The deciding specification is the published width and depth, because small batch cooking happens on a counter you cannot give up.
By the Lush Editorial Team·Researched & Compared
We compared the published width, depth, height, weight and capacity of eight digital kitchen scales from the manufacturers' own listings.
5.5 by 7.1 inches, the smallest published footprint of the five.
USB rechargeable and 5.0 by 8.0 inches.
0.44 pounds and 6.18 by 7.56 inches.
7.0 by 8.25 inches with a stainless steel platform.
22 pounds and a 9 by 6.3 inch platform.
| Model | Brand | Size (capacity) | Weight | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ultrean Food Scale | Ultrean | Medium | 0.01 lb | Best for the least counter used |
| Food Scale -33lb Digital Kitchen Scale for Food Ounc... | GGQ | Medium | 0.55 lb | Only one with a rechargeable battery |
| Etekcity Food Kitchen Scale | Etekcity | Medium Size | 0.44 lb | Lightest of the five |
| Amazon Basics Digital Kitchen Scale with LCD Display | Amazon Basics | Weighs up to 11 pounds | 0.84 lb | Best for tare with a wide platform |
| Nicewell Food Scale 22lb Digital Kitchen Scale for C... | Nicewell | 9 inches | 1.33 lb | Largest capacity of the five |
5.5 by 7.1 inches, the smallest published footprint of the five.
USB rechargeable and 5.0 by 8.0 inches.
0.44 pounds and 6.18 by 7.56 inches.
7.0 by 8.25 inches with a stainless steel platform.
22 pounds and a 9 by 6.3 inch platform.
For small batch cooking, the published width and depth decide the purchase. The Ultrean Food Scale is the smallest of the five at 5.5 by 7.1 inches, so it leaves the most counter clear. The GGQ Food Scale is 5.0 by 8.0 inches and is the only one of the five with a rechargeable battery. The Etekcity Food Kitchen Scale is 6.18 by 7.56 inches and weighs 0.44 pounds, the lightest of the five. The Amazon Basics is 7.0 by 8.25 inches. The Nicewell is 6.2 by 9.0 inches, the largest capacity of the five at 22 pounds.
“Counter space is the constraint, not the recipe.”
Lush Editorial Team
Priorities, not a computed score. The inputs are published specifications, so we rank by what matters most and say how much.
Small batch cooking changes the choice because the counter is the constraint. A recipe for one or two servings still needs a bowl, a knife and a board, and a scale that takes 7.0 by 8.25 inches leaves less room than one that takes 5.5 by 7.1 inches. The published width and depth are the figures that decide it, and they are the first thing we compared across the five picks.
The five range from 5.0 by 8.0 inches to 7.0 by 8.25 inches in published width and depth. The Ultrean is 5.5 by 7.1 inches, the GGQ is 5.0 by 8.0 inches, the Etekcity B0113UZJE2 is 6.18 by 7.56 inches, the Amazon Basics is 7.0 by 8.25 inches and the Nicewell is 6.2 by 9.0 inches. Capacity runs from 11 pounds to 33 pounds, and weight runs from 0.44 pounds to 1.33 pounds.
| Specification | Ultrean B08CZDYNF7 | GGQ B0BYN6Q8L7 | Etekcity B0113UZJE2 | Amazon Basics B06X9NQ8GX | Nicewell B07S6F6LHQ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Published width | 5.5 in | 5.0 in | 6.18 in | 7.0 in | 6.2 in |
| Published depth | 7.1 in | 8.0 in | 7.56 in | 8.25 in | 9.0 in |
| Published height | 0.6 in | 0.7 in | 0.75 in | 1.25 in | 0.8 in |
| Published weight | not published | 0.55 lb | 0.44 lb | 0.84 lb | 1.33 lb |
| Published capacity | 11 lb | 33 lb | 11 lb | 11 lb | 22 lb |
| Published minimum | not published | not published | 1 g | 2 g | 3 g |
| Published units | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Published power | Battery | Rechargeable | Battery | Battery | Battery |
The table does not tell you how a scale feels on the counter, how loud the buttons are or how long the battery lasts, because the manufacturers do not publish those things. It also does not settle which unit set matters for your recipes, since that depends on what you cook. What it does settle is the footprint, the capacity and the power source, and those are the three figures that decide whether a scale fits a small batch kitchen.
