Weighing Scales

  • Mail Scales & Postal
  • Truck Scales
  • Laboratory Scales
  • Floor Scales
  • Retail Scales
  • Scale Peripherals
  • Bench Scales
  • Handheld Scales
  • General Purpose Scales
  • Medical Scales

Counting Scales

  • Reel Counters
  • Custom Scale Solutions
  • Metric Scales
  • FAQ’s

Measuring System

  • Custom Scales
  • Process Control Systems

Scale Rentals

  • Long Term Scale Leases
  • Short Term Scales Rentals

Scale Service & Calibration

  • Calibration, traceable to NIST
  • Scale Repairs
  • Preventive Maintenance
Please contact us for more information.

Remember! Our advice is free and we are here to serve you!

Call SALES or RENTALS at:
1 - 800 - 696 - 8282

then press "1" or email:

Call SERVICE at:

1 - 800 - 696 - 8282

then press "2" or email:

Frequently Asked Questions

General Question


I looked at your web site and could not find a comprehensive list of the scales available with prices. How do I buy off your web site?

Most customers are experts in the facet of business that they need to know, but do not know enough about scales to identify the correct one for their needs. A cut sheet will give basic information, but will not address the performance, features, and durability needed in a particular application. That’s why we hope that you will call us so that we can discuss your needs and steer you in the right direction. In order to personalize our advice to each and every customer, we do not sell over the web.
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I found lots of scales on the Internet that look like they will meet my requirements. Some are quite a bit more expensive than others. Why shouldn’t I go ahead and buy the least expensive one?

The least expensive one is only a good deal if it really does what you need, will hold up to the use you will give it, and can be repaired, if needed. Sometimes it pays to spend more money to get a repairable unit instead of having to throw it away when repairs are needed. We have had customers tell us that their new scale purchased over the Internet needs calibration. When we go to calibrate it we have to explain that it is working as designed–that their expectations are too high for the kind of scale they purchased–that they needed a better scale. Metaphorically, they bought a tape measure when they needed a micrometer.
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I called my local scale distributor and got some good advice and a proposal. Then I searched the Internet and found the same scale for less. Why shouldn’t I buy it from the cheapest source and save some money?

Your local scale distributor can provide services that the Internet store can’t. Your local distributor has field service personnel to test and calibrate your new scale so you know that it is working properly before you start using it. He has parts and expertise to keep it working with minimal down time. Scales DO NOT come out of the box ready to use! We see a significant number with misadjusted overload stops, poor shift adjustment (the weight changes when moved around the platform), and simply not calibrated properly. There is no way to correct or even locate these errors without test weights and knowledge that few customers possess. Many scales require “fine tuning” before they are optimal for a particular use. For example, different filtering rates are used to optimize a scale to give a very stable final reading when a given product is applied to the scale, as opposed to “filling” on the same scale where the priority is quick updates. If we know the application, we “fine tune” the scale prior to delivery.
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Accuracy is important to me, so I got bids on periodic testing and calibration on my scales. The best price was from a calibration facility that will not only test my scales, but every other measuring device I have as well. Since they will cost less, do all my equipment, and are ISO certified, doesn’t it make sense to use them?

No. Not if the accuracy of your scales is important to you. These places call themselves “calibration houses”, but that is a misnomer. They are, at best, “testing houses” and often fall short there as well. Why? Because they have not been trained on scales. Sure, they can put test weights on and note the readings, but they are usually unaware of the different tolerances allowable on different kinds of scales. Often they can’t calibrate the scales either. They can press a button and let the electronics make a new calibration, but they don’t know how to test for non-linearity, shift errors, or hysteresis; and certainly do not know how to make the adjustments necessary to correct for these conditions. Simply put, they have not been trained as scale technicians and often do not have the manufacturer’s manuals that explain how to make these adjustments. Often, we are called to replace a balance or scale that one of these “testing houses” red flagged to find that with an hour or two of labor we can bring it back to factory specs. When the unnecessary cost of replacing fixable scales and the inefficiency of requiring a scale company to then have to come in to repair and properly calibrate your scales is considered, utilizing your local scale distributor initially is the best way to go for testing and calibrating your scales.
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OK. I am convinced that getting some free help from you would be beneficial. What kinds of things should I consider when buying a scale?

I am glad you asked! Read the next section, “What to Consider When You Buy a Scale”, then look at the additional section for the type of scale you are interested in. Finally, give us a call at 800-696-8282, then a “1” for sales or a “2” for service. The call is free and so is our advice!
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What to Consider When You Buy a Scale?

You might think that it makes sense to go to your favorite search engine and find the best price for the type of scale you are looking for. This may not yield the best, or least expensive result, because you may end up with the best price but on a scale that is not optimal for your application, or a scale that, alone, does not provide the optimal solution. Scale products promoted on the Internet are often inexpensive for a reason, and that reason is often not obvious except to a professional in the scale industry. Here are some items to consider when buying any scale:

What weight capacity scale do you need?

