The Best Smart Coffee Scale

[@teaforshortbreads]

"Man with high design standards endures terrible user experiences for your enjoyment" 10/10 video

[@teaforshortbreads]

Hoffman to scale makers: "Not angry, just dissapointed"

[@YTACCPP]

The beauty of an appropriate and well thought out choice of words can be quite conceiving indeed, beautiful quotation!

[@voidremoved]

he didn't rap I want to hear some bimleven

[@PandorasFolly]

I like how he still has a grip on how much money is worth. At 27:30, that is just too much money as he looks at the scale like someone who just heard the bland cardboard looking sneakers the color of grease someone just handed him cost $900.

[@rogerzheng2814]

@@teaforshortbreads Is this a Rossmann reference?

[@nallarke]

Simple 4£ kitchen scale and kettle built-in timer is just enough for me. For five years of being home barista I've never felt I needed anything more. Thank you for confirming my impression :)

[@jamesmorris2010]

This type of design and reaction to it is almost a perfect textbook example for any UI/UX/product designer that wants to see exactly what not to do.

[@LadyTigerLily]

"These are all examples of technology that exists because it can, not because it should." That is precisely my feeling on it. I don't have a smart device, myself, so I just want a reliable, waterproof scale that doesn't make me pause to use a secondary or tertiary piece of equipment. In work environments when I've had to use them, I really hated them. They were just redundant. Similarly, I had so much trouble with the Dalla Corte Mina in a work setting because the app was so counterintuitive and half-cocked. It and these scale apps are fiddly and annoying and I find myself wasting more time struggling with the app, for one reason or another, than focusing on my coffee. I could just write my notes on a piece of paper and keep them in a binder, or write them on a white board if I only need them for a day. I'm probably just going to go with getting a new Hario drip scale, even though I kind of hate the way it feels. At least I'm not dropping $100-$200 for bloatware.

[@4rk]

Funny thing though is: Maybe, if he had a normal watch with a visible second hand, all he'd need is a regular $25 scale. IE I'm saying the Apple Watch can have exactly the same criticism thrown at it.

[@BroonParker]

If you've ever come across the LockPickingLawyer channel, he often comes yo the same conclusion about locks, and gunsafes in particular. By introducing fancy electronic elements and apps, they create more vulnerabilities and often neglect the central mechanical lock. Locks that don't lock, scales that don't weigh.

[@peccimabel]

No need for a $200 scale where a $20 will do the same without an useless phone app

[@andrewmullen4003]

I agree with you, nowadays, things seem to be so unnecessarily complicated and convoluted. so they can justify a higher price, but this causes so much frustration for the user.

[@MagicAsmus]

"How to track time, whilst wasting your time" This made my dade

[@ZeroPlayerGame]

Hey James - pin connectors can actually be waterproof as long as they're galvanized properly. I have this type of connector on my waterproof watch, and they're a popular choice on ... silicone devices of various shapes.

[@Notwhatyour]

Good advice , and entertaining info. I will stay with my Hario basic scale for now.

[@weswheel4834]

I liked the bit where you can see James thinking, "There's a steaming pun in there somewhere..." (12:02)

[@JohnSherman2]

If we forget time and brew speed; it follows, First, placed the empty brewing decanter with filter paper on the scale and press tare (zero the scale); second, add the appropriate grams of ground coffee into the filter paper then tare the scale to 0 g scale display again; and last, slowly poor the hot water over the paper filter grounds slowly and the appropriate grams of water have been added; as a result, my desired ratio of coffee to water has been brewed based on grams of both water and coffee.

[@levihssh]

See you tomorrow for my first cupping :) Couldn't resist not brewing a cup from the samples! Hope we don't need to use all 30g whoops!

[@marcusannegarn8497]

they recommend 12 g of coffee to 200 g of water !

[@levihssh]

marcus annegarn yeah that’s why I brewed a sample

[@chiquiado]

Thanks for the advice, I was thinking to buy a smart scale, but now after your review. I'm staying with the traditional scale. Saludos

[@garethevans2499]

Hi James, doubt you'll see this as this was published so long ago but wanted to add my couple of observations to this, excellent, video. You're right that 99.99% of those watching don't need 'smart' scales, particularly those as stupid and flawed as you've just used. Electronic kitchen scales should be sufficient for most of us, with a timer on one's watch. But you could argue that about a fair few of your videos which brings me to my main point: I wanted to note that you filmed this during a global pandemic and the world being weird and terrifying and frustrating. It's impressive that you didn't smash at least one set of scales to tiny pieces whilst filming as a result. Thank you for sharing, it's genuinely cheered me up!

[@austinfreyrikrw6651]

Thanks for making this video, you just saved a newbie to home made espresso $320+ on a smart espresso scale.

[@Amarand]

I’m curious if your “go to” scale has changed after four years? What are you using in most of your videos these days? I love the timer and weight features.

[@happydesign1756]

My Keuig K-Mini is dead, and "accidentally" bought a French Press from Le Creuset just because their French Press is safe for freezer, oven, microwave, broiler, dishwasher and metal utensils. Zoe interviewed James, so I look for James video, wow, eye-opening contents. I was about to buy a smart coffee scale to figure out 600 gram per liter calculation (I do not have a kitchen scale), and thanks for James's review. I am not going to buy any smart coffee scale for now till James has a new review. Technology improves very fast, 4 years later, smart scales might be improved and James's review might change from no to buy.

