Digital scales
by On Balance
The On Balance Phantom mini scale is a pocket-sized digital scale that delivers 0.01g precision in a body smaller than most smartphones. Measuring just 9.4 x 7.4 x 1.6cm and weighing 110.3g with batteries, it genuinely disappears into a jacket pocket — something we can't say about most scales in this price bracket.
Most mini scales make you choose: either you get decent capacity and lose portability, or you get something truly pocket-sized that maxes out at 100g. The Phantom sidesteps that trade-off entirely. Two hundred grams of capacity in a footprint under 10cm on each side — that's genuinely unusual. And it reads in 0.01g increments, which matters when you're weighing anything where a tenth of a gram counts.
Pick it up and you'll notice the weight immediately — or rather, the lack of it. At 110.3g with batteries installed, it feels almost hollow. The matte finish doesn't attract fingerprints the way glossy scales do, and the backlit LCD is bright enough to read in dim rooms without being blinding. On Balance have been making scales for years, and you can feel the engineering in the hinge mechanism and the way the lid clicks shut.
The one honest limitation: the 7 x 7cm platform is compact. It handles most weighing trays and small containers without issue, but if you're working with bulky, lightweight materials that spill over the edges, you'll want to use the included tray. Speaking of which — that tray doubles as the carrying case, which is a clever bit of design we wish more brands would copy.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Phantom Mini Scale | 200g x 0.01g |
| Weighing tray / carrying case | Doubles as protective cover |
| Batteries | Included, ready to use |
| Warranty | 10 years from On Balance |
| Specification | Value |
|---|---|
| Capacity | 200g |
| Readability | 0.01g |
| Net weight (with batteries) | 110.3g |
| Scale dimensions | 9.4 x 7.4 x 1.6cm |
| Platform size | 7 x 7cm |
| Display | Backlit LCD |
| Brand | On Balance |
| SKU | HS1605 |
Complete your setup with a set of calibration weights to keep your Phantom reading true over time. A small stainless steel weighing boat also pairs well if you're measuring fine powders or loose herbs that might slide off the 7cm platform.
We've been selling scales since 1999, and the single most common mistake we see is people eyeballing quantities. Whether you're measuring herbs for tea blends, portioning supplements, or weighing jewellery components, guessing gets you inconsistent results every time. A 0.5g error doesn't sound like much until you realise it's a 10% deviation on a 5g measurement.
Cheap kitchen scales read in 1g steps. That's fine for flour. It's useless for anything where precision matters. The Phantom's 0.01g readability gives you 100 times the resolution, and the 200g capacity means you're not constantly splitting larger amounts into multiple weighings. We'd pick this over any kitchen scale for small-quantity work — it's not even close.
The portability angle is real, too. We've handled scales that claim to be "mini" but still need their own bag. The Phantom, with its tray-as-case design, genuinely fits in a coat pocket. At 1.6cm thick, it sits flat and doesn't create an awkward bulge. If you travel for work or need to weigh things outside the house, this is the form factor that actually works.
