11
votes
Recommend me a digital clock?
I have been having a lot of trouble finding a digital clock. I don't even know where to ask for recs, I tried a couple subreddits but there is no /r/digitalclocks so I'm trying a more general place here and maybe someone can help?
My requirements (I'm in the USA so that's where the time finding needs to happen):
- It autosets the time based on the radio signal
- It automatically detects DST
- Backup battery so if I get a power failure it doesn't lose the time
- The time is the only thing on the display. (Although, this seems to be the hardest one to find, so, if it also shows the temperature or something, that's ok, as long as the time is a lot bigger than anything else)
- Not willing to spend more than $50 on a clock
- Needs to be LED not LCD, i.e. I want to be able to see the time in a dark room without pressing a light-up button or anything
Additional bonuses:
- If it has a rainbow display
- If it has a USB charging port
- Big numbers, like at least 1.5" tall
I don't care about the alarm or any overhead projection features.
If you have a digital clock that you love that meets these requirements (or at least mostly does) I would like to hear about it!! Thanks!!
Doesn't meet many of your requirements (3, 5, maybe 6 - although 1 and 3 of the bonuses) but one of these arrived at my house today and I really love it. The colours are far nicer than the pictures make them look, this photo I took this evening is more representative.
This has served me well and meets almost all of your requirements and has a usb charging port.
Does it automatically do the time & detect DST? If so, this looks literally perfect, but I don't see anything about that on the product page.
I don't think it does. I am not at home to double check if it's an option on the back of it that I have turned off or not.
I guess battery doesn't matter if it will rescan for signal until it finds one any time it regains power. But if it only rescans at a certain time, then battery matters in case the power fails while I'm asleep and I need to trust the time I see when I wake up.
ohh, these are very pretty! never heard of this style of clock before. At a glance, they mostly seem to have seconds displays, which I would not want, that's too stressful. But one with only 4 digits & automatic detection would probably work for me
I looked at a bunch on amazon, and at least for all the ones with 4 tubes, the reviews seem pretty bad, the clocks being super fast and requiring an app to set the time (which actually wouldn't be a dealbreaker for me for 1 of my 2 clocks if the reviews didnt also say the app is terrible). I might look a bit more, but it seems like it works more as a decoration than an actual clock. (since i just want a clock that works, led simulation sounds fine to me)
i believe in you!!! please update me when it happens!!
Sony still makes a good old regular clock radio that checks all the boxes, kind of a cool design too
amazing, thank you so much!! I will wait a bit in case the one with light blue numbers also works, because that color is gorgeous, and if not I will go with this one!!!
Whatever you get, if you want it automatically set by the atomic clock radio signal, be careful that it actually claims to do that. I bought an Emerson SmartSet clock a while back in part because it advertises that it automatically sets itself and I thought that was what it meant, but it doesn't. In reality it just has a battery backup and they set it at the factory, with the battery already installed.
Which makes the "self setting" thing flat out false advertising, but somehow they've been getting away with it for years. And Emerson is an actual brand, too, not some fly by night Chinese thing.
You could probably find a model that meets all your criteria except the one about $50 (these things are pricey) from brgprecision.com.
I learned about them because an old radio show host I used to listen to (Art Bell) had one in the background of his studio live cam and people would often ask him about it. I've never bought one myself due to the price but they're always in the back of my mind as a potential I've-got-money-to-burn splurge.
woah! those are very cool, but the 2.5" clock with one time zone on it is $185, yikes! I'll keep it in mind though, it could be cool to have one day
I'm not sure if this fits all your needs, but I'm going to paste the spec sheet. Just search for "Sharper Image atomic clock" - my family home has had one of these for nearly 1.5 decades. We keep it over the TV and my parents can see it from across the living room. It's nearly effort-free - just change the batteries every couple years.
Jumbo Display Atomic Clock
The Jumbo Display Atomic Clock gives you accurate time, date and indoor temperature all in once glance. Hang it on a wall or place it on your desk, table or nightstand.
• Easy-to-read digital clock
• Ideal for home, office, school, etc.
• Large 5.7" time digits (1.0” secondary digits)
• Automatically syncs overnight with the U.S. atomic clock with built-in radio receiver
• Manual time set option
• Optional feature: automatically updates for Daylight Saving Time
• 12- and 24-hour time displays
• 7 time zone settings (ATL to HAT)
• Language options: English, Spanish, French and German
• Adjustable calendar view
• Multiple time/date/temperature display formats
• Displays indoor temperature (32°F to 122°F or 0°C to 50°C)
• Displays indoor humidity (10% to 99% RH)
• Hangs on a wall or sits on a desk or table
• Battery life: up to 24 months with reputable batteries
• Requires 6 AA Alkaline batteries
I'll note our old model could optionally connect to an outdoor thermometer/ module. Dunno if that still exists or not.
WallarGe Atomic Clock with Indoor Outdoor Temeperature - Easy to Read - Self Setting, 14.5'' Jumbo Auto Set Digital Wall Clock Battery Operated https://a.co/d/d9wd1Tr
This seems like a more modern version that's nearly exactly the same. But cheaper, and includes an outdoor temperature module. And uses AA rather than D batteries.
Sadly I'm not willing to compromise on being LED instead of LCD, otherwise I think this would work - but my primary need for this clock is seeing the time when I wake up, and at that time it's hard enough to remember that I have a clock, let alone to press a button to be able to see it!