What is the difference in scale brands?
It’s no secret that we are living in an Amazon-based, online ordering world. It is easier than ever to quickly compare prices online and find the cheapest option that can be shipped to you in two days. While this is incredibly convenient for household products like lightbulbs, dog food, and paper towels there are some items that you simply cannot price shop.
We are constantly talking to customers about scales for a specific application. However after getting a quote, it is becoming more and more common for customers to then do a Google search to find a cheap online scale retailer. In many cases, they can find a lower cost scale that seems similar to what we have quoted.
Though every application is different, generally when it comes to weighing, the cheapest option isn’t always the best. To help you to make the right choice, we have laid out some of the top reasons that quality matters.
Total cost of ownership
A quality weighing system is a significant investment. One of the key things to consider beyond the initial price tag is the total cost of ownership over the life of the equipment. Regular service and calibration is needed to keep any scale in optimal operating condition. Low quality products are significantly more likely to go out of calibration or require repair, if they can be repaired at all. If your scale is going to take daily abuse, and let’s be honest – most do, you want something built tough enough to hold up. As a bonus, most quality scales are protected by warranty for an initial period if they are installed and serviced by an authorized dealer. This gives you added protection for your investment.
The bottom line is that a well-built scale will last longer, perform better, and require less repair. For this reason, investing more up front will help you to save money over the life of the equipment. To learn more, check out our series on the Total Cost of Ownership.
Accurate & repeatable measurements
Just because a scale gives you a value doesn’t mean that number is correct or consistent. A quality weighing system is built to ensure that you get accurate and repeatable measurements every time for the life of the scale. Aside from the construction of the equipment, having it spec’d out by an expert for your application is just as important. While scales might seem simple from the outside, choosing the right equipment for your exact requirements can be complicated
For example, we occasionally have requests from customers who want a floor scale with expanded readability beyond the standard capability of a floor scale. While this isn’t impossible, it is quite complex to properly spec a scale with the correct platform size and capacity that will meet the customer’s requirements. Correctly matching equipment to an application is critical and can require higher quality equipment for repeatable and accurate measurements over the lifetime of the equipment.
How Can Cross Help Your Operation?
In the field of metrology, there are many standards to follow to ensure reliable calibration or inspection. At Cross Precision Measurement, we are an ISO 17025 accredited calibration laboratory that adheres to standards set out by A2LA, NTEP, NCWM, and NIST (specifically, HB44). With our decades of experience and expertise, we make sure you get trustworthy, repeatable metrology products, services, and solutions.
The Precision Measurement group of Cross Company provides industry-leading calibration, inspection (on-site or in-lab), equipment repair, and metrology equipment (torque, scales, and other dimensional metrology tools) to manufacturers, commercial facilities, laboratories, and anyone else in need of accurate measurement and results. Through our extensive network of calibration labs, we can get you the metrology services you need to ensure your equipment is reading right every time. Contact Cross Precision Measurement today
