Scales

You may be wondering, why on earth would I need a digital scale for weed? There are actually a number of reasons that flower connoisseurs would want to use portable sales including seeing if they’ve been shorted, measuring potency and dosage, or when using dry herb as an ingredient in an edible recipe, but a digital scale purchased for measuring pot can be used for many other things as well. Their versatile use ranges from weighing food or coffee in the kitchen, portioning meals for pets, and weighing items for DIY craft projects. When it comes to measuring flower, there are a few features and aspects that are more necessary than weighing other items. Having an accuracy down to 0.01 grams and a very low capacity are just two examples. Read on for more information such as the reasons for using digital pocket scale for weed, how to set up a scale and use it for the first time, and what features to keep in mind when purchasing a digital weed scale.

Why should I buy a portable scale for weed?

When most people think about portable gram scale, they often imagine someone portioning out and packaging flower for sale, but that’s far from the truth. Many flower enthusiasts own portable weighing scales for a number of reasons. They are particularly convenient for flower cooks and medical flower patients who need to calculate the precise potency of a dose. Accurate milligram weed scale are also useful for home growers, commercial growers, and those who simply want to check if the dispensary or a friend shorted them. These are just a few reasons you may want to purchase a digital scale:

Find an accurate dosage

Medical flower patients, people who microdose, and those who use the plant for therapeutic and wellness reasons will need to calculate the potency of each dose they take to stick with their treatment plans. These health regimens often require the patient to take a certain amount of THC or CBD at specific intervals throughout the day. It’s easiest to get an accurate dosage using capsules, edibles, or oil, however many patients prefer to smoke flower. In order to calculate a dose, smokers need to have accurate weighing scales to portion out the amount of dry herb based on strength so they know exactly how many cannabinoids they’re getting each time. No one would look at a pill and guess the dose of the prescription medication and those with flower health treatment plans don’t estimate dosage either.

Measure when baking edibles

The most important and difficult part about making weed edibles at home is calculating the potency of each serving. When it comes to pot-infused food recipes, each portion should have the same potency, which needs to be calculated based upon the percentage of THC or CBD the flower contains. It’s crucial to use accurate digital food scale to measure out and portion the flower based on the strength you want in the end product prior to cooking. If you don’t use accurate scales and the calculation is wrong, you’ll end up having edibles that are way too weak or way too strong, which can lead to getting much higher than intended. Every seasoned flower chef has accurate weight scales in the kitchen as part of their essential tool kit. If you bake edibles often, make life easier and add a portable kitchen scale to your next wish list.

Figure out your crop’s yield

With more and more states legalizing flower, there has been a flood of people interested in starting their own home grows. One of the main draws for hobby growers besides gaining more knowledge about the plant and having a fun pastime is to save money. During each harvest, cultivators get excited to find out the quality and potency of the flower, but also want to know the crop’s yield. Maybe they tried a new type of fertilizer this year or are experimenting for the first time with the Screen of Green technique and want to see if they were able to optimize their crop’s yield. The only way to do this is by weighing all the flower produced with portable scales. Savvy home growers keep logs with details of each year’s crop and hope to beat their yield year after year. This is because the higher the yield, the cheaper the bud was to produce. Home growers should look for a scale with advanced weighing technology and an enlarged weighing platform that can handle large loads at a time.

Refrain from breaking the law

Yes, even in flower legal states there are still many rules and regulations regarding the plant. One of the most overlooked laws is how much dry herb an adult is allowed to carry on their person or in their car. The limit is different from state to state, but in California, legal adults can have just over an ounce (28.5 grams) of flower or 8 grams of concentrates. It might not seem like much, but breaking this law is a felony and you can even get time in jail. There are a number of perfectly normal reasons that someone may want to carry or transport more than the legal limit. Maybe you’re going to a multi-day music festival with a group of friends and you’re bringing all the weed or you’re doing a road trip with your smoking buddies through a rural area and you know there won’t be any dispensaries around. Whatever the reason, it’s a good idea to have portable scales so you know you’re within the law at all times.

See if you’re getting shorted

Portable scales are also the only way to know if you’ve actually been shorted by a dispensary or a smoking buddy. Have you ever split a baggie with a friend and it seemed like your half was a little sparse compared to theirs? Stop eyeballing and start measuring so you know that you’re getting everything you paid for!