The published width and depth describe the rectangle a scale occupies when it sits flat. The Ultrean is 5.5 by 7.1 inches, which is 39.05 square inches. The GGQ is 5.0 by 8.0 inches, which is 40 square inches. The Etekcity B0113UZJE2 is 6.18 by 7.56 inches, which is 46.72 square inches. The Amazon Basics is 7.0 by 8.25 inches, which is 57.75 square inches. The Nicewell is 6.2 by 9.0 inches, which is 55.8 square inches.
Those figures are the manufacturer’s own, and they are the only footprint numbers on the sheet. A scale that takes 39.05 square inches leaves more room for a bowl than one that takes 57.75 square inches. For small batch cooking, where the bowl is often small and the counter is shared with a board and a knife, the difference between those two rectangles is the difference between a comfortable workspace and a crowded one.
The published height runs from 0.6 inches on the Ultrean to 1.25 inches on the Amazon Basics. The GGQ is 0.7 inches, the Etekcity B0113UZJE2 is 0.75 inches and the Nicewell is 0.8 inches. A lower published height means the scale sits closer to the counter, which can matter if you slide it under a shelf or into a drawer.
The Nicewell and the GGQ both publish a hook for hanging, and the GGQ also publishes four no-slip rubbers. Those are storage and stability features rather than footprint figures, but they matter in a small kitchen where the scale does not live on the counter. The manufacturer does not publish a storage height for any of the five beyond the height figure above.
The GGQ publishes 33 pounds or 15 kilograms, the largest capacity on the fact sheet. The Nicewell publishes 22 pounds or 10 kilograms. The Ultrean, the Etekcity B0113UZJE2 and the Amazon Basics all publish 11 pounds. For small batch cooking, all five capacities are far above what a single portion requires, so capacity is a ceiling rather than a daily limit.
The minimum weight is the figure that matters more for small batches. The Etekcity B0113UZJE2 publishes 1 gram increments, the Amazon Basics publishes a 2 gram minimum up to about 5000 grams, and the Nicewell publishes a 3 gram minimum. The Ultrean and the GGQ listings do not publish a minimum weight, so we cannot state one for either.
The Ultrean publishes six units including milk milliliters, the most of the five. The GGQ, Amazon Basics and Nicewell each publish five units, and the Etekcity B0113UZJE2 publishes five units in the form of ounces, pounds and ounces, fluid ounces, grams and milliliters. Every one of the five publishes a tare function, which subtracts the weight of a bowl, plate or mug.
Tare is what makes a scale useful for small batch cooking, because you can weigh flour into a mixing bowl without weighing the bowl first. The Amazon Basics, GGQ, Nicewell and Etekcity B0113UZJE2 all publish a dedicated tare button. The Ultrean publishes a control panel with a tare function as part of its system. None of the five publishes a tare range, so the maximum container weight each can subtract is not stated.
The GGQ is the only one of the five with a rechargeable battery, and its listing states a Type C USB charging cable. The other four publish battery operation. The Amazon Basics publishes two AAA batteries included, the Etekcity B0113UZJE2 publishes two AAA batteries included, and the Nicewell publishes two AAA batteries included. The Ultrean publishes batteries included but does not state the cell size.
None of the five publishes a battery run time or a charging time, so we cannot say how long any of them lasts between charges or cell changes. The GGQ publishes a 2 minute auto-off, the Nicewell does not publish an auto-off time, and the Etekcity B0113UZJE2 does not publish one either. The Amazon Basics and the Ultrean listings do not publish auto-off times.