[@Howardsheppard]

I have an Acaia Lunar. I find it incredibly expensive and frustrating. Granted, I only make espresso-based drinks but I have major buyer’s remorse.

[@YaamFel]

Can you explain exactly why it's frustrating? Isn't the lunar built for espresso?

[@mntzn]

The only thing I wish Lunar had is physical buttons, other than that they are great, albeit small in size which is annoying when you have to use it with chemex.

[@Howardsheppard]

mntzn There’s no denying the quality- that’s for sure. However, I expect that at that price!

[@chrisseal1467]

They are expensive but the build quality and accuracy are second to none, it is incredible, and you pay a premium for that (much like Apple products). It is waterproof too. Once you understand the different modes you find your favourite and stick with it. I do have to switch modes between weighing my grounds and brewing but that’s unavoidable with only one scale. I don’t use the mobile app at all except for firmware updates.

[@LachlanMoss]

@@chrisseal1467 I don't know about second to none. I used to sell industrial measuring instruments. We had products we could sell for under $100 that would stay accurate and stable for a decade of hydraulic abuse with no recalibration, no "tare" with every use. I can't understand why these products are so shit and why James and John from Decent seem to think a strain gauge is a strain gauge. The post office has scales that can measure both a sheet of paper and a 15Kg box with four decimal points of accuracy (I know this because I took my calibration weights in once, it was all zeroes). There is a huge amount of room for improvement. Edit: The stuff we sold also had serious vibration tolerance, thermal compensation, aggressive media handling, dielectric strength and so on. You've got the cost of producing that up against a $5 backlit screen and a bluetooth radio.

[@oliverkarehag9883]

I just got my Wilfa svart ( I noticed that you have the app), I don’t use it with the app though. I just bought it because it’s a quality brand and it had a 0,1 gram accuracy. Btw the name SVART means black in Swedish.

[@TekDrgn]

Thank you for saving me the trouble of buying a smart scale

[@acideye]

Great observation on these scales. This is very helpful.

[@MrArdytube]

So many products apparently do not consider user experience to be a feature

[@Not_Lewis]

My jaw hit the floor when he started listing the prices for these things. Why are Coffee Gadgets so unnecessarily expensive? Hundreds of dollars for hand grinders, hundreds for a fucking scale of all things, thousands upon thousands for espresso grinders. Even more for espresso machines, a mortgage payment for a bean to cup machine. A couple hundred just for some coffee accessories like distribution tools and tamps.

[@pkre707]

Omg that Scāle app was absolutely horrendous 😂

[@Joshua-tg6hj]

Why can’t we just have simple products that each do *one thing* really well!

[@jedrzejw.9819]

I feel as if James could make a 40 minute long video comparing different coffee scoops and we would all watch and enjoy it

[@Vulcapyro]

implying this isn't already in the works

[@shortrefmegaref]

Oxo have good cheap polycarbonate half cup scoops

[@BentheBassPhish]

Well this is a video I didn't know I wanted up until this moment...

[@clewstah]

The smart coffee scoop.. that's an idea. xD

[@jamesb.ofdesertdistrict567]

Ryan Flanagan You *weigh* coffee if you’re not dumb.

[@Spiun666]

My thoughts : I am a software engineer and on behalf of my profession I am truly sorry.

[@4rk]

Hardware and device companies simply don't know how to both recruit good software engineers, and how to give them a chance at doing a good job.

[@mjardeen]

This is why you hire an interface designer who works with the Graphics manager to make sure the interface works and sticks to the overall corporate look. Every few years I read 'The Inmates are Running the Asylum'

[@Grassyfieldsflowers]

@@mjardeen The problem is software work is so often under estimated because we are always developing new things. Some entrepreneur things a scale with an app is easy, why's no one done this before. They probably already spent 5-10 times their original estimate, were already late only implemented half the features and they were asked "does it work?", "well.... we still need to improve the UI..." and then told that they have to ship it.

[@pictishboar]

Software engineers have forgotten the K.I.S.S. Principle (keep it simple stupid) that was there when we first started programming the first consumer computers. Simple, clean, and lightweight programming is always better then tons of layers and buttons and features.

[@hitherefrompointswest4805]

No need, as he said these are all examples of technology for the sake of technology - no need to even have it.

[@AlbertoBlasi]

As a professional UX Designer: I wish I had a tester like you every time I design a feature.

[@s3myazz]

that's the problem. testers are usually not interested in testing that something is actually useful rather just tick the box. no domain knowledge gives completely useless results from testers. and when stuff is actually designed by IT people, pure IT programmers who are just kind of familiar with UX technology (what might be the case in such niche scales mobile apps business) it's when 'brilliant' software is created, in the opposite meaning of that word.

[@michiellombaers3198]

That's an important point. Every R&D should have both basic software testers who test on source code level and "user experience" testers who should be knowledgable on the functionality and priorities in the real world. Those last ones should have a voice in the "look & feel" of a product.

[@frenzee9671]

As fellow UXer I hope that as "tester" you meant "user in usability testing session" not a software QA tester. These are definitely not the same and you and your company should know it.

[@ignatiusgregory_]

He'll made a great product owner/manager

[@graham1034]

It has been my experience that devs often just code to meet requirements, but QA usually tries to test from a customer's viewpoint and if the company isn't terrible they also run alpha/beta versions by actual real customers before a full product release. I can see for cheap products designed and made in China (or other cheap manufacturing hubs) that the software would be terrible but these are very expensive scales. For these apps I'd place the blame on the product team for doing such a shit job of knowing their customers.

