Customer Reviews

BioBrite Sunrise Clock Advanced Model with White Noise, Pearl

5 star:		(57)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

I love the concept and loved the alarm -when it worked. I bought it about 3 years ago, and just beyond the warranty date I began having trouble with the rate of sunrise/sunset...WAY faster than whatever setting I chose (15, 30min, etc -it would come up in a couple of minutes -not a relaxing awakening at all!!). This was a pain because I would have to unplug and do a hard reset to get it to act right, and in 24hrs...same problem came back. But I loved this alarm and paid alot for it, so I decided to make due. Then the plastic button that allows to you dim the light and make selections completely broke off into the housing. I went another month using the alarm with a large sharpie marker by the bed to stick into the hole and operate the broken button, but I could only stand to do this for so long. Now I'd LOVE to replace the clock with a newer, improved model, but I'm afraid these look exactly the same (just offered in white now)-not sure if there are other changes. That said, I STILL love this clock!

LATER... I must add that the manufacturer offered to make all these repairs for a small fee (this is way beyond warranty date). Will let you know how it goes.

NOT long after... Wow. What a great company: Bio-Brite. They fixed my clock for a very small fee and way past warranty date. AND they were unbelievably fast! I am SO happy to have my sun-rise alarm back -and just in time to start Dental Hygiene School (long days ahead). ;) Thank You, Bio-Brite! If I knew how, I'd add another star to your rating!!

I bought Bio-Brite sunrise clock about 10 years ago.

I was a medical student at the time and had to get up so early, but with this clock, I was able to get up so fresh! It was of this clock, I was able to go through the vigorous training.

Now 10 years later, the bulb went out. (I think I only needed to replace the bulb one time in the 10 years.) I could not find the same bulb anymore, and Bio-brite did not carry it. (They said I can buy it anywhere, but I couldn't find it.)

Now the clock is working as a regular alarm clock without the sunrise part, which is OK because I don't need to wake up so early anymore, but I still miss the dimming feature and rising in a bright light.

I figure after 10 years of use, I am happy to buy a new (and hopefully improved) sunrise clock.

If I remember, I'll post my review again after trying this model.

---Update---
Overall, I really enjoy having the new sunrise clock back in my life. I usually wake up nicely in a gentle glowing light without hearing the artificial alarm sound. This new version allows me to set how many minutes I want the clock to glow to full or to diminish (this is when you go to sleep.)I think there is a feature where the light comes on and off automatically to let potential thieves know that somebody is there when you are actually out of town.

I really like the time display. When you set the alarm for the morning, it dims, so it does not disturb my sleep, yet when I wake up in the middle of the night, I can see exactly when I got up. This was not possible with the old version.

The only thing I might complain about is that when you set up time etc, it is very cumbersome. You have to push the bottons multiple times to get to where you want it, and also once one function is set, you have to wait 7 sec (?) to set another function.

If you basically wake up the same time every day, it should not bother you. Once the first setting up is done, all I do is to push one alarm bottom, and I'm ready to go.

I've been a very sound sleeper all my life. Likewise, all my life, I've been in search of an alarm clock guaranteed to wake me up. No sound-based clock could ever be counted on because I could (and frequently did) get up, walk across the room, silence whatever was blaring, ringing, or buzzing, and get back into bed and go back to sleep and never know I'd done it till I woke up having seriously overslept. I'm also a night person who, for much of my life, has had to live on day people's schedules. It's a bad combination.

Sound familiar? If so, this clock may be the answer for you as it was for me. I love this clock. (Note: Mine doesn't have the white noise generator so I can't comment on that; otherwise, it's identical to this model.)

The light gets brighter in a way much like the sun brightens the morning sky - consistently, over a set time span. The light it produces is very natural, very "sun-like". Experiment with where in the room it's best for you. I have it on the bedside table, not quite where it shines right into my face but close enough for it to register, as if I had an eastern-facing window right by the bed and there was never a cloud in the sky at sunrise...and sunrise is whenever I need it to be.

