Escali Primo Digital Multifunctional Scale 

One of the affordable digital food scales at $25, it takes up to 11 lb or 5 kg in weight, ample for most homes.

Accurate and consistent, the Escali Primo Digital Multifunctional Scale measures down to 0.1 oz or 1 gram. For this price you cannot expect a precision measuring instrument, so 1.13 would round to 1.1. Ideal for weighing food, it responds quickly to weight changes, even small ones.

Display options include ounces, pounds and ounces, and grams. Change between metric and imperial by simply tapping a button. If you use grams today, next time you switch it on, the setting will be grams.

The tare feature is ideal when counting calories and watching your food intake. Put your plate on the scale, set it to zero, add 50 grams of cereal, set it to zero, add 20 grams of raisins, set it to zero, add 30 grams of banana.

This plastic scale comes in 11 different colors, (chrome is a color, not the material from which the scale is made), so you can choose one that matches your kitchen. White and red are especially attractive.

For the exact same model, prices differ depending on colors. Before actually committing yourself, check you have the best price.

Flat and compact, measuring 9 x 6 x 2 inches, this scale takes up little space. If you use it often, it is attractive enough to leave on your counter or on top of the microwave. It even hangs on the wall easily.

The Escali Primo Digital Multifunctional Scale weighs 1 lb, which is light, and looks quite flimsy. Despite being a lightweight scale, it can do heavyweight duties like weighing a pot with two liters of deep fry oil before and after cooking to see how much was absorbed by the food.

The display is not backlit, so depending on the amount of light in the room, the reading may not be very clear. Switching on the kitchen light or moving the scale close to the window helps.

Because the weighing part of the scale is flat, you can put any size plate or bowl on the surprisingly sturdy weighing platform.

The display faces upwards so if you have something big on the scale, the display will be hidden. To avoid that, put the food in a bowl and you will be able to see around the curve of the bowl. Or you could use a clear glass plate. Or you could elevate your dish by putting your plate on top of a bowl. And of course, use the tare function to zero out the weight of the plate and bowl.

For the grams and oz settings, the Escali Primo Digital Multifunctional Scale registers the weight in decimals and not fractions so it would display 2.6 oz instead of 2 5/8 oz. But the pounds and ounces setting is not decimalized e.g. it would display 3 lbs 9 oz.

Although easy to wipe clean, when weighing something like flour, either be careful you don't spill, or cover the scale with plastic wrap, because if flour falls into the little crevice, the display will be obscured from the inside.

The on/off button is sometimes finicky. But with the auto off feature you don't need it.

After four minutes non-use the scale switches off. This gives you time to cut and chop without constantly switching it on, but if you have finished and have forgotten to switch off the scale, it does so automatically, saving you battery life.

A weakness seems to be the battery compartment cover. When replacing batteries and opening the cover, be careful the tab doesn't break off. Should it do so, the scale will still work but duct taping the cover shut detracts from its look. Take care and you should be fine.

This digital scale is easy to operate, you barely need to consult the manual. The left button is on/off and sets the tare, and the right one switches from grams to ounces.

Two AA batteries come with your purchase so you can use your scale the minute you receive it. At the moment the Escali Primo Digital Multifunctional Scale can only be shipped within the US.