Sharp SPC800 Quartz Analog Twin Bell Alarm Clock (Silver)

My twenty-something daughter is starting a new job which requires her to get up early. She put me in charge of finding an alarm clock that would ensure that she wake up in the morning. This Sharp twin-bell alarm clock meets the criteria. It is a fairly basic clock. Here's what you get:1. There are only two settings on the back of the clock--one knob is for setting the time, the other is for setting the alarm time. To set the alarm time, simply rotate the alarm knob which moves the red alarm hand on the face of the clock. For example, set the red hand on the six, and your alarm will go off at six o'clock. To be honest, you have to simply eyeball it to get a specific time--say, 6:15 or 6:30. [Note: I find that it is a good idea to simply advance the clock to see exactly what time your alarm is set to go off and adjust accordingly if it was too soon or too late. Once you've got the alarm set, return the clock to the correct time.]2. There is an alarm on/off switch on the back of the clock. To activate the alarm, turn to the "on" position. When the alarm goes off, the hammer at the top of the clock strikes the bells alternately. It is quite LOUD! The alarm will continue ringing until you turn the switch to "off." [I let it ring for ten minutes and it was still ringing.] There is no "snooze" option.3. The clock runs on a single AA battery. [I would recommend replacing it every six months. The battery may last longer, but why run the risk?]4. The hour and minute hands are luminous as well as the hash marks at each hour, but it is difficult to read the time in the dark. To remedy this, there is a "Light" button on the back of the clock which will light up the face while the button is depressed.5. The clock face is four inches in diameter. From the bottom of the clock to the top of the handle, it measures slightly less than seven inches.Overall, this is an excellent little clock for the price. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

I have a problem with insomnia, and I just got a new clock radio, which, unfortunately, has a very soft alarm. So, I bought two aggressive looking twin bell alarm clocks, This one, and a HITO(tm) 4" Silent Quartz Analog Twin Bell Alarm Clock with Nightlight and Loud Alarm . I have used both, side by side, and they both work like a charm, LOUDLY. IN case you didn't notice, both run on a single AA battery, not supplied, which is great because winding up a clock is the last thing you want to do when you go to bed.Both are made in China, and they have similar, but not identical layouts in the back, suggesting two different manufacturers and works. The HITO has has a neat red ribbon to help you retrieve the battery from its niche. That and the color are virtually the only differences. Both have lights, but they are of little value unless it is in the dead of night, with no other lights. Any ambient light washes it out.Both are easy to set, and the setting knob on both time and alarm position go in either direction (not necessarily true in a manual, wind-up clock.)One thing which suggests this clock over the HITO is that if you truly want a white face, get this clock. I selected a white face with the HITO order, and got the black face.

This clock is very simplistic but works exactly like you would expect. It takes only one AA battery to operate, has a button to shine light on the clock at night, and two control knobs: time and alarm. Unlike its classic counterpart, it does not have a "contact" off button- like in the tv shows and movies where the child slams their hand on top of the metal ringing clock. It has a plastic up/down switch that turns the alarm on and off.If this is your first type of alarm clock, you should know that the red dial is the alarm indicator. There is no red minute hand. Rather, that one red dial controls the hour and minute you would like the alarm to go off at. Example: you want to wake up at 7:30. Turn the alarm knob on the back so that the red dial is exactly between the 7 and 8 on the clock. Because that's where the hour hand is on a clock when it is always 7:30. If you ever wonder where the hour hand is at a certain time, just adjust your time knob to the desired time and make a note of the positioning of the hour hand. Then move the red dial to that same position.The other knob controls the current time. That's easy. I have no suggestions on how to adjust that. There is no am/pm indicator, so just adjust it to whatever time it is where you live.This clock is mostly metal and has cheap internals. The dials are not as precise as I would like and sometimes when I move the alarm knob, the current time dial gets moved a little bit (millimeters). There is no battery indicator or warning that the battery may be low. I found out that the light for the clock (when you press the button) is an excellent indicator. It should be very bright. Put a fresh battery in just to see what it should look like optimally. I put a half-used battery in and didn't wake up the next day because the battery was not juiced up enough to make the ringing loud enough. Yes it still rang, but barely noticeable from a deep sleep. Put a fresh battery in and don't take a chance. And keep checking that light strength to see when you may need to replace it soon! Aside from that, the clock is great.