Twitter Contest: Balanzza Mini Luggage Scale

He had taken our luggage to the vet to use their scale for animals – that’s how serious he was about avoiding those charges.

“Fifty point two,” the check-in lady said sympathetically, patting our carefully packed box.

Duct-tape was ripped off, cases were opened, and sticks and cymbal stands and shoes were redistributed while a surprisingly patient line of travelers watched.

We managed to shift everything around and avoid the fees, but when you’re moving to a new continent for the first time, that kind of last-minute stress is best avoided.

I was out of town when the Mini Luggage Scale Balanzza kindly sent me to review arrived in the mail. My husband opened it, tested it, and called me immediately.

“This thing is brilliant.”

It is. It’s also (according to Balanzza) the “smallest and lightest scale available on the market,” about the size of a suitcase handle, with a short lanyard and plastic clip attached. There are three buttons beneath the screen on front; power, unit (lb or kg) and reset. Turn it on, clip it to your bag, lift as if the scale were a handle and wait for the beep. The weight will be displayed on the screen.

While its practicality for travelers is clear, I’ve found other uses for the Mini Luggage Scale as well. Shipping gifts, for example – no need to guess at those UPS prices.

I’ve found it to be pretty accurate within .1 of a pound. It certainly beats driving to the vet, and it absolutely beats unpacking all your belongings while the line through security grows ever longer.

Price: $24.95

Contest closed!

And the winner is……@rachelskaggs! Congrats, Rachel!