I recently purchased my first digital scale, and bought the $89 Cabelas special. It seems accurate and relatively quick when I spoon in the base load, but it gets fooled when I trickle up and doesn't detect it. The little dot flashes, but the reading doesn't change and when it finally does, I'm about .5 over where I wanted to be. I keep having to trickle, then lift the pan put it back down to get it to re-weigh. Maybe I got what I paid for, I don't know...

Are all digital scales like this, or if I get a more expensive one ($130-$150 PACT or RCBS) will it quickly detect when I trickle in a little and re-weigh?

flbowhunter,

I had the same experience w/ digital scales. They are just not as precise as a good quality beam scale.

W/ a good beam scale every spec of powder makes the beam move. That is what I like about the beam scale the most, you can tell when to quit trickling. On the digitals, you are all of the sudden over and you have to dump some out.

They are much slower in precise weighing than the beams for me. W/ a scoop of the right Lee dipper and my trickler, I can throw a precise charge pretty quick.

The digitals are great if you want charges that are a few tenths apart but, I prefer the good ole' beam.

The digital comes in handy weighing bullets and brass. You can really seperate your bullet weights and brass weights w/ a good digital scale.

There are several articles out comparing the two. You could probably find some articles on the net.

Another good thing about the Beams is the price.

Good Luck!

Reloader

My first experience with digitals was a Dillon D-terminator and I really liked it. The thing was accurate, relatively fast and would match up with my beam scale all the time.
Due to some unfortunate individual thinking this was a prize it was stolen from me. I then bought a PACT, the cheap one which appears to be the base model for all the cheap ones. This thing is a big PITA, not repeatable, needs constant recalibration, is slow and I wouldn't buy another. Waste of $90. Should have just kicked in another fifty and bought one I knew was a good one.

I'll second the Dillon d-terminator -- good scale -- I use it for weighing cast boolits -- AC adapter and big digital display tipped forward for easy read. A scale has to be two things, sensitive and accurate. Sensitivity can be tested by dropping a quarter inch square of plain bond paper in the pan. Accuracy, well, it has to be right every time. For powder, I always use the beam scale set up on my bench. sundog

My RCBS Micro Pro works pretty good. When I trickle it does detect it very well. Occasionally it will not detect a small trickle and I just touch the powder and it corrects. After you get used to them you reach a point where based on the reading, you know how much more powder to trickle in and you get much faster at weighing your powder charge. I like the fact that I can recalibrate the scale before each use.

When I first got my scale it stopped working after a few months. I sent it back to RCBS and they sent me a new one.

I checked my 5-0-2 beam scale (came with my turret press reloading kit) against the digital and it was within .1 grain of the digital. This gave me great confidence in using the beam scale as a back-up.

With respect to the PACT digital scale, mine also needed constant recalibration. It would work OK for a few charges and then flash "Error." There is a simple fix for this: Either you can smash it against the wall (a "feel good" expedient) or you can telephone PACT and ask them for assistance. It seems there is a simple re-programming (?) fix that they will walk you through. Hope this helps, ...Maven

only when loading lots of cases do I have to recalibrate my PACT scale. I purchased the NEW UPGRADED digital dispensor/scale combo. This thing is accurate and fast,..and will keep up with the trickler (which has 3 different speeds) I also have an RCBS Micro pro,..which requires slightly more recalibration,...but when I check loads between each of the digitals,..they are always within .1gr of each other. That right there gives me all the confidence I need. I have yet to see a beam scale keep up with this new PACT version. I can get a 95gr charge in less than 30sec.

I've had the same problems as others have described with my PACT digital. For weighing powder charges I rely on my Redding No. 2 Master beam scale. It's sensitive to each kernel of powder and because it's magnetically dampened, it's really quite fast to work with. If I weigh bullets or brass I pull the digital out, but since I don't bother to weigh bullets or brass much any more, the digital rarely gets used now.

I agree with Reloder. Digitals are mostly inferior, in both speed and accuracy, to a good balance beam.

Maybe I'm just an old dog that finds it difficult to learn new tricks, but the experience I had with a Lyman digital, even when it was working right, taught me that there's no substitute for the tried and true balance beam (and they're cheaper, too.)

Thanks, guys. Being new to handloading and a computer guy by trade naturally led me to try digital before I even gave my RCBS 5-0-5 scale that came with the RockChucker kit a try. I think it was a mistake on my part, and I'm going to try the beams this week.

Your input was appreciated.
Bill

I have a Dillon D-Terminator, and ended up replacing it with an RCBS 10-10 beam scale. The Dillon was wandering and losing zero too often. I did the anti-stat wipe thing with it, and tried switching from battery to AC power but to no avail. It's collecting dust at the back of the shelf now.

Ian

I have two digitals. A pact and an rcbs. Both made by pact I think. They are the best thing since sliced bread. I have left mine plugged in since the day I got them which is 7 or 8 years for one and at least 5 years for the other. I have never had a problem with either one. Keep the room at an even temerature and put them in an area that has no breeze or vibration.

