Anyone who is a regular reader of my reviews will know that I try to save money wherever possible, but I also have slight OCD when it comes to my house and it has to be immaculately clean, tidy and all rooms have to have matching furniture and accessories!

When I had my new kitchen around 18 months ago, the general colour scheme was creams and browns so I purchased many accessories to match. Until this point I had the cheapest pair of scales possible that were flimsy plastic, with a flimsy plastic bowl, so when I saw a set of cream retro scales, I decided I just had to have them as I knew they would look perfect on the workspace in my kitchen and would match the décor perfectly. These were the Premier Housewares 3KG Scales

Considering my last set of scales were around £2.50, I found £14.00 a bit excessive for a set of scales but the quality difference between the two sets was immense. For a start, there was no way on this earth I would have had my previous set on display, but these have pride of place in my kitchen and really do add something to my kitchen.

The scales themselves have a large white dial with glass top and a cream surround. The base of the scales are metal and far more substantial than my previous set and you know that they will stand the test of time well. The scales are easy to setup too and you simply need to place the bowl onto the base and adjust the needle accordingly so it sits perfectly on zero. You do this via the small dial underneath the bowl, though it is an easy job and not too fiddly at all.

Sitting on the base is a large stainless bowl which is sturdy, well made and fits perfectly on the scales. Due to the smoothness of the bowl, it is really easy to clean, as is the base if you accidently spill something on it. The scales can take up to 3kg and since these are only suitable for cooking and baking, that is sufficient enough for all your kitchen needs.

The dial sits at a slight angle which makes it easier to read as you don't have to get down to the level of the work surface in order to check the dial and each dash is quite large and easy to read too. The dial is in kg's and each small line represents 25g with larger lines indicating every 100g and larger lines again indicating every 500g. The dial is really unfussy with a white background and black indicator lines and numbers which are quite bold, easy to read and you really can't go wrong with these scales in terms of measuring as they are really simple to use. The needle is good too and isn't too temperamental so you know you are getting accurate measurements when placing ingredients onto the bowl.

Overall, even though these are expensive scales, I personally believe they are worth the money as they look perfect on my kitchen work surfaces, but they are also functional too and do the intended job well. The large dial is more to do with cosmetic appearance than anything as it gives these scales their retro look, but it also comes in very useful and would be perfect for people who struggle with their sight a little as they are really easy to read, unlike smaller, cheaper scales where you have to pretty much sit your nose on the dial cover to make out the measurement lines!

I have used these scales many times to measure out ingredients when cooking and baking and they still look as good as new as a quick wipe down after use is all that is really needed. All in all, bar the price, I really can't think of a negative aspect of these kitchen scales and therefore they come with a high recommendation from me.