Looking for a cheap digital scale with accuracy <1 g

[joniverson]

I currently have a cheap digital scale that will measure, say, from 1 g and beyond to the hundredth place with reasonable accuracy, but for anything less than a gram, it is erratic. For example, when I'm adding 0.15 g of a chemical, sometimes the value will change but often it will not and whatever reading the scale already displayed remains. Obviously, this behavior jeopardizes accuracy. The scale I have is here. Not expensive and was hoping to find something similar with better accuracy in the aforementioned range (0-1 g to 0.01). Thank you in advance!

 

[jrmichler]

Check out powder scales. They are designed for weighing gun powder, so read out in grains (7000 grains = 1 lb = 454 grams). Typical accuracy is 0.1 grain = 0.006 gram.

Here's one source in the USA (I don't know about the rest of the world): https://www.midwayusa.com/s?userSearchQuery=Powder+scale&uac=true&userItemsPerPage=48

 

[scottdave]

I doubt anybody could get better than half gram accuracy with a scale of that style. Especially one that costs less than $7. That is based on my experience. Our business uses a scale, which have a resolution of 1 gram and costs over $100. I could be wrong, and maybe the technology now exists.

 

[sophiecentaur]

Amazon has some cheap and cheerful powder scales.
You could always calibrate a cheap set with some standard weights. That would still rely on consistent performance but you could spend some time to see if temperature correlates with the error.

 

[joniverson]

Thanks, all. Sophiecentaur, I ordered one similar to the ones you linked to a couple of days ago. It was just under $20 US with a claimed accuracy into the 0.001 g range. It arrived today and, using the included instructions, I calibrated it to read very close to actual values. I'm very happy with it and it will do what I am seeking. It won't measure the weight of an eyelash, but it will a small square of paper (roughly 10 mg). The top also closes to avoid air disturbances. If it continues to work well, a true bargain.

 

[scottdave]

Thanks, all. Sophiecentaur, I ordered one similar to the ones you linked to a couple of days ago. It was just under $20 US with a claimed accuracy into the 0.001 g range. It arrived today and, using the included instructions, I calibrated it to read very close to actual values. I'm very happy with it and it will do what I am seeking. It won't measure the weight of an eyelash, but it will a small square of paper (roughly 10 mg). The top also closes to avoid air disturbances. If it continues to work well, a true bargain.

In Chemistry class, we had one which was inside a glass case to prevent moving air from affecting the measurement