I have three scales -- the Lee, a $50 digital MTM scale, and an RCBS M500.
I wrote about my experiences with the three of them and people commented here --
https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/for...st-your-scales-Lee-vs-MTM-DS-750-vs-RCBS-M500
I personally think the Lee is the most accurate but I find it a pain in the butt to read sometimes. I don't think it is "dangerous" as you will sometimes hear people say about it but it can be a pain.
The MTM scale is good for sanity checking but it is a cheap digital scale. I've used it as my main scale for a couple of years with no ill effects but it bugs me that it is a
cheap digital scale.
The M500 is the easiest to set and read and I like it for that reason.
My concern about the scales was that I could not get consistent readings for the same test weight on all three.
People commented saying that
consistency is more important than absolute accuracy. Start with minimal loads, test them, and work your way up. Start safe and go for consistency and be aware of pressure signs in your fired cases. I don't think anyone in the thread above put it this way but my take away was something like "Don't just trust what a scale tells you. Start safe and observe how the load actually performs."
I am reluctant to drop more money on a "better" digital scale because I very highly doubt that price really makes a difference in the scales marketed to the reloading market. Until I see otherwise with actual technical specifications from the manufacturers, I suspect that all digital scales targetted for the reloading crowd use the same load cell and the same or very similar chip sets. They certainly use different display drivers but I suspect that the actual scale and the hardware and software running it are all the same. All of these things are made to a price in China. Or if they are assembled "here" they are assembled using the same offshore-sourced parts. I'd feel like an idiot paying $500 for an electronic scale and trickler only to discover that it had the same load cell as a $50 pocket-type scale.
I hope that I am wrong about the above. If anyone has technical information about the load cells used by the different makes and models, please share it. I'd really like to know the difference between the $50 pocket-type scales, the $150 scales (say, from Hornady or Lyman) and the multi-hundred dollar units. Hard-core scientific and certified calibrated lab scales are, of course, a different game entirely. I'm interested to know about the real technical differences between the scales marketed by the reloading manufacturers.
Another reason I don't want a digital scale - particularly a plug-in model - is because I live in Ontario. It's only a matter of time until there's no more electricity.
