Acctim 13253 Smartlite travel alarm clock with LCD, Black color

I do a lot of research before I buy anything, too much in fact ha ha.I've just got back off Holiday with this clock, it is superb.It has hard plastic cover to protect it in your suitcase while travelling.Really small & light.Night light is great, that is so annoying when not got a bedside clock on holiday, to constantly press your phone light to see the time when u should be kipping.You can see the clock time so easy in the night with a quick glance.The light don't eat the batteries, 2 weeks later I'm trialing mine & batteries still going strong with night light on.It has a really bright flash light on which u have to press to keep on, & I used this brilliantly when I had to alter the air con in the night as missus moaning it was too hot, so I took the clock to the air-con controls, works like a good torch without putting the apartment lights on blaring in your eyes.Only very slight negative, alarm isn't really noisy, it will wake you up, but if you have earplugs in, you may not hear it, but a lot of us have our phone alarms we can use the odd time, for when we are away.The best travel alarm clock I could find that had the very important night light on, perfect size, weight everything.

First let me point out that the product description is incorrect. It refers to a "Smartlite®" sensor that automatically turns the backlight off and on according to the ambient light level. This feature is in fact only found on other Acctim backlit alarm clock models, NOT the 13253. The backlight on the 13253 is controlled manually (and in a cumbersome way, unfortunately).While I love the central concept of this piece, the 'permanent' backlight, there are two major issues. One is that the light can only be active when the alarm is switched on (as others here have noted). So if you don't want the alarm set but do want the backlight, you're stuffed, unless you fiddle it by setting a 'dummy' alarm for a mid-afternoon time, say (and then hope to remember to switch it off once you've woken up!). All this faff when all that's really needed is a separate backlight on/off switch - which would also suit those who want to set the alarm but who *don't* want the backlight on for whatever reason. (Are you listening Acctim?!)The second problem is build quality. I guess for the price I wasn't expecting massive durability, but alas the clock lasted just one trip abroad in the luggage hold of an aircraft. The main switch, which protudes from the unit slightly hence isn't protected in transit, wasn't working properly after my return, rendering the product unusable.But if your need is for a backlit clock that isn't expected to be thrown around inside a plane, the 13253 could still be worthwhile. The crescendoing alarm sound and the snooze feature work very well in practice. The clear display - uncluttered by superfluous info such as temperature - is easily viewable from most angles. In fact, I like it to the extent I immediately bought a replacement for the one that got damaged.

Needed a travel clock that has a lit up face so I don't have to keep pushing a light to read the time. This was perfect- it is back lit and the numbers are large enough that it can be easily read if yuo wake during the night. YES as some have pointed out, it is only back lit if you have the alarm switched on- that was no problem- I set the Alarm for Midday as I was on holiday - and turn it off when I awoke. As this turns the light off, and saves the battery. It just needed to slide the switch back on before bed every night and it was back lit again. Very light and has a protective cover when travelling that doubles as the stand. Perfect.

I have had one of these before, and it lasted for many years of travel and camping. It even survived a dousing in methylated spirits when a small container leaked into the same bag as the clock. Mind you the clock had to dry out first, and the face and body are a bit crinkled where the meths had softened the plastic. The "Clock screen" may not appear large, but it has only the time in it, so the numbers are easy to see. The back light works by setting the alarm and then switching on the alarm. If you don't want an alarm to wake you up, but want the backlight, it's not a problem - set the alarm for some time long after you will be awake. it has a rotating plastic plate that acts to protect the screen when not in use and also acts as the base plate when being used. This baseplate allows the screen to be set at almost any angle so the screen can point up or down depending on the height of your head and whatever the clock is placed on. Battery life is not a problem. I only gave it 4 stars because the connection of the base plate to the clock body is only two very thin strips of plastic on either side. These eventually broke on my previous version, and were glued with araldite and reinforced with tiny strips of metal several times, until it would glue no more.I tried its big brother, the automatic back light "Acctim Lucas LCD Travel Alarm Clock" Code: N70DF from, Maplin. http://www.maplin.co.uk/p/acctim-lucas-lcd-travel-alarm-clock-n70dfThe bracket on this latter will only allow the clock face to face up so can't see the time most of the time, even if it is level with your face as it is pointing to the ceiling. It determines the when the backlight should come on, but this did not agree with me, so I covered the light sensor head. My one also had a fault, as 2/3 times I picked it up it would beep and reset all the times to zero. Eventually the slider for choosing what times to reset jammed in the body and so no time could be set at all. This was all discovered in just two or three days of use. So I got a full refundSo apart from the flimsy bracket connection this is a very useful clock to carry.