Farmers Market
Scales.com sells and services Digital Retail Scales
SHOULD I BUY
A SCALE THAT HAS DUAL RANGE CAPACITY?
Portable scales
are almost a requirement for use at the farmers market these days.
That is why battery operated scales are basically the standard choice.
But what type of battery should you choose? A rechargeable battery
is simple. You just plug the scale into the outlet and let the scale
charge overnight. Then the scale should work all day long on battery
power with no problems. On the flip side, you could choose a retail
scale that just simply takes regular D cell batteries. If you need
a fresh set of batteries it is quite easy to locate a new set of batteries
since you can get those batteries just about anywhere. The decision
is up to you.
Another decision
that you need to make is do you go with a digital scale that has dual
range capacity? In case you haven't heard of dual range, basically
it works like this. Let's say you have a 30 lb capacity scale. Those
typically weigh items up to 30 pounds and the graduations the scale
weighs in are 0.01 lbs. So let's think about this for a minute, traditionally
a price computing scale will weigh everything from 0 pounds all the
way up to 30 pounds in 0.01 pound increments. Does that make sense?
Likewise, a 60 lb capacity scale will weigh items in 0.02 lb increments.
That is what most standard scales do.
Now, with a dual
range scale you get increased accuracy on the first half of your weighment.
For example on that 30 lb scale we talked about earlier, with a dual
range version your scale will weigh items from 0 to 15 pounds by 0.005
pound increments. That's down to three decimal places! Then, from
15 lb to 30 lb it weighs in the standard 0.01 lb increments. It does
a similar thing with the 60 lb scale. 0 to 30 weighs in 0.01 lb increments
and 30 to 60 lb by 0.02 lb.
There are some
transactions where you will make extra profit due to the dual range
capability. How often will you make extra money, it's hard to say.
It depends on where the weight falls. For example if you weigh some
strawberries and they come up at 1.00 lb, then it probably will not
matter what retail scale you choose since it's a simple even number.
However, if you weigh strawberries and they come up at some number
like 0.705 lbs, then the extra decimal place could make a difference.
At the present
time, the scales that feature dual range capabilities are the Ohaus
Aviator 7000, CAS S2000JR and CAS ER Jr. Today there are lots of sizes
to choose from that will hopefully work with your counter top and
your budget. That is why battery operated produce scales are pretty
much the standard choice at most places.