What to look for when choosing portable weighing scales

There’s a wide range of portable scales for sale with various capacities, features, and sizes. When looking at the best weed scales online, first think about what you’ll be using it for. This will determine if you should focus on slim, compact models with a space saving design or if you need a high-tech digital mini scale with advanced weighing technology and a large LCD display. While you browse the virtual shelves, keep the following aspects in mind.

• Size - If you plan to take your portable scale on the go with you, you’ll want to look for a slim, compact, and lightweight model that’s also durable enough for travel. There are many portable scales at a competitive price point that are completely portable thanks to their space saving design. Some scales are only the size of your hand and can fit easily into the small pocket of a bag, but oftentimes these small portable scales lack important features or don’t provide accurate readings. Remember to always consider the size versus functionality to determine how small and portable you really need to go. How often will you really be traveling with your portable scales? If it’s not a lot, consider sizing up for a larger capacity, longer battery life, and more accurate readings.
• Accuracy - Accuracy is the most important quality of any scale and there is a huge range depending on the size, price, and type of scale you choose. Dry herb and other flower products are sold and consumed in relatively small quantities (that is unless you’re a cultivator). Flower is very light and to measure it, you’ll need to have an accurate weighing scale with the tare function and an accuracy of at least to 0.1 gram, but less than that is even better. If you’re using the scale to calculate dosage for edibles or medicinal reasons for example, try to find a scale that can measure as low as 0.01 gram. This will help to make each dose as consistent as possible. 
• Capacity - Before making a purchase, see what the device’s minimum and maximum capacity is. This is the lowest weight and highest weight the digital scale can calculate accurately before giving an error message. The right scale capacity for you will be based on your usage and needs. As mentioned previously, dry herb is light, however if you have a home grow, you’ll want to weigh large batches at a time during harvest and will want a higher capacity than someone who’s using the scale to portion out flower as an ingredient in an edible recipe. Keep in mind that if you use a receptacle such as a bowl to measure your pot, the weight of the bowl is included in the maximum capacity.
• Functionality - In addition to checking the minimum and maximum capacity and the accuracy of the scale, there are a few functions that are absolutely necessary for all weighing scales to have. At the bare minimum, your device should have the ability to tare and remember your last reading. You can also find heavy duty weed scale that can link to your phone using bluetooth to help you log your recordings with dates and times or using weed scale apps. Do you want to be able to use your portable weighing scales for other things besides measuring weed? If you, you may want to look for a model with additional functions that may come in handy.
• Readability and ease of use - Readability can make a world of a difference when trying to quickly weigh something. Choose models with a large LCD display or with bluetooth capabilities so you can see and record the results on your phone. Pocket scales are typically very easy to use, but some fancier models with lots of features may take some time to figure out. If you don’t think you’ll be using most of the features and just want a quick and convenient way to know the weight of something, a basic digital scale is completely fine for everyday use.
• Power source - Digital scales either function using batteries (rechargeable or normal batteries) or a traditional plug that must be inserted into a wall outlet. Battery powered portable scales are the most travel-friendly option, however remember to check the average battery life of your model to be sure it will last long enough for your needs. There’s nothing worse than running out of juice in the middle of weighing!

How to use portable weighing scales

Digital scales are very simple to use after understanding your device’s functions and buttons. To get the most accurate readings, it’s best to use calibration weights to calibrate your digital scale regularly as well as the first time you use it to ensure the readings are as accurate as possible. Calibration weights are normally metal cylinders that are an exact weight, which you can use to test a scale. These are usually sold separately. The following is a general overview of how to set up a new scale and start weighing, but each model is different. Scan your specific scale’s instructions prior to using it for the first time.

1. After removing all the packaging, add batteries to your digital scale or plug it into an outlet. Power up the scale.
2. Calibrate the digital scale using a set of calibration weights. Check that the scale gives you the correct reading for each weight. If the scale is off, check the instruction manual for how to adjust and calibrate your scale.
3. Now that your scale is giving accurate readings, place a receptacle such as a bowl or jar that you will use to weigh the flower. Be sure the entire bottom of the bowl is touching the weighing platform and not hanging off the sides. With just the bowl on the scale, press the tare button to bring the weight back to zero so you can begin weighing just the flower without including the weight of the bowl or jar.
4. With the bowl in place and the scale at zero, add the flower flower you want to weigh. That’s it!