Our picks
- Best overall
Timemore Black Mirror Basic 2
Weighs to 0.1 g and starts its timer when the shot does, so one scale covers espresso and filter.
Check price on Amazon - Best premium
Acaia Pearl
Logs each brew in Acaia's app and has a battery Acaia rates at 30 to 40 hours, with the same 0.1 g reading.
Check price on Amazon
Compare at a glance
Swipe sideways to see every spec
| Scale | Resolution | Capacity | Footprint | Power | Auto-start timer | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall Timemore Black Mirror Basic 2 | 0.1 g | 2 kg | 15 × 13 cm | USB, 1,600 mAh | Yes | Check price on Amazon |
| KitchenTour EK6002 Coffee Scale | 0.1 g | 3 kg | 18 × 13 cm | 3 × AAA | No | Check price on Amazon |
| Best premium Acaia Pearl | 0.1 g | 2 kg | 16 × 16 cm | USB-C, 1,100 mAh | Yes | Check price on Amazon |
| Bookoo Themis Mini | 0.1 g | 2 kg | 8 × 8 cm | USB-C, 500 mAh | Yes | Check price on Amazon |
| Hario V60 Drip Scale VST-2000B | 0.1 g | 2 kg | 19 × 12 cm | 2 × AAA | No | Check price on Amazon |
Timemore Black Mirror Basic 2
Beyond weight and time, the Basic 2 shows flow rate in grams per second, so you can keep a pour-over steady. A 1,600 mAh battery charges through a port with a cover. On a Sage Bambino, owners of Timemore Black Mirror scales split 2 to 2 on the fit (two of the four name the Basic 2).
Good
- Timer starts by itself when the shot begins
- Flow-rate readout for pour-over
- USB charging with a covered port
Not so good
- 2 of 4 Bambino owners of Timemore Black Mirror scales say theirs overhangs or wobbles on the drip tray
- One owner reports a drift of about 1 g after 18 months
- One owner says the touch buttons are hard to see except in bright light
Best for: People who brew espresso in the morning and a V60 at the weekend.
Skip it if: You own a De'Longhi Dedica, where owners say a 15 cm scale does not fit.
KitchenTour EK6002 Coffee Scale
The KitchenTour is the cheapest scale on this page. It reads to 0.1 g and holds 3 kg, so it doubles as a baking scale. You start its timer by hand. It comes through Amazon Global Store from abroad, and the listing says the manufacturer warranty will not apply. At 18 × 13 cm it is a worktop scale.
Good
- Weighs from 0.3 g to 3 kg
- Doubles as a kitchen scale for baking
- Timer counts while you weigh
Not so good
- Sold from abroad through Amazon Global Store and the listing says the manufacturer warranty does not apply
- Runs on 3 AAA batteries with no USB charging
- Switches off after 2 minutes with no activity
Best for: Filter drinkers who want grams and a timer for the least outlay.
Skip it if: You pull espresso and want the timer to start without a free hand.
Acaia Pearl
With the Pearl, the extra money buys Acaia's brew app and a battery that Acaia rates at 30 to 40 hours. The Bookoo Themis Mini also connects by Bluetooth. The Pearl's flow-rate and auto-start timer modes match the Timemore and Bookoo. Its reading is the same 0.1 g as the Timemore's, so most people will never use what they paid for. At 16 × 16 cm it also has the largest footprint on the page.
Good
- Bluetooth links to Acaia's brew app
- 30 to 40 hours per charge (Acaia's figure)
- Sold by the UK shop Ozone Coffee on Amazon.co.uk and its own site
Not so good
- 16 × 16 cm, the largest footprint here
- Same 0.1 g resolution as scales that cost far less
- 2 r/espresso threads report readings that drift or fluctuate
Best for: People who want Acaia's brew app and one scale to keep for years.
Skip it if: You only need the weight and the time, which every scale here shows.
Bookoo Themis Mini
The Themis Mini is 8 cm square and weighs 140 g, so it sits on drip trays where full-size scales overhang. Replies in two Dedica threads suggest a Bookoo, one naming the Themis Mini. Its auto mode tares when the cup lands and times the shot. Reliability is weaker. Four owners posted dead, blank or misreading units in r/espresso between January and May 2026. The Amazon.co.uk listing is a Global Store item, sold from abroad without the manufacturer warranty.
Good
- 8 × 8 cm fits small drip trays
- Auto mode tares and times the shot
- Splash-resistant to IPX4
Not so good
- 4 r/espresso posts in 2026 report a dead, blank or misreading scale
- Sold from abroad through Amazon Global Store and the listing says the manufacturer warranty does not apply
- An 8 cm plate means a large mug or milk jug overhangs it
Best for: Dedica owners and anyone who weighs the shot on a small drip tray.
Skip it if: You brew mostly filter, where a bigger, cheaper scale does the job.
Hario V60 Drip Scale VST-2000B
Hario makes the V60 dripper, and this scale is built for that brew. It weighs to 0.1 g up to 2 kg and has a timer you start yourself. There is no flow rate and no auto-start. At about 19 × 12 cm it belongs on the worktop, not under a portafilter.
Good
- Sold and dispatched by Amazon with no Global Store warranty warning on 13 October 2026
- Weighs to 0.1 g up to 2 kg like the Timemore
- Shows weight and time only with no modes to learn
Not so good
- Timer must be started by hand
- Runs on 2 AAA batteries with no USB charging
- At about 19 cm long it needs worktop space beside the kettle
Best for: V60 brewers who want a simple battery scale without a Global Store warranty caveat.
