In my opinion, in this modern era , it is foolish to use a Shure stylus force gauge, when for the same cost or maybe a little bit more one can have a digital scale. Iused the Shure scale for 35 years, so I certainly am not making fun of anyone who still uses it. But it is evident from experience that a decent digital scale gives you a far more accurate and repeatable result. So much about using the mechanical scale is a matter of judgment just to begin with, not to mention the friction at the pivot point which also is a source of inaccuracy. Further, The sliding weights that counterbalance the cartridge are very difficult to place exactly. Anyway, you can spend from $30 to probably 250 or more dollars for a digital scale, but I think odds are they are all the same inside. I use the Ortofon DS3 digital scale, because it appears to be a quality product and it gives accuracy within .01 g. Try that with a shure scale. But there is no need to spend big bucks for a digital scale, like I said. The Riverstone seems to be the cheapest ever, so if you don’t like it spend a little bit more and get something you do like.
