UK Coin Sorter

"What the heck do you want one of those for" was the response I received from a friend when I mentioned I was considering the purchase of this product, "It'll cost more than the coins you've got to sort to buy the thing!". OK, he may have a point, but to my mind, I would rather spend my time catching up with my Z's in my favourite armchair, than trying to separate all those little bits of silver and copper for hours on end!
...during my daily visit to the post office when sending off my various business letters and parcels, and over the last three years, I have amassed four large coffee jars full of assorted coins. The thought of sorting them all manually was a daunting prospect to say the least, and having decided that I no longer wanted my fingers to reek of filthy lucre, I purchased one of the money-hungry machines from a dealer on eBay (ASTEK DVD Film and Technology ... more

"What the heck do you want one of those for" was the response I received from a friend when I mentioned I was considering the purchase of this product, "It'll cost more than the coins you've got to sort to buy the thing!". OK, he may have a point, but to my mind, I would rather spend my time catching up with my Z's in my favourite armchair, than trying to separate all those little bits of silver and copper for hours on end!

I regularly acquire handfuls of spare change during my daily visit to the post office when sending off my various business letters and parcels, and over the last three years, I have amassed four large coffee jars full of assorted coins. The thought of sorting them all manually was a daunting prospect to say the least, and having decided that I no longer wanted my fingers to reek of filthy lucre, I purchased one of the money-hungry machines from a dealer on eBay (ASTEK DVD Film and Technology Store) for £21.99 plus £7.99 delivery. Also included were the three C cell batteries and a pack of coin banking bags.

- What Does it Do? -

Basically, you put all of your loose change into the hopper, which is located at the top of the machine, switch on the battery power by means of a small push switch, and the ingenious rotating mechanism starts operating, picking out coins of each denomination, and neatly depositing them into their own individual clear plastic tubes at the front of the machine. When the tubes are full, you can press a button on the front of the unit to release the coin tube tray, which springs forward allowing the removal of the tubes individually.

The sprung tray is a little severe in operation, reminding me of Arkwright's notorious cash register in "Open All Hours". If you don't hold it back by hand when pressing the release button, there is a strong chance that several coins will be flung across the room at high velocity (this happened to me on a couple of occasions, and the cat still hasn't forgiven me). The power is automatically cut off when the tray is released, incidentally.

Each tube holds a designated amount of coins. These are:

10p x 50,
2p x 25,
50p x 40,
£2 x 25,
£1 x 25,
20p x 50,
1p x 50,
and 5p x 40.

Theoretically, each tube should hold an exact number of coins, the excess ones being diverted away to a holding area inside the machine (which can be accessed via a little door at the back) but I found that some of the tubes held one more coin than they were designed for! Whether this is because some coins vary in thickness I cannot say, but it is very annoying when you have to resort to counting the number of coins in each tube (something of a drawback in a machine that purports to do it for you!). Still, as a separator of coins it is superb, you can divide the little beggars into separate lots quickly and easily, ready for counting and eventual spending (I was amazed to find that I had about £50.00 in loose change, mainly in 2p, 5p and 10p coins).

- The Noise Factor -

Naturally, any piece of machinery that processes coinage is bound to be a tad on the loud side when in operation. This is no exception, but it would be extremely difficult to incorporate noise reduction in a machine priced at this level.

- Looking Good -

The machine is made almost entirely from plastic, and has a two-tone metallic-black and grey colourway which looks quite attractive, the shape being reminiscent of one of those ultra-modern coffee making machines.

-The Problem of Power -

As this is a battery operated unit, running costs are an important consideration. It requires 3 x C cells, preferably alkaline types, which can cope with the relatively high power drain of the motor.

I never operate any piece of equipment on batteries if I can help it , for both environmental and cost considerations (did you know that it can cost up to 2,000 times more to run an appliance on battery power than from the mains supply?) therefore I was a little disappointed to find that the machine does not have provision for an external mains power unit, something that the manufacturers might want to address in future models. The next best thing to mains power is the option of using Ni-Cad rechargeable cells in place of ordinary batteries.

- Jamming -

The instructions clearly state that no more than 20 coins should be deposited into the sorter at one time. This is common sense, as putting any more in will put a heavy drain on the batteries, and the motor will struggle to cope with all that weight. That said, I occasionally get a jam-up with less coins than this, but it is an easy matter to lift off the removable lid and prise out the offending coin with a finger. TIP: if you do get a jam-up, switch off immediately to prevent draining the batteries and/or burning out the motor.

- Safety First -

Back to the subject of fingers - the rotating mechanism is very easy to access (the lid just lifts off), and young fingers could very easily get trapped in the rotating wheels, so parental supervision is recommended if young kids are going to use the unit.

- Who Needs It? -

Car booters, market stall holders, fairground operators, shopkeepers, bookies....... add more to the list as you think fit.

- Is It Value For Money? -

On the whole yes, when one considers that a professional machine could cost you £250 or more. If the makers can address the little niggles that I have pointed out, it would represent extremely good value for money, and would justify top marks all round. As it stands, I can only rate it 8/10, but I never want to go back to picking out 50 pence pieces from a jar full of mixed change!

Specification:

Power source: 3 x "C" size batteries.
Dimensions: 282 x 238 x 170mm overall.
 

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