My scale crapped out recently. If I am going to win state-to-state, I need to buy one. What have you all had success with?

Can't guarantee a win for you,

but the Accu Cull Digital Scale 55 lb has been very good for me.

I replace the scale stock hook with the 6" Rapala Fish grip.

Domestically & internationally.

It has a bright digital readout my Old Eyes can read easily.

A-Jay

I always recommend the Chatillion & Sons brass scales. They're not cheap but will last forever, never need batteries, come in various sizes and can be certified by the IGFA. I'm not sure if @A-Jay requires IGFA certification for state-to-state entries but it can't hurt. 😆

If close enough works then the Boga Grip is about as easy as it gets, but you’re not getting digital accuracy.

I don't weigh most of my fish, but I have the Rapala High Contrast digital one. It's $10 off at the BPS/Cabela's Spring Sale that starts March 5.

https://www.rapala.com/us_en/50-lb-high-contrast-digital-scale?srsltid=AfmBOoq8pA8m_4n_jOodnVBM888WJwb9grxdeZQDm9MVTkcaGFqix0bX

The Rapala touch screen works pretty good.

I use a Bubba scale on my boat. I had a couple Rapalas but they aren’t very water resistant.

I keep a Kastking with my kayak which has been reliable and very water resistant,

@gim -- I looked at that Rapala scale as it looks good and seems to have some good features -- but when I checked out a number of websites (5), the reviews for it are brutal

It seems strange to me, as someone relatively new to boat fishing (I have just been using a cheap luggage scale, which rarely works and is not very accurate), that so many of the scales (based on reviews) seem to be trash (ie, between 65% and 75% of reviews say they do not recommend buying or just flat out say "don't buy it" -- it's 2026, with all the technology we have and how many people are looking for a reliable/durable scale to weight their fish it seems odd that there are not a good number of high quality/reliable/durable scales at a reasonable price (ie, $50 or less)

@Rockhopper -- I will curiously follow this thread and would like to know what scale you ultimately choose

@WaskaCrank12 that's certainly possible. I've had mine for about 5-6 years and bought it for $27 at the time. I mostly measure my fish on a board. I only occasionally weigh one.

The bubba one has good reviews but is expensive. The deluxe version is over 200 bucks. I can't justify that on a scale.

@gim - Good info. - Good to know - so hard to tell as BOTS or whomever can be tainting/skewing the reviews - Your positive review/experience may have me giving it a second look -- same here, I measure the vast majority of the time, I only weight if I land a 18 plus incher -- The less expensive Bubba ($75) looks promising at first glance yet to use the majority of the functions on it you have to pay a yearly fee ($50) for their app -- so that $75 scale becomes a $200 + scale pretty quickly

I have a Bubba and one of the Rapala's shown above. They both work fine. I kind of like the rechargeable battery on the Bubba.

re: the features and the app, maybe it's just me... but I never use any of the features. It's just a scale.

After working my way through several scales that I hated, I bought a cheap ($20), orange, water resistant KastKing scale. That, amazingly, was the winning ticket. This will be my fourth season with it. I test it at least twice a year and it's always spot on. It can be set to lbs/oz or lbs/tenths. Auto shut off, backlighting, It's an outstanding scale.

I've been using these since @Goose52 did a very detailed breakdown of how accurate they are. I add fish grippers to the hook and have the whole package for under $10. You can find them for about half this price if you look around a little.

https://www.amazon.com/VOCUE-1410oz-Digital-Luggage-Fishing/dp/B0DH3JG7C4/ref=sr_1_124?crid=1A15DX89JKILH&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.P6Zy0eCoUxrYdFikuENssBAVzVL-W_3pBrr38opeET67zcDBlUpGqKkGJMuOlqqSZt0jibeMP3GCiCAGRhq5Wv5MgilCoH7ORHK9-o_8GbkrnLjNIYiNxl29xmMyiiUA175MaDKw3x7yZfwFsde71QQM6bL52PbVokfjq-o7U2Uu70dsLNC7-_T-FmID9KXr3lB77khzNgy5-egMhgBqSlHdIoyPs0OpvaJw9u3rN-ex-vs1ZKoOHOiwInCo3a-EERTA8QinvixUtzNkGH0I4EHwkj9E-vCmzwMXHYApsxU.i_OpYqqTbtDZqXahVAguhl9W9q2BB8GvLykel858mQM&dib_tag=se&keywords=digital+luggage+scale&qid=1772468039&sprefix=digital+lugga%2Caps%2C123&sr=8-124&xpid=tRb9-nghVAudl

I use the KK Wideview Scale

KastKing

KastKing WideView Floating Waterproof Digital Scale or Li...

