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The Digital Luggage Scale from Balanzza could come in handy these days, when overweight luggage can set you back up to $125 per bag.
This lightweight but a tad bulky contraption weighs luggage when you’re on the go so you can get a heads up whether you’re close to the weight limit. Balanzza sent me one to try but it arrived just after my last vacation. So, I didn’t get to try it on the road. However, I took my half-unpacked bag and gave it a weigh.
The scale looks like a toy MP3 player with a bright green handle on top and a black strap on the bottom. Connect the lower strap to your suitcase’s handle and hold the scale with luggage attached in the air. Wait for the beep. Then check out the weight (choose between pounds or kilograms).
While the battery-operated scale offers weight to one decimal point, don’t expect atomic accuracy. The scale said my suitcase weighed anywhere between 17.5 pounds to 18 pounds. On a separate bath scale, the suitcase weighed 17.6 pounds.
The Balanzza scale is good for up to 100 pounds or 44 Kg. (And if you’re over that, you need to unpack!)
Handy? Yes. Especially if you’re traveling in my book-loving family. Accurate? Well, enough so. If accuracy is within a pound, that’s definitely close enough to know whether you are at risk for an overweight baggage fee. The scale is sold out at Balanzza’s store, but the site says it’s also available at edwardsluggage.com ($21.95), llbean.com ($24.95) and travelsmith.com ($24.95).
Note: Travelsmith also sells a non-digital scale for $9.95, while L.L.Bean sells a $35 digital one.
Image may be NSFW.
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Related stories:
- Travel light and elude fees with a well-packed carry-on (OC Register)
- Save time at airport security with new laptop bag (Gadgetress)
- A refresher on baggage rules (Globetrotting blog from Boston Globe)
- 5 ways airlines are cutting costs (CNBC)
- Airline fees survival guide, part 2 and part 1 (SmarterTravel.com)
