Reizen 3 in 1 Talking Super Cube Clock for the Visually Impaired

This is my third time to buy the Cube Clock for my Mother. She is 96 years old now and legally blind. It sits by her bed at night, by her table during the day, and when she is walking, it sits on her tray on her walker. It is easy to hear and understand. Most of all it is easy for her to use. You press 1 button for the time, you press the other for the day of the week and date. Also it fits perfectly in her hand. I gave it 5 stars because she loves it so much. Here are the negatives about it. We have to change the batteries often, which is okay because it is worth it. But this is our 3rd clock in 3 years. The 2nd one lasted less than a year. Not sure why they quit working as I do not think Mom dropped them. Another negative is how annoying it is to set. As many times as I have done it, I still have problems to keep the rooster from crowing! Recently bought a Reizen Talking Atomic Alarm Clock to replace the cube as the reviews claimed how sturdy it was, how infrequent batteries needed changing, and how easy it was to set. Sounded perfect. It was, but not for Mom. Too awkward for her to pick up (a handle would be nice) and pressing the same button twice quickly was a challenge. She hated it so that is when I bought my third black cube clock.

I bought this for my mother who has macular degeneration and is nearly blind. She is 91. I had read many others had done the same who's mothers had macular degeneration. The product itself is great. My mother needed both a talking clock and something that tells her the date since she gets dis-orientated. Once she started using it, we found a few minor flaws in the design. First, the buttons are too small and having the bottons a different color (like white) would help a lot. I had to put some of the dots on one so she could feel it. Having something raised on the buttons so the person can feel the button would also help. If the buttons were bigger, it would be better and as many others have said, it needs a cover on the back so the blind person doesn't accidently touch the settings. She cannot set this clock, only a sighted person could set the time and date. My mother also wants to pick up the clock and hold it so she doesn't know which end is supposed to be up. So she starts pushing on things and if it's upside down, she pushes the controls and messes up the setting. While she can still see, she can't see very well and she depends on touching things. This clock is just a little difficult for her to see and find the buttons. She loves the clock once she finds the buttons. The voice is very clear. It might be better to just combine the time and date and then just have one large, easy to push button. The people that are using these clocks are both partially blind and they are older, not as strong (sometimes my mother has trouble pushing buttons due to her lack of strength). Some minor changes would make this a fantasic date and time clock for the vusually impaired. It's already a good clock.

I purchased this for my 96-year old mother who is 90% blind, has increasing confusion, and has severe hearing loss corrected by hearing aids. I highly recommend this clock for very elderly, low-vision folks who want to know the time and day. My mother is no longer able to read clocks and watches and has a hard time hearing most recorded voices. This cube clock worked out so well, we purchased a second, back-up cube clock for her to use when the batteries need replacing. To help her find the buttons, I stuck a "bump (tactile) dot" on the time button. She can feel the large bump for the time button, and knows the smaller button is for the date. The male voice is clear and loud enough for her to hear. The only negative I have found is with the setting controls on the bottom. As the cube is handled, unintentional changes can be made very easily when a blind or curious user holds and turns the clock around. To avoid unintended time/date changes, I fashioned a cardboard "panel" and taped it over the setting switches/buttons on the bottom. Packing or electrical tape works best. (Note to the manufacturer: A plastic cover for this area would be a great addition to this clock.)

I bought this for my 99-year old aunt. She has very poor vision and pretty bad hearing. She has a different brand/model of talking clock with a single large brightly colored button on the center-top. She really likes it, but it gives the time (only) and not the day of week or date, which she really wanted. This Reizen clock does that but - as others have complained, the buttons are very, very small for an elderly person to find and push. I did color the buttons and put colored tape around them so she could find them by feel easier, but it is still hard for her to use compared to the other brand. The other complaint is that, despite what others have said, it is not very loud at all for a person with diminished hearing. The other brand/model of talking clock she has is much louder with a better speaker that is much easier to understand. This item is based on a good idea, but like many products which would appear to have the elderly in mind, the actual design works for young people with excellent sight and dexterity and good hearing. Reizen needs to go back to their engineering department and address the design flaws.I am updating my review and lowering it to only one star. I understand many products fail for some people and work for others, but this one has another design flaw that makes it unusable and it is now a paperweight on my desk. I wondered why this product had a reset button on it, and I since found out that at least once/week it "freezes" - it will not work at all until you hit the reset button and then reenter both the time and date, a cumbersome process and not one my 99-year old aunt could do. Ask yourself - why is there a reset button on this device? The only reason is the manufacturer knows of the problem and added a reset button rather than fix the flaw. Sort of like Microsoft's original answer to all Windows problems - reboot and start over. Shame on Reizen. By the way, I since found a superior product on Amazon without the design flaws and my aunt likes it much better, which I will review separately (Talking Calendar Clock by MaxiAids).