I may be late to the mark discovering the Felicita scale range, but better late than never. My new found toy ‘the Felicita ARC scale’ provides a great contender for the best coffee scales i’ve ever used. They provide everything you need and then some to weigh coffee like a pro.
Death of cheap scales
Until recently i’ve had to replace my severely button bashed to death coffee scales for the third time round in 2 years. Rather than fall into the vicious cycle of reordering the same low budget scales hoping they’ll last forever, I thought i’d explore the wonderful yet limited world of coffee scales.
Like many that follow this path, picking scales that can cope under pressure and stand the test of time are hard to come by. The issue many face is that the coffee scales market goes from one extreme to another. Go cheap for short life span scales to ridiculously overpriced…cough *Acaia* cough.
The search for better scales
Weighing coffee is an intrinsic part of making any coffee regardless of skill level. At home or as a barista scales can be relentlessly used when measuring the coffee input, beverage output and brew times to create coffee to a high standard. A lot is demanded of them, from their ergonomic design, speed, durability and multi functionality.
What many people will find is although going cheaper may be good for a while, watching scales breakdown during use is one pain you can really do without.
By trolling coffee forums I stumbled across a thread of the Felicita ARC scales with direct and positive comparisons to the Acaia range. For those that don’t know the Acaia scale range are to some deemed as the best. However, they come with an even more stupendous price tag of over £200 for their equivalent Acaia Lunar version. On the other hand, the Felicita ARC scales aim to deliver the same top quality at a notably lower price tag under £150. Tough decision I think not!
The Product Review
Two months in use and despite being a pedantic critic at times i’m overwhelmed with the performance. Hence this breakdown review into positives and negatives.
POSITIVES
- Endless functionality. auto tare, auto start-stop timer, bluetooth connectivity, memory function.
- Fast and accurate weighing. Marginally faster weight display than the Acaia.
- Highly durable. Fully waterproof.
- Sleek and effective design. Looks good and is small enough to use for espresso or alternatively filter brew methods.
- Rechargeable battery.
- Lower price tag to comparable competitor scales. Felicita ARC at £140 vs Acaia Lunar at over £200.
NEGATIVES
- Excessive functionality – probably won’t use every mode available, but the options still remain.
- Some consider it a cheaper clone of the Acaia Lunar to which I say good riddance.
The Verdict
Until you do your time using below par coffee scales it is hard to know what good scales really are. Moreover, by then the damage is already done and the time and money is lost before moving to something of better quality. The Felicita ARC scales are the ultimate scale you’ll ever need for those who take coffee seriously. They are a sound investment where getting the right product the first time as opposed to anything else runs true. Small yet powerful the Felicita ARC scales are perfect for making coffee whether you work in the coffee industry or simply brew a lot at home. Watching them in action makes me regret not getting them sooner. Furthermore, not wanting others to follow my wasted efforts prior to them we now stock them as result. You’re welcome.
