i just bought this scale to replace another 30 year old spring scale. It takes up 1/10 the space of my old scale which is great. It is easy to use and I love the fact that you can weigh your container first then add your ingredient for a final weight. It does use 2 AAA batteries but has an automatic turn off after so many minutes of non-use, so I figure the batteries will last a very long time. It does come with an instruction booklet too.
I would recommend this scale!
Elizabeth