You can also set it to begin beeping, but I seldom need that; if you like a snooze-alarm, it has that too. Once it starts beeping, you can hit a button to turn the light down and a few minutes later it'll get brighter again. Nice.

The reliability has been great. I'm on my second one of these, having gotten one of the disc ones first, from a Sharper Image catalogue in the mid-1990s. It finally played out after about 8 years, and I replaced it with this model from Bio-Brite which I liked better only for cosmetic reasons, not because of any dissatisfaction with the first one's performance.

I truly depend on it, and when I moved 1200 miles in the late 1990s, this was one of the things that came with me in the car, instead of going on the moving van.

My only regret is that I didn't find it sooner in my working life, especially when I was working rotating shifts. Ugh. Now that I've had a job with "normal" (ha) hours for a few years, I still don't enjoy getting up at what feels like a wrong time for me, but I can and DO get up when I have to and it's not the miserable experience it used to be.

I STRONGLY recommend this product for anyone who has a hard time waking up to a noise alarm OR who would just rather not be jangled out of sleep OR who has to wake up at some time other than natural dawn OR has to get up at a time other than when their own internal clock would have them wake up...or all of those, like me. Yes, it costs more than a battery-operated clock from a discount store, but it does what it says it will do.

I bought mine many years ago directly from Bio-Brite. It still functions beautifully, and the two times I had to send it in for service (knocked off the bedside table by my hateful cats) I received excellent customer service. I'm not a morning person, but this clock has made getting up at 5AM sooo much more pleasant. BioBrite truly cares about their products and their customers. A+ x a million!

I previously wrote that I was not that happy with the product due to a variety of issues. I e-mailed BioBrite with my review and got a very interesting response back within a day. She had a helpful response to all my questions/comments, including that I can use a good quality extension cord to plug in the clock. This way, with some manuevering, I was able to put it directly in my line of vision next to my bed. This morning I woke up to bright light in my eyes and was annoyed, but realized I was awake and it wasn't even 8am yet. At 8am the clock started beeping gently. It was definitely a lot nicer than a blaring alarm clock in a pitch dark room. Plus the CSR explained you can change the display brightness using the manual if you want to be able to see the clock at all times.

I'd say there is still a minor bit of clumsiness associated with some of the product details, but overall, a good product. I'm going to use it as my primary alarm clock and use my old one as backup, just because I'm paranoid.

Enjoy. And if you are discouraged at first glance, the directions are pretty clear, plus BioBrite responds quickly and helpfully with further questions you may have.

Karen

PS: The box says white noise on all of them since they only have one box, but only some come with white noise. Read the seller's notes carefully to see which one you are getting.

One of the most unnatural (and unnerving) experiences I can think of is being blasted out of a sound sleep by the blaring of an alarm clock, and I felt this way even before owning a sunrise alarm. Waking suddenly to a radio station, no matter how soothing the music they might be playing at the time, is not much better.

The key to a sunrise alarm is it wakes you GRADUALLY, by slowly brightening a room, the way a natural sunrise does. I cannot stress enough what a satisfying, comfortable and refreshing way to wake up this is. Most mornings I sloooowly come out of sleep, crack an eyelid, notice the room is brightening, close my eye and drift off a bit . . . this happens three or four times, each time I'm more and more awake. By the time the light is full on and the *gentle* alarm beeper sounds I'm usually stretching, fully awake. I've come to love this alarm as one of those gadgets I can't imagine doing without.

My friend was skeptical about using a sunrise alarm since he is a VERY deep sleeper. He bought one on my recommendation and found it only wakes him up about half of the time. He has to use a conventional clock radio as a backup. He's happy to put up with this though, because even the times when the sunrise alarm isn't enough to wake him, they seem to bring him up to a much lighter level of sleep, so that the clock radio is not nearly so jolting. He loves it and swears by it even though it's not enough to always wake him up by itself.