[@floorpizza8074]

I want a scale with a beep sound of James saying "Beep."

[@CantEscapeFlorida]

I'm going to put it as my ringtone

[@laowai2000]

That would sell!

[@YTACCPP]

"This Beep is not a good Beep". Best. Feedback. Ever.

[@DinarQ8]

Sound Settings kzbin.info/www/bejne/jp_LiamXjK-JfZo

[@josuesalazar502]

It gets me every time jajaja

[@KristianRoebuck]

Beep

[@weihengmanufacturer6921]

Could you tell me the correct Beep sounds like what? The answer is important to me. thanks

[@manuel0578]

Actually a bad beep is bad feedback. 😆

[@BubbaLichvar]

As a software engineer with a lot of friends in ui/ux and human centered computing, I forwarded this to all of them. I think this shows how important proper design can contribute to more pleasant experience.

[@lisar3944]

yeah but they are often the last people who need to hear that if they are true UX specialists. Bad UX usually comes from companies that have no UX designers and/or devs that somehow fell into interface implementations, ie, hackers. It's getting better, but as a dev who has done a lot of UX work and takes it seriously, it's still an uphill battle. I can't tell you how many companies I've worked for who have an attitude of "they'll take what we give them - just do...something...fast". It's appalling.

[@Chinookman]

Many years ago I volunteered for graphical user interface design studies at a new lab located at Babson University outside Boston. It was the genesis of the internet and it was these studies for major clients such as Fidelity Investments that really determined how and where things standardized across the internet as smaller companies copied the larger ones: Such as looking at the bottom of a screen for Contact or About Us. The lab had eye tracking systems for example. Clearly no use-ability studies done here. Painful GUI. Painful graphics. Painful flow. If a company send out an app where the end user can’t make heads or tails of it....very bad.

[@sanderschat]

while you are at it, implement some AI.... these machines still need to learn a lot

[@YTACCPP]

@@lisar3944 That sounds horribly relatable ;-)

[@trentbosnic]

Sander Schat God no, the last thing these scales need is AI. What they need is a simple and intuitive UI that anyone can understand. AI is a word that morons in marketing like to throw around because they don’t understand what it’s purpose is.

[@stan4620]

Just having him pronounce it as "tim-muh-more" instead of "time-more" increased the Timemore's value by about 35%

[@Alph92]

Why tho?

[@jeremychristian5409]

I feel like I only know 5% of James Hoffman as a person after watching like dozens of his videos. But this single video reveals to me about half of the remaining 95%. Like, wow... This is the "if you truly want to get to know a guy let them play an online game with lags" version of a coffee guy.

[@fastenedcarrot9570]

Yeah he held it together way better than he had any right to.

[@razgvozd]

He should receive some brit award for being so brit. Brit people complaining is such an entertainment. Is sad how nice it is.

[@razgvozd]

These apps are all giving me a nightmare though. Is like internet in 1995.

[@eronan03]

@@razgvozd BAFTA nominated Espresso Connoisseur James Hoffman. Has a ring to it.

[@lurklingX]

i was thinking the same thing. like OH, he isn't just naturally this chill and with bob ross vibes voice. to see him legit get pissed and toss that set of crappy instructions.... lol. nice to know it's not just me who gets pissed off by horrible design and worse instructions.

[@ngkasp]

I laughed out loud when that brew graph started. All it needed was the Nyan Cat music in the background!

[@peternewton2200]

Nick Kasper I thought it was tracking down the way to start until my brain worked out it was moving the graph around the plot point 🤯

[@shu002]

Worth the money if it was actually nyan cat

[@clarayi1840]

Same Hahaha😂😂😂

[@rikaze]

Thanks to your comment, i opened another tab to play Nyan Cat in the background while the graph was charting. IT WAS EPIC. SUDDENLY THE GRAPH MADE SENSE. It made my day, thank yo.

[@olam.2136]

🤣🤣🤣

[@NFTShake69]

James should start a new channel: "James Hoffmann using gadgets that don't really work properly" I'd watch every episode twice.

[@tonaka86]

YES YES YES !!!

[@lurklingX]

he could honestly be a consultant. lol

[@SirDragonClaw]

Me: Doesn't even drink coffee. Also me: Watches a 30 minute video about the best coffee scale anyway

[@gordanbabic8028]

smart coffee scales. these are SMART coffee scales 😂

[@jasonlinn]

Thank you for squashing any desire of mine to "upgrade" from my Hario brew scale

[@Frownigan]

Jason, is the Hario ok? Does it do the job? I currently have a mere kitchen scale with only 1g accuracy, so it takes about 4-5 beans to change the reading, which a bit too much, really! Was thinking of buying the Hario.

[@jasonlinn]

@@Frownigan I love mine! It's awesome have 0.1 g accuracy when weighing beans. My only complaint is that I would prefer tactile buttons, but that is really a small gripe. Overall, I totally recommend it!

[@Frownigan]

@@jasonlinn Thanks for replying so fast! That's it, then. I'm buying the Hario. (Really felt no need for something such as Acaia when all I need is better accuracy). Thank you again!

