List Price: $499.00
Sale Price: $429.00
Today's Bonus: 14% Off
Review Update 4/25/14. I have been using a replacement pen that was provided me by the manufacturer over a month ago. Yes it's still messy, but this new pen hasn't dried out like the other pens I purchased. The unit still needs fairly regular calibration, which takes a few seconds a few times a day. I now use this tester as a "second opinion" when testing valuable heavy gold items, so in that regard it is still a usable tool. But as far as giving it a vote of "recommended" as a stand alone tester, I wouldn't recommend it. That said, like all manufacturers GemOro works to improve their products and I look forward to seeing a unit that I would be confident of enough to replace the acid testing I rely on. The company was kind enough to provide their latest pen at no charge, and were kind enough to follow up a couple of weeks later with a phone call to check on it. I appreciate good customer service, so in that regard, they do deserve an atta-boy.
Original Review: I have been a professional coin dealer and gold buyer over 30 years. With so many items stamped gold or are marked at a higher karat than they actually are, I bought this tester as a back-up test to the standard acid testing that I have used since I started in the business in 1979. (When) the Auracle is working properly (which is hit and miss) it will correctly give me the low or high end of the content of gold within a range. Examplewhen testing 14k it will tell me wether or not it is in the High, medium Low 14k range, which helps in paying out the right price for an item. It also works well in reading (non-gold) items. Unfortunately, it must be calibrated several times a day (often between every use), which is easy to do, but is time consuming, and you must always have a nearly flat 14k plumb gold item at hand to calibrate it properly with. The Auricle uses a liquid tipped (probe) pen that must be touched to the item being tested and is claimed to last for over a thousand tests. Maybe this claim could be substantiated under ideal circumstances in a laboratory, but in real life day in and day out use (and being generous), I would say it is good for only 1/3 of that numberthis before the auricle alerts you that you need to replace probe. Also disconcerting is the fact that the probe constantly leaks and leaves a dry milky residue. Even when not in use, the pen dries out over time and costs over $20.00 to replace. I do a low volume business (testing 3-10 gold items a day) and have replaced the probe 3 times in as many months, even though I religiously replace the probe cap after every use. This is a first generation product that in time may be improved to the point where the science and practicality reach a happy medium, but as it stands I still must constantly rely on my tried and true acid testing to be completely accurate, as there are times when the Auracle tests can jump from one end of the spectrum to the other. For any one wanting to use this as a stand alone gold testing method, you have the potential (no you definitely will) lose a great deal of money, especially if you are not constantly re-calibrating this unit. Also to work properly you must file or burnish the item being tested before each testwhich some customers will not stand for, as it damages their gold item before being able to offer them an accurate quote. Please, as someone who has nothing to gain other than to keep you from making mistakes and losing money, first become proficient in using testing acids (acid testing in conjunction with black glass or obsidian test stonesit is not difficult) and only after you have mastered that, then pay the $450 or so to use this (and only then as strictly for a secondary backup device). In addition, to better serve the customer, I think the Gem Oro company would benefit itself and the customer by developing a (LOW COST$5.00) replaceable probe (tip) for this current model, or tell customers how to recharge or refill the tips themselves instead of profiting from probes that must be replaced often. As it stands this product is more amusement than it is a practical tool for business. I hope the people at Gem Oro continue to develop this product until it becomes what it is advertised to be.
