Almost every kitchen brand has a food scale these days. And it can be tough to tell which are good scales based on reviews, especially considering the number of fake reviews on sites like Amazon.
That’s where we come in at bestfoodscale.com. We provide real reviews for people looking at food and kitchen scales to help you know whether or not you should purchase a scale for your kitchen. Let’s take a look at the My Weigh KD-8000, a kitchen scale that has been around a while, and see if we think it hits the mark for home kitchens.
Spoiler alert: The My Weigh KD-8000 is a great scale that provides a variety of high-quality features and is particularly well suited for home bakers. We actually consider this scale to be the best baking scale for home bakers.
We will start by reviewing the My Weigh KD-8000 against normal kitchen scale criteria to see how it fares. Then we will look at some of the unique characteristics and features of this scale that we think make this one of, if not the, best baking scale.
Table of Contents
Measuring Weight with the My Weigh KD-8000
The My Weigh KD-8000 has an impressive maximum capacity of 8000g or 17lbs. We can only assume that “8000” in the name of the scale is related to this… Very few home bakers or cooks should run into any issues with a maximum capacity this high.
The measuring increment of the scale is 1g increments (or 0.05oz). We’ve had no issues with the accuracy of the weight measurements in our usage of this scale. Many other buyers also comment on its accuracy and consistency in measuring weights correctly. At 1g increments, you are able to weigh very small amounts for baking or cooking purposes with no problem.
The scale also has a calibration mode for when you want to recalibrate it. It should be noted the scale does not come with its own calibration weight. For more information on how to calibrate a scale check out our article on calibrating a scale.
Display
This scale has a very easy to read display – the most important component of any display. The numbers are large and clear and can be read from some distance. There is also a backlight to the display so it can be read even in darker settings. An extremely nice feature of this scale is you can turn the backlight off and on. That means you can conserve battery life if you are in a setting where the backlight is not necessary.
Another nice feature of the display is how it is at an angle and is still readable when large items are sitting on the scale. A common problem with kitchen scales is the displays are covered when larger items are being weighed so you can’t always easily read the measurement. Not so with the My Weigh KD-8000 as the design prevents this problem.
The display and buttons are sealed to prevent easy damage from water or other things.
Another bonus to this scale that might seem kind of small but can come in very handy is the buttons click when pressed. On other scales you can end up wondering if you actually clicked the button if you get no immediate response so the clicking is a good indicator to have. And on top of that, the scale has a setting you can enable that makes the buttons beep when clicked.
The display also has a plastic removeable cover. We didn’t find this particularly useful but it’s never bad to have an extra layer of protection when the scale is not in use.
Most kitchen scales have some form of auto-off where the scale turns off after a certain period of time. This is mostly a nice feature as it preserves battery life. It can become a nuisance if you are using the scale for an activity that takes longer and the scale just turns off on you. The My Weigh KD-8000 also has a setting where you can actually turn off the auto-off feature. Extremely useful and not very common for kitchen or baking scales.
Weighing Platform
The weighing platform of the My Weigh KD-8000 is stainless steel and measures at 17cm by 17cm. The stainless steel platform provides a great finish for items to rest on or to place other dishes like bowls and containers.
The weighing platform also detaches from the rest of the scale making it easier to wash on its own (but be mindful of the actual scale as it leaves the four holes to connect the platform uncovered).
Power
Another positive point of this scale is how it comes with an A/C adapter that can be used to power it. But it also provides the flexibility to use 3 AA batteries to make in transportable – although having to buy new batteries can be somewhat of a nuisance.
My Weigh KD-8000 Features
Let’s take a look at all the functions and features of the My Weigh KD-8000 as we get into the parts of this scale that we think make it the best baking scale.
- Auto-Off – As discussed above, this scale not only has an auto-off feature to help preserve power charge but it also has the ability to disable the auto-off so the scale will stay on longer. When considering some of the activities of baking this can be a massive help.
- Tare – Like many scales, it also has the tare function which allows you to zero the scale to reset it. This can be handy if you’ve placed a container on the scale but only want to weight the items you place in the container. You can tare the scale to “0” with the container on it so it will only measure incremental weight from there.
- Calibration – This scale does have a calibration mode that lets you recalibrate the scale if needed. However, no calibration weight is included.
- Low-Battery Indicator – Always nice to have if you opt not to use the A/C adapter, the scale will let you know when you are running low on power. No one likes to be stuck in a position where their scale just dies mid-weighing.
