Scott, we tore through grandma's kitchen and found a half gallon tea container that was marked. We doubled it as carefully as we could and put it in any almost weightless Wal Mart bag. The trick was to calibrate you had to do it at 20 KG or 44.09 pounds. We went slow. We weighed it in a trash bag. We accounted for the trash bag which weighed 1.25 ounces.... When we were done it went 44.14 pounds. I was stunned at the instrument and even more stunned at our accomplishment. We first started with weight lifter weights but we discovered discrepancies between multiple 2.5, 5 and 7.5 weights. Each was different, some more than others so we selected water. Again, there was a line on the container and I tried to level it and full it accurately. I still am stunned. 1/100 of a pound on a common troohy bass threshhold.....8.35 pounds. Sheesh. Good enough for me. Thanks for the most excellent recommendation WRB

 

Am I understanding this correctly?  You went through a calibration procedure before you checked its accuracy?  Did the instructions recommend doing a calibration for every new unit when first taken out of the box?

Before I retired this year it was easy for me to check scale accuracy at work in our test lab.

Digital scales are dependent on battery life, as the battery looses power, the accuracy changes. First thing to check is your battery power and battery contacts. Humid environments can corrode the battery contacts, you need to protect them with a conductive lubricant like Deoxit. Scales that operate on 1.5V AA alkaline batteries are subject to power lose quickly, less than 1 year, so check those batteries every 6 months. Lithium battery scales are less subject to power lose over longer time periods, up to 5 years.

Accuracy should be linear from the lowest to the highest reading. 2 ounce deviation for a 10 lb scale is not good, (1.25% @ 10 lbs.) acceptable for IGFA scales based on using traditional spring fishing scales. Accuracy of .1% is 10X more accurate or 0.2 ounce @ 10 lbs. The digital scale numbers will jump around if you have it set to 3 digits; 10.000, change scale to 2 digits or 10.00 and the weight shown is stable.

Tom

WRB -- You obviously have some expertise concerning this subject.  Thank you for testing the Ultra Sport 30 and sharing the results.  Accuracy to 1% is more than adequate for me.  Also, thank you for the information about batteries, lubricant, setting the digits, and such.  All of it is excellent information to have.

 

I am still curious about the calibration comments another post mentioned.  Do these units need to be calibrated right out of the box?  If so, what is the process like?  Or better yet, what is the best way to calibrate if you do not have access to a lab?

Accu Cull Digital Scale is the best I have used by far.

WRB -- You obviously have some expertise concerning this subject.  Thank you for testing the Ultra Sport 30 and sharing the results.  Accuracy to 1% is more than adequate for me.  Also, thank you for the information about batteries, lubricant, setting the digits, and such.  All of it is excellent information to have.

 

I am still curious about the calibration comments another post mentioned.  Do these units need to be calibrated right out of the box?  If so, what is the process like?  Or better yet, what is the best way to calibrate if you do not have access to a lab?

There will be a phone number on your local gas station pump for weights & measures, call them for the nearest location that can certify a hand held fishing scale. The scale should be good out of the box, just not certified for state or world record catch use.

Tom

Dang it, my digi-scale went down to 

Davy Jones' Locker last week.

 

My Boga Grip, is now the main scale!!

I've got one of those  small Quarrow hand held electronic scales and it is messed up.    I test it with my walking weights - 3 lbs each - and it works perfectly.   I put an 8 lb fish on it and it only weighs 6 something.   Last month I used it on a 6 lb fish and it only weighed 4 something.   It is very distressing to have your scale lie to you.

Boga grip 15lb scale ,last scale you'll ever need

I've owned an "UltraSport 30" scale and frankly, it was the worst fish scale I ever owned.

Mine was so erratic that I finally chucked it in the dumpster (my Berkley was much better).

 

I've fished many years in saltwater, and came to respect “Chatillon” scales, a very trusted name.

Those I own are still working well, but their max capacity it too high for freshwater (too big & clunky).

 

Although it's not cheap, my favorite freshwater scale is the "Brecknell Digital Handheld Scale"

It's made by ElectroSamson, has 22-lb capacity, 1/4 oz precision (0.02 lb) and is recognized by IGFA.

The Brecknell Digital Scale is also available in 55 lb cap (1/2 oz precision) & 99 lb cap (1 oz precision).

 

Roger

 

 

The Brecknell is also the scale of choice for the MLF series.

The Brecknell is also the scale of choice for the MLF series.

Good scale, $75 price range, uses 9 volt alkaline battery pack and weighs 3 lbs, not a pocket size scale hand held scale.

Tom

WRB -- thanks again for patiently answering my questions. The guys I grew up with are having a little fishing get together/competition later in the summer. Thanks to your information, I will be ordering an Ultra Sport 30 for each boat. This will let us uniformly keep track of our catches and still release the fish right back to the immediate location it came from.

WRB -- thanks again for patiently answering my questions. The guys I grew up with are having a little fishing get together/competition later in the summer. Thanks to your information, I will be ordering an Ultra Sport 30 for each boat. This will let us uniformly keep track of our catches and still release the fish right back to the immediate location it came from.

You can use a plastic grocery bag to put the bass in, avoids hanging them by the gill cover and doesn't remove the slim coat.

Tom

I have a cabelas one. 25 bones. Works well