A frequent traveler knows how to travel efficiently and with the minimum of hassles. He or she will have a list of must have accessories to keep their trips smooth everytime. One of those accessories is a digital handheld luggage scale because just guessing the weight of his/her bag is too risky when traveling by air. Most airlines are strict with weight limits and you could end up paying an exorbitant fee for going over the allowed weight.
With a hand scale for luggage you can weigh your bag once packing is over, remove items or distribute the weight among all your bags, and slip the portable scale into a pocket when you’re done. A traditional bathroom scale might be fine too, but it’s not always available when you need it. Here are some other ways to weigh your luggage if you don’t have a handheld luggage scale.
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How to Use a Luggage Scale
Weighing your bags is pretty easy with most scales. A weighing scale for luggage comes with batteries and sometimes come in a little case to take with you when traveling. If the unit can switch between pounds and kilograms, check to see what unit of measurement it is currently on when you switch it on. You can usually change to your desired unit by pressing a separate button or by pressing and holding the power button until the display flashes the new unit. Next, loop or hook the the strap around the luggage handle, grip the scale head and lift vertically. Hold it up long enough for the bag to stay steady and the scale display to settle on a weight. Once you’ve checked the weight of the bag, you can either reset it to 0 or switch it off.
Things to look out for when buying a scale are ease of use, precision, durability, long lasting battery and an easy to read display. You can find a good one for under $20. Now let’s get to our digital luggage scale reviews below to pick a top selling one.
Tarriss Jetsetter Digital Luggage Scale
If you like to have beautiful looking things with you when you travel, the Tarriss Jetsetter scale is the sleekest looking of all of the ones on this list with a brushed stainless steel top body, a plastic battery house at the bottom, and a sturdy matching gray strap.
It is light and compact at 3.3oz, can weigh luggage up to 110 pounds or 50 kilograms and is accurate up to 0.2lbs or 0.1kgs. An indicator light alerts you if your bag is overweight and again if the battery is low with enough time for you to get a replacement. The LCD display is easy to read but is not backlit. This is a design decision made to keep the battery lasting longer. Another battery saver feature is the auto-shut off after 30 seconds. Once your bag stops swaying after you’ve lifted it for weighing, the scale locks onto the final weight for a few seconds to let you double check the number. A single button is used to power on/off and to switch between measurement units.
This digital scale comes with 1 CR2032 battery and free access to an airport guide that lists most airline baggage limits.
Almost everyone says this scale measures accurately every single time and that they love how light it is and easy to slip into a pocket. The only negative that a few users have is that you have to very quickly press and release the button to switch between measurement units. However, once you set it to your preferred unit, you don’t have to do this again.
Camry Luggage Scale with Temperature Sensor and Tare Function
The Camry luggage scale is very similar to the Tarriss but instead of a stainless steel body it features a rubber paint handle to make gripping easy. It also includes a nifty temperature sensor and tare function. The former is displayed by using the unit button and the latter is selected via the power on/off button. The precision is a bit higher at 50 grams or 0.1Lbs. It also uses a CR2032 battery that is long lasting and helped by the lack of backlighting in the display. Everything else is the same as that of the Tarriss.
EatSmart Precision Voyager Scale with SmartGrip
For a slightly different design, check out the Precision Voyager Scale from EatSmart – the company that also makes bathroom and kitchen scales. This one features a two-handed grip with a snap buckle strap, so lifting a heavy bag off the ground is a bit easier. The strap clips around the handle of a suitcase via a snap buckle. It features a power button and a unit toggle button. A lithium CR2032 battery is included.
The LCD display is backlit and you can check weight with an accuracy of 1 decimal place for up to 50 kgs or 110 lbs. The scale beeps once the weight is recorded and displayed and the unit will automatically shut off after a few seconds to preserve battery life.
While this is an accurate scale at a good price, some users say that the battery dies out too fast.
Gear District Digital Portable Luggage Scale with Lock, Battery & Ebook
Another sleek luggage scale is the one from Gear District and not only do you get it along with a packing guide and CR2032 battery, you also get a 3-dial combination luggage lock.
The scale features a backlit LCD display that will show you the weight in any one of 4 measurements – Kilograms, pounds, ounces or grams. In addition to an auto power off feature, an auto lock and hold display, an overweight indicator and a low battery indicator, it even includes a reset to 0 function and a tare function so you can measure empty bags before packing. The strap with snap buckle loops around any luggage handle and can support a bag that weighs up to 110lb/50kg.
The combination lock that is included is not TSA approved, so if you’re traveling through the USA by air, don’t use it for checked in luggage.
Travelon Micro Scale
From the company that is well known for travel accessories, the Travelon luggage scale is more of a traditional portable scale with a plastic head and metal hook instead of a strap. It is the lightest possible luggage scale at just 3 ounces. It uses two CR2032 batteries which are included. Instead of a button to power it on and off, there is a sliding switch so it won’t accidentally power on if it’s packed in a tight space somewhere. There is also a measurement toggle button to switch between Kgs and Lbs. The display locks and holds the weight of the bag and a red light alerts you once it stabilizes.
While the head is plastic, it makes it lighter than the others and this is the only unit that you can get in a variety of colors. One negative is the metal hook that can scratch or get snagged in something if it is not packed in a case of its own.