[@adrianbreivik28]

@@jasonlinn I'm really happy with mine, but I think it's a bit unresponsive which makes me have to spend more time weighing my beans and often overshoot

[@ltbaxter]

Me too! Half way thru I thought "I can't watch this trainwreck any more - I will absolutely be sticking to my not-so-smart-but-oh-so-nice Hario scale! :)

[@Oscar-mi7yi]

Me: Already has a perfectly functionable coffee scale Also me: Watches a 30 minute video about the best one anyway

[@daltonionson8223]

Same lol

[@chamayonnaise]

james hoffmann, 20+ years experience in coffee: hi silly little electric scales: i’m about to ruin this man’s sanity

[@alexalexwin]

“Get out of here” _Angrily flicks away the manual_ I felt that frustration down to the bone

[@cristobalmunoz5756]

As a blind coffee drinker Who likes pour-over, AeroPress and French press, there are unfortunately very few options for talking kitchen scales that can weigh to the gram. I was skeptical about using a smart scale with my iPhone, but I’ve been using the same smart scale (Drop scale) for going on more than four years now. It was marketed with all sorts of recipe functions and other stuff, but I got it strictly for the scale feature. It’s completely accessible and can way to the 10th of a Gram.

[@vintageswiss9096]

Cheers mate. Many blessed cups in your future.

[@Omnilatent]

That's actually so cool and a use I did not think of before

[@mikaeljensen4399]

This is so important and I honestly hadn't thought about it before reading your comment. It ought to be a standard feature, to have an option for the scale to read out loud the weight, since it is so cheap and easy to implement.

[@wangouthangout]

James videos must be so good for a blind person. He describes literally every detail in words.

[@lolariley3367]

I agree! I am blind and love coffee and looking for a reliable coffee scale

[@pvgaming8243]

"Looks at my cheap food scale." I'm good with this.

[@teletubbiestunetwister9570]

Same. Good scale and a timer on my phone. They don't need to talk to each other.

[@MVargabass]

@@teletubbiestunetwister9570 same here 😂

I'm having a hard time finding one that doesn't have "drift." The one I have now is one of the least bad at it but it can still be 1-2g off by the time I'm done pouring. I wish I could remember my old roommates brands because it didn't have that drift.

[@dannol]

I’ve had the Acaia Pearl for a couple years and I’ve had many of the frustrating experiences you describe. The software for these is pretty unusable and lacks basic features of an app with good user experience. Honestly, the best features have been the built in timer, the long battery life, and the fact that it’s rechargeable by USB. I rarely use the Bluetooth feature anymore - I found it to be more of a gimmick. I do love the styling of this scale. I think they should drop the smartphone connectivity, keep the minimalist styling, make sure its waterproof and keep the price under $100. They’d have a real winner.

[@acaiacoffee]

Thanks, we appreciate the feedback!

[@klarkbeverly]

100% agree. This should be top comment.

[@golen87]

I only ever use the app to check the battery, but they seemed to have jumped ship on Android about a year ago. Haven't been able to connect with the scale for more than a year.

[@njx9230]

My thoughts exactly, I have both the lunar and pearl s and use them on a daily basis and love them for all the Features you described, but the apps are a PITA and don’t add any value (except the updater that brought faster weighing speed to my pearl)

[@nealreid5560]

I have had the Lunar for years. I wish it would do a few things well instead of man things poorly. All I want it to do is weigh and time my shots exclusive of pre-infusion, and, although the options to do that exist, they don't function dependably

[@zakariyyagardee8934]

Been waiting for this video for ages and now that it's here I've had to pause it as I need to pee after listening to all those water trickling noises :(

[@AirborneLRRP]

You should get that checked out by a doctor.

[@rengingurel3744]

I have been watching your videos and I want to say: these reviews are really helpful for DESIGN students! Because you talk about them in that way. I am doing my masters in Industrial Product Design major, even though my bachelor's is interior architecture. But the way you analyze your experience with the product and apps are really good examples on "how to think as a designer", in my humble opinion. Thank you for these! I enjoy everything about coffee but this aspect is so powerful that needed to be said. I hope you see this. Thank you! And you are right, these scales don't seem to be user-friendly.

[@LadyTigerLily]

I'll say it again: Thank you for your sacrifice, Jim. But honestly, this is a video I've been really looking forward to.

[@GoomusicLtd]

Yeah I think I’ll stick with my Hario.🤣

[@dan110024]

Wow. Those apps. It's like a weird venn diagram of unskilled programmers and startups who kind of want to be part of the coffee thing coming together to create a really bad coffee related app. It makes me appreciate my Acaia even more now.

[@Hammi4Real]

James is like the perfect test user for any UX/UI design with all that useful dead on feedback, as an aspiring professional designer it kind of gets me fired up. It's always about the user.

[@JuainLondon]

Been upgrading my coffee corner recently and thinking about getting a nice slick black smart scale, but after watching this video, I’ve decided to stay with my cheap plastic digital scale for now. Thanks James for saving my money :)

[@remaguire]

All I need my scale to do is tell me how many grams i've weighed!

[@alfredleadbeaterjr.6053]

I’m not interested in smart scales but I really enjoyed this hilarious, entertaining and accurate review. James is awesome.

[@grindhousefaction]

This was honestly painful to watch. I really hope these companies pay attention to the criticisms as we consumers deserve much more for the prices that we paid for the scales. I have two of those you reviewed and I'd say for the money paid, I use them more as a paperweight against brewing coffee daily.

[@lucretius8050]

They can double as a paper weigh as well.

