Customer Reviews

Oregon Scientific BAR338PA ExactSet Projection Clock with Cable-Free Weather Forecaster

5 star:		(126)
4 star:		(65)
3 star:		(22)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(27)

 

 

This is one of the best purchases I have made of recent memory. It is one of those gadgets that every person can appreciate. The projection gives you the unique advantage of seeing the time from anywhere in the room. The indiglo is also really cool, if the projection is off. This clock works off batteries (there is an ac adapter for the projector) so it is easy to take with you if you are traveling. I put the outdoor monitor in my window, and I can constantly tell what the temperture and upcoming weather is. The best part is, the clock is tuned into the atomic clock, and is constantly setting itself for accuracy. This little guy is also pretty tough, I have tripped over the cord for the AC adapter twice (I can't tell you how infuriating this is), knocking it hard to my hardwood floor. Its still kicking. I would highly recommend this product to anyone who appreciates a good gadget, I have loved it since I bought it.

As a lover of "gadgets" I was really quite looking forward to this alarm clock. The remote weather sensor, the projection of the time onto a wall, the automatic sync'ing with the atomic clock, and the gradual alarm tone had me convinced that this clock should replace the trusty digital clock that had been at my bedside for a decade. The projection of the time on the wall works well for me and as it turns out, it's the only thing that kept me from returning this clock. I still can't get the remote weather sensor to transmit the temperature to the base. The gradual alarm is alright; it does what is advertised. I'm a bit disappointed that there isn't an option to continuously keep the main display lit its cool blue light. Actually, before they implement that, they need to eliminate the high pitch hum that is audible when the backlight is illuminated. All in all this is a neat gadget but a bit too pricey if you ask me unless you can get all of the features to work.

9 years later...
I'm sold on this clock. It has lasted 9 years and hasn't failed me so I'm bumping my rating up to 4 stars. I hope they fixed the hum when the blue light illuminates as well as the weather feature (I never was able to get working). My wife and I feel lost at night when we are on vacation because the time isn't on the ceiling for us - we're believers if there is such a thing for a digital clock. ;)

Although there are some cool features on this clock, it doesn't do all that it should. I'll simply list the pros and cons and you can decide for yourself.

Pros:
- you can instantly know the weather outside and the temperature inside.
- the forcast prediction and graphics are remarkably accurate.
- projection on ceiling is very cool at night - you can look straight up as you lie in bed and know the time.

Cons:
- even though it plugs in, the clock runs on batteries. the plug is only for the projection part.
- the alarm wouldn't wake up the lightest sleeper - it's just a little beep like your microwave makes. it just makes them more often as you sleep through it.
- the projection doesn't work at all if any light is on in the room and it's really only usefull on a perpendicular surface - otherwise it's stretched and half out of focus.

So as a second clock and something neat to have, this is fine. Don't get it as your primary alarm clock if you want to make it to work on time and not get fired :-)

An atomic clock set by the RF sync signal coming out of Boulder, CO. Accuracy is unquestionable. A remote sensor transmits the outdoor temperator at 433 Mhz and that is projected onto the ceiling along with the time. Fantastic!! I can lay flat on my back and see the time anytime I open my eyes and the temperature too... that way I know exactly how to dress when I go out the door to work in the morning. Also the clock has barometer in it that tries to tell what the weather may be like in 12 to 24 hours... cloudy, party cloudy, sunny, snow, rain... I laughed at this feature but to my utter amazment it seems to be more accurate than the TV weather caster!! Get this clock... the quality is superb. The alarm is a quiet beep that grows louder and more persistent as you ignore it. The light in the face of the clock is a greenish-blue back lit LED screen and very pleasing in all respects... I am a hard customer to please and this clock pleases me!

Purchased clock at Christmas. Projection didn't work -- after much time on phone waiting to speak to someone, they exchanged clock -- cumbersome return process -- but in about a month got a new clock. Now eight months later the projection stopped so I called Oregon Scientific to learn how to replace bulb or? Answer was the "warranty is three months and we can't tell you how to change the bulb?" Obviously I was amazed and asked how I could then return the clock to working order and was basically told that I was out of luck. Clock is a nice idea -- perhaps someday, someone will build a quality one!

I bought this clock for my technophobic mother and she loves it. The display on the ceiling is ideal for her; she is severely near-sighted in one eye and almost blind in the other. She can see the display on the ceilng in the middle of the night without any problems. In addition to the display, she appreciates being able to see the temperature, both inside and out.

Another feature of this clock that is ideal for her is that the regular display is only lit when you want it to be lit. There are no glaring red numbers staring at you all night. When you want to see the time/temp, press the snooze button and the display lights for a few seconds.

Now for the negatives of this great little gadget. It is very lightweight and the buttons sit smoothly at the bottom of the clock. It is difficult to tell one button from another or to even push the buttons to set the alarm, view, etc. Raised braille like nobs on the buttons would be helpful as well as making the base wider so it would be more difficult to knock it over. Also, if the clock is running off battery, you have the option of displaying the time on the ceiling only when you press the snooze button. However, if you use the A/C adapter, you're choices are continuous display or no display. The slide switch that controls this is on the side of the clock and is difficult to find by feel.

Despite the few shortcomings of this clock, I still think it's wonderful and recommend it to anyone who is tired of squinting at glowing red dots to see what time it is; who wants to know the temperature both inside and out; and who always wants the correct time.

I am impressed by the accuracy of the weather forcaster,since the clock itself decides what the forcast will be,without any help from the weather service.The only two things I was not completely satisfied with were: That I discovered it was made in china.And the projected image only displays the outside(remote sensor)temperature,not both.Neither are too big a deal,and wouldn,t have prevented me from buying and enjoying the clock. It is great to have a clock that sets itself,keeps great time,forcasts the weather,measures temp inside & out,and projects the time on ceiling or wall for easy viewing at night,without being too bright for sleeping.As you can probably see by now,I am happy with my purchase.

I ordered this clock through my gold box offer and was anxious to see the actual performance. When I received the item it was easy to set up and figure out. It does take a while (few hours) for the clock to sync with the atomic clock and load all the information but once it does it's fine. It also took about the same time to get a read on the outside sensor. Once the clock was able to sync with everything it provides very accurate readings on all fronts. The LCD display I point at the ceiling is very helpful for a quick glance in the middle of the night. The blue screen on the clock itself is also at a good brightness and stays on for just a few seconds. The alarm and snooze button is easy to set and use. The only thing about the clock I have had difficulty with is I have it on my wooden dresser by the bed and it's a little slippery there- I am going to put some non-slip material there to keep the clock stable. The bottom rubber things don't do a sufficeint job of keeping it in place on a polished surface. Otherwise I would definitely recommend this- the price, size and functionality of this clock is right on. My husband really likes it and the red LCD display on the ceiling lets him see the time without his glasses and the weather reading is great to look at in the morning to see what's going on outside.

The clock requires batteries and the projection clock requires AC power -- why the clock can't be powered by the AC power is a mystery. Some of the buttons could have been better placed if you are using this as an alarm clock. Mine simply stopped working after 6 months and the manuafacturer warranty is 60 days. I wouldn't buy one of these again.

This alarm clock keeps atomic time, projects onto the ceiling, accurately predicts the weather forcast (using a barometer), gives indoor and outdoor temperature, has a memory feature that will tell you the high and low temperatures indoor and out, has a crecendo alarm (starts off soft and gets louder), is small enough not to take up much room on my night stand, plus it looks really cool! I haven't found any cons about this clock yet... I am very happy with this purchase! Kudos to Oregon Scientific for creating such an excellent product!