The KastKing WideView digital scale is waterproof, and it floats! Never lose another scale, this scale is completely sealed and floats if dropped into the water.

Wow thank you all for the responses. The scale the died on me was indeed the Rapala high contrast scale. It did not last one season. I am going to read up on all of the recommendations and choose one to try. Hopefully I will have better luck. The KK is intriguing as I mostly bass fish from a kayak and water is always a concern. I have also had the scale that @Bluebasser86 linked, and it was never accurate and did not last very long.

11 minutes ago, Rockhopper said:

Wow thank you all for the responses. The scale the died on me was indeed the Rapala high contrast scale. It did not last one season. I am going to read up on all of the recommendations and choose one to try. Hopefully I will have better luck. The KK is intriguing as I mostly bass fish from a kayak and water is always a concern. I have also had the scale that @Bluebasser86 linked, and it was never accurate and did not last very long.

Weird, maybe you got a bad one. While they don't like getting soaked, I've not had an issue with them dying unless completely submerged or left out in the rain. They were our scales of choice in our weeknight CPR tournaments and I checked dozens of them and never had one that wasn't within a couple ounces and most were dead on to our controlled test weight.

Goose was extremely detailed oriented. His write up is what made me check them out intially when I was trying to come up with a budget friendly option for our tournaments.

I use the Bubba scale lite. My wife purchased it for me for valentines day last year. I only have one complaint about it. If you are wearing polarized sunglasses the screen blacks out when you look at it so you have to raise your glasses to see the screen. Other than that I have no problems with it.

Alright scale users.

How many of you actually calibrate your scales on an annual basis to ensure accuracy?

The most important thing to me is consistency, so I second the accu cull scale.

I do not neccesarily care if my 4.90 bass reads as 4.80 lbs on the scale. But it needs to read 4.80 every time I weigh that same fish. The accu cull does that.

I like the accu cull because it is very consistent, accurate, it’s simple to use, and compact.

It also has a built in measuring tape that I have used once to measure a piece of drywall I needed to cut. So there’s that.

20 minutes ago, gim said:

Alright scale users.

How many of you actually calibrate your scales on an annual basis to ensure accuracy?

I do, and it's pretty easy.

Just catch a 5 lb brown bass and hang her on the scale.

Seriously though, I do not have an actual 'certified' accurate weight.

So every spring I weigh a bunch of bananas at the grocery store and then use them to check the scale.

It's always very close—within an ounce or so.

Which is good enough for Lake Menderchuck standards.

🤓

A-Jay

1 hour ago, gim said:

How many of you actually calibrate your scales on an annual basis to ensure accuracy?

I know it’s strange but I’m kind of a scales freak. I have a set of calibration weights and I check the three scales I carry regularly. I don’t think I’ve ever checked a scale that wasn’t accurate enough for casual use but you can’t be too careful in the uncertain world we live in.🤣

Amazon.com : KastKing Fish Scale, WideView Floating Waterproof Digital Scale, 2.5” Large LCD Display, 110lb Capacity, Multi-Mode Pound/Ounces & Kilograms, Stores up to 9 Weights : Sports & Outdoors

@Rockhopper -- I just bought this (literally just ordered it right now) -- $11 (which is 50% off) -- I figure it's worth a shot -- it's the same scale as @ike8120 posted, but it is Orange -- it says it is "Waterproof" and "Floats" - overall has good reviews, significantly better reviews than scales 8 times that price

5 hours ago, gim said:

Alright scale users.

How many of you actually calibrate your scales on an annual basis to ensure accuracy?

I check my scale at least twice a year against two other scales of different types. Which means nothing. Weight is a construct, just as time is a construct. Do you use calibration weights? What scale were those weighed on? What scale was that scale calibrated against? All weights go back to ONE SINGLE SCALE IN HISTORY that was randomly assigned a calibration by some guy that said, "That rock weighs 16 ounces" and no one knew what he was talking about because he invented the word "ounce". Now we have weight. The only thing I know for sure about weight is...my wife does NOT need to lose any (if she asks).

I bit the bullet and bought the Brecknell Digital Scale. I previously had used several different ones but they all succumbed to dampness and usually did not last a season. I'm on my 3rd season with the Brecknell and it has been great; I do keep it in a zip lock bag when it's not in use.

Doing some reading on these I have a question. Can you tare (zero) the Kast King mentioned above?