[@weeksweeks9552]

Congratulations on having money

[@olivtrees8749]

Honestly I just don't get why people have the need to "smart" every appliance. There's even smart toasters now. At the end of the day there's nothing easier (and less likely to record you for data) than just pushing down the toast level. I have a scale- I press a couple of buttons and I'm good. No pairing, no stress, no hassle and no privacy issues.

[@weihengmanufacturer6921]

There is no any manufacture recognise this problems. They copy the hot model again and again. They only know the prodoucts is so hot , but they don't check the criticisms from consumeres. Because the hot products can get back money soon. The best sales always is trade company. Trade company have big sales team and famous brand. What a pity!

[@humanhelp3969]

@RudyOthman Which two do you own? Care to share which scale you prefer between the two that you own?

[@Johannesbgood]

I am truly interested in a follow-up video. 3 years is age's in IT, and especially regarding 'Smart' products. I guess that apps have improved, some companies might not exist anymore and there could be newcomers or fashionably cold star-ups, that are interesting to hear about. Just entering the coffee maker space, wrestling with a standard digital scale and the stopwatch on my phone, makes me want a better solution.

[@antibodyjeans]

James. I love this video. I am a scientist who runs a lab with lots of expensive lab scales, DNA sequencers, and we also program apps. All this to say that I am not a technophobe. Let’s just say that in the morning, I just use a Hario V60 scale, and that’s all I want. You’re right: 30 g per 500 ml, with your pouring guidelines is easy to remember in the foggy mornings. I’ll save my money and stick to that.

[@winedemonium]

“I’ve got the instructions in front of me.... I’m just not having a good time.” A fairly universal truth in my experience.

[@Creativepianoacademy]

First thing in the morning, I just want a set of accurate .1 scales with a timer built in. Nice set of buttons that do what they say they do. Used those hario scales for years. I thought I'd ruined them by spilling my brew over them but dried it out and still works perfectly. Also use it for espresso with no problem. I would get the acaia not for the phone functions but just because its more solidly built and quicker. I could probably get into smart scales if they weren't so clunky (the flowrate is a cool feature) but this video confirmed I don't really need one. Great video as always James!

[@SeraphX2]

There are timer apps out there anyway that can give you that pour rate with full instructions on making a brew. For free. I think the Hario scale and a good coffee app is just fine. No need for the two things to be connected.

[@RichardWerbin]

Creative. Which scale are you using? My .1g coffee scale just died after getting a few drops on espresso on it. I tried drying it out for a few days with no success.

[@unstablemolecules]

I have the Hario scale, and it has too much of a delay every time after you pour. It has a one second delay for the result, compared to a Jennings scale that's half the cost. Hario also eats batteries like no other scale I've owned. I change batteries every few months, compared to once a year for Jennings. And sometimes the Hario turns off by itself and turns back on in the middle of my extraction. Very finicky and non-durable for a $50 scale.

[@Yuu_Adamowski]

I just use a lab scale that weighs as accurate as 0.01 gram. Funny when you can see the volatile compounds vaporising away with some steam when you put your coffee away for a bit. The first time I saw that number dropping bit by bit it was actually quite mind-blowing.

[@miroslavmilan]

But is it waterproof? :)

[@ReinaldoJ_AF]

@@miroslavmilan there are ones that are waterproof, it depends on the model

[@abelbabel8484]

@@miroslavmilan just put it in a plastic bag lol

[@lizcademy4809]

I would use mine, only it has a top weight of 500 gm, and my empty brewer setup is 800+. So instead I use my 1gm general cooking scale, and tell myself bean measurement doesn't need to be accurate for a 500gm pour over. I would love for James to do a similar review of dumb coffee scales.

[@eldiabloduevel1073]

That is cool. Must try that at my friend's work place. They have scales that have wind covers as even breathing near it is registered. They also weigh down to a thousanth of a gramme.

[@IamSeafarer]

As a user experience designer, thank you.

[@Lee-hn3ko]

Great video, really helpful. I'd love for an updated video on regular coffee scales (non-smart), with perhaps a note on their functionality for non-drip methods, such as Aeropress. Since this vid pretty much concludes with "Smart scales are overkill for most people", I think that a video on regular scales would be fantastic.

[@cameronmcmanus4626]

Agree just regular scales.

[@NYKevin100]

The advice I was given was basically "go on Amazon and buy any random scale in the $10-$30 range, which for that price should go to 0.1 g precision and include a timer." You probably don't need anything fancier than that unless you're doing something rather exotic.

[@02feb19]

I use a weight watchers scale. I have to be sure I’m using grams and not points. 😂

[@JessicaSeverin]

you missed such a great opportunity to quote Jeff Goldblum from Jurassic Park (since you look a little like him anyways): "they were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, that they didn't stop to think if they should."

[@CraigHoward]

I looked for this comment, as I got such strong Goldblum in Jurassic Park vibes with the 23 minute down tools and stern chat to the camera ha

[@JessicaSeverin]

thanks so much for finding my comment in this sea. It has such a strong Goldblum in Jurassic Park vibe. I can even imagine James saying this in his voice and it would have been so awesome. oh well.

[@sippysippywakewake]

As a UX designer I was cringing while laughing out loud through the entirety. Well done. Can you recommend a basic scale for espresso?

[@wright.boy_]

Weightman 1000g.

[@peterheinzo515]

probably you can just use any cheap scale with 0.1 g accuracy from amazon. i found one for less than 15€ here in germany.

