Good question! Here are some things to think about/look for:
- Digital is best
- Make sure your scale has a tare/zero function for easy weighing
- Don’t buy anything that measures in increments larger than 1g/0.03oz (the more precise, the better!)
- I have scales that measure down to 0.1g and 0.01g, and those are awesome for things like cosmetics/making two tubes of lip balm to test out a recipe. I highly recommend having at least one scale that can weigh down to 0.01g—this allows you to make tiny batches of things, which is definitely the way to go if you want to make a lot of batches of things.
- Where does the scale top out/what’s its maximum weight? My 0.01g scale tops out at 200g, which makes it useless for making larger batches of anything (remember, that maximum weight includes the weight of the container you’re weighing into), but fantastic for smaller projects. The scale I soap with tops out around 5kg/11lbs
- How big is the scale, physically? If your making soap you need a scale that can handle your soaping pot and can still be read with a massive pot on top of them
- If you plan on doing both big batches of things and teensy batches of things, you might want two or three scales with varying maximum weights and levels of precision. You can purchase scales that have both a high maximum weight and are very precise, but scales like that tend to be very expensive.