UniqueWare Electronic Luggage Scale

Pros: easy to use, portable, accurate
Cons: none, as long as what you’re weighing has handles
Remember the old days… when you packed your suitcases without a care in the world about how much they weighed? After all, weight limits (if the airlines even had them at the time) were plenty high and seemingly never enforced, at least not that I can recall.  However, the world has changed.  And now, the airlines are serious.  When they say 50 pounds (or even 40 pounds) they mean it!  Go over, and you’ll have to pay.
So, it’s vital (well, vital might be a bit strong, but for those of us who are allergic to paying excessive fees, it sure seems vital) that our luggage weigh in the acceptable range.
Weighing the luggage at home is simple.  Step on your bathroom scale twice.  Once by yourself and one holding the suitcase.  Subtract, and you have your answer.
But what about the return flight?  If you’re in a hotel, or on a cruise, you might not have access to a bathroom scale.  Of course, if you’re returning with the exact same items as you came with, then it’s no problem.  But if you do some shopping while away, you might have added some significant weight to your baggage.  Of course, you can wait until you’re at the airport.  They’ll be happy to weigh the suitcase, and give you time to start moving items around, perhaps move your jacket from your suitcase to your carry-on, or swap your heavy sneakers from one suitcase to another.  But isn’t it just easier if you can figure this all out before you head to the airport?
That’s why I frequently bring my UniqueWare Electronic Luggage Scale with me, when I travel.  It’s very light-weight (just a couple ounces) and just a few inches long, thus easily portable.  Best of all, it’s easy to use, and accurate.
How does it work?  It has a cloth handle with a hook.  Loop the handle around your suitcase’s handle, then latch it closed.  Press the “on” button, wait for the scale to initialize, then lift.  Just a moment later, the digital read-out will stabilize, and you’ll be able to read the weight of your luggage in pounds or kilograms.
The only thing I must point out is that whatever you’re weighing must have closed-loop handles.  In other words, this device is useless if you’re trying to weigh a carton (although if you can place the carton in a bag with handles you’ll be OK).
Best of all, the readout is on the top of the scale, not the side, like my previous model.  This means that the numbers can be easily read by the person lifting the suitcase.  With my old model, it was always a two-person job – one to lift, and one to read.  UniqueWare solved this!
In my experience, the scale is accurate.  It matches what the airport later tells us, within about 2/10 of a pound (so leave yourself a small cushion).  It uses a lithium cell battery (included), and shows a low-battery indicator.  Capacity: 50 kg / 110 lb.  The scale also tells you the temperature in Fahrenheit or Celsius.  I didn’t know it included a thermometer when I bought it, and, frankly, I don’t really understand the connection.
A terrific product, very useful, and pays for itself the first time you save yourself an over-weight fee!