Customer Reviews

Elgin 3400E LCD Alarm Clock

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I purchased this clock as a replacement for an older Timex travel alarm clock that I lost. While this model functions on a basic level, it is disappointing overall.

As another reviewer mentioned, this clock gains time quickly. After just a couple of days it will be minutes ahead of the actual time. If you only use the clock for weekend trips this probably won't be much of an inconvenience, but for longer trips or regular use at home, this is a bit of a nuisance. I can honestly say that in my entire life I have never had any clock, watch, or other appliance so poor at keeping the correct time.

I have also been disappointed with the quality of the Indiglo backlight on this clock. On my last travel alarm, as well as my Indiglo watch, the Indiglo backlight is bright and makes the characters easy to read in the dark. However, on this clock the Indiglo backlight is feeble by comparison. It's just bright enough to qualify as usable, but if your eyesight isn't great the combination of the weak backlight and the fact that you probably aren't wearing contacts or glasses in the middle of the night may make this clock difficult for you to read.

As far as the user interface is concerned, the time display is very large, but other on-screen items, such as the "alarm on" indicator, are not necessarily obvious by a quick glance at the display. The Indiglo button, as you can see in the picture, is in the middle of the face of the unit. My last travel alarm placed this button on the top of the unit. If you can imagine trying to illuminate your clock in a pitch dark room, you can probably guess which location is more convenient. Fortunately, all the buttons you need to set the clock are easily located on the lower half of the face of the unit. For setting the time/alarm the clock has a pair of up/down buttons that move the time in one (if you press and release) or 15 (if you hold) minute increments. This is particularly useful for making small time adjustments backwards.

Overall I have been very disappointed with this clock. It lacks some of the ease-of-use features I'm used to, and it suffers from poor craftsmanship. It was relatively inexpensive and it hasn't technically broken, but if I could go back in time I would most certainly purchase a different travel alarm.

This clock gains about 5 minutes every 4 days or so. I have an old digital plug-in clock that keeps perfect time, but the alarm doesn't work. I bought this one for the alarm, but usually have to reset the time to match the old plug-in about twice a week. Also, if it gets dropped or knocked off the table, you have to reset the time. I've had 2 or 3 other clocks of this type that keep perfect time, maybe gain a minute or two every 6 months. I would not buy another Timex.

Bought this despite mixed reviews from previous customers. As mentioned by others it gains approximately 3-4 min in a week. Also the Indiglo display isnt that great. It is very hard to see the time display during the day. Bottomline.. Always look through customer reviews and think hard and long if a product you are considering buying has bad reviews.

Update: Display is all messed up after just one battery change. Stay away from this product

This Elgin remake of the original Timex 3400T is nothing like the original. (I like the original so much I was hoping to buy another.) Sadly, the quality of this clock is very, very poor. This new design of the 3400T is completely different (worse) -- they should have changed the part number.

I liked the ability to quickly and quietly set a "nap" time in the original. No more! The updated version is much more difficult to set and it beeps loudly every time you press a button.

I am very disappointed. I'd gladly pay three times the price to get a 3400T of the original Timex design.

This little clock has everything! It's compact, efficient, and stylish. All the controls are on the front, and labeled clearly for easy access. With a small pinch, the digital numbers light up for a few moments when you need the time in the middle of the night. The clock is so small you can toss it in your pocket with the credit cards, if you're out the door for a trip and you've forgotten it on the night stand. Mine also gains time, about a minute or so per week... but it's so easy to set or reset that it's not a problem. And it's affordable as well: my wife and I each have one.

The Elgin Travel Alarm Clock has several features that I like. It is battery operated, which is convenient not only when traveling but in case the electricity goes out at home and you need a functional clock. It has a protective cover so the clock face won't get scratched during travel - said cover doubles as a stand for the clock. The clock not only shows the time (you have a choice of a twelve hour or twenty-four hour format), but the date (date and month, not including year or day of the week). The numbers are easy to read, even for someone as nearsighted as I am. There is also a backlight that activates for approximately five seconds and then automatically shuts off. There is also an alarm feature; a snooze button (this shuts off the alarm for five minutes and then it automatically sounds again); and a nap timer which you can set in fifteen minute increments for up to four hours of nap time. All of the alarm features are loud, but not annoyingly so. Unlike other reviewers, my clock has kept perfect time and hasn't gained any minutes after over a month of usage.

While I really like the Elgin Travel Alarm Clock and use it all the time (even when not travelling), there are a couple of things that I don't like about it. The buttons to unlock the mechanism to set the alarm, time, and calendar are all on one side and it's a bit tricky to use them. The snooze alarm and backlight are activated by the same button - you press the left side to activate the snooze alarm and the right side to activate the light - and on several occasions I've woken up in the middle of the night and went to activate the light to see what time it was only to inadvertently activate the snooze alarm instead. On those occasions I've had to turn on a light to figure out how to deactivate the snooze alarm (which isn't all that easy to do.) Also, you have to be very careful to make sure the door to the battery compartment is on tight. I accidentally knocked the clock to the floor one night, dislodging the door, and the clock started making a grating beeping noise until I figured out how to latch the door properly - not a fun thing at 3:00 in the morning!

All in all, I really like and get a lot of use out of the Elgin Travel Alarm Clock.

I have used this clock for a few months now.Its great.Its the little things like the ease of setting the nap timer or using the snooze.Some guy said this clock gains time.Thats a little true after 5 Months it gained 3 minutes.Not a problem.

I wanted to set a timer for certain events. This does exactly what I want very well, at a very fair price. After reading the reviews, I had expected it to gain or lose minutes each day, which would be ok with me, but have had it for a month or so and it keeps the correct time. Pleasant design, works fine, I am pleased.

Bought this clock at Fred Meyers tonight on sale. $7.99. If it holds up, it will make a good travel clock. The alarm is just loud enough, and annoying enough to wake one up if they went to bed sober. The pic shows the light but you need to "pinch" the button to make it lite up. It has controls for each selected option. But not fore and back, so if you go past just keep going. But I bought it so I could see the time. My XM radios time is only 6 mm high so I needed something else this 25 mm display is what I needed. And when the power goes out it will wake me because it does not give up till the button is hit.

I love this little alarm clock so much, I have several throughout my house.

Pros:
* 24 hour time (a huge plus for people who have to work shifts)
* nap timer (I use this feature all the time to wait 15 minutes to see if I have correctly treated a hypoglycemic episode). You can nap up to 4 hours.
* small and portable

Cons:
* can only set the date and time forward; you have to scroll through the entire cycle if you have overshot your value.
* cannot turn the back light off (but it only stays on for about 4 seconds)
* cannot turn the nap timer off
* cannot see how much time you have left on your nap