A. Don’t get a scale that you will be using all the time right up to the maximum. In rough applications, this will cause long-term durability problems.

What style scale do you need?

A. Is it for use on a floor, on a table, on a movable cart, on a crane, under the legs of a tank, on a forklift, as a pallet truck, hand held, or in a pit.

Platform considerations?

A. What length and width do you need? Would conveyor (ball transfer or roller) help to move products onto the platform? Is height important? Sometimes an ultra-low profile scale might cost more, but make it a lot easier for the operators to get product on and off the scale. Will side loads be applied to the platform? Will loads be evenly distributed or concentrated in one area of the platform

What graduation size do you need?

A. How fine do you need to read your scale? Often the accuracy of the scale is not as good as the graduation size. For example a scale that can read to 0.1 g. may only be accurate to 0.3 g. You rarely find the true accuracy of a scale on the Internet. Cost usually goes up, sometimes dramatically, with finer graduation size.

Where will the indicator be placed for best use?

A. Should it be column-mounted, wall mounted, attached to the platform, on top of a pedestal, in front of the platform, to the rear?

What features does the indicator need?

A. Do you need push button zero, push button tare, specific units of measures such as grams, or combination pounds and ounces, a numeric keyboard for entering known tare weights or id fields, time and date, or special fields to be printed on a label, or maybe a display that can show information and prompt the operator for inputting data, or perhaps a database to store the weight and related data.

Legal-for-trade?

In most jurisdictions you need an NTEP approved scale if you are buying or selling products by weight over the scale, particularly if you are dealing with the public. This includes weight loss clinics that charge by the weight lost, restaurants that charge so much per pound for children’s meals, and laundries that charge by the pound. There are many others. If you purchase a non-approved scale, even if it weighs correctly, it will not be sealed and you cannot sell/buy on it. NTEP approved scales have been submitted for testing and found to maintain accuracy over time, temperature, and other conditions, and are more difficult to use in a way that will cheat a customer.

Environmental factors?

Is the scale washed down or subjected to high humidity? Is it used outdoors or near salt water? Are corrosive agents used on or near the scale? Is the environment that of an office, manufacturing, warehouse, production floor, laboratory, clean room, or point of sale. Are there drafts blowing from fans or equipment, vibrations from equipment, wood floors, or metal grate mezzanines involved. Is it used in a hazardous environment? If so what group, class, zone, and division? No, battery operation does not imply intrinsically safe. Scales must be certified by an agency such as Factory Mutual for the rating of the hazardous area involved.

Portability?

Does the scale need battery operation (rechargeable or throwaway?) Does it need wheels to roll around? Does it need forklift channels to aid in moving? Should the indicator be attached to the platform so that only one piece needs to be moved instead of the indicator and platform separately. Is physical weight important?

Does the Scale Solve My Problem?

A. This is the most important question every customer needs to ask. Even if the scale is the perfect scale to weigh the product that needs to be weighed, sometimes a scale alone does not solve the problem and is not the most cost effective solution.


Here are some examples:

Problem # 1

A client purchases a scale to monitor product being pumped into a drum as part of a recipe. He has an operator watching the weight who shuts off a valve at the correct set point, then opens another valve for another ingredient repeating this scenario for several ingredients.

Solution:

This client should consider a “Batch Controller” which will automatically sequentially batch ingredients, slow down (dribble) when close to the set point, then tare and start the next ingredient. It can provide product usage reports, store recipes to discourage mistakes, and save an audit trail for each batch, as well as print out a verification report, so that customers know that they got the recipe they need. This solution can provide a faster payback than the scale alone due to reduction in labor, and errors, and due to improved customer satisfaction.


Problem # 2

A client has a scale to verify that he is shipping the proper weight to his customers. His workers weigh each box individually and then place them on a pallet. They use a calculator to keep track of the number of boxes and their weight. Customers are complaining that they are being shorted, requiring the client to retool to produce more product.
Solution:
Utilize an indicator with some more sophisticated capabilities. Many digital indicators accept programming which makes this application much easier for the operator. For example, the indicator might prompt for a product number and then show the operator the product description to verify that it is correct. It might prompt for each box to be placed on the scale, automatically creating a label that can be applied to each box, then after the last box, it might make a summary label that tells how many boxes and the total weight, the order number, time and date, and other critical data. This data can be saved in a database within the scale indicator to form an audit trail for all activity done on the scale later to be printed or downloaded to a computer. We do all the work in-house and it often has very quick payback when errors and labor are both diminished.
This indicator can accept keyboard or bar code scanner for inputting data, printers, even database modules to save data or recipes.


It prompts the operator to reduce errors. Works with any platform. Fully programmable for any application.
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