[@sippysippywakewake]

I got the weightman 1000g as Jordan mentioned. It’s great 👍

[@andyerickson6294]

Hilarious video. I started this video thinking “Ooo, smart scales, maybe I should get one of those.” At the end of the video. “I will never get a smart scale”

[@AudreysKitchen]

I bet they'll be cool in like... 20 years

[@hastingb]

Seriously James, how do you really feel? It's been three years since this video was posted and I have to wonder if any of the manufacturers of these infernal devices took heed of your review. Have you recovered enough to have another go? I've been timing and weighing shots the old fashioned way using a cheap digital scale and a stopwatch. And every time I do, I give that wistful sigh and a wish for a scale with a built in timer and a pleasant chime. The chime would sound when the weight stops incrementing and automatically stop the clock. I mean we are only interested in are two numbers weight and duration. No app, bluetooth/wifi or smart phone. And it would cost $30.

[@KeithGrant]

Amazon Essentials makes a (non-smart) scale that is incredible for everything... expect coffee. It looks great, feels great, and has absolutely instantaneous response to weight changes. What kills me is it shuts off about 45 seconds after the last key press, so it's utterly useless for pour-overs.

[@azrulamir88]

this is utterly hilarious😆

[@MrPineapples83]

I watch your videos to get into a meditative state before bed. This video stressed me out.

[@GadgetViper]

I have a set of £10 scales with a decimal place and I have a wall clock with a second hand, they have served me well. I do like the idea of being able to log your pours, by pressing a button and have it sync to an app every now and then. I definitely would not be at all interested in mucking around with a phone app before I've even had my morning coffee.

[@jasonadams7308]

This is the fundamental problem with these. All that extra cost is for software which frankly is extremely poor. To ask a consumer to pay those prices for incredibly bad software is just flat out highway robbery.

[@timgerber5563]

Same here. The standard cheap drug dealer scales you can get for 10€/$/£. Together with a stop watch I start when the pump starts, this is great although with a short lag, which you learn to compensate. Essentially spending 250€/$/£ on a shorter lag and bad software doesn‘t seem worth it anymore after watching this video. I can‘t see how this should result in better coffee.

[@reginaldbowls7180]

The Acaia Pearl is designed more for professionals no?

[@weeksweeks9552]

@@reginaldbowls7180 IMO if you're a professional (barista/coffee shop staff) wouldn't you want something more industrial with tactile buttons and infinite battery life? Rather than a finicky minimalistic black and white small square panel. These scales are for people who has everything

[@amunak_]

The reason why they all use an app is that it's fairly simple and cheap to make a phone app, while it's expensive to make complex hardware. So they make the simplest hardware possible: a scale device that just transmits current weight over a bluetooth connection, while doing almost nothing else. What you have there is basically all dumb scales with smart apps (that are designed terribly). A true smart scale - working like you suggested - would be much, much more expensive. You would need a proper "computer" on the scale running some complex software. You'd need a wifi module (which draws more battery than bluetooth). You'd probably need more buttons, much more complex software on both the scale AND on your phone (or whatever app you use to control it), etc. And it would still probably kind of suck. Edit: it actually seems that the Jimmy scale is the only one with more complex computing and software inside the scale which is WHY it's so goddamn expensive (among other reasons like that it needs dual bluetooth and whatnot). So that kind of proves my point. And it's still ... mediocre at best. Just get two 10$ scales: one that has a precision of .1 grams and does up to 200-500g, and a regular kitchen scale that has a precision of 1 gram and does up to 2 to 5 kilograms. That'll cost you like 20$ on Amazon, which is still less than 50% of the price of the Hario scale, and like 10% of the price of all those dumb smart scales.

[@PhilipKingLondon]

It would be interesting to compare how scales react to temperature. My own scales (just kitchen digital scales, not smart at all) are hugely affected by temperature, so I have taken to putting an insulating layer on them first before pouring hot water. For nerd points, I just did a little experiment: Test 1: Using a metal container weighing 154g, I first filled it with 250ml water at room temperature and placed it on the scale, which read 405g (I reckon 1g is reasonable pouring error). Test 2: I then filled the same container with 250ml of just-boiled water and placed that on the scale which read 404g. After a few seconds the reading began to rise until at the one-minute mark it read 411g, and then by two minutes it had reached 425g, an error of 21g (or about the weight of my single coffee dose). Test 3: After leaving the scales to cool to room temperature, I added an insulator between the container and the scale (a plastic lid from a cocoa tub). I filled the container with 250ml of just-boiled water, and after two minutes the reading had gone from 404g to 406g, a small increase but the insulation clearly slowed the rise. Which means that direct contact between a hot container and the scale can cause the sensor (strain gauge or load cell) to give a wildly high reading. If anything, the reading should go down slight due to steam evaporation. I wonder how these expensive smart scales would fare in this regard. Do they have good insulation? Does the software take account of temperature effects on the mass sensor?

[@pappito]

I'm using a bog standard salter scale with a metal plate and as hot coffe starts to heat up the carafe grams start to drop. after a 300g pourover I end up with 242/243g. weird

[@KnowledgePerformance7]

Ik this is old, but if you look at scales such as the Acia, it comes with a rubber insulation pad to help prevent this. I believe it's due to one side of the strain gauge expanding due to the heating and changing the dynamics of the gauge. Even expensive scales suffer this and I don't think there is a great solution other than insulation of the scale from the hest.

