Two New Espresso Scales from MHW-3Bomber: The Dice 3.0 Micro and Professional Max

Should you’ve been hanging across the espresso gear world for some time, you’ll see that MHW-3Bomber has a knack for standing out, generally loudly. They’re a Chinese language firm whose technique appears to be easy: take options usually reserved for premium gear, pack them into aggressively priced merchandise, and see what number of followers of higher-end gear they’ll lure over. The newest try comes within the type of two new espresso scales, the Dice 3.0 Micro and the Dice 3.0 Professional Max.

They’re each attention-grabbing, not simply due to what they do, however due to how little they price in comparison with their closest competitors. The Dice 3.0 Micro is simply $48, typically with reductions, and the Professional Max is $55, once more with occasional reductions.

One is designed for portability and espresso, the opposite is a much bigger, data-driven beast for pour over. Neither scale is ideal, however each make you query whether or not you actually need to spend $150 or extra on a espresso scale.

The brand new Micro scale from 3Bomber could be very small – nearly as small as a Bookoo Themis.

The massive and heavy Professional Max Scale, with a 3000mAh battery inside.

If you may get previous the identify, which nonetheless makes some people wince, the MHW-3Bomber branding on these scales is refined and straightforward to dwell with. What issues extra are the options and worth. We’re not doing a full evaluate on these scales, however I needed to provide you a more in-depth have a look at some severe new contenders for measuring the weights of your brews.

The Dice 3.0 Micro: Pocket-sized Precision

The Micro is the smaller of the 2, and MHW-3Bomber actually leaned into portability right here. It’s solely 85mm by 85mm, weighs simply 138 grams, and comes with a carrying case that’s shockproof, waterproof, and has just a little storage compartment for cables, or perhaps a baggie with as much as 100g of espresso. It’s about as near a travel-ready espresso scale as you’re going to seek out.

Accuracy is a little bit of a trade-off. The dimensions reads in 0.1g increments as much as 1000g, which is ok for espresso and single-cup brews. However as soon as your brewing gear pushes the load previous a kilo, the precision drops to entire grams. Which means while you add espresso grounds on prime, you lose the tremendous accuracy many individuals need for dialing in recipes.

It has three brewing modes: regular scale mode, pour over, and espresso. The espresso mode is the place it excels, with a function that mechanically begins the timer when it detects the primary drops of liquid hitting the cup. Should you’ve ever fumbled with a scale, making an attempt to start out the timer whereas making an attempt to not damage your shot, this can be a large assist.

There’s additionally an auto-on operate: drop one thing weighing 50 grams or extra on the size and it wakes up able to go, zeroing itself out within the course of. I like this function for pre-weighing a portafilter earlier than grinding espresso into it from a single dose grinder.

The Dice 3.0 Micro additionally remembers your final used mode, which is good in case you’re a creature of behavior, and it has what 3Bomber calls an “anti-mistouch” function that helps keep away from unintentionally resetting the tare mid brew.

Battery may be a priority. I’ve seen two completely different “stories” of the battery inside – one stated 400mah, the opposite stated 600mah. Both method, not a whole lot of energy, and having a scale that stays on for as much as half-hour will drain it tremendous quick. Charging is gradual too; in actual fact, 3Bomber particularly warns you towards utilizing a fast charger with this USB-C geared up scale.

The Dice 3.0 Professional Max: The Large Brother

If the Micro is all about compact espresso work, the Professional Max is constructed to be a form of countertop command centre (going with the army motif, I’m lol!). It’s lots larger at 150mm by 150mm, weighs round 560g, and has a broad weighing floor that may deal with all the things from a Chemex to a portafilter with out overlaying up the show. Identical to the Micro, it has a customized made silicone sleeve that sits on prime, obligatory as a result of warmth can have an effect on the weighing mechanism.

Accuracy is 0.1 grams throughout the complete vary as much as 2000 grams. No compromises.

The showpiece function right here, for me a minimum of, is the dwell brew ratio readout in pour over mode. I find it irresistible: I can put any random quantity of espresso I would like within the pour over gadget (oh wait, I floor 23.1g of espresso? let’s roll with that!), register it with the size (that motion is tremendous fast and intuitive), and the size will give me a dwell readout of the ratio as I pour brewing water. No extra psychological math gymnastics if I wish to get a 1:14 ratio (or a 1:16.3 ratio for that matter); simply watch the dwell readout, and cease pouring as soon as I hit my goal.

