Sony (ICFC180) Clock Radio

Pros: Excellent time-keeping & alarm functionality; sturdy construction; aesthetically pleasing (bright LCD!); ease of use
Cons: Poor viewing angles from LCD; speakers susceptible to RF feedback; fickle tuner

Early 2007, my 16-year-old Sony Dream Machine began having pronounced problems with the volume knob. Being very satisfied with its performance and track record over 16 years, seven moves, and five states, I felt confident looking to Sony for a ...

Pros: Inexpensive. Stylish. Easy to use.
Cons: Basic "beep" for buzzer.

I've gone through several alarm clocks due to issues with their implementation of the basic alarm clock features. You should be able to easily:

-Set the alarm
-Turn it on and off
-Know when it is on and off
-Find the snooze button
-Not have any annoying lights or sounds

This clock does each of these very well. You set the alarm time simply by turning a dial one way of the other.

You turn the alarm on and off by using one button. When you turn the alarm on, the orange backlight turns on, so you can easily tell when it is ON/OFF.

The snooze button is located in a prominent location.

You can change alarm types (buzzer/music) by clicking another button once.

The buzzer is a very basic beeping sound. I wish there were better options, but for the price it's fine. At least it's not annoying.

The overall footprint is very small, which is nice.

Pros: Contrasting colors for time and alarm set
Cons: none

Excellent lighting for seeing at night. Able to tell in an instant if alarm is set. No fumbling with control to shut off alarm. Snooze button placed conveniently.
Best alarm I've ever owned. Don't spend time looking elsewhere, this is the one!

Pros: Always obvious if alarm is on and for what time.
Cons: none worth mentioning.

I've been on a serious hunt for a good alarm clock that knows its job is to wake me up reliably. With this Sony alarm clock, my search is finally over! It's obvious if the alarm is on or off. It's obvious what time the alarm is set for. It's super easy to set the time for the alarm. Finally, an alarm clock that puts more effort into waking you up on time than being a fancy cd player.

Even if you have an alarm clock that works, go out and replace it with this one.