Customer Reviews

Polder 898-90 Clock, Timer & Stopwatch, White

5 star:		(84)
4 star:		(28)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Finally, a small, portable, intelligent timer for someone like me who runs all over the house while the cookies are in the oven, and who can't even hear a normal oven timer in the next room. The push-button controls are intuitive, the beeper attention-grabbing but not obnoxious, and the overall convenience of the item just wonderful. Re-setting the timer for a few extra minutes of cooking is quick and simple. The LCD digits are large for easy reading. The combination of clock with timer with stop-watch is easy to negotiate.

One VERY useful feature, at least for this cook: the beeper goes on forever (well, exactly one minute) until one physically stops it. No more hearing the oven timer alarm and then promptly forgetting it.

One LITTLE nuisance: the magnet is necessarily on one end (the right end, away from the display), so that very quickly the device is hanging by its end rather than horizontally. This results in the display and touch-button array turned perpendicular and a bit harder to read or manipulate. A slightly stronger and/or even more elongated magnet would probably solve that. Is the manufacturer listening?

I bought this for my mother for Christmas, but since I cook far more than she does....

(Ten years later, early in 2011, and Mother is long dead; both timers still hang from my refrigerator and are used at least daily. I've put a new battery in each, but otherwise I've had no problems whatsoever. I add this because I was delighted to find the timer still for sale in a cooking supply catalogue. This is without doubt one of the best tools in my kitchen! Honorable mention to the 40+ year old Oster blender.) --bc

This product does exactly what it says. It's a clock (the least useful things it does), a count-up timer, and a count-down timer.

Carrying it around is a great idea, though the string could be a little longer.

One thing not mentioned in most reviewes is that all three functions operate simultaenously, that is you can time two functions at once, as well as looking at the clock..

Highly recommended.

I like timers where you can enter in the exact time using numbers instead of repeatedly pressing a minute button. These types of timers are surprising hard to find in stores.

This timer is great because of its portability. However, there are a few very small ergonomic details that could be improved.

1. The buttons are very tiny.
2. When the alarm sounds, you cannot simply mash down on any button to get the beeping to stop, you have to press the very small stop button.
3. The button numbers are written next to the buttons instead of directly on the buttons, which causes me to occasionally associate a number with the wrong button.

I would certainly recommend this timer to others.

I admit it, I bought this because I saw it recommended on America's Test Kitchen. My husbands reaction, "another timer, but you already have 4 why do you need another one." "The portability, it will be very useful to hang around my neck." Little did I know how right I was about the usefulness of a timer I could wear around my neck. I use this timer for so many things.

Uses I have found for the timer so far:
1. I wear it when I garden to tell me that it is time to come inside or apply more sunscreen.
2. I put it around my neck when I go for a walk. I am a numbers geek and like to chart my progress (time to cover a specific distance) so that I can see improvement. It is also nice to have a clock with you that isn't on your sweaty wrist.
3. I use it when I throw a load of laundry in the washer and/or dryer so that it doesn't sit too long and wrinkle. Having the timer around my neck makes certain that I don't get away from the timer and miss hearing "the beep".
4. I use the timer when I am proofing bread dough (again great not to miss the beep).
5. I play games with myself to increase my productivity. I give myself a particular block of time to work on a project I have been avoiding. I use the timer to tell me that time is up and I can stop if I want. It is amazing how much easier it is to start a project you hate when you know that you can stop when the timer goes off if you want to. It makes it easier for me to get those dreaded tasks accomplished more quickly.
6. If you are self employed or a consultant that bills by time this item is great. You can easily track how much time you spend on each task for each client. It is very efficient for tracking your billable time. I love the count up timer for this function.
7. Do you know someone that talks too much on the phone? Have you lost hours without realizing it. Set a timer when the chatty person calls for the block of time you can spare. When the beep sounds, you have to go. It works wonderfully. The beep is loud enough for the other person to hear, and you have an excuse to terminate the conversation.

PROs of this product:
1. The timer was very intuitive to use, I didn't need to refer to the directions.
2. I like the added clock feature.
3. The count up clock feature is nice when steeping tea.
4. I like that the timer doesn't zero out after reaching its time. Many of the things that take place with me happen in thirty-minute increments. Since the timer does not reset to zero I don't have to plug in the time with each new event.
5. The timer is small, so you don't have a big clunky thing hanging around your neck. It tucks easily into your shirt so that it doesn't get into the way when doing other things.
6. The neck strap is wonderful. I love being able to have the timer with me whenever I am doing things and not worry about pressing a button as could occur if the timer was in my pocket. If you find strap too short, it would be easy to replace the existing one with a longer piece of cord.

CONS of this product:
1. You do feel a little geeky with a timer around your neck.
2. The buttons are a little small, but that would only be a problem for big fingers.

Overall, I love this silly little gadget. It has improved my efficiency in more ways than I expected. And I thought it was just for food preparation. Boy was I mistaken. If you are an efficiency geek, give this item a try. It is a very useful product.

