the Timemore Black Mirror Basic 2 delivers 0.1g precision and flow-rate tracking at half the price of the Acaia Lunar, making it the top value pick for home baristas.
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for most home baristas in 2026, the Timemore Black Mirror Basic 2 is the strongest pour-over scale: 0.1g precision, real-time flow-rate display, splash-proof surface, and USB-C charging at roughly half the cost of the Acaia Lunar. if you need commercial durability or the absolute lowest latency for espresso workflows, the Acaia Lunar remains the benchmark, but for hand-brew methods at home, the Timemore offers better value without meaningful compromise.
0.1g accuracy is non-negotiable. kitchen scales that read to 1g introduce enough measurement error to shift your extraction yield by 1% or more on typical 15-20g doses. that margin matters when you're chasing clarity in a light-roast Ethiopian or trying to replicate yesterday's perfect cup.
refresh rate matters nearly as much. slow scales lag behind your actual pour by a second or more, which makes flow-rate adjustments during the brew feel like steering a boat in mud. the Acaia Lunar updates at roughly 20Hz; the Timemore Black Mirror Basic 2 runs fast enough that the difference is imperceptible in real use.
a built-in timer is mandatory. if the scale you're considering lacks one, cross it off immediately. tracking bloom time, total brew time, and weight simultaneously is the entire point of a dedicated coffee scale versus a generic kitchen unit.
the Timemore Black Mirror Basic 2 sits at $80-110 depending on retailer, compared to $250-280 for the Acaia Lunar. for that price you get:
the display can wash out slightly in very bright direct sunlight, but this is a minor issue unless you brew outdoors at noon regularly. the button layout is intuitive: mode, timer, tare, and ratio each get their own physical control, so you're not cycling through menus or accidentally triggering the wrong function. adjustments require a two-second press, which prevents accidental mode switches mid-brew.
the flow-rate display is particularly useful for pour-over. you can watch your gram-per-second rate in real time and adjust your kettle angle or speed to maintain consistent extraction. this feature alone justifies the step up from a basic Hario V60 scale.
for home use across multiple brew equipment types, including V60, Kalita Wave, Chemex, and even espresso if you have the clearance, the Timemore delivers professional-grade performance without the professional price.
the Acaia Lunar costs $250-280 and earns that price through:
the water resistance is the primary reason cafes choose Acaia. a scale sitting under a commercial espresso machine takes a daily soaking from drips, splashes, and steam wand spray. the Lunar survives that environment; the Timemore's splash-proof rating does not guarantee the same longevity.
the app connectivity is a divisive feature. some users appreciate the ability to log shots and track extraction metrics over time. most home baristas find it unnecessary for daily brewing and never open the app after initial setup.
the Lunar's footprint (4.1" x 4.1") fits neatly under most espresso portafilters, which is why it's called the Lunar rather than the Pearl (Acaia's larger pour-over model). for pour-over, you have enough platform space for a V60 or small Kalita, but a full Chemex or large batch brewer will overhang.
the Timemore Black Mirror Nano offers the same 0.1g precision and splash-proof build as the Basic 2 but with a 500g max load and smaller footprint. it's designed specifically for compact espresso drip trays. if you only brew single cups of pour-over and want to save counter space, the Nano works, but the 500g ceiling feels limiting. price runs $70-90.
the Hario V60 Drip Scale remains a solid budget option at $50-70. it has an integrated timer, 2,000g capacity, and simple one-button operation. the accuracy is 0.1g for loads under 200g, then steps to 1g above that threshold, which is fine for pour-over but eliminates espresso use. the build quality is reliable, the footprint fits common drip brewers perfectly, and the lack of app or Bluetooth complexity is a feature, not a bug. the display is less sophisticated than the Timemore or Acaia, but it shows the two numbers you need: grams and seconds.
the Acaia Pearl S is the larger sibling of the Lunar, with a bigger platform (5.1" x 5.1") better suited to full pour-over setups. it includes guided brewing modes, app connectivity, and the same 0.1g precision. price runs $260-290, and the size makes it too large to fit under most home espresso machines. the interface has more features than the Lunar, which some users find helpful and others find cluttered. if you brew exclusively pour-over and want Acaia's build quality without the espresso focus, the Pearl S makes sense, but the Timemore still offers better value.
