There’s a lot to be said for the "less is more" philosophy, but when it comes to coffee nerdery and the precision that such a hobby requires, consider that, perhaps, more is more. That at least seems to be the philosophy of coffee gear brand Fellow, which manages to cram a ton of neat features into its products, yet the sleek, user-friendly design keeps them from feeling busy or over-designed. The brand’s newest product, the Tally Pro Precision Scale, has more features than you’ve ever seen in a product like this, but in a simple configuration that feels easy to use.
The Fellow Tally Pro scale is incredibly precise, with readability starting at 0.1g, accurate readings down to a tenth of a gram and a maximum weight limit of about 5.5 pounds. The scale’s weight mode allows you to weigh in grams, ounces, pounds, and even milliliters of liquid, and it even comes with a specialized Brew Assist Mode which allows you to choose your coffee-to-water ratio, and the scale guides your pour-over. But does the scale justify its features, or more importantly, the $185 price tag? We found out.
Fellow Tally Pro Precision Scale: What We Think
At $185, this scale will be overkill for most people making coffee at home. There are many scales that do the job just fine, and for a lot less money too. But like most other Fellow products, the Tally Precision Pro Scale represents the best you can get. If you’re serious about making the best possible coffee at home, this scale will help you do that with more accurate readings, its built-in timer, and of course its Brew Assist. We also see this being a great fit for behind the bar at coffee shops all over, making pour-overs that much easier to keep track of for busy baristas.
Ultimately, if the price tag makes you wince and you feel comfortable making a pour-over without any help, opt for a cheaper scale than this one. But if you love the premium look and want a scale that will fit into your top-of-the-line coffee setup, we believe you’ll love using the Tally Precision Pro Scale.
The design is beautiful
For starters, the scale is beautiful to look at, and the design is intuitive and a pleasure to use. The black glass base houses the scale’s three buttons, and the aluminum tray with a matte black finish is removable, making it easy to clean. The luminous OLED display is great for visibility when you’re up before the sun, and the sleek design makes it a product you want to leave on the countertop rather than putting it up.
The glass base shows fingerprints
The downside of such a beautiful product is seeing it get messy, and the glass base will show every fingerprint that ever graces it. Luckily the weigh tray is removable and the scale as a whole is quite easy to clean, but you can expect it to show some wear with regular use.
The Brew Assist mode is helpful
While it’s likely that anyone opting for a high-end scale like this already knows how to make a pour-over, the Brew Assist feature is nice if you’re still learning, or if you simply want to turn your brain off. You start by selecting your coffee-to-water ratio, you weigh your coffee, and the scale will tell you exactly how much water you’ll pour for the perfect cup. Once you have your brewing vessel ready with the ground coffee, you just press the timer button to lock in the ratio, and the timer will begin automatically once you start pouring. From there, you pour your hot water until the weight matches up with the target number on the right, and you’re done.
But it doesn’t include timing
The Brew Assist feature will tell you how much weight you need to pour, but it won’t tell you when to pour it, which is a crucial element of making a good pour-over. Granted, Fellow has a pretty good reason for this: The brand says that each coffee is different and that there’s variability in the bloom time of different coffees. But if you’re going to make a feature that does the thinking for you, it would have been nice to have this element covered to make the process totally foolproof.
It’s good for more than just coffee
The Tally Pro Precision Scale is certainly made for coffee nerds, but the ability to weigh in grams, ounces, pounds, and milliliters makes it an excellent kitchen scale for weighing all kinds of things. The timer feature is also helpful to that end, though it only counts up and doesn’t count down as an alarm could.
The battery life is solid
The scale is powered by a lithium-ion rechargeable battery that’s designed to last for 13 hours of continuous use. For most users, that’ll translate to charging it every couple of months. The scale will flash the remaining battery level when turning off once the battery is low, and it recharges in 1-2 hours with a USB-C to USB-A charging cable and a USB-A charging block.
Fellow managed to fit an arcade game into the scale
Like on the brand's Stagg EKG Kettle, the luminous OLED screen also contains a hidden feature that allows you to play a game. In this case, it's "Jumpy", an arcade game similar to the one that appears in Google Chrome when you’re without internet. To find it, you just go to the Brew Assist feature, keep turning the dial to the right until the ratio jumps from 1:20 to 1:42, and then press the timer button to try it yourself. I managed to rack up a high score of 88; let us know in the comments if you’re able to beat it.
Fellow Tally Pro Precision Scale: Alternatives
While Fellow's new scale is undoubtedly among the most beautiful and feature-packed on the market, it's not without its competitors when it comes to very nice pour-over coffee scales. Chief among them is the ever-popular Acaia Pearl (read our review here), which is also not cheap at $150 but is considered the gold standard of many professional baristas. For cheaper options, Hario and Oxo both make scales that feature built-in timers and can measure down to 0.1 grams and are priced around $55.
