I put the $18 Etekcity Digital Scale to the test in my kitchen — and it proves looks aren't everything

I've gone through plenty of kitchen scales in my time and enjoy putting them to the test to see how they stand up in a busy kitchen. Not only do they have to be accurate, but they need to be easy to clean.

When you're handling lightweight ingredients, such as flour, or sticky substances, such as butter, you can quickly get into a mess and find grime building up in the crevices if there are lots of hidden nooks. But, apart from finding a scale that is accurate and easy to clean, you might also be looking for one that is compact and lightweight.

To help you make the best choice, I've been putting the best kitchen scales through their paces to see which ones are up to the grade. Here you can discover how I got on testing the Etekcity Digital Kitchen Scale.

Etekcity Digital Scale review: Price and availability

The Etekcity Digital Kitchen Scale comes at an exceptional price, retailing for $18 at Amazon It's also stocked at Walmart for $31, though it's currently unavailable at this time.

That's an excellent price compared to Joseph Joseph's SwitchScale, which retails for $40 at Amazon, and Smeg's Contemporary Kitchen Scale that's $149 at Amazon.

Etekcity Digital Scale review: Design

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This kitchen scale won't win any prizes in the beauty department, but where it falls short on aesthetics, it gains with functionality and accuracy. The scales comprise a curved base in stainless steel, which houses the LED display, with two function buttons on either side.

Without being able to put my finger on it, the design felt clunky and harsh, and it left me feeling uninspired.

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However, on the plus side, the stainless steel bowl that rests on the base is generous in size. I've rarely encountered a scale with such a large bowl, apart from Smeg's Contemporary Kitchen Scale, which is a monster!

But the bowl is lightweight, too, making it easy to move around when full of ingredients. And, although it did feel a little unsteady when sat on the base, a raised rim around the top of the base helps keep it in place.

You'll also find small rubber feet on the underside, to prevent the scale from sliding about on your countertop. Plus, this is where the two AAA batteries are housed — the battery cover is super easy to remove.

To store the scale, I automatically flipped the bowl over 180° to cover the scale, but you could flip the scale and place it inside the bowl, which would also make it easier to pick up and move about.

Etekcity Digital Scale review: Ease of use

Powering up
Its easy to get the Etekcity Digital Scale up and running: simply flip over the base of the scale and remove the cover to the battery housing. Here you can insert two AAA batteries.

However, unlike other kitchen scales that I've tested, this one doesn't show the status of the battery charge on the display.

Controls
Etekcity's scale is controlled by two buttons on either side of the LED display. But, really I should say four buttons, as each one takes an organic form with an upper and lower section to press —labeled 'Z/T', 'UNIT' on the left and 'ON/OFF' and 'T-SET' on the right.

Although the kitchen scale is relatively easy to use, I did find it wasn't as intuitive as the Joseph Joseph SwitchScale. I put this down to Etekcity's timer function, which adds more complexity to choosing which button you need to use. In fact, you need to use both!

Setting the timer
You press the 'ON/OFF' button positioned on the top section of the right-hand button to switch the scale on. You then press the lower section, labeled 'T-SET' on the same button. This reveals the digital display for the timer, which is shown on the top left of the LED display.

To set the required time, press the 'Z/T' button for the minutes required, then press 'T-SET' again to move the selection to the next unit, repeating again until the seconds are selected. The timer can be set for up to 99 minutes, 59 seconds; anything over that and you're out of luck. As soon as the time is set, the timer will begin.

When the timer is complete you'll hear a shrill alarm, which can be switched off by pressing the 'T-SET' button. However, the alarm does switch off after 70 seconds, which seems like a decade when you're testing it out!

Units of measurement
The scale measures in either grams and kilograms or ounces and pounds, but unlike the Smeg Comtemporary Kitchen Scale or Joseph Joseph Switchscale, there isn't an option to use fluid ounces or liters with the Etekcity Digital Scale. However, when it does measure an ingredient, the reading stays put for 2 minutes.

The Etekcity Digital Scale does display the temperature. When the units are set to imperial measurements the temperature appears in Farenheit, and for metric measurements, it swaps to Celsius. I couldn't see the real benefit of having the temperature displayed, but it could be a handy tool for some cooks.

Tare function
At first I found it difficult to work out which button functioned as the TARE control, reverting the measurements back to zero — a useful feature when you want to weight several ingredients in the bowl without emptying it out each time. However, after checking in the quick start guide (as I like to do things backward), I discovered the Tare function is the Z/T button, which is also used when setting the time for the timer.

Display
I can't say I like the styling of the Etekcity Digital Scale display as it seems quite dated, but it is easy to read — which is exactly what you need. And, when the bowl is placed on the scale you can still see the display, there's no need to stand back, as I needed to when reading the display on the Joseph Joseph SwitchScale.

Bowl capacity
The Etekcity kitchen scale comes with a bowl, which is a handy feature that stops you from having to rummage around for a suitable container to use to weigh ingredients. However, if needed, you could place certain ingredients straight on top of the scale, as long as they're not messy.

I liked the deepness of the bowl — always a top win that avoids overloads and spills

Storage
The easiest way to store this scale is to flip the base and pop it within the bowl. However, when I was testing the scale, I left it out on my countertop and instinctively flipped the bowl and placed it over the base. This kept the bowl clean, instead of leaving the interior exposed to collect dust.

Etekcity Digital Scale review: Accuracy

The instructions say the Etekcity's scale measures 1g-5kg, and, unlike other scales I've tested, I was surprised to find that it registered the 1g weight first off.

I continued to test the scale with my calibrated weights and it performed to the same standard. I added a 3g, 5g and 20g weight and moved them around the bowl to see if placing them out of the center would produce a difficult result, but all measurements stayed the same.

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I finally added 170g in the form of 1g, 20g, 50g, and 100g, placing them in the centre and to the edge. Here, again, the measurements stayed consistent. I was almost getting excited with the result.

The scale measures up to 5kg, and I tested that by pressing down onto the scale. As soon as anything above 5kg was reached, the LED displayed an error message.

As with my other tests, I also took a level teaspoon of dried yeast, to see how the scale would respond to a small amount of ingredients. It measured 3g — exactly the same as other scales I've tested.

I have found that some scales waver 1-2g before settling on the final reading, but I didn't notice this happening with this scale. Readings were fast and accurate.

Etekcity Digital Scale review: Cleaning

Stainless steel is never an easy material to keep clean, but a quick wipe around with a damp microfiber cloth will rid this kitchen scale of fingerprints — because it will collect a few!

What's more, because the accompanying bowl has high sides, you're unlikely to spill a huge amount of ingredients onto the base, making clean-up easier and reducing the amount of flour and light ingredients that get trapped around the outside edges of the LED display and buttons.

However, the instructions warn you to keep the scale away from water, liquid, or damp areas, and if liquid is spilled on the scale, wipe it dry with a soft cloth to avoid damage.

Etekcity Digital Scale review: Verdict

There's a lot to love about the Etekcity Digital Kitchen Scale. For a budget option, you get a fast and accurate scale with an excellent-sized bowl, plus it's easy to store and clean. I couldn't fault its accuracy during the tests and was somewhat surprised, as its overall design had me worried about how it would perform.

If you're not concerned about looks and want an affordable kitchen scale that gets the job done, this Etekcity scale could be for you. The only downside is it doesn't measure fluid ounces, reducing its flexibility in the kitchen.

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