I recently purchased a Tanita scale, and it’s been a reminder that good products are delightful. It was an opportunistic purchase. Somehow I shattered the kitchen scale that I had for years and not too long ago I saw a chef’s recommendation on YouTube.
The thing about the Tanita is that it’s as if someone has thoroughly considered what makes for a good home kitchen scale and made the scale-iest home kitchen scale that they can make. The performance is impeccable; it displays weight changes instantly and there’s even a precise mode that goes down to 0.1g (fun fact: coffee beans are about 0.2g each on average). The controls are logical and satisfying. One of the problems I had with the previous scale is that it did not have an off button - it turns off automatically and frequently when I’m in the middle of using it. Lastly, it feels good in the hand, a hefty enough chunk but small enough to stow away. Also, the raised platform separate the weighed to the weight display and that’s a nice touch.
I expected to like the scale but I didn’t expect to love it. I find so much joy in weighing things and knowing how heavy they are that I’m constantly finding excuses to use it. Everything from weighing out my morning coffee beans to pasta servings. Good products should make you want to use it more, find new ways of using it, and just shout it’s virtues from the rooftop. That’s the standard I need to hold myself to when building new products.