One other nifty function is the real-time circulate fee show. That is often reserved for scales 2x-3x the value, like Acaia or high-end Timemore fashions. The Professional Max exhibits your pouring velocity in grams per second (all the way down to .1g), together with time, the aforementioned brew ratio, and complete water weight. For anybody chasing consistency in pour over, it’s an enormous deal. Besides, there may be one challenge with the circulate fee, which I’ll cowl under.

The Professional Max has the identical brewing modes because the Micro, however with extra information on display screen. After you end brewing, the stats keep seen till you clear them, so you possibly can truly evaluate what you probably did as an alternative of dropping the numbers the second you carry your kettle.

Energy is one other robust level. The Professional Max has a 3000mAh battery with a claimed 72 hours of steady use. That’s not a typo. You possibly can brew espresso all week, nearly non cease, with out plugging it in. It additionally recharges through USB-C, and that takes a very long time since you can’t use quick chargers with this gadget.

The place They Stumble

Nearly as good as these scales are on paper, they aren’t flawless.

• The plastic feels low cost. That’s the trade-off at this worth level. Don’t anticipate the strong construct of an Acaia Pearl, a DiFluid Microbalance, or the luscious Bookoo Themis.
• The Professional Max show is dimmer than it must be. It’s tremendous in most kitchens, however in case you’re in shiny mild you’ll discover it. The Micro’s show is brighter, however not as clear as one thing just like the Bookoo Themis.
• As nice as the true time circulate fee readout on the Professional Max is on paper, it’s not truly “actual time”. In my testing, it’s fairly laggy. You’ll see dwell numbers and suppose – okay, I’m pouring too quick, then alter, after which go method too low due to how a lot lag there may be within the readout vs your precise real-time pouring. Fantastic tuning your pour it may be irritating.
• Lastly, the auto-off timer choices are odd. You possibly can set it to 10 minutes, half-hour, or at all times on. Personally, I’d wish to see 5, 10, and 20 minutes as an alternative. The half-hour and at all times on timings for the Micro are particularly bizarre, given its tiny battery (assumed). 

These could also be deal breakers for some; however the worth factors will in all probability shift them again to “yeah, I feel I would like one” territory.

Worth and Competitors

Right here’s the place issues get attention-grabbing. The Dice 3.0 Micro often sells for round $48, typically with further coupons floating round, whereas the Professional Max is available in at about $55, once more with reductions in case you catch them. Evaluate that to scales that MHW-3Bomber see as their rivals in these areas: the extremely diminutive Bookoo Themis, which is most just like the Micro, sits at about $130, and the Acaia Pearl, in the identical measurement class because the Professional Max, goes for about $150.

That’s not simply aggressive pricing, it’s disruptive. Even in case you bear in mind that MHW-3Bomber typically ships direct from China, with longer supply occasions and the possibility of added charges or tariffs (one thing US patrons are coping with proper now due to their present president’s insurance policies), you’re nonetheless paying a fraction of the value for options that usually include a a lot steeper tag.

Which One Makes Sense for You?

Should you largely brew espresso, the Micro is a welcome addition to {the marketplace}. It’s sufficiently small to sit down on a drip tray, it has the auto timer, and it received’t take up a lot house in a journey bag. It even feels at house on a Breville Bambino Plus or Delonghi Dedica with their slender drip trays. It’s a bit taller than the Acaia Lunar or Bookoo Themis, so there nonetheless might be a good vertical match on machines just like the Gaggia Basic and Profitec Go.

Should you’re extra into pour over or need a do-everything scale, the Professional Max is the higher choose. The circulate fee show is imperfect however nonetheless helpful, the dwell brew ratio is sensible, the battery life is ridiculous, and the value is sort of laughably low for what you get.

Should you’re torn between the 2, the Professional Max is just seven bucks extra however don’t anticipate to suit it in your espresso drip tray. Until house is de facto tight, it’s in all probability the higher all-rounder.

Closing Ideas

MHW-3Bomber might have an unlucky identify, however they’re doing one thing vital right here. By placing superior options into reasonably priced packages, they’re forcing the remainder of the espresso gear business to rethink what counts as “premium”, a minimum of the place options are involved.

Neither the Dice 3.0 Micro nor the Professional Max is ideal. The plastics really feel low cost, the shows may very well be brighter, and the Professional Max’s circulate fee isn’t as dwell accurately. However for underneath sixty {dollars}, you get performance that used to price double or triple that. That’s value listening to.

Should you’re available in the market for both, on the prime of this text we linked to MHW-3Bomber (that’s not an affiliate hyperlink for us) to purchase direct in case you select. Or if you wish to assist out our web site, you should buy these on Amazon utilizing these affiliate hyperlinks: Dice 3.0 Micro Scale ($48), or the Dice 3.0 Professional Max Scale ($55).