I have both and I'm starting to lke the digitals. When it does "stick", I just bump it then it settles down. One thing with the balance beam scales (at least with my RCBS that I've had for years) is that I also have to calibrate the beam( fiddle with the wheelto get it to read "0") depending on the temp/humidity out in my workshop. One good feeling though is that they usually match or are within a tenth of a grain. jorge

Some months ago, I came up with a complete redesign concept for beam scales which would offer some interesting advantages over any now sold. Unfortunately, I'm not a machinist and so can't produce any. Looking for someone who would or could if you know anybody.

P.S. Submitted a general inquiry to RCBS long time back about this...never even got the courteousy of a reply!

I've done some extensive testing of digital scales. They are not all the same. Let me say this, laboratories across the world DO NOT use beam scales anymore, period. That ought to speak volumes about their accuracy. Second, just like everything else, there are good ones and bad ones. To make a long story short, the old model Dillon is one of the best there is available. The new model Dillon is a super scale, but CANNOT be trickled into at all, and I feel this makes it totally unsafe for reloading use. It's readings can be fooled quite easily when trying to add small amounts of powder to it, and Dillon knows it, and stands by it.
If you want to read more on digital scales for reloading, I've reviewed the two Dillons and you can read it here, and there will be more to come.
My Webpage

I bet labs wouldnt use the crap Pact sells either. After a lot of questioning on this very topic I bought their latest greatest scale & dispensor and never could get it to function properly...endless wandering (after hours of warm-up, recalibrating, power supplies, power conditioners, changing rooms, sockets and talks with their less than wonderful service dept. mega etc.)
Having used and depended on very precise digital scales in the paper industry for years I quickly came to believe that the circuitry in scales found in this price range just dont cut it. AND BESIDES, dropping a load 1/2 grain shy out of an inexpensive thrower and trickling it up on my 505 is fast(er)and dead-nut accurate. I check the 505 periodically with calibration weights and it is very true. If you gotta have a digital I'd look into a Prometheous (cha-ching$$) based on other accounts I have heard from happy owners. I think the Pact is right up there with the sophistication of my last Radio Shack purchase.

This is an on-going argument on a lot of forums. I bought a green RCBS,(pact makes it for RCBS), digital around 5 years ago. At first I checked nearly every charge against my 10-10. It was always the same. Two years ago I got the pact dispensor to team up with it's green counterpart. What a system! Trickled accuracy without the pain-in-the-ass trickler!

Yes it takes some getting used to. The comment that it doesn't respond as soon as you trickle a little more powder into it is simple to get used to.

As to the argument that a beam scale is superior, that's BS. Unless it has it's own completely level, solid, independant and at eye level platform you can't say that. Then you have to take into account the judgement of is that pointer EXACTLY lined up with the zero mark???? Or are the weights in the bottom of the slots??? And are the pivots or knife edge clean????!!!

Try weighing something that is of unknown weight with a beam scale. You have to fiddle with weights, sliders or rotate a drum to line up marks to find out what it weighs. Lose the pan for your balance beam scale and you're screwed. With a digital, you can use anything as a pan, or no pan at all! Weighing cases, bullets or shot charges,(you loaders of steel shot, listen up), is so fast and easy. No waiting for the beam to quit oscilating!

I'll keep mine, thankyou, and I sold the 10-10!

I use a Dillon D-Terminator scale it works great I trickle into the pan to get exact measurement. I bought a Lyman check weight set before Dillon started including it. I have found that my scale is extremely sensitive to air movement. I use it in my garage with the door closed so no air movement will affect it. It also has to warm up to read without changing this is about a 5 minute process. Other than that it is the best scale I have ever used.

There is a handful of reloading innovations that really changed my entire reloading methodolgy, and in order of importance they would be:

RCBS Digital Scale
RCBS Powder dispenser
A Chrony F-1
Forster Case Inspector
Redding S-Type dies
Forster BR Seater die
Stoney Point OAL gauge

The digital scale really helps. Way way better than the beam.

Pete

"As to the argument that a beam scale is superior, that's BS."

Simply put a beam is far superior to an electonic digital. They are harder to break. It took me two of them to learn that. My two old -old Reddings still service me adequately. Seldom use them for anything more than settig up my powder dispensers.New technology is wonderful if it really fills a nitch. If it doesn't it's only a hi-tech toy for those who want to spend money and be recognized as the in crowed. roger

In all actuallity, there should be a qualifier for whatever scale is being described.

The electronic is far superior, for some applications, like weighing unknown quantities and weighing a large quantity of unknowns. It is also superior in the initial setup for a certain quantity of powder being thrown from a powder measure.

The manual scale is superior in measuring a small quantity of powder that is trickled into the pan. However, don't be fooled into thinking the magnetic damper allows instant response to small changes in powder content. Repeatability usually comes from the pan moving the same direction toward the zero mark and may not repeat using the other direction, i.e. and overcharge may not actually indicate the correct zero when the charge is reduced downward. By manually lifting the pan and letting the indicator move up, in the normal path, the weight can be checked to see if it is correctly indicated.

I have an RCBS 502 that is several grains off from my Ohaus 505 and Dillon D-Terminator.

BTW, I am familiar with Mettler types and even Chain-O-Matics.