Reviews of 9 electronic gold testers
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LEFT Analyzer £379.00. RIGHT Pro £595.00
CONTENTS
This article reviews several electronic gold testers, including how they compare with using chemical (acid) testers.
SUMMARY
Auracle ANALYZER £379.00
Auracle PRO £595.00
KEE £349.00
OLD MODELS
ELECTRONIC TESTERS OR ACIDS?
RELATED ARTICLES
SUMMARY
The Auracle ANALYZER. has the same electronics (microchip) as the KEE tester, giving an almost instant result, just like the KEE, but on an LED scale rather than an analogue meter. And there's a digital display telling you what to do, a nice touch.
Auracle PRO is an upgraded version of the AGT3 tester, fully digital, one-touch calibration and it's CE-approved and much more stable than any of the old models.
KEE. Very simple, analogue dial not digital, very reliable, we've been selling this since 2018. You should (with very careful calibration) get a good reading all the way up to 24ct. Scroll down to see a review.
Auracle ANALYZER £379.00
This has the same electronics (microchip) as the KEE tester - that's a good recommendation (see review of KEE tester). Instead of an analogue meter it has a row of LED lights, so you can see how close to any standard carat (9ct, 14ct, 18ct, 22ct) the item is. This is a greatly improved version of the old AGT1 Deluxe (the manufacturers say, "20% more accurate) - not only does it have revamped electronics but it also has has an LCD display to tell you what to do.
PROS
- TWO displays, one for the reading and one for instructions
- One-touch calibration, no need to turn a knob
- Only requires one calibration sample, not two, and will then test accurately all the way up to 24ct.
- Low-battery indicator (and easy to change the battery)
- The pen-probe has finer tip than the Kee (easier to test very small items) and lasts longer and costs less.
- Slightly smaller and lighter than the KEE, carrying pouch included.
CONS
- Old-fashioned in appearance, with the LED lights, not super-slick like the latest model (scroll down).
- 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.
CONCLUSION
I'd recommend this new model (Analyzer) over the KEE (same electronics, should be same reliability), though if you really are looking for the cheapest tester that works well, then you can save £30.00 by going for the KEE instead.
Auracle PRO £595.00
The latest tester, the most features, he one PROs (professionals) should go for. It has to modes. Standard Mode shows you the results to the nearest commonly-used carat in jewellery. Enhanced Mode shows you the precise purity in parts per thousand, plus a graph to indicate if it's above or below a standard purity used in jewellery, e.g. if it's showing .790 purity, how close is that to the expected .750 for "18ct".
This is the PRO model for professional jewellers. If you don't know that .375=9ct, .585=14ct, .750-18ct and .916=22ct, then you are not familiar with gold and perhaps you should go for a simpler model such as the ANALYZER, above.
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, and will then test accurately all the way up to 24ct.
- Low-battery indicator (and easy to change the battery)
- The pen-probe has finer tip than the Kee (easier to test very small items) and 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.
CONCLUSION
If you are 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?
KEE £349.00
Click here to buy.
(or click here if you already have one, and need a replacement pen-probe)
ACCURACY
- You should (with careful calibration) get a reading to the nearest 1ct all the way up to 24ct.
PROS
- good price for a tester that works well
- easy to use. You still have to read the instruction manual but apart from calibrating (and filing the sample) it's self-explanatory, you won't have to keep referring to the instruction manual to find out about menus and error messages
- simple design, fast response, the needle on the meter shoots up to the carat marked on the dial in a couple of seconds.
- accurate when testing high carats (needs careful calibration with both and 18ct and a 22ct sample) - for instance for distinguishing 20ct to 24ct 'Asian' gold.
- good size for carrying around (supplied with a pouch that takes the tester and all the accessories)
- extra set of leads for testing large items that won't fit on the test plate (though we've never known anyone to use them)
CONS
- no option for a mains power supply, it's battery-only, though the battery should last many months...unless you leave it switched on (there's no LOW BAT indicator).
- not reliable for testing platinum, the best you can say of a "platinum" reading is, 'It might be platinum or Palladium".
- for testing high-carat gold accurately you have to use two calibration samples and calibrate it very carefully, not 'difficult' but quite fiddly.
- Very fiddly to change the battery
CONCLUSION
We've been selling this since 2018 and have sold a few thousand, and nobody who has read the instructions complains that they don't understand how to use it. It is also the most reliable as regards breakdowns, with well-less than 1% 'returns' which is quite remarkable.
Download the instruction manual.
OLD MODELS
Although these haven't been made for a few years now (and, therefor, the following information is for 'interest-sake only') we do still sell replacement pen-probes. Replacement pen-probes are usually available for a few years after a model has been discontinued.
The AGT1, AGT2 and AGT3 are all Auracle models. The M24 is by Mizar.
