Auracle PRO electronic gold tester, review and detailed information

Summary
Detail
PROS
CONS
RECOMMENDATIONS
COMPARISONS CHART

Summary

This is the top model of the Auracle brand: the PRO (professional) gold tester. For the professional dealing with several thousand pounds-worth of gold per day this is not expensive - forget about the cheaper models, just go for the best, get this one!

Two modes, standard and enhanced. 

• Standard mode shows the nearest 'standard' carat: 8K or 10K (because it's American), 14K, 18K, 22K or 24K.  Also displays a bar graph showing how close it is to the standard carat.*
  
• Enhanced mode shows the proportion of gold (in parts per thousand) - but not rounded to the nearest purity used in jewellery, so it's a more accurate reading.  

* The PRO model is for the professional: you will understand 'carat' and 'parts per thousand';  you will know that if the bar graph shows your item to be at the top range of 8ct or bottom range of 10ct, then it must be 9ct.  If this confuses you, please go for the simpler ANALYSER model instead. 

Detail

• Size 145 X 105 X 30mm (5.75 X 4 X 1.25 inches)
• No acids involved, the probe contains a harmless salt solution.
• Tests gold from 8ct to 24ct (the scale is marked "K" instead of "ct" because it's American)
• Pen-probe provides up to 5000 tests.
  
• Simply touch pen probe to the item, result is shown in 2 or 3 seconds, very fast
  
• Easy one-touch calibration with a sample of 18ct - not included 
  
• Works on battery or mains, mains adaptor (power supply) included)
• As with every tester (whether you spend £100.00 or £12,000.00) it only tests the surface. This means you must file the surface with a fine needle-file (supplied with each tester) in a place where it won't show, to remove any surface plating. 
  
• Guarantee: 1 year

It has two modes. 
Standard Mode shows you the results to the nearest commonly-used carat in jewellery, with a 'graph' showing if it's slightly more or slightly less than expected.
Enhanced Mode also shows you the purity (gold content) in percentage e.g. 79% if it's .790 (so, in this example, you can see it's slightly higher than the expected .750 for 18ct).  

If you don't understand the above, then we suggest you get the ANALYSER model instead, it's simpler!

PROS

• Instructions and results on one large LCD display
• One-touch calibration, no need to turn a knob
• Only requires one calibration sample, not two
• Battery indicator show percentage (and easy to change the battery)
• The pen-probe has a finer tip than the older (e.g. Kee) pen-probes, easier to test  small items, and the pen-probe lasts longer and costs less.
  

CONS

• It's American, the "standard" carats (though they say K for 'Karat') start at 8ct not 9ct, and the tester will show you 8ct, 10ct, 14ct, 18ct or 22ct. So if you want to test very specifically for 9ct, you will have to use it on Enhanced Mode.  
• More sensitive than the Kee, the item has to be well-filed before testing. 
• Each time you start testing you must prime the pen-probe (the manufacturers incorrectly use the word 'charge') by carrying out two or three 'dummy' tests. 

RECOMMENDATIONS

If you are a professional jeweller you will understand "Carat" and will know that (when using it on standard mode) a reading is at the high end of 8ct or low end of 10ct - then it must be 9ct; you will also understand (when using it on enhanced mode) "percentage" and "parts per thousand" and how they convert to the standard carats used in jewellery. TIP: if you don't understand this, please keep it simple, buy the Analyzer instead!

Also, as a professional jeweller who buys gold, you should be spending several thousand pounds per day on jewellery and scrap, this tester should pay for itself in a day or two, it's the latest and the most sophisticated, so what's the point in going for a lesser model?

COMPARISONS CHART

	Testing range	Display	power	LowBatt indicator	Cal**	Probe life (max)	CE Approved
Auracle Analyzer	8ct – 24ct	LED (carat) LCD (prompts)	Battery Mains	Yes (“low batt”)	18ct	6000 tests	Yes
Auracle Pro	8ct – 24ct	LCD (various modes)	Battery Mains	Yes (percentage)	18ct	6000 tests	Yes
KEE*	8ct – 24ct	Analogue meter	Battery	No	18ct 22ct	3000 tests	No

* Now discontinued.

** To keep these testers working accurately you need to calibrate them against known samples.