Acaia Pearl vs TIMEMORE Basic 3.0

The Pearl publishes a full metrology specification rather than a single marketing number, and its real-time flow rate indicator is the only feature here that changes how you actually pour. The Basic 3.0 gives you a published IP rating, twice the battery life of the Fellow and a stated accuracy range, for a fraction of the money.

Acaia Pearl

Buy it

A full metrology spec, a flow rate indicator, and the only scale here that tells you its repeatability.

• Readability, repeatability and minimum weight all published at 0.1 grams, alongside linearity, which is a genuine specification rather than a single accuracy claim.
• A real-time flow rate indicator that visualises your pouring speed as you pour and suggests thresholds for ideal flow rates, which no other scale here offers.
• A 3.7V 1100mAh lithium-ion battery rated 30 to 40 hours, USB-C charging, Bluetooth 5.0, an adjustable-brightness display, a heat-resistant pad in the box, and a 2-year warranty in the US and EU.

• No water resistance rating is published, and Acaia's own care instruction is a soft cloth with warm water only.
• 2000 grams capacity is the joint lowest here, 500 grams less than the Fellow.
• Acaia states 0.1 gram readability but does not say whether it holds across the full 2000 gram range, where two competitors do.

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TIMEMORE Basic 3.0

Buy it

The only one with a published IP rating, the longest battery for the money, and a stated accuracy range.

• IPX3 water resistance, the only rating published by any maker here, on a device that lives next to a kettle.
• Accuracy stated as 0.1 grams from 0.2 to 500 grams against a capacity of 0.2 to 2000 grams, so TIMEMORE tells you which part of the range the figure covers.
• A 1600mAh battery good for up to 24 hours of continuous use and a full recharge in 3.5 hours over USB-C, with Regular, Pour-Over and Espresso modes, automatic tare in Espresso mode, a three-second timer lead-in and a coffee-to-water ratio display.

• No Bluetooth and no app, so there is no way to log or export a brew.
• The published accuracy figure covers 0.2 to 500 grams, which means the top three quarters of the capacity is unspecified.
• No warranty terms appear on the product page.

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Side by side

The bottom line

Our overall pick is the Acaia Pearl - A full metrology spec, a flow rate indicator, and the only scale here that tells you its repeatability. Choose the TIMEMORE Basic 3.0 instead if a first serious brewing scale, and anyone who splashes water around.

Want the full picture, including the other options we compared and the popular one we'd skip? Read the complete The Best Coffee Scales: 4 Compared (and One to Skip).