Customer Reviews

Soleil Sunrise Alarm Clock Radio Ultima

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

After I managed to break the globe on my beloved Biobrite Sunrise Alarm Clark and was unable to find a replacement, I settled for the Soleil out of desperation and against my better judgment. It looked way too small to wake even a mite and, boy, was I right! "Compact" does not even begin to describe the Soleil's diminutive dimensions. Now, to be fair, if you happen to be a light sleeper in a small space, and you're facing the clock with the bulb aimed squarely at your eyelids, and you happen to respond to its rather anemic glow, then maybe, just maybe, it will wake you up. But if not, you better use the beeper function or late to work you're gonna be. Better yet, buy a REAL sunrise alarm clock and not this overpriced toy.

While the features and adjustability of this tiny alarm clock sound enticing, I am regretting my purchase.

The light is not very bright. The radio on it is cheap. I can only faintly pick up my favorite station to wake up to, and since I like to wake up very gradually, and listen to the radio during my morning routine, the fact that this unit shuts off after an hour is not convenient. The sound quality on the radio is also very harsh and tinny - not desirable first thing in the morning.

I would probably return it if the seller weren't going to charge me a 30% restocking fee.

My wife and I live in the midwest; in the winter the sun doesn't come up until well after 8:00AM. We have a tough time getting up, and thought a dawn simulator might do the trick. Long story short, this one did not. In fairness, I had to give this model 2 stars--but only from an ease-of-use standpoint. It is very easy to master, technically speaking. But in terms of functionality, this thing is a stinker. The "dawn simulator" only emits 96 lumens of light (less than a quarter of what is produced by a forty watt lightbulb). My wife and I weren't "gently awakened" by such a paltry little light (just roll away from it, and it's effectively not even there), so we awoke to the jarring sound of the buzzer every morning. The light is so weak, in fact, that it wasn't even enough to keep us awake! In addition, the digital clock display was so bright that I had to fall asleep facing away from it--it actually cast shadows on the wall! What a shame that the extra intensity couldn't have gone into the main light...

For those with SAD (or who just can't seem to wake up on winter days), I would strongly advise you to purchase a different product. This one just doesn't do the trick.

I own one fo these clocks, and I am shopping for a new one. This clock just isn't bright enough to illuminate my room properly. I dont'wake up. :-(

I have had this alarm clock for several years. I love it. After reading several other reviews, I have to agree that it is smaller and less bright than you might expect/want. It will not light up a whole room. But I have found that if I keep it on a nightstand close to my face, it works perfectly.

The Soleil Sunrise Alarm Clock does what is advertises it helps wake you up easier and more alert that a standard alarm clock. The radio does work, but only on strong stations. I also quickly removed the translucent housing over the bulb, doing that allowed the lamp do its job. The clock works best in pitch black where the lamp will light up the whole room.
Is the alarm worth it, if you need to wake up early in the morning, and then Yes.
Could it be better, yes a clear lamp housing, and a better radio would be great additions.

I bought this for winter 2005-2006 and haven't reviewed it until now. I live in Seattle and only need a dawn simulator when the days are short.

I liked this product for what it was; it's size and feature set were what I needed. The killer that earned this "1 star" was that it runs slow on wall power or batteries. I had to reset it every weekend because the clock would run slow. I kept another clock on my bedside table so I'd be sure to know the correct time and put a Post-It (tm) over the clock numbers. For winter 2006-2007 I didn't get this back out to use.

Works okay as an alarm clock, but the clock display is way too bright and annoying. I'm talking about the actual digital time display, not the sunrise simulator lamp, to avoid any possible confusion here. I had to put a piece of duct tape over it. I'm really sensitive to light in my bedroom when I'm trying to sleep. Keep in mind that I had the clock on the opposite side of the room, so I wouldn't be tempted to just hit the snooze button and go back to sleep. If you are like me and find too-bright digital displays annoying, you might want to get a different alarm clock.

Luckily I got this clock at half price, so I didn't waste a lot of money on it.

I love this little clock. I got it because I get up early in the dark and I HAVE to be sharp, have mild SAD, and I also thought this would be as close to nature as possible when the sun isn't actually rising. Like other reviewers, I don't like my heart to pound in my throat when I wake up, music puts me back to sleep, NPR makes me wonder sleepily who's talking in my room... So, I asked for a sunrise clock and this is the one my mother-in-law found.

I like how small it is - it takes up NO room on my nightstand! The buttons are small. I'm okay with that, because my hands aren't that big. The controls are a bit tricky to use, but I've figured them out and can get this clock to do whatever I want. I do have a separate radio - the one in the clock doesn't pick up much (but you can imagine that by looking at it, this clock is small!). I haven't noticed the brightness of the display - I think I read in the manual that you can dim it, so I did, and I just turn it away from my bed at bedtime.

People have been complaining that the bulb is dim. That's true, it is - but you can plug in your own lamp and it's as bright as daylight in any room. I wonder if people don't know that. So, my regular reading light is hooked into the little darlin' and off I go in the morning! The solar clock also functions as a "dimmer" for my reading lamp, so I can read in lower light while my husband goes to sleep next to me.

Overall, I'm thrilled with this product. I think it is a little pricey, but once you get the hang of using this little charmer I think the improvement in quality of life alone over time is worth the expense. I wake up totally cheerful (well, as cheerful as you can be in the morning) and rested. I love the fact that you can set an audible alarm to go off in case you end up sleeping through the sunrise part. The "flash" at the end (light flashes on and off, in case you haven't woken up yet) is also a great feature.

Because of the little buttons, you have to make an effort to turn it off (which ensures you're actually awake, unlike other sunrise clocks where you can "snooze" easily, some for an hour!). Personally I just let the sun "rise" - my room is fully lit, and I take a shower and get dressed and it all turns off by itself!

I haven't had to replace anything on it yet, and I've had it for about a year and a half. I'm about to buy one for a friend as a gift. Four stars because of the radio, the little buttons, and the slightly counter-intuitive controls.

I was extremely disappointed with this product. The overall workmanship appeared cheap. The radio was a lousy receiver. The timer was difficult to set, so I sometimes saw the 'sunrise' in the evening. The bulb burned out way too soon, except for being past the expiration of the return date.