off quickly. You can put your bowl on the scale, hit TARE, go and get your food, add a little bit to the bowl, and add it slowly and it will stay on and keep up with you adding or removing weight.Two things I dislike about this scale: the plastic build quality and the fact that the design blocks the readout at times. If you're expecting a heavy duty scale that is firm, uses solid buttons and a chrome plate, you will be disappointed as I was. When you remember how much - or how little, rather - you paid for this scale, you'll remember why you went with this scale as opposed to one much more expensive. It's basically a "you get what you pay for" situation. The one thing, however, that drives me crazy is the footprint. The front of the scale comes to a teardrop shape where the buttons are located and the little feet underneath the unit are positioned so that when you push one of the buttons the opposing side of the scale lifts up slightly. It's not a huge issue, just an annoyance. The other small issue is that if you put a large plate on here you will lose visibility of the digital readout. It is much better designed to be used with a bowl or something not too wide. Other than these small issues, it works great and comes at a great price!