The Amazon Basics publishes a stainless steel platform with food-safe BPA-free plastic components. The Ultrean publishes 304 stainless steel. The Etekcity B0113UZJE2 publishes 304 food-grade stainless steel surfaces. The GGQ publishes a waterproof anti-collision glass weighing panel with a stainless steel panel of 7.5 by 5.5 inches. The Nicewell publishes tempered glass with a stainless steel top surface.
Those material statements are the manufacturer’s own descriptions, and none of the five publishes a thickness for the platform or the glass. The GGQ publishes an IP rating only on the Etekcity B09HM2TN5Z, which is not one of our five picks, so none of these five publishes a water resistance rating. Cleaning instructions are limited to wiping the surface on the Etekcity B0113UZJE2 and the Nicewell.
Small counter, single portions. The Ultrean Food Scale is published at 5.5 by 7.1 inches, the smallest footprint of the five, and it publishes six units including milk milliliters. It suits a kitchen where the scale shares a narrow counter with a board and a bowl.
No spare batteries in the drawer. The GGQ Food Scale is the only one of the five with a rechargeable battery and a Type C USB cable. It is published at 5.0 by 8.0 inches and publishes 33 pounds of capacity, the largest on the fact sheet.
Light and easy to move. The Etekcity Food Kitchen Scale weighs 0.44 pounds, the lightest of the five, and is published at 6.18 by 7.56 inches. It publishes 1 gram increments up to 11 pounds and a 304 food grade stainless steel surface.
Wide platform for a bowl. The Amazon Basics is published at 7.0 by 8.25 inches with a stainless steel platform and a wide LCD screen. It publishes a 2 gram minimum up to about 5000 grams and five units including fluid ounces and milliliters.
Larger batches in the same small kitchen. The Nicewell publishes 22 pounds of capacity and a 9 by 6.3 inch platform, with tempered glass and a stainless steel top surface. It weighs 1.33 pounds, the heaviest of the five, and publishes a 3 gram minimum.
Several figures that would help a small batch cook are not published by the manufacturers, and we did not estimate them.
Small batch cooking often happens in a kitchen where the counter is already holding a cutting board, a bowl or a pan. A scale that takes 5.5 by 7.1 inches leaves more room than one that takes 7.0 by 8.25 inches. The published width and depth are the figures that decide this, and they are the first thing we compared.
The Ultrean Food Scale is published at 5.5 by 7.1 inches, which is the smallest width and depth of the five. The GGQ is 5.0 by 8.0 inches, the Etekcity B0113UZJE2 is 6.18 by 7.56 inches, the Amazon Basics is 7.0 by 8.25 inches and the Nicewell is 6.2 by 9.0 inches.
The GGQ Food Scale is the only one of the five with a rechargeable battery, and its listing states a Type C USB charging cable. The other four publish battery operation, and the Amazon Basics, Etekcity B0113UZJE2 and Nicewell listings state that batteries are included.
Small batch cooking usually means a few hundred grams of flour, sugar or spice, so a low minimum weight matters more than a high maximum. The Etekcity B0113UZJE2 publishes 1 gram increments up to 11 pounds, and the Amazon Basics publishes a 2 gram minimum up to about 5000 grams.
The GGQ Food Scale publishes 33 pounds or 15 kilograms, the largest capacity on the fact sheet. The Nicewell and the Etekcity B09HM2TN5Z publish 22 pounds, and the Amazon Basics, Ultrean and Etekcity B0113UZJE2 publish 11 pounds.
The Amazon Basics, Ultrean, GGQ, Nicewell and Etekcity B0113UZJE2 publish milliliter or fluid ounce units. The Ultrean listing specifically states milk milliliter measurement. The Etekcity B09HM2TN5Z publishes milliliters for milk and water and fluid ounces for milk and water.
Specifications come from the manufacturers' own published listings. Lush Food & Drink may earn a commission if you buy through a link on this page, at no extra cost to you. How we research.