Still, there are a few cons:

It's expensive. Seems way overpriced for what is essentially a 60watt lamp, digital clock, timer and dimmer circuit. While the globe is of high quality, the base, display and controls look and feel cheap.

Setting the time and programming the alarm is a bit counter-intuitive, it takes some time to get used to it. You'll get plenty of practice though, for two reasons. The clock keeps lousy time. Mine seems to gain almost a half-minute a day. Also there is no battery back up. You must re-program it every time there is a power interruption, which is unforgivable at this price.

Even with these complaints, I wouldn't hesitate to buy another - I dread the idea of having to go back to a conventional alarm clock.

This sunrise-clock is GREAT! Alas, it loses a star due to its price (pretty expensive for an alarm clock!) But, even though it was expensive, I am very pleased with this product. I can't even begin to say how much better it is to wake up to a light-filled room than the piercing BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP screech of a traditional alarm clock jarring me out of sleep and practically giving me a heart attack every morning! Also, if you have problems getting yourself out of bed early when it is still very dark outside (winter time, northern climates, disrupted sleep patterns due to menopause, etc.) then this sunrise-clock is for you! I wish I would have gotten this sunrise clock for myself a lot sooner!

NOTE: As stated by another reviewer, the best place to get this product is directly from the Bio-Brite site--lower prices and lower shipping & handling costs, too.

(Also, I did not get the one with the white noise option, so I am unable to rate that particular feature.)

I had a Soleil Sunrise clock before this and it was just a night light. The BioBrite is a 60 watt bulb--a real light. I also love the other features:

* Dimmable bedside light for reading or soft lighting
* Security option so light comes on at random intervals from 4-11pm as if the house is occupied
* Nightlight option
* LCD display fades to low level when it is in night mode

I have the one with white noise and it is wonderful.

I don't think anything could make me want to wake up early, but I have never had an alarm clock that is more gentle or effective. Every single morning I wonder "Wait, why am I awake?" because it seems I've just naturally awakened (which, my friends, almost never happens). It doesn't scare me awake like other noise-based methods do; I don't have that feeling of panic, that "I-have-to-push-snooze-now" compulsion I associate with loud alarm clocks. It's pleasant, non-invasive, and it actually has a "snooze," where you can turn down the light if you want to sleep a little longer (it starts turning on prior to your waking time, from 15 to 90 min ahead), but at the time you've set it for, it turns up full-strength.

Let's just say I'm not that good at waking or wanting to leave my bed, but this has created the most ideal situation I could ask for, as a near-permanent night person. :)

I highly recommend this product. I personally think that the price is too steep, but I will probably be using it for life, so if I calculate it that way, I guess it's not too bad! The white noise function is a like fake-sounding, but I use a fan every night anyway.

I have had this clock for a few years now and can say it is worth every penny. I was planning on buying the clock without the white noise feature only because I did not know they had one with it. I am glad I found this baby when I did. I use to share a room with a very loud snoring person. Having to sleep with earplugs can be uncomfortable. At first I couldn't believe it would allow me to sleep without earplug so I did not try the white noise immediately. Then after a few weeks I figured to give it a try. BOY! How I wished I picked this up sooner than I did!!! No more earplugs no more tossing and turning or burying my head under my pillow. The white noise blocked out the snoring by letting my ears focus on it (the white noise also lulls me to sleep faster on any night I need help) rather than the annoying sounds of a jack hammer crossing a saw blade, I mean snoring. Restful sleep AT LAST! The fact that I wake late (night shift) having the "SUN" rise with me was better than waking to a dark room and having to spend the next couple of hours adjusting. I set mine to rise 30 minutes before the alarm goes off. Since the bulb is a dimmer type bulb it actually works like a rising sun. This needs to be in every bedroom of the house. PAY THE EXTRA for the white noise feature you won't be disappointed.