checking your scales...

[flechero]

How many of you check your scales and how often? I ask because I've seen variances of over a pound (at 4 lbs) on a friends scale just last week. I only check each of mine about once a season unless I get a funny reading. The wife's dumbells are perfect, she has 3,5 & 8 pounders... so I can check it at 3, 5, 8, 11, 13, 14, 16, etc. I can tell you for instance that my digital is about 2 oz. light at 5lbs and 8oz light at 11lbs.

The point is that even with a scale, it's too often we are wrong just because we are too lazy to verify them. If you don't have the weights, a gallon of fresh water is about 8.3 lbs.

Imagine Glenn finally getting his 10 only his scale reads a half pound light... :'( Sorry Glenn, it's just the example that came to mind but illustrates this perfectly.

If your scale reads light, you'll want to know... if nothing else, you may get a PB that was otherwise thought to be just under. (if it reads heavy, be quiet! ;D just kidding! )

[linesider7]

Annual certification w/ IGFA.

[linesider7]

here's a link:

http://www.igfa.org/ScaleCertificationInfo.pdf

[BoroBass]

My scale is still pretty new, but I check it with my 10lb anchor.

[SDoolittle]

I only check each of mine about once a season unless I get a funny reading. The wife's dumbells are perfect, she has 3,5 & 8 pounders... so I can check it at 3, 5, 8, 11, 13, 14, 16, etc.

I use my wifes dumbells that same way ever since my old scale let me down.

[MALTESE FALCON]

I have two scales, spring, and digital. I check them about twice per season with my dumbells.

Falcon

[Matt Fly]

Pretty often.    I'm fortunate to have certified weights that I use to calibrate various types of scales throughout the hospital.

Matt

[Catt]

My scale is still pretty new, but I check it with my 10lb anchor.

If it's a rubber coated anchor it's over 10 lbs  

[Fish Chris]

Reading over this thread, several things come to mind;

First off, dumbells, 10 lb anchors, etc, etc, etc, will almost never weigh exactly what they are marked as.

Simply go to your local grocery store, and purchase a few 1 gallon jugs of water.... but "do not" go by the weight marked on these either. Instead, have them weigh these jugs up at the counter on their "certified scale", then simply mark the weight of each jug on them with a magic marker. You will see that each jug varies a touch too. Now you will have "certified" weights to work with. Go home and weigh one, then two, then (depending on how high your scale weighs) maybe three jugs.

Now, that you know whether your scale is weighing spot on, very close, or completely off, you can decide whether or not its worth having it certified. Sure, you can send it to the IGFA, and I believe its free if your an IGFA member. Used to be anyway. But in my mind, it's not a great idea to have my scale drop-kicked all the way from Cali to Florida and back, by UPS, US mail, or Fed-Ex. Heck, even if it made it there, and was certified, who's to say it will even work by the time I get it back.

OR, you can simply have it certified by your local Dept of Weights and Measures. Every county in the US has one. The next time your at the gas station, look at the little sticker on each pump. This will have the phone number of "your" local Dept of Weights and measures.

Give them a call, and see what their procedure is. Mine required an appt, but was quick, and easy, and they charged me a flat rate of 1/2 hour, for $34.

Anyway, I kind of baby my certified scale, and really only break it out for "BIG", or possibly record breaking fish. It's just great insurance to have along on every trip. I typically use a Berkely 50 lb digital, which I have calibrated with the method I mentioned above, but not certified.

Anyway, then you will be ready for anything :-) .....plus, you will get a cool little sticker which will make you look "special" :-)

Peace,

Fish

[Guest the_muddy_man]

I have a problem with my scale If I catch and weigh a fish, while fishing with a friend lets say that bass weighed in at three pounds, Well if was alone that fish is 4 pounds I can't expalin the difference

[Marty]

I agree with Chris; I only check my scale against items that were weighed on certified scales in the supermarket. It can be anything, a bag of apples, six-pack, gallon of anything, or whatever.

[BucketmouthAngler13]

I used a 5lb bag of sugar last time. (about 2 months ago)

I guess I should check it again. Spring scales's spring can wear out, and all the faster when you catch alot of huge fish like I do.  

LOL JK I'm in a slump right now.

[alhuff]

Now why would you want and go get something like a certified scale?  

Thats why they are called fish stories....... ;D

Alfred

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

Fish, have you ever weighed a good fish on both scales?  If so, was there a difference?

How often if ever does your 50 lb go out of balance and by how much?  (if you know)

[Guest avid]

I check my boga grip often.

As I stated on another thread I'll check it on barbell weights and bags of sugar, but I'll also go to the fruit scales and weigh a bunch of bananas or something and check it on the boga.

The boga is in quater pound increments. so you have to "guestimate a weight that is between the one quarter and half pound mark, for example.  Still, given this handicap I have found the boga to be more accurate than the rapala and berkley scales I had used before.   I am fussy about fish weight but have no problem saying the fish was "just under" 3 lbs, if it doesn't quite reach the 3 pound mark.

My personal best is 7 lbs. 8 oz's.  That's 7 and a half pounds on a certified scale.  So for me to know if I best my PB will be easy on my boga.

[burleytog]

1 gal water = 8.34 lbs.

[Fish Chris]

Yes, as a matter of fact, I weighed my 8.5 Smallie on my Berkeley 50 lb digital first. It bounced around a bit, but settled on 8.5. I then weighed it on my Salter, and it went straight to 8.50 lbs.

I find that digital scales, (at least Berkeleys, which is what I have used the longest) weigh however they weigh, right from the store. If they weigh 2/10's of a lb light, or heavy, they will probably always weigh 2/10's of a lb light, or heavy. You can then scratch a + or - reminder on the front of your scale.

And, unlike spring scales, if they weigh 2/10's light with a 10 lb weight, they will probably still only weigh the same 2/10's for a 20 lb weight, or a 30 lb weight. While with a sping scale that weighs 2/10's light for a 10 lb weight, it will usually weigh 4/10's light with a 20 lb weight, and 6/10's light with a 30 lb weight.

Finally, I have never expierienced a digital scale which slowly became out of calibration. In my experience, they work great every time, until one day when you hang a 12 lb bass on it, and it gets all stupid and blinky, and says 1.7 lbs, then 8.9, then .8 lbs. Sometimes if you turn that scale off, then back on, then re-zero it, it will then weigh correctly, but if it gets goofy like this more than once, its time to replace it.

Just to reitterate; Accuracy of digital scales out of the package may often vary a touch, which is why I always check my new scales against certified weights immediatly. But most digitals are at least very consistent, if nothing else.

Peace,

Fish

[Fish Chris]

Yes, 1 gallon of water weighs 8.34 lbs........ However, with a 1 gallon jug bought from the store, the plastic jug will weigh 1 or 2 tenths, PLUS, 8.34 lbs is the "legal minimum" weight of water that can be in this jug. But the vast majority of the time, the bottling companies will put 8.4 or even a little more, just to cover their butts.

So that 1 gallon jug of water might actually weigh 8.6 or 8.7 lbs. Best to weigh it on a certified scale, just to be sure.

Peace,

Fish

[burleytog]

Weigh the jug on the scale, then measure 3.785 liters of water and pour into the jug.  

d**n I'm a nerd...

[armesjr]

If your grocery store has the self checkout lanes, all of those obviously have scales on them too, that way you dont have to bother a cashier at the register.