[@jibeneyto91]

Can you just recommend the best coffee scale, without any "smart" nonsense or apps? Just a plain, simple, cheap, effective, robust coffee scale?

[@SeanoHermano]

jibeneyto I’ve had my Hario scale (the one mentioned i the very beginning of this video) for several years and really like it for pour over and AeroPress. It has a manual timer function and weighs upto 2 Kg. It cost me $40 on Amazon when I purchased it. Not sure what it retails for now. I have the plastic version, but they also sell a slightly more premium one which has a removable stainless steel weighing pate that an be cleaned independently without getting the scale wet.

[@a1098047]

Sean Herman I second that. I’ve had my original Hario (plastic) for 6 years, and have dropped it a few times. Still works great.

[@mjardeen]

Through this whole video I kept thinking 'where's the Hario', oh it's not 'smart' enough...

[@bengerber4542]

It's also ridiculous that I have to shop online to find a scale with 0.1g accuracy at all. Every single scale in every single retailer by me is a 1g accuracy scale with an 11lb limit. 6 years ago I had a 0.1g scale with a 5 lb limit for $25. Why is that impossible to find now? Even in baking double batches of breads I have never passed 2kg in weight on a scale... It's ridiculous.. Are people exclusively using scales to weigh whole turkey roasts??

[@calidadanam8336]

This is not a channel for you

[@LumpyPancakes]

I have an acaia pearl. Never even know it had Bluetooth. I just wanted a scale with a timer built in and a faster response time. All this other BS is just unnecessary.

[@pgarrish]

I find it funny that a man who is normally very calm and collected when doing reviews only has to get a basic computer involved and the frustration and annoyance are there. Computers really can be completely crap when badly done and over-used. Nice review though

[@DonSWG]

Good on you for calling out Felicita. That kind of IP theft is never ok! Also, I have the Acaia scales, and the only reason I know how to do all the things is because I use them in a café, almost daily. By the way, I just got my first legit barista job and am totally pumped 😀.

[@jameshoffmann]

Congrats!

[@RunningOtaku]

I find that just about every “smart” kitchen appliance is incredibly dumb.

[@dcseain]

Yep. It's why I bought a classic commercial scale that weighs and nothing else.

[@lukehawkins9443]

I use an A$30 scale which weighs stuff. It's reliable and elegant and my phone has a stopwatch. I'm so glad I've stuck with this setup. Making coffee should be kept simple and intuitive.

[@at-ge5te]

yep. if its good enough for a local dealer to weight his powder its good enough for coffee

[@explosivefitnessuk]

Completely agree! Most coffee heads get caught up in the trap of buying more and more expensive stuff they don't need. I use a cheap scale and it doesn't effect the outcome of my espresso

[@Abigail-hu5wf]

@@at-ge5te From speaking with the students at the pharmacy school, the ones who are dosing uhhh unprescribed pharmaceuticals actually prefer jewellers' scales because they're accurate to the hundreths of grams typically and they rarely need to weigh more than 10-20g of stuff at a time.

[@virtual_self]

Today a shopped groceries without my phone, I just plain simple put whatever I needed written in a piece of paper. Let me tell you this, it was SO satisfying, that I felt good and happy and was asking myself why, and remembered that I didn't had my phone with me, I was actually living and enjoying what I was making, like looking at different products and shelves and people, seeing my surroundings...now, after this presentation let me tell you one thing: my coffee is for me to relax and enjoy the process. I make French Press the Hoffman way and I don't use nothing since I have a scoop I bough in Ikea that filled x2 is 14g of beans, sometimes I feel like I need to make sure of it and so I use a regular scale and measure both beans and the amount of water. And for me that's it. That's all I need, don't want anything else to take me from that moment, the moment I make my cup of coffee. Also I have a glass that gives me the exact amount of water 250g I need.

[@ecq2064]

"Oh goodness me, that is an unpleasant way to input data" - best line in this video by far.

[@username-yn5yo]

I dont even drink coffee, I love this guy. Very charismatic

[@travellingminion]

James, I would just like to say "thank you". There were so many moments in this that genuinely made me laugh out loud; just what I needed after a frustrating day in the office. Definitely one of the best videos on KZbin. I also agree with you about the 'beep'.

[@eduardofcgo]

This is all e-waste. In a few months these apps will be discontinued or just stop being maintained, if not the scales will just stop working since the batteries will degrade and there’s no easy way of replacing them. The fact that your scale needs to “boot up” should be a giveaway of the absolute garbage this is. Just buy a quality scale that is waterproof and uses AA cells

[@FrogRider]

Your videos are always great, one of the few things to make a sick day just a bit better. Thanks James! Edit: I use just a simple kitchen gram scale I bought about 8 years ago for baking. It’s never steered me wrong and still works great. I’ve thought about the acacia a lot for espresso because my current scale doesn’t really fit and work with the tray of my mozzafiato. Though I get plenty good shots without weighing and I just use a timer and volumetric marked shot glasses, so why bother at that expense.

[@MW3piXy]

You can check out the brewista smart scale II for both espresso and pour over :)

[@Kenjitheninja]

I'm surprised but also happy to know that James has a limit to his patience.

[@GAM5T]

Officer I swear these scales are for coffee beans

[@jtsiomb]

I started watching this video with one question in my mind: smart coffee scales? why? At the end of the video I was left with the exact same question in my mind.

[@pnjunction5689]

This is a fantastic video and sums up pretty nicely everything that is wrong with a lot of "smart" products these days. Every product developer should watch it and make his boss watch it, too!!