- Hold – This function lets the scale hold the weight that is being measured once this is enabled. You can also un-hold to return back to normal measuring.
- Stability Indicator – This lets you know the current reading is stable.
- Overload Indicator – This lets you know you are either approaching or have exceeded the maximum weight capacity of the scale.
- Buzzer/Beep – This is a great feature that lets you enable either clicking or beeping responses when you press the buttons of the scale. This toggle is found on the back of the scale.
- Percentage Mode – And the holy grail of features for bakers… the percentage mode. Let’s dive into this feature in more detail.
Percentage Mode
Also called the Baker’s Percentage Function, this is a tool that easily calculates a recipe’s ingredients by percentages. It’s based off of flour being the primary ingredient at 100% and all other ingredients are calculated in proportion to the flour.
This is a common technique for baker recipes where often times the recipe might call for a water measurement of 65% of the flour. For a calculator on baker’s percentage, check out this site.
Here are the steps to use the Baker’s Percentage Function on the KD-8000:
- Place your bowl on the weighing platform and tare the scale to “0”.
- Add the complete amount of flour to the bowl (it should be 100% of what the recipe calls for).
- Press the % button on the scale to enable the Baker’s Percentage Function.
- From here, you can remove the flour from the weighing platform but do not press any other buttons at this point as it’s now calculating new weights as a percentage of the flour.
- For each additional ingredient, add as much as you need until the percentage amount equals whatever the recipe calls for.
- For example, if the recipe calls for 2% of salt, continue to add salt to the weighing platform until the scale reads 2%.
- Continue through the ingredients (removing each ingredient after it’s measured) until you have completed all measurements!
And that’s it! This function can be so handy for bakers – and other cooking recipes too!
My Weigh KD-8000 Scale: Pros & Cons
- Dual option – AA batteries as well as AC adapter
- Unique percentage weighing system – especially good for bakers
- 8000g (17 lbs) weighing capacity – bigger than most kitchen scales
- Customizable auto-shut off time
- Sturdy, durable and big weighing platform – made of stainless steel
- AC adaptor comes separately on some models – make sure you check!
- Not as weight sensitive as some other scales
- Plastic splash guard not super useful
Conclusions and Recommendations
All in all, we highly recommend the My Weigh KD-8000 kitchen scale. For bakers in particular, this scale has features that will make baking activities easier for you. For other home cooks this scale is also highly recommended. It weighs more than most other kitchen scales, has a variety of cool features and has proven to be a durable and long-lasting tool. This scale easily makes our list of the best food scales.
My Weigh Food Scale FAQs
How to disable the auto power-off feature on the My Weigh KD-8000 Digital Scale?
Turn-off your scale. Then press and hold the ‘HOLD’ Key, and while you have it pressed, also press the ‘ON/OFF’ key. Hold them both for a good 3 to 5 seconds, as the scale does its countdown. This will take you to ‘Weight Response Speed Settings’. Scroll through via the ‘MODE’ key, and confirm your selection using the ‘TARE’ Key. Once you are done, you will be redirected to ‘Auto Power-off’ Settings. ‘OFF 0’ represents ‘Disabled’ state, while ‘OFF 1’ and ‘OFF 2’ stand for Automatic shutdown after 2 and 5 minutes respectively. Choose ‘OFF 0’, if you want to disable the auto-off feature.
What are the Voltage and Current Requirements for the My Weigh KD-8000 scale?
The power adapter for the My Weigh kitchen scale has a non-polarized standard two-prong American Plug. So it will run on 100 to 240 Volt AC supply and draws 0.3 Ampere Current.
Will I need to calibrate the My Weigh KD-8000 scale?
The MyWeigh Digital scale is professionally calibrated by the company before it is shipped to you. So you don’t need to recalibrate it, unless you aim to increase accuracy. In that case, you can calibrate it using a 5 kg weight and the calibration mode.
Does the scale weigh multiple ingredients together?
Yes! Like most scales in the market, the scale has a ‘Tare’ feature that enables it to weigh multiple ingredients together. All you have to do is to press the ‘TARE’ key before adding a new ingredient.
What is the weighing capacity of the My Weigh KD-8000 scale?
Teh My Weigh KD-8000 can weigh up to 17.6 lbs or 8 kg. It measures in increments of 1 gram.
Does My Weigh KD-8000 scale come with the A/C adapter?
It depends, most current models include the A/C adapter but some older models do not. You should check to see if the model you are ordering does include the adapter.