First, let me say that this scale was less than $5 including tax.
I needed something to double-check my postage estimating abilities; see, I’m someone who writes lengthy letters and someone who sticks little goodies inside as well. Most of the time, I only need a single stamp but I’m guilty of having letters returned to me with red letters declaring that there was not enough postage. I picked this up at Target (in the kitchen section; it’s a food scale) and figured while it might not be able to tell me with 100% accuracy how much something weighs, for my needs, it should do fine.
And you know what? I’m pleasantly surprised. Under the black scale part, there’s a nob that lets you set the red line wherever it needs to be and it comes with a plastic bin you can place on top as well. If you need to store it, it fits inside the bin and comes with a lid that locks too. I ‘tested’ this scale and it’s more than accurate for the needs of a letter-writer.
Here are some details taken off the box:
- 1 year warranty
- dishwasher safe, removable top container with clear lid
- 16 oz. capacity
- measures in 1/4 oz. increments
I’m glad I didn’t purchase a fancy scale and instead went with this one. This one is much smaller and requires no battery or power source, plus it’s nowhere near the $30 or $40 I was considering spending. However, I was searching for ‘postal scales’ which are really the same as kitchen scales when you think of it, just not as costly.
Hello! My name is Cole. Simplicity Embellished is my special place. I talk a lot about writing letters, etegami, gardening and yoga. Please sign up for Sunday Tea (comes to you via email), subscribe using your feed reader of choice and don't hesitate to say hello on Twitter or Facebook either.
What a terrific idea! If only I’d seen this sooner since I went to Target yesterday. ;-) I have a little hand-held letter scale but it only weighs things up to 4 ounces — great for most letters (& because it’s so small it fits in my planner) but doesn’t work on fat letters or packages so I’ve been looking for a larger scale.
Thanks for you comment JP!
You know, I literally spent like 6 months stressing over what scale to buy and I was 10 minutes away from dropping $50 on one called a ‘postal scale.’ But you know, this is about 100 times better and totally appropriate for us pen pal enthusiasts.
So–this scale you have fits into your planner? What is it called? I would love to see that. I bet that’s so convenient from travel.
Yes, it’s wonderful for on-the-go letter writing. I picked mine up a long time ago & I haven’t seen them in years – think they used to be fairly common & were made by several companies. Mine was made by Pelouze (made in Evanston, IL?) & came in a little plastic sleeve type holder & a card showing postal rates of 29 cents for a 1 oz, 1st class letter when I bought it.
In case you’re interested I found this site that shows a hand-held scale similar to mine:
http://www.scalepalace.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=357
That is awesome JP! What a neat tool. I’ve never seen a scale like this in person. And at $2 it’s even cheaper than my little kitchen scale!
Thanks so much for sharing. I know other readers of this blog will appreciate the link.
My husband fishes so I wonder if a fish scale would work too. I know those are hand-held but don’t know the price of them. At least they are available at a lot of places.
You know what, I bet it would!
I think looking for scales labeled other than ‘postal scale’ will be less costly in the long run. It sure is a convenience to have one on hand!
Can’t get the red line to zero. Rotate the black wheel, but nothing moves. Is this new
scale defective or am I doing the wrong thing. Thanks!
Florence, I think it’s great you found this website, but this is essentially just a blog. Unfortunately I can’t provide support for this postal scale, but from what you’ve said it sounds like it’s not working. Luckily it’s just a couple dollars so I say buy a new one!