Zen Clocks - Yea or Nay?

In My Humble Opinion
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      • I saw these clocks a long time ago (a few years) in a mail order catalog. I thought it was a neat idea then, but was broke and didn’t think having one to be that important. At some point I remembered wanting one and while trying to find the original catalog online listing the clocks, I found the clock manufacturer had their very own website:
        http://www.now-zen.com/
  • Anybody got one of these things?
    Before I used to think that $100 was WAY too much for any alarm clock, but now I do rather like the idea of not having the “jolting” feeling of being awakened by a regular clock radio… I once read about Japanese bookshelf stereos having alarm clock functions built-in that did sortof the same thing–they could be set to start out playing quietly and gradually they would increase in volume, but I never found one in the US that had that feature and they would cost way more than $100 anyway. …-On the downside, I tend to think the sound of the chime is crappy; it should probably be brass instead of whatever it is (steel?). That appears easy enough to change though…
    …
    ~
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Mu.

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I don’t think this is the only manufacturer to utilize a gradually increasing alarm. I’ve seen others – sorry, can’t think of where – and it does seem like a good idea.

(BTW, am I the only one who thought a Zen clock would have one hand …)

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I’ve been considering getting one myself, and would also be interested in the opinions of people who have 'em.

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I got one, and I really liked it while it worked. It has an interval timer, which means I could set it to go off with a single chime every two minutes- handy for yoga. The gradual chimes to wake up were pretty good.

It broke about a year after I got it, so now when it goes off it is with many loud, jarring chimes.

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My alarm clock does this, but probably not to the extent that the Zen clocks do. I guess it seemed like a good idea at first, but I’ve come to discover that I need the jolt in order to wake up properly. If it starts off quiet, I’ll only wake up just enough to deactivate the alarm, then go back to sleep. I can’t turn off the “GraduWake” feature for the nap alarm, but for the regular alarm, I can set the volume. Always max, usually with the radio tuner set to interstation static.

I’d make a lousy Zen master.

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      • Just back off buddy. Unless you wanna make nothing of that…
        . . . . . . .
  • It looks nice and all, but if I could find a cheaper one I consider it too. The problem I have with a radio is that every time the alarm goes off, the radio station it’s tuned to seems to be playing some song that nauseates me. Or the tuning dial got bumped, and the soft static doesn’t wake me at all. If there was one that played a cassette tape, that would rule–you could make your own alarm noises…
    ~
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When I opened this topic, I was expecting to see a clock with no hands. Oh well.

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If all you are looking for is gradual awake mode on a clock - not the chime and triangle design I googled this clock by GE for a less than $20 http://www.sinacity.com/item/7_B00006FRJ0_1_2_509280_index.html

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It was a persistent belief from medieval through colonial times that suddenly awakening a person could cause their death. This notion has some similarity in the practice of blessing someone when they sneeze. When sneezing, it was thought that a person’s soul was vulnerable to the devil. Blessing them at that moment protected them from Satan’s nefarious intentions. Likewise, it was felt that whilst someone was traversing the nether reaches of dreamland, an abrupt departure from it could nigh well be permanent.

One of the best aspects of being gradually awakened is that the ability to remember your dreams is enhanced. You will also find that your body feels much better when there is no adrenaline rush from being startled awake.

As an aside, Zen has nothing to do with this. What a load of horseradish!

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I just have to say: screw the Zen clock - what you want is one that projects the precise time onto the ceiling of your bedroom.

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I wouldn’t use one. If I don’t wake up all at once (jolted out of sleep) I don’t wake up. OTOH, I think snooze buttons are for wimps, so there’s that too. If you’re going to get up, do it quickly and get the hell out of bed! What’s the point of starting your alarm ringing well before you actually plan to get up? The quality of sleep after you first sort of wake up before the alarm goes off for the final time can’t be as good as you’d gotten if you’d just set the alarm ahead 15 minutes and actually got up on the first try.

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I most heartily disagree elfkin. The stolen moments of sleep after slapping the snooze alarm are the most satisfying of all.

Also, some of us aren’t Little Mary Sunshines, able to transform instantly from asleep to awake. It takes a bit more of a gradual transition from sleep to wakefulness for lots of us.

Apparently, jumping up the second the alarm rings makes you intolerant of others’ sleep habits.

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Or numbers.

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I dont know where to find them, but I really really want a “dawn simulator” its a reading lamp and alarm clock in one, but as the alarm gets louder, the light gets brighter until its finally at its brightest and then the alarm begins. Supposed to be an awesome way to wake up. I would love a cheap one of those.

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Check out a hearing impaired website.

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Mr. Heart got me a Zen clock for my birthday several years ago, and he promptly hated it every day. So we stopped using it. He hated the fact that the chime woke you up, then just as you were falling asleep again, it woke you up again. And again, and again…

I still like it, though I don’t use it, but I probably wouldn’t pay $100 for it today.

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Nah, it wasn’t until I was constantly woken up by a roommate playing the snooze button game that I developed an utter disdain for their useage. An alarm that jolts you awake and forces you to get out of bed to reach it helps you wake up quicker, I swear :stuck_out_tongue:

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Circuit City sells this clock (similar to the one Reepicheep linked to) for $9.99. It’s got Graduwake (for the buzzer only) and a nap function. I actually couldn’t believe that it had all those features for the price - I was looking at $150 alarm clocks before I found this one! And I really like the green LED too!

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I have exactly the clock linked to in the OP, and I love it.

I wake up easily, so it works well for me. If you have to struggle out of sleep it may not be for you, as the chime is pretty subtle. But it’s beautifully tuned, there’s no need to think about changing the chime (and I think it might be harder than you think). It’s almost like waking up with no alarm at all. I’m almost always awake by the third chime, about seven minutes after the time set for. It’s a nice, gradual transition from sleeping to awake.

It is a little pricey, but well worth it. I don’t think any of the other clocks linked to in this thread will have quite the ‘zen’ quality that this one does. It really is peaceful, and still wakes me up. I highly recommend it.