Weighing Scales

Manc Fisher

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Can anyone advise on scales. I had a set of Avon for years, but need to invest in new. I have gone back to course fishing after a number of years on the fly. Just joined my local club in Dorking - fishing mainly rivers and some still waters. Any thoughts would be gratefully received ><>
 

mikench

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I carry a small digital set and a set for luggage . The former is fine for small fish to 10lb and the latter for fish over that weight. It’s like new.

I have no desire to break records nor to obtain a weight down to ounces and drams. I just want to know if a fish is over a certain weight. The digital ones cost about £6 and are accurate having been tested by me with a variety of household items from sugar and flour to chickens. The digital ones will tell me the weight of a roach to the oz or gramme and that’s fine with me.

Those I have are cheap and good enough for my purposes. They are also have the capacity to weigh the suitcases of Er indoors and accurately.
 
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steve2

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I agree there is no need to pay big money on scales, my accurate digital scales cost around £10. Not that they get much use.
 

S-Kippy

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I have a set of Reubon Heaton 9000 which are brillant but between £35-40.I also have 2 sets of Newsome digital scales which are also fantastic and £14 on Amazon. One set in each main bag means I am never caught without scales. These are builders scales so no carp tax.

I've recommended the Newsomes before. Great value, accurate and take up no space at all being smaller than a fag packet. My original set are several years old now, on only their second battery and as good as new. I've yet to find anything that I think is better for the money.
 

wetthrough

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One of the downsides of the cheap luggage scales is they aren't waterproof, mine aren't anyway.

Are the Newsome ones waterproof?
 

sam vimes

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Small scales for minimal gear set ups are a bit of a pain. Once the Avons disappeared from the market, the only real option was the Waymaster/Reuben Heaton Flyweights. Unfortunately, I regard the Flyweights as one of the worst hunks of junk ever inflicted on anglers. God help anyone that relied on these for any level of accuracy. There must be thousands of folks with PBs significantly under, or over, their true weight.

When I was looking for a small set of scales, I couldn't bear the prospect of paying a fair chunk of cash for second hand Avons. The big RH dials were out due to their size. The scales alone would be nearly as big as the tackle bag I carry on the river. Though I have few fears about the accuracy of the ebay luggage scales, I was concerned by how susceptible they may be to water ingress.

My shortlist came down to the small (Salter or Salter/Brecknell) Electro Samson and the RH9000s. The (relative) bulk and high price of the Electro Samsons ruled them out. The plethora of negative chatter about the Reuben Heaton RH9000s almost put me off them. However, on finding a set at a good price, I took the plunge despite the negativity. I found them good enough, small enough and light enough to buy a second set for another tackle bag.
 

wetthrough

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I dont know....never really thought about it. Do they need to be ? I'm sure they are waterproof enough to weigh something before putting them away

It doesn't seem to take much to send them haywire. If I forget to take them out of the tackle box they can misbehave just with the condensation. I'd prefer a set that were guaranteed waterproof. It might be possible to dig the electronics out of a cheap set and dip them in something.
 

S-Kippy

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It doesn't seem to take much to send them haywire. If I forget to take them out of the tackle box they can misbehave just with the condensation. I'd prefer a set that were guaranteed waterproof. It might be possible to dig the electronics out of a cheap set and dip them in something.
That may be so for the very cheap ones which imo are only fit for weighing luggage. The Newsomes are much better quality and I bought my first set after several favourable reviews on ( I think) Barbel Fishing World. My RH 9000s look much classier but tbh the Newsomes are as accurate and so far have been totally reliable....which is why I bought a second set when I temporarily misplaced my originals. A big plus for me too is that they are so compact.

I've heard the odd story about battery drain on the RH 9000s but I've not had any problems at all in 4-5 years. These are my no 1 scales but they are 3 times the price of the Newsomes.

The first set of digitals I bought were Korums. What a heap of junk....barely lasted a year before the on/off switch failed. Utter shoite.
 
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Aknib

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Once the Avons disappeared from the market, the only real option was the Waymaster/Reuben Heaton Flyweights. Unfortunately, I regard the Flyweights as one of the worst hunks of junk ever inflicted on anglers. God help anyone that relied on these for any level of accuracy. There must be thousands of folks with PBs significantly under, or over, their true weight.

Amen to that!

You'd be as well taking a guess, dividing it by three and adding an ounce, it would still be more accurate than a set of Reuben Heaton Lieweights... A pain in the r'se to zero if in fact you ever managed it and if you then blinked before weighing your fish they'd be a half a pound out!!

As unfashionable as they may be I use two sets of brass spring balances, one is a Salter set to 7lb and the other a Salter (but stamped Hardy!) set to 22lbs and both are amazingly accurate after being tested against shop counter scales and neither need batteries... Ebay usually has numerous listings and from quite a cheap price too, unless they're Salter but stamped with the Hardy name lol.
 

tigger

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I bought some new/old stock little sampsons weighing to 25lb. I tested the against some avons and a couple of other scales including some digi ones and they seem bang on. Only any good for weighing heavier fish thous as they only go up in either 4 or 8 ounces.
Same seller who has these 4lb ones, infact I might get a pair of these 4lb ones...

 

Aknib

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I'm with you Ian, I don't know why the old spring balance ever went out of favour.

I know there are some high end spring balance scales still being manufactured and available at amazingly high end prices but the old, run of the mill kind of stuff has always been accurate enough for me even when tested against modern digital scales.

I wonder if it's a misplaced trust in anything that is digital has to be an improvement on the old?

I've conveniently left out the dial, Avon type scales there just to reinforce my point but you get my drift.
 

tigger

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I remember you got some tubular brass ones Ste, they were crackers!

I do keep looking at them ones myself :).
 

Ray Roberts

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I have a set of the Electro Samson’s, as mentioned By Sam Vines. They were recommended to me by Graham Marsden, who started this site. I changed the battery for the first time last week after about five years use.
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.They are easy to use, very accurate but a little bulky. They come in at just under £60 but I’m sure I paid a fair bit less.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

steve2

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If you are only weighing fish on your scales does it really matter if they are not accurate?
 

seth49

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I’ve gone back to my Avon’s, no batteries and hold zero well, digital ones need a good battery in them to work accurately I’ve found, I check the Avon’s against various items I know the weight of and never had a problem.
 

Manc Fisher

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Thanks so much for all the replies - really helpful. There just seems to be so much choice for anglers these days ><>
 
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