Skip it if: You pull espresso, where a timer that starts itself matters.
Who should buy what
Get the Timemore Black Mirror Basic 2 if…
you make espresso and filter, and your drip tray is at least 15 × 13 cm.
Get the KitchenTour EK6002 Coffee Scale if…
you brew filter, do not mind pressing start yourself, and want to spend as little as possible.
Get the Bookoo Themis Mini if…
you own a De'Longhi Dedica or another machine with a small drip tray.
Get the Hario V60 Drip Scale VST-2000B if…
you brew pour-over and want a 0.1 g battery scale without the Global Store warranty waiver that the KitchenTour carries.
Get the Acaia Pearl if…
you want Acaia's brew app and the price does not matter to you.
Also considered, and why not
Timemore Black Mirror Basic 3
The newer Basic 3 is listed on Amazon.co.uk, but we found too few owner reports yet to say whether it fixes the Basic 2's faults.
Maestri House S2
A 10.5 cm square mini scale. One owner says a Maestri House scale fits a Bambino, and another suggests one for a Dedica. We found too few reliability reports to rank it above the Themis Mini. Its listing (dispatched from Amazon, sold by ZeFeshEU Shop) has no Global Store warranty waiver.
Felicita Arc
A slim 13.5 × 10.5 cm aluminium scale with an espresso auto-timer. We found too few owner reports on the Felicita Arc to judge its reliability, so it is not a pick yet.
Hario Polaris
It shows how far through a pour-over recipe you are as a percentage. That helps filter brewers only, and it is 16.5 cm long.
Subminimal Subscale
A dosing cup with a scale built in. It weighs a dose of beans but cannot weigh a shot, so you would still need a brew scale.
What to avoid, and why
Kitchen scales that count in whole grams
On an 18 g dose a 1 g step is more than 5% of the coffee, so you cannot repeat a recipe written in tenths of a gram.
Scale listings that do not state a resolution
If a listing does not say 0.1 g, assume it counts in whole grams, which is too coarse for espresso.
Which scale fits a Sage Bambino or De'Longhi Dedica?
A 15 cm scale does not fit a Dedica; owners suggest mini scales such as the 8 cm Bookoo Themis Mini. On a Sage Bambino, the 15 cm Timemore is a borderline fit and a mini scale is the safe choice. We found no drip-tray sizes from Sage or De'Longhi, so this section counts what owners report on r/espresso.
Sage Bambino and Bambino Plus
Owners of Timemore Black Mirror scales split 2 to 2 (two of the four name the Basic 2). In one 2024 post it was "slightly too big" and would not hold zero. In a 2026 post it wobbled. A 2024 owner said it "fits well on my bambino plus drip tray". A 2026 commenter said it works but is not a perfect fit.
Larger kitchen scales overhang the tray. A 2024 owner said his scale was "floating" over the edge, which made it hard to tare. Mini scales do better. The same 2026 thread has an owner whose Maestri House scale "fits well".
Vibration is the other Bambino problem. Three posts, one from 2024 and two from 2026, say the machine shakes the cup or the reading during a shot. One owner's fix is to keep the scale clear of the steam wand. The Bambino Plus tray also has a raised bump for its milk sensor, so a scale has less flat space than on the plain Bambino.
De'Longhi Dedica
The Dedica's drip tray is the tighter fit. One owner could never fit a 6-inch (15 cm) scale under it, and another called the tray "very, very small". In a September 2026 thread, a too-big scale gave random readings once the machine started vibrating. Replies suggest the Bookoo Themis Mini (2026), a Bookoo scale and a Maestri House scale (2025).
Keep the back of the scale off the machine's front panel. A commenter in the 2026 thread says any contact makes the reading jump.
Do you need a coffee scale at all?
You probably do not need an expensive one. Pods need no scale, and a kitchen scale is enough for a cafetière. For espresso, any scale here that reads to 0.1 g will do.
Spend the difference on the grinder. In an r/espresso thread on beginner mistakes (382 upvotes), the grinder was a common answer. A scale tells you what went in. The grinder is what you adjust to fix the shot.
Questions people ask
Do Bookoo, Timemore and KitchenTour scales have UK warranty or support?
The KitchenTour and Bookoo listings linked here are sold from abroad through Amazon Global Store, and both say the manufacturer warranty does not apply. The Timemore and Hario listings state no warranty length, and Acaia states 1 year outside the US and EU. Bookoo support runs through Discord, where one owner with a dead scale was still waiting for a reply, while another owner, whose scale had no faults, said the Discord support "seems great".
Why are some coffee scales so expensive?
Mostly Bluetooth, an app and design. Every scale on this page reads to the same 0.1 g. In a 2024 r/espresso post, an owner quoted an engineer's guess that the Pearl's electronics cost under 20 US dollars. That is one owner's estimate, not a teardown of the Acaia Pearl.
Should I wait for Black Friday to buy a scale?
Not for a scale. Which? found that none of the deals it tracked across 175 appliances on Black Friday 2024 was the year's lowest price. Buy a 0.1 g scale when you start to weigh your espresso doses, not because Black Friday is close.
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Recent updates
- First published with five scales, chosen from specs and owner reports. We have not measured any of them yet.