Not all AGT1s are the same!
AGT1 (original model)
Quite OK once you've got the 'feel' for how the lights shoot up, then keep going up, then slowly go down, and usually settle on a reading...but many people try for a few minutes then give up. Shop staff who don't get proper training and don't have time to 'get the feel' and are under pressure in a busy shop - they will have no chance of getting a meaningful reading.
Each time you switch it on you must calibrate against the 14ct calibration sample, sometimes it doesn't work and you have to calibrate it 2 or 3 times, then you must 'charge' the probe by carrying out a few 'dummy' tests before getting a reliable reading, and all of this takes a couple of minutes. Every few days it has a nervous breakdown and won't work at all, it is not 'broken', you can fix it by calibrating it 6 or 7 times in succession, it's not difficult to do but it is frustrating, especially if you have a queue of customers. Not very accurate at testing above 18ct.
AGT1 Plus
Compared with the AGT1 (original) above, calibration usually works first time, it has nervous breakdowns less often, it 'feels' nicer to use (more responsive). You still have to 'charge' the probe by carrying out a few 'dummy' tests before getting a reliable reading. It's not as frustrating to use as the original AGT1 but there will still be times when calibration doesn't work the first time and you have to calibrate it 3 or 4 or 5 times in succession. You still need to spend time 'getting the feel' of the readings.
AGT1 Deluxe
The full name given by the manufacturer's is AGT1 PLUS DELUXE
The supplier says that the electronics were re-designed and you don't have to 'charge' the probe before use...but they also say that you should charge the probe anyway. We couldn't find any difference between this and the earlier models as regards operation.
Superseded, in 2025, by the Auracle ANALYZER, scroll up for a review or click here to buy. They manufacturer says the ANALYZER is "20% more accurate". The don't say 20% more accurate than what. We assume they mean 20% more accurate than the AGT1 Deluxe.
NOTE: the AGT1s were discontinued a few years ago. There are plenty on the market, second hand, but please don't send any to us for repair, they are not repairable.
AGT2
A pen-probe, a testing plate, a box of electronics (not shown in the manufacturers pictures) and the connecting leads. You connected it to your phone. It was discontinued in 2018. Then they discontinued the app. so that updates on your phone (or if you got a new phone) stopped it working.
AGT3
Fully digital version, new sleek design, one-touch calibration, superseded, in 2025, by a much-upgraded version (same design but better electronics), the Auracle PRO
MIZAR M24
ACCURACY. Plus or minus one light, e.g. if it reads 14ct it might be 12ct or it might be 16ct but not this accurate above 18ct. OK if you want to know if an item is "low carat" or, possibly, "high carat" - otherwise, fairly useless. PROS. very cheap; - very simple, a light for each carat; Mizar make a few models, this is by far the best of them. CONS. not accurate.; the acid contact fluid will dissolve the sensor if it is not cleaned meticulously after every use; you need good eyesight and a steady hand to place the test-item into the tiny well that you fill with acid; you can only test tiny items; no carrying case, no mains power option, no way of calibrating it. CONCLUSION. We did once sell this, because there are always customers who must have "the cheapest" - but, in the end, we decided there were just too many complaints.
ELECTRONIC TESTERS OR ACIDS?
Before deciding on an electronic tester, it's worth considering acids. We speak of, "the acid test' meaning the absolute proof. Safety. The electronic testers we sell do not use acid so they must, by definition, be 'safer'. However, acids are only hazardous if you are 'exposed' to them. 'Exposed' means getting acid on your skin or inside your body. Wear acid-proof gloves (very cheap, we sell them) and don't sniff or drink the acid, then there is no exposure, no risk, no hazard. Accuracy. If you want to test high-carat accurately (e.g. to see the difference between 21ct, 22ct and 23ct) acids are more accurate. Electronic testers do not accurate when testing white gold or platinum. Flexibility. Acids can test for silver, white gold, platinum, Palladium and steel. Ease-of-use. Electronic testers are easier but even acids are 'easy to use' once you've tested your first dozen items and have got the hang of it. Consumables. Acid has a shelf life of about a year, but pen-probes (which are filled with a salt solution) also have a shelf life of about a year. In both cases, if you do a lot of testing you will use up the fluid in less than a year. A bottle of acid costs about £15.00, a pen-probe about £45.00. An analogy: a pen-probe is like an all-in-one ink cartridge, bottles of acid are like individual ink cartridges. Reliability. Modern testers are reliable but any electronic device can break down. If it breaks down within the one-year guarantee period, we replace it; once out of guarantee it is not repairable. A bottle of acid can't break down, you use up the acid, you buy a new bottle. More. See Guide to Chemical Testers.
There are several other methods of testing precious metals, see Twelve methods of testing gold, silver and platinum.