This timer/clock/stop watch is easy to use. It has three separate functions that can be used simulatenously or by itself. I use the timer when I'm cooking. The counter I use when timing myself when I exercise, or when I'm practising things like speed reading. There are separate function buttons for each function, making it easier to select what you want it to do.

When i'm not doing either timer or stop watch function, I use it as a regular watch. It comes on a string so I can hang it on my neck when I'm mobile. It also has a magnet on the back of it so you can place it on your refrigerator for easy access, or anywhere else it'll stick to.

I find this device very easy to use and I use it nearly every day. I dont' know what I'd do without it.

We use timers a lot in the lab, and went through several low-quality models before discovering the Polder. We then got a Polder for home use and have used it for years. We recently got a second one, so one of us could monitor the swordfish while the other one timed the potatoes.

It has three modes: "Clock", "Count Up", and "Timer". It remains in whatever mode you used last.

Push "Clock", and it displays the time (but no date). A recessed button on the back toggles the display between the default 12-hour time "HH:MM:SS am/pm" and 24-hour military time "HH:MM:SS".

Push "Count Up", and it acts like a stopwatch to measure elapsed time. Press Start to start timing. The display shows the elapsed time (HH:MM:SS). Press Stop/Start to pause/resume timing. Press Stop/Clear to time another event.

Push "Timer", and it acts like a timer (the most useful mode). Enter an interval (HH:MM:SS) using the numeric keypad. Press Start and the display starts counting down toward zero. Press Stop/Start to pause/resume timing. When it reaches zero, it beeps, and the display counts UP to indicate how long ago zero was reached. Press Stop to stop the beeping. It remembers the original interval, so you can press Start to time again, or Clear to enter a new interval.

Yes, this timer is loud. It beeps loudly when you are setting it, and it beeps loudly when the timer goes off. If you leave it in the kitchen, you will definitely hear it from another room. If you ignore it for 30 seconds, the beeping will stop but the display will still show the time elapsed since zero.

The battery life is excellent.

The nylon strap is the perfect length for wearing this lightweight timer around your neck while cooking or doing chores.

So, a perfect score. And Polder knows they've got it right -- the design has not changed in years.

I keep my timer right on my fridge (it has a pretty good magnet on it) and use it pretty much every time I cook. It's much easier to use than the big clunky wind-up dial timer I was using and much more dependable. The buttons are easy to set. A press with a knuckle or 2 is really convenient when your hands are sticky or greasy from cooking. Several reviews mention that the alarm is loud. It is a bit startling when it goes off but if it wasn't it wouldn't be a very effective timer! From a cooking standpoint, I like that when it goes off and I'm too occupied to shut it off immediately, it will continue to sound for 1 minute (the count is reflected in the display) and stops after that. I can hear it from upstairs so I've never even used the neck cord. I am very glad I bought this timer. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is that I feel I've not owned it long enough to vouch for it's longetivity. I can only say that I ordered mine in August 2002 and have had it on my fridge since then. And to date I've had no problems with it. I depend on it 3-4 times a week when I cook. I wish I could give it 4.75 stars but this rating system doesn't allow for that! >>>Updated December 2005 to add that longevity has proved not a problem for this timer. I am still using and relying on it and it is still functioning well. I'd say getting 3 years of reliability and function from this product made it a very good investment for me. Thanks Polder!

This is a great kitchen help, and I recommend it to everybody. One really great feature is the number pad. I can put the exact amount of time I want (to the second) directly, and not have to hit some "minute" button a zillion times (I alway get impatient, hit the button so fast I go past the number I want and have to start over. Super annoying!)

The shape is easy to carry in a pocket, or you can hang it around your neck. Keeping the timer with you means you will hear it wherever you wander. Though the alarm is loud enough without being obnoxious.

It will count up, or count down, and it has a clock, too. And it has a magnet, so I can put it on the fridge door if I don't want to carry it around.

I think I will look for a better looking and more comfortable neck string to put on mine, and I found I needed to shorten the string a bit, because the timer was hitting the edge of my desk as I'm working at the computer.

Other than that, it is a very useful gadget, and other timers with these features cost a lot more. I highly recommend this, expecially for the absent-minded cook!

I like this timer to use at school because it is the only timer that I have found that I can wear around my neck. It is a good timer and I ordered several so that I could give a couple to the teaching assistants that work with me. The only problem I have had is that the little "door" that covers the battery can open with out your knowing it and then the battery falls out. I now have a small piece of duct tape over it to prevent any further battery searches.

Not perfect, but close -- I am on my second one (it's not a good toddler toy), and if anything happens to this one, I'll get another. Only two minor complaints:

1 - Sometimes I bump it while wearing it, and without being aware of it, stop the timer.

2. It took me forever to figure out how to set the clock -- hoping to save you some time, here's the trick: Hold the clock button down until the display disappears, then enter the time. The secret is that you must enter six digits: hhmmss. Which means that anyplace you have a single digit, you must use a leading zero. 00 is ok for the seconds, but you must enter them.

Other than that, you don't need directions -- it's all pretty staightforward.