TQ140 Travel Alarm Clock - Red

I just bought a second one of this model.Why do I love this clock? It has several features that are appropriate for a person who is sleepy and in a dark room getting into bed.The one-knob design. Setting the alarm is easy, and setting the time requires extra effort. I've had many little clocks like this over the years, all with the same problem: I accidentally reset the time almost every night, instead of resetting the alarm, at which point I have to consult another clock to correct the time on the alarm clock. This is due to a design flaw which is shared with so many electronics these days: The knobs are exactly the same, and the labels are embossed instead of stamped on in a contrasting color. On those other clocks, I can't tell which knob sets the alarm and which sets the time with my fingers; I have to turn the clock over, turn on a light, and squint at the almost-invisible labels, some of which are not in English but rather show pictures of what the designer thought would be a fun new way to symbolize those functions. I usually solve this problem by sticking a piece of tape over the time-setting knob. On THIS clock there is ONE knob to set both the time and the alarm; you pull the knob out to set the time; otherwise, you keep it pressed in, which is the position to set the alarm. What a great idea! Clearly this was designed by someone who realized that most of the time, a person needs to fiddle with the alarm setting, NOT the time setting.The dotted minute-marks. As another reviewer mentioned, the minute marks on an alarm clock should be within the radius of the alarm marker hand, so that the alarm is easy to set precisely.The second-hand. It has one.The on-off button. With this clock, it is obvious in the dark with a single finger-touch whether the alarm is on or off; it is obvious from across the room if the light is on. Look at the picture. I didn't understand until I got the clock, that that little raised greenish piece sticking out of the top of the clock is the on-off button. When it's sticking up, the alarm is set to sound; when the top of the clock is smooth, the alarm is off. How simple and perfect. Every other clock I've had has the same design flaw: there is a little sliding button on the back of the clock, with embossed writing or symbols that can't be seen without a light and possibly a magnifying glass and an interpreter to decipher the meaning (which little pad-lock cartoon means that the alarm is on--the unlocked padlock, or the locked padlock?). Seriously, have none of the designers of clocks ever used one?The time is accurate to the second, for months on end. Why is this a rare quality in a travel alarm clock?The shape. It is flat on all sides and thick enough to stay upright on almost any surface. I like to keep my clock on a wire shelf, which means that little legs or feet or clocks that sit at an angle require fussing to set them down. The clock that I am replacing with this Casio has little feet and also sits at an angle; I knock that clock off the shelf half the time when reaching for it.The alarm sound. It is a plain, one-tone, 4-beep sound. One reason that I gravitate toward little travel alarms is that I want the sound to be as little like music as possible. I don't need a little tune stuck in my head as soon as I wake up.The alarm volume. Loud enough to get the attention of an unconscious person, not loud enough to be startling.The quality. It's sturdy and all the pieces fit together. Because I want all of the properties listed above, and they are hard to find, I've put up with some clocks that are very flimsy indeed. More than one of them had a battery cover that didn't fit snuggly over the battery, so that it eventually got cracked or lost and replaced with Scotch tape. And more than one had a battery compartment that was slightly shorter than a normal double-A battery (how on earth did THAT feat of engineering ever get signed-off on?); I had to jam the battery in at a slight angle, stretching the plastic casing a little until it too cracked.It's cute, small, and sharp-looking.It's red! How often do you see THAT?The clock is not perfect. In the light of day, I love the look of the clock with its red case and black face. But in the dark, it is difficult to see the alarm hand, which is very thin and silver-colored. But those are its only flaws, in my opinion. It's the best travel alarm I've ever owned.

Update (2 1/2 years later): After falling off my tall dresser and onto a wooden floor, it has finally broken. This is not the clock's fault, however, and I will buy another model. My only other complaint after 2 1/2 years is that the battery can jostle out-of-connection, even with the back secured. This has occurred a handful of times throughout ownership, and I always catch it before I go to bed, but it is worth noting. I use this alarm every morning, so perhaps this occurs from jostling the clock while setting the alarm or while turning it off. It hasn't been a problem.Original review: This is a completely adequate, small alarm clock.Pros:- It seems to be a well-constructed, plastic alarm clock.- The alarm can be set accurately and fairly precisely (quite despite the comments of other reviewers) due to the inner circle which is aligned with the alarm hand. This is not always the case with analog alarm clocks.- Turning the alarm off is simple and easy. Most alarm clocks put the 'snooze' button on top and place a small alarm on/off switch inconveniently on the back of the clock. The top button on this clock turns the alarm off while pulling it up turns the alarm on. I strongly prefer this setup.- The alarm is loud enough to wake me up (probably slightly louder than I prefer), yet not ridiculously loud either.Cons:- The illumination on the numbers and hands (as others have mentioned) is simply not practical. It works well if one places the clock directly under a light source for a time, but as my clock rests in my bedroom (which I only frequent at night), the clock never receives adequate lighting, and the face remains only faintly illuminated when I crawl into bed at night and completely darkened when I awake in the morning. This isn't a real complaint, per se, but I would prefer having an actual night-light on it.- There is a very, very faint 'tick' sound. Some might find this annoying; I do not.

What a handy travel alarm clock to use at home or to take on trips. It fits easily into a small carry on bag, has a loud enough alarm to wake me and is beyond simple to operate! What a vibrant color as well! I got this travel alarm to replace a similar (but not red!) one that I used daily for over 20 years. Hoping this, too, will be as reliable and long lasting.

Nice alarm clock. Easy to use. I use this just in case my phone has software issues or forgets what time zone I’m in. Works well. Got another one for a spare.

This is a quite accurate, lightweight and compact alarm clock, fine for travel and nice looking in red with the black dial face.The hands are luminous, battery life is good, the battery is included, it ships for free and the price is fair.However, some have said that the alarm is hard to set for the exact time, that you can only approximate it , etc.This is not true. Let me explain the correct method to do this, as I had already commented on in another review.One should not let that incorrect assumption prevent you from buying this fine little alarm clock:To set the "exact" time for the alarm: FIRST set the TIME hands (NOT the alarm hand) clock-wise to the time you want the alarm to go off, e.g., 6:20 AM. Then turn ON the alarm.Now rotate the ALARM setting hand counter-clockwise JUST UNTIL IT CLICKS ON (the alarm goes off, buzzes, etc.). Turn off the alarm.Leave the ALARM HAND set at that setting.Now re-set the TIME HANDS(clockwise) to the correct time.The next time you turn on the alarm to wake you up, the alarm will be set to go off at that exact time you chose.This method works with all analog alarm clocks.