Talking kitchen scales are a great aid to daily living if you have sight loss. They can weigh ingredients and food accurately and are helpful for other tasks at home, such as checking the weight of items you want to post.
All talking kitchen scales have a voice feature that speaks the weight of your ingredients. Other features vary between products, such as capacity, power source, and unit of measurement. We explain the main features of talking kitchen scales and highlight leading products below.
Specialist talking kitchen scales are typically more expensive than standard digital kitchen scales, though they qualify for VAT relief. They're available from specialist retailers such as RNIB and Living Made Easy. Other retailers stock them, too, so use a search engine to compare prices and delivery charges before you buy.
Thanks to Royal Canin, 520 new guide dog owners are being provided with talking scales to help them weigh out kibble!
Guide Dogs is committed to integrating technology into our service delivery and promoting excellence in accessibility and usability. Our staff undergo comprehensive training in technology and accessibility in collaboration with industry leaders like Apple. We foster knowledge of technology and create content through our Technology Champions, comprising Vision Rehabilitation Specialists and Habilitation Specialists. We review this content periodically to ensure that it is up to date and includes new features and changes with operating systems. We work with our partners to ensure accessibility is at the centre of the design. To find out more, there is more information in our accessibility policy.
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In the past, feeding my dog the correct amount of food to maintain a healthy weight has been down to guesswork. Since Guide Dogs gave me a talking kitchen scale all the guesswork has gone.
Talking kitchen scales are invaluable for people with vision impairment who enjoy cooking, baking, or who want to accurately track their food (for example, to aid weight loss). If you have a guide dog, they're also useful for correctly measuring your dog's food to help them maintain a healthy weight.
Features to consider when choosing talking scales:
It's worth researching different features before you buy talking kitchen scales. Retailers are not legally obliged to accept returns unless the product is faulty. Check if the retailer's returns policy will accept a return if the product has not been opened.

Cobolt Speechmaster Talking Kitchen Scale MK V are generally well-reviewed by people who enjoy baking. It has the following features:
It can weigh a maximum of five kilos or 11 pounds
Powered by either mains or battery (takes one nine-volt battery)
Tare function
Adjustable volume control, with a male English voice
It can measure in imperial or metric, in five-gram or 0.5-ounce steps and is accurate within two per cent
These scales don't have an LCD or LED display, don't measure liquids, and must be switched off manually.
Prices vary depending on the retailer but start from around £54.

People who've used these kitchen scales like their modern appearance and the fact they can measure both solids and liquids. They also comment that they're easy to use. Features include:
A maximum capacity of five kilos or 11 pounds for dry ingredients and 1300 millilitres or two and a quarter pints for liquids, in increments of approximately five grams or 0.1 ounces.
A measuring jug with easy-to-see markings and an easy grip handle. The jug also has a spout for pouring, with a recess to help keep it steady as you pour. You can use the scales with or without the jug, and spare jugs are available to buy.
The speaker has a male English voice and speaks the weight in either kilos and grams or pounds and ounces. Volumes are spoken in millilitres.
LCD display.
The Tare function allows you to reset the amount to zero for adding ingredients step by step.
Powered by two AAA batteries, with automatic power down after a few minutes of inactivity.
The speaker volume on these scales can't be adjusted. Prices start from around £55, but we've seen them on sale at much higher prices, so it's worth shopping around for the best price.
Now I'm able to weigh out my dog's food accurately, his weight has stabilised and I feel more confident that I can provide him with better care independently. An added bonus is I’ve started using the scale to bake, which isn’t something I thought I’d ever be able to do. Such a simple tool with so many benefits.

People who've bought the My Weigh Vox 3000 like its' clear voice and accuracy.
Features include:
Measurement in imperial or metric, with a maximum capacity of three kilos or six pounds, accurate to a gram or 0.05 ounces.
A clear weighing bowl on a stainless steel platform.
Battery powered by one nine-volt battery, with automatic power off after 60 seconds of inactivity.
A female American voice with adjustable volume. Speaks in four languages, so you must select English during set-up.
Large backlit LCD display.
These scales don't measure liquids. Reviewers have commented that the user manual doesn't come in large print, so you may need someone who isn't visually impaired to help set it up.

People who've used the VIBAS iVoice Chef scales find the voice clear and easy to understand and like the fact you can press a button to make it repeat the measurement.
Features include:
Measures weight in metric, with a maximum capacity of up to ten kilos in one gram increments.
A female voice that repeats the weight on the press of a button. Audio cues indicate when the batteries need to be replaced and if you go above the maximum weight.
Battery powered by two AAA batteries, with automatic shutdown.
Tactile buttons that are easy to find and use.
Tare function.
LED display.
Audio instruction manual (available via a QR code).
Available to buy for around £41.

Some people with vision problems like presbyopia can use moderately priced digital kitchen scales with a large clear digital display screen. These don't have a talking voice but are a cost-effective choice if you have some useful vision.
We've found the Tower electronic kitchen scale to be well reviewed, with features including:
Capacity to weigh wet or dry ingredients up to five kilos, in 1-gram increments.
Tare function.
A large 56-millimetre LCD display that's clear and bright, with white display digits on a dark background.
Battery powered, requiring three AAA batteries.
These scales retail for around £20.