the Fellow Tally Pro sits around $100-130 and targets the same market as the Timemore: home enthusiasts who want precision without the Acaia price. it has a clean design, 0.1g accuracy, and a built-in timer. the refresh rate is noticeably slower than the Timemore, and user reports suggest the battery life is shorter. it's a fine scale, but the Timemore edges it out on performance per dollar.
generic 0.1g scales (often sold under names like Weightman, Apexstone, or unbranded Amazon listings) run $20-40. they technically meet the accuracy spec, but the refresh rate is slow, the build quality is inconsistent, and water resistance is nonexistent. if you need a travel scale or a backup unit for occasional use, they're adequate. for daily brewing, the experience gap between a $30 generic and an $80 Timemore is large enough to justify the cost.
both Acaia models offer Bluetooth app pairing for shot logging, firmware updates, and brew recipe storage. in practice, most home baristas don't use it. the app is well-designed, but the workflow of pulling out your phone, opening the app, and starting a logged session adds friction that outweighs the benefit unless you're methodically tracking extraction experiments.
if you're a cafe training new baristas or a competition-focused home user documenting every variable, the logging feature has value. for everyone else, the scale's onboard timer and display are sufficient.
start with your budget and use case:
don't buy a scale without 0.1g precision, a built-in timer, and a refresh rate fast enough to track your pour in real time. those three specs separate coffee scales from kitchen scales.
once you have a precision scale, use it to single-dose your beans before every grind session. weigh your dose directly into the grinder hopper (or a dosing cup, then into the hopper), rather than grinding from a hopper full of beans and hoping the grinder's internal dosing mechanism is accurate.
this costs you 30 seconds and eliminates the stale-grounds variable entirely. beans sitting in a hopper for days lose volatile aromatics. single-dosing also removes the guesswork from grinder retention: you know exactly how much went in, so you can track exactly how much came out.
the Timemore and Acaia scales both have tare functions that reset to zero instantly, so you can place your dosing cup, tare, add beans to your target weight, and transfer to the grinder in one smooth motion.
the Timemore Black Mirror Basic 2 is the best pour-over scale for most people. it delivers professional precision, useful features like flow-rate tracking, and a splash-proof build at a price that makes sense for home use. the Acaia Lunar is objectively better in water resistance and refresh rate, but those advantages matter most in commercial settings where the scale takes abuse all day. for home brewing, the performance gap is too narrow to justify spending an extra $150-200.
if your budget is tight, the Hario V60 Drip Scale is a solid fallback that handles pour-over well and costs half what the Timemore does. if you're outfitting a cafe or need the absolute best espresso scale regardless of price, buy the Acaia Lunar and expect it to last years under heavy use.
Key takeaway: For home pour-over in 2026, the Timemore Black Mirror Basic 2 delivers 0.1g precision and real-time flow-rate tracking at $80-110, making it the strongest value pick over the $250-280 Acaia Lunar.
Yes. It reads to 0.1g across the full 2,000g range, which is the precision level needed for pour-over. Kitchen scales that read to 1g can shift your extraction yield by 1% or more on a 15-20g dose, which is enough to noticeably affect clarity and flavor consistency.
Both offer 0.1g precision and USB-C charging. The Acaia Lunar adds IPX6 water resistance, app connectivity, and a slightly faster refresh rate, making it the better choice for commercial or espresso use. For home pour-over, the Timemore performs comparably at roughly half the price.
Yes -- a built-in timer is mandatory for any dedicated coffee scale. Tracking bloom time, total brew time, and weight simultaneously on one display is what separates a purpose-built coffee scale from a generic kitchen unit. A scale without one is not worth considering for pour-over.
Flow-rate display shows your pour speed in grams per second in real time, letting you adjust your kettle angle or speed during the brew to stay consistent. This helps avoid over-extraction from too-slow pours or under-extraction from rushing, and is especially useful for light-roast coffees where extraction windows are narrow.
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