[@carlomac]

Early in the morning I just want a simple scale, mine cost $10.

[@notbatman1001]

I'm with you on that. Even if I doused my $13 scale many times and had to replace it many times, I'd still be ahead and much less frustrated.

[@michaelc2644]

...and for normal people, non millioniars, who want to make good coffee????

[@MichaelHeaney001]

I have a 16£ scale I bought on amazon, accurate to .1g and has a timer. Im very glad I've watched this video as I've been close to wasting my money on a smart scale a number of times! thank you!

[@andyerickson6294]

MichaelHeaney001 which one?

[@MichaelHeaney001]

The one I got isn’t available any more but this one is almost identical MUHWA High Precision Food and Coffee Scale with Timer, Multifunction Food Scale, Digital Kitchen Scale 3kg/0.1g www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B074TB9L2D/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_LePNEbEVR7E1V

[@jackmanleblanc2518]

Alternative VideoTitle: James Hoffmann slowly loses his mind.

[@GreenPuma241]

24:55 at 1.5x videos speed is hysterical

[@denniskirschbaum9109]

"Doing things that don't need to be done." That pretty much describes my feeling about the whole category of Smart Coffee Scales. A regular kitchen scale accurate to 1 gram works great for both making my coffee and several kilos of bread dough. Thanks for making sure I remember this!

[@allan2491]

Disagree. For espresso you need 0,1g accuracy

[@denniskirschbaum9109]

@@allan2491 How do you know what I need? :-)

[@allan2491]

@@denniskirschbaum9109 I mean it generally, using kitchen scale for espresso is hugely inaccurate. You don’t have to buy acaia lunar, but any cheap scales with 0,1g accuracy

[@varieedeventualii]

@Paul Ridgeway "nobody" that's nonsense, I have an extremely sensitive palate, and many other people do... crappy kitchen scale is not good enough

[@xandergrae9444]

I put forward that James should design a decent coffee scale that meets all of his findings The world will benifit immensely from this

[@dushk0]

any unf... smartened scale that works well enough and is cheap enough?

[@scottzeigen1729]

We use $8 jewelry scales from eBay rated at 3000g just like he used in recent videos. They are 4 inches square and have protective covers and fit great under our group heads

[@unina75]

Yeah, I have same one perfectly working for me & super budget friendly.I love it.

[@bcpettit]

Just did an ebay search. Found it. Totally buying that one and skipping all of these. I am not sure why I need a scale to have an app when I can do 1st-grade math in my head.

[@motek8220]

doing the same with my 500g @ 0.01g resolution from aliexpress. It costs about 6.5dollars. Works perfectly fine. Only problem I have is a small weighting plate, I have to use a ceramic square thingy which usually goes under hot mugs. Other than that I am fine with it.

[@jalanperak]

Same here :-)

[@luksan1585]

Can you share which model of scale you bought please? Tank you

[@Dysiode]

"I could be very stupid" the end user is almost never the problem. If the end user is struggling its the designer's fault. But also, wtf even is iOS with that Bluetooth is locked per app???

[@brandonkempf8194]

This was pure joy to see James mimick my own frustrations validating that I am not a crazy person. Lots of work to be done on these "smart" scales, although without the app I do love my Pearl S ;)

[@OwenL2020]

"This beep...is not a good beep." LOL, fantastic.

[@matterixon]

Watched this then immediately bought the hario “dumb” scale

[@alansaxon]

James, you make the most dry and brittle subject hilariously fascinating and enjoyable to watch but for now I’ll stick to my set of jewellers scales and iPhone timer I think.

[@jshalvorsen3D]

I LOVE my Acaia Lunar, but i never use it with the apps. The design, battery life and accuracy is what appeals to me the most. I use it for both espresso, filtered and pour over coffee. If I had to purchase the scale myself i would probably have gone with something a bit cheaper.

[@nickdubya1215]

"I'm not having a good time!" "This beep is not a good beep." At 23:00 min, the solidification of this as my one of my favorite videos of James' is established. I wasn't even too interested in the minute differences before watching. But seeing the hellish techonological frustrations ensue not only made me feel in communion with James, but was a hoot to watch. Regularly, you'll find me yelling at (insert device name here) asking, "Why don't you do the simple automatic task you were designed solely to do?!" Just imagine when automatons have to start considering their relative place in the world and possibly have existential crises! Then our pour overs will really be doomed! I'm currently rolling with the Coffee Gator coffee scale, set me back about $25. I think it's a knock-off design of another brand out there, something i didn't think of when I bought it. It weighs to 0.1g and times. It's a little slow and the weight likes to dance around occasionally. But overall, simple and does the trick. I'd like to be able to log brews with coffee notes (Origin, Process, Varietal(s), Roaster, Roast Profile) and tasting notes along with a brew graph. It'd be nice to have a few recipe recommendations for different coffees (to highlight certain characteristics) but too much would just give me more distractions and frustrations to make me late for work. The Jimmy's app looked cool with flow-rate guidance.

[@RockAndRose]

I wanted to get a scales to automatically calculate the 1:16 ratio instead of having to use my calculator, which is on my phone. Thanks to your reviews, I can now save myself the expense of these supposedly sophisticated scales and just keep my regular kitchen scale on hand and calculate my ratio myself and slow down my pour! Fait accompli!

[@_gd7778]

Wow good timing. I was just thinking about buying a new scale...now I'm not hahah