Customer Reviews

Gilmour 9100 Electronic Water Timer Teal/Black

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(21)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(38)

 

 

I have bought many different garden timers and the Gilmour is the only one that has lasted for more than one season! I have spent so much money trying to find a good timer and this is finally the one! In fact, this is the 3rd Gilmour 9100 that I have purchased for my garden; the other two are still going strong after 2 years. They are easy to connect and program. I give this timer a 5 star rating.

I bought and evaluated four of the leading Hose Faucet Timers; Orbit 62015, Melnor 3015, Raindrip, and Gilmour 9100 before returning all but the Gilmour.

Orbit failed the second day of use. Would not open all the way. Melnor was more complicated to setup and provided no means to identify/verify your setup. Raindrip, like Obit, had to be set at the time you wanted watering to start (like at 5am in the morning you want to be up early with a flash light), plus Raindrip had only a 3 month Warranty??

Gilmour was a pleasant experience and costs about the same as the others. First you can program it any time and any where because it allows you to set a Delay up to 23 hours before your watering schedule is to start and you can do it in your armchair because the timer part clips on and off the faucet/hose connection part.

In addition the 9100 setup was easy with three buttons; Delay(start time of watering in hour increments), +15 Min(set watering duration in 15 min increments, and Repeat Days(to water, from every day to every 7th day. Each button press gives you a beep feed back and a Review button beeps back how many increments on each setup button you have set in. It also was the most water tight of the four.

The fact it can be set to water only once per day may be a con for some, in which case you would need their more expensive 9400 model. But if you read about wise watering, you would be doing it only once per day anyway. Personally I would shy away from getting a more complicated one of these timers because as you read here, most don't last very long. In fact, if you can remember to go twist a mechanical timer dial that will turn on your water then shut off automatically (Gilmour 9200 Model), then this is the most reliable device costs less, and doesn't use batteries.

This is not the Gilmour model 9100 that performed so reliably for me for over three years. The original model had a white body, electronic keypad, and a black hinged cover. Gilmour apparently designed a completely different timer and used it to supercede the old model, using the same model number. It does not compare well with the earlier version.

My original Gilmour 9100 worked beautifully until I let it freeze this past winter. I ordered a replacement from Amazon; the original model was still displayed on the site at that time. I received this odd-looking green timer.

This new green 9100 timer has died after 3 months of use. It may have had a problem being exposed to the sun, as it does not have the protective cover of the original model. The control panel became sunbaked and brown after about a month. I was a little concerned about the controls being exposed to rain and sun, but I thought the timer would last a year at least.

When the timer died recently, it died with the valve halfway open, so the water ran continuously. I tried replacing the batteries, but the timer did not respond.

I have not sworn off Gilmour products altogether yet. The previous 9100 model was excellent. I do wish that manufacturers would not recycle model numbers when they redesign a product so significantly. I find this very misleading.

When you are reading the reviews for this product to make your buying decision, keep in mind that any reviews prior to 2007 are likely to be for a completely different product. I do not recommend the redesigned Gilmour 9100.

My comments will mirror most of those already on here. I'd had horrible luck in a previous year with a Nelson brand timer - four C batteries would last barely two weeks, and worse, would fail with the valve open! Last year I bought one of these Gilmour timers, and it's like night and day. I'm still on the original batteries, it's reliable, and once you get the hang of it, easy to program. While the programming interface is very simplistic, it might not be for everyone (_because_ it's so simplistic, it could be confusing). There's a fairly significant water hammer when it shuts off, and I worry a bit about these old pipes, but they're due for replacement soon anyway, so I won't worry too much. At any rate, I like this timer so much after a year on a couple of flower beds that I'm buying two more today to work the lawn too.

This little water timer is truly a plant saver. Your plants get watered even if you are not home or are late. It takes 4 batteries so it last the entire season. It is easy to change the water time and length - when the weather changes from cool to hot-hot-hot. I even wrap them in the winter to keep some plants watered. Thanks Gilmour for a wonderful device.

I then got the Gilmour 9100 and have been surprised at how robust and reliable it has been since day one. Once you get the hang of it, programming is fast and, although only through beeps, actually very informative as to the schedule. You can turn it on temporarily without sacrificing the program and even have a timed session right then and there. I've also been amazed at this unit working everyday through pouring rain and baking sun for almost two years yet still using only its original batteries. I highly recommend it.

The reliability of battery operated sprinkler valves has been going up in recent years and Gilmour seems to be leading the pack. I have tried them all!

This model costs less than their model 9600? and gives you one watering cycle per day. However, I found myself only using one of the four cycles on the 9600 and was happy to find the lower cost model.

Unlike other single cycle, analog timers on the market you don't have to get up at 4am if you want to start watering at that time tomorrow! It allows you to manually advance to the time you want. Coupled with drip systems available today, this valve will give you a lot more freedom for fishing and having fun.

And, coupled with the Naan sprinkler, you can enjoy full lawn coverage at a fraction of the cost of an underground system.

Jim Luckey
Eugene, OR

Have used mine for three-plus years and could not be happier. reliable, quiet; efficient, and what's more, I have not even had to replace the batteries!. Great product

I have used it two summers and it does the job. i have used other models by other companys and most of them have developed leaks sooner or later..So far so good with this one.

I ordered a couple 9100s two days ago when the old photo was still up on the Amazon site (the new photo is up now). I was a little concerned from the previous comments but the new unit seems to be much superior to the old. And I gave 5 stars to the old version, too (I had 3 of them up to 3 years old).

Although it looks like a retro design, the two red knob design is actually a LOT easier to program and change than the previous, yet more modern looking, membrane button unit. Very easy. Turn two knobs, press a button, and it is running. (The old version required you to count beeps and if you lost track of where you were you had to start over.)

Other advantages are only 2 AA batteries instead of 4. The batteries seem to be more solidly secured whereas the old version sometimes required thin metal shims to make solid contact. I don't think I like the battery compartment cover (which requires 4 screws) as much as the previous thumbscrew.

The first unit is out working now ... started successfully on the first try. We will see how it progresses over time.

**UPDATE**July, 2012** Everything above still stands. Two units are still going strong although the Florida sun has peeled off the labels showing the switch positions. That fixed with a Sharpie. Hopefully new units have the indications molded in. Still 5 stars (maybe 4-3/4 stars taking into account the loss of the labeling).