I've had such a hard time finding a timer that will fit my outlet because I have a gigantic transformer plug plugged into the bottom socket and it cannot be moved. I searched and searched for something that could be used on the top socket in the small amount of space available above the huge transformer plug. This fit the bill perfectly! It takes up so little space for a timer. This has got to be the smallest timer I've seen.
I love that it has it's own batteries to keep time. We lose power a lot where I live and it is a pain to have to update all my mechanical timers after going without power. I'm sure I'll have no problems with this, but if I do, I will come back to update. I'm also interested to see how long the batteries last for keeping time. They appear to be calculator-type batteries, so I'm sure they are inexpensive.
I love that it has an override "on" switch. There is no override "off" but I would never use it anyway. This only offers ONE on/off set of times, so if you need something to turn on/off more than once a day, this won't work for you. Also, this will only accommodate a 2 prong plug.
Overall, I thought this 2-pack was incredibly affordable and I'm completely happy with this product. I am buying more and switching out all my mechanical timers for these. I can't give a better recommendation than that!
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UPDATE: September 22, 2009
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We lose power at my home all of the time and lost power for several hours yesterday. Our power came back on only a couple of minutes before the timers were scheduled to come on. I am happy to report that the timers kept perfect time throughout the power outage and turned the devices on at the programmed times. I am completely satisfied with these timers, but will still be interested to see how long the batteries last. I will be back to report when the batteries have died or if I have any other issues.
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UPDATE: October 21, 2009
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I've lost power 3 more times since the last update. Once for 30 minutes, the other 2 times were less than 1 minute. Timers are still set PERFECT! Haven't missed a single second and turn on at the exact same times each day :) Yeah! I've ordered more, but got a 1-3 week delay. Everyone is buying them all up. lol Stanley 38425 TimerMax Digislim Daily Digital Indoor Lamp Timer, White, 2-Pack
PROS:
- Easy to Program
- Easy to Read Display
- User Replaceable Backup Batteries (Two L44 button cell)
- Runs Without Batteries
- Takes Only One Slot In a Vertical Two Slot Socket System
- Time and Switches can be set by as little as one minute
- Override On Switch
- No bright light emitting from the device
CONS:
- No Override Off Switch
- Limited to only turn on and off once per day
- Can take up two slots horizontally
- No temporary backlit display feature
DETAILED DESCRIPTION:
I've owned a Woods digital timer and it worked fine until the internal battery died in it. The bad part about the Woods timer is that the battery wasn't user replaceable! As soon as I opened the package and saw the battery compartment I was excited to see this feature! I first bought this because it was the cheapest digital based timer switch I could find and it didn't mention anything about a backup battery in the unit or that it was user replaceable.
My main concern about this item was if I could set it to turn off in one minute and turn back on. I have a skype phone which works fine, but every now and then it needs the unit to be reset (power turned off and on). So this device fit the bill perfectly with added features I didn't expect. Since it is digital it doesn't make any sound as a manual based timer (the ones with a circle based clock with plugs or pins you'd place to set it). Again the user replaceable battery feature is nice because obviously you can replace them yourself and it remembers your settings if the power happens to go out.
It is rather simple to program as in to set your times by just holding down either the TIME or ON or OFF button and then press the hour or minute button to set it. Since the display isn't backlit then you might want to program this in a well lit area or take your flashlight when trying to program it. This really isn't a bad thing since I'd prefer the display to be off during the night, but it would be a welcome feature to have when programming the device. the device does also offer a override on switch, but no off switch. Not a big deal for me, but if you want to forcefully turn it off then you will have to unplug it. It isn't very tall so it doesn't take up that much space in a two slot socket, but in a six based socket it might about two sockets worth of space horizontally.
It uses two button cell batteries (LR1130) 1.5 volt or more commonly known as L44 which aren't that expensive to get and used in most devices such as laser pointers, led keychains, etc... You can also extract these type of batteries from an A23 Energizer 12 volt battery which contains 8 of these button cell (1.5 volt) batteries, but just hidden inside the energizer wrapper. So it is fairly easy to obtain these batteries, but I can't comment on how long they will last in the device. The device seems to be able to run without the batteries plugged in as well and that is a plus if you don't care if it remembers your settings (especially if power outages isn't that common in your area).
Other technical details left out were that it can power supposedly a 600 watt device at 5 amps. This unit has only two prongs and only accepts two prong devices which can be a plus or minus depending what you plan to do with this device. Also lastly I can't really comment on the reliability, but so far so good and it appears to be a good solid construction.'
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