Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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119 of 127 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Great idea, poor execution, October 29, 2006
I recently bought the Verilux Rise & Shine lamp because it is already so dark up here in Seattle (I just moved from SF this summer) that the sun is a good hour away from rising when I wake up to go to work. The idea behind the lamp (with a full-spectrum bulb that imitates light from the sun) is that it turns on gradually over an extended period of time, helping you wake up.
I've been so groggy over the past three weeks that I was willing to cough up $150 for a lamp & alarm clock. This product is a GREAT idea, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired.
* The lamp itself stopped working after one day. Probably needs a new, $10 bulb.
* The alarm lets you choose whether you want sound, light or both to wake you up. I thought this product would be fantastic if the light started to turn on gradually about 15 minutes before the radio turned on. It doesn't work that way. The radio turns on the same time the light turns on, and this problem is exacerbated by the next complaint.
* There are only four volume settings for the radio. The lowest setting is perfectly clear and louder than I need to wake up. Of course, since the product is supposed to gradually increase the volume of sound, it ramps all the way up to the loudest setting. To add insult to injury, you can't turn down the volume when it's in the alarm cycle.
* The light itself turns on rather abruptly. Mind you, I only got to experience this on one morning before the bulb or lamp was broken, but the light went from zero to about 20% in a fraction of a second, which is more than enough to wake me up.
* The radio has unbelievably horrible reception. The local NPR station, KUOW, comes in crystal-clear on my stereo and cheap shower radio. No matter how long I spent tuning the lamp radio, I got a lot of static. No matter where in the apartment I put the lamp, I got a substantial amount of static.
* The radio tuner is contextless. That is, the dial has no numbers whatsoever, so you can't tell whether you're in the 101s or the 92s. Finding your favorite channel takes about 10 minutes of listening to every channel that sort of sounds like what you're looking for.
* I like the soothing sounds, and I can imagine it would help me get back to sleep on those occasions when I wake up in the middle of the night. I found the "extra" sounds a bit distracting, though. For example, the "surf" sound includes whale calls, while the "forest" sound--rhythmic insect chirping--has an an owl cooing in your year.
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41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Remedy for Lamps Not Working As they Should, January 19, 2007
After reading the reviews here for the Verilux natural alarm clock lamp, I decided I would order one and try it for myself.
I had some reservations due to some negative reviews here BUT there were also several positive reviews and I really wanted the product to work, as I thought it was a cool concept.
So I ordered a Verilux lamp of my own to try and it arrived yesterday.
The lamp worked okay right out of the box BUT it seemed to be quite dim and nothing at all like a roomful of sunshine as advertised.
Also, the dimmer switch on the lamp did not work. The switch worked for on & off (push in) but did not work when turned left or right to dim or brightwn the lamp.
Also, the lamp hummed softly but noticable once thee bub was turned on. Especially in a quiet room at night, this is very noticable.
last night, I set the lamp alarm clock for 2 different sounds for sleep (30 minutes) and wake up (60 minutes). The lamp did dim its light but in rather noticable jerks, and shut off at the right time. The light and sound did start at the correct time in the morning. But the lamp seemed very dim.
Today I tried a few things with this Verilux lamp and discovered that the problem of the dim light and hum was due to the verilux light bulb not being installed correctly. Mine just needed to be turned in a little tighter and then the lamp got very bright! AND the hum stopped when I turned on this lamp using the push in switch on the lamp. So the fault was my own for not screwing in the bulb correctly.
The radio is quite mediocre, in both AM and FM reception. In fact, so poor that I do not use it. I have a Bose clock radio/CD Player in the same room and have that set to come on in sync with the Verilux lamp.
The sounds all worked and there are 2 I rather like, harbor (gulls), and Birds. BUT all the sounds share one very annoying thing.. the rhythmic type sounds in the background such as waves crashing onshore, rainfall, forest sounds are good BUT each choice also features one annoying sound that seems to be featured and played louder and it repeats over & over, such as a hooting owl, or loud chimes, the same sound every few seconds. The sounds are like an endless loop that is way too short in length, so repeats itself much too soon, resulting in annoyance & tedium rather than enjoyment.
So all you folks who mentioned in your reviews that your lamp seemed way too dim and/or made a humming noise, please try re-installing your verilux light bulb, making sure it is screwed in tight enough, and see if that doesn't solve the problems.
My manual showed a lightbulb with 2 pins that neeed to be turned 1/8 turn BUT the light bulb that came with my lamp had no pins and just screwed in like any other light bulb does. As soon as I tightened the bulb a bit more in its socket, the lamp got way brighter, the dimmer switch worked as it should, and the humming stopped.
I found this lamp easy & intuitive to use and it does what is advertised. I do think, though, that it is overpriced for what it does AND the sounds really need to be reworked. And it could use a better AM/FM radio.
Gail
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23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Does its job well enough, but pricey., November 9, 2006
I bought this lamp to help me with waking up in the winter mornings and to help combat my tendency to go into hibernation mode as we head into Fall. Living in Seattle the sun rises late and sets early with 16 hours of darkness at the Solstice. Then add grey skies and rain. I have noticed that I get very very tired and want to eat everything in sight starting around October. I hoped this lamp, by faking me out with an artifical, dawn would mitigate than tendency...and it has.
I chose this lamp over the others listed because I read the reviews that said those lamps seemed cheaply made for the price, and weren't all that bright. This lamp is bright enough. It fills up my room with light. The color spectrum seems like daylight when it is at full. And the lamp seems well made.
The lamp it self is larger than it looks from the picture online. It stands about 18" tall and comes with a nice lampshade. The bulb is also included, as well as a plug in speaker that you can put under your pillow, so you are less likely disturb any other occupants of your bed with the noise from the radio or nature sounds.
The backlight LCD display is a bit bright for me. It does have a dimmer switch and you can change the color of the display to almost any color, or there is a setting that will let it cycle through the spectrum. The radio works well enough and the sound quality is pretty good. There are a number of nature sounds that sound pretty good. Standard stuff. It is kind of cool to listen to the sounds through your pillow with the included pillow speaker. Really.
Here are my two biggest complaints about this lamp. One: It allows you to wake up with a combination of light and sound (or you can pick one or the other). The light starts from dim and goes to bright, but the sound comes on a whatever level you happen to set it at. I wanted it to slowly get louder as the light gets louder. What's the point of the light gently waking you up if the sound does it right away. I just wake up to the light and use my old clock radio in tandem, which does start softly and get louder.
Two: The dimmer on the light buzzes for the first two or three minutes you have it on. Then it quiets down and continues to get brighter silently. It's not super loud, but loud enough to wake you up if you are a light sleeper (which I am). My heavy sleeping bedmate doesn't move a bit.
So in conclusion this lamp has done its job in alleviating some of my hibernation tendencies. I find it easier to get up, if not any happier to go to work. My bedmate says she notices a positive difference too.
It is expensive. I was lucky and I had a gift certificate, otherwise I might have bought the less expensive brand. However, I am glad I purchased it now, and now knowing how it operates I would be willing to spend the money again if this one broke for some reason.
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