Sony ICF-C218 Automatic Time Set Clock Radio (Black) Reviews

• Great Buy!

  
  By A23W6ZZMF367PI on 2007-08-12
  Not the niftiest, nor the most elegant clock radio available but the price and features make it about as good a buy as you'll find.
  All the important features - battery backup, automatic time synch, intuitive alarm setting, good (but gentle on the eyes) time visibility.
  There's a dual alarm version available for a few bucks more too.
  
  We liked this one enough to buy another for our guest bedroom - guests won't be befuddled by this model...
  
  BTW, radio isn't high fidelity but its not bad, a good Sony quality product.
  
  

• Very Nice...Does the Job...

  
  By A1300OP5TMJL5X on 2007-07-30
  I've had this for 3 days now, and i'm very happy with it...and i put alot of research in everything i buy. The Radio works perfectly, picks up all the stations clearly, the alarms sound starts out soft and gets progressively louder..so you will get up. The Built in battery is also a plus, that way i'll never lose track of time.
  
  for this price this is a great product..and oh yes huge green lights for the display and many more features...wake up to the radio or the buzzer...
  
  enjoy....
  
  

• Decent unit for price, but has deal breaking flaw

  
  By A172WQRL9COU8L on 2008-01-26
  Unfortunately, I am not able to rate the Sony ICF-C218 as highly as my colleagues. Not that this clock radio doesn't have numerous good features. The radio got good reception and the sound was of better than average quality. The controls, as others have pointed out, are intuitive and easy to use even without ever resorting to the instructions. The alarm, as is common, can wake you up either with the radio or with a buzzer. The only missing feature that would have been nice would be a dual alarm, though for the price this lack cannot be complained of.
  
  The problem with the unit, and it is a serious one, is the brightness of the display. Of the other two reviewers who've rated the ICF-C218 at three stars, curiously one complains that the display is too dim and the other that it is too bright. My experience agrees with the later. I didn't notice until I tried sleeping beside this unit, but once your eyes are accustomed to the darkness the nicely-sized display is simply far too bright. It casts shadows on my ceiling and was a distraction when trying to fall asleep; I was forced to angle it away from myself or face the opposite direction. This is simply inexcusably poor design in an alarm clock and is a deal breaker for me; I'm going to be returning my unit.
  
  A more minor complaint would be the AM/PM indicator. Most clocks have a single light that is lit when it is post meridiem (or ante meridiem, depending on the model), but this one has two lights, one about 7 mm above the other, which indicate morning or afternoon. That's fine when the room is light and you can read the AM or PM text next to the two lights, but at night you'll simply have to remember which light is above the other one and how far each is from the top of the display. Not a big deal for most, but another small design flaw.
  
  This isn't a bad clock for the price (Wal-Mart carries it for even less, $9.96) but the brightness issue makes it unusable for me. The addition of a dimmer switch, fixing the AM/PM indicator, and adding a second alarm setting would make this clock easily a five star item, even at a slightly higher price.
  
  

• Very Nice

  
  By A46T5DS73MSTE on 2007-08-05
  the price is only 11! Reception great, the LED is amiable in the night (not like the glaring LCD). Speaker is fine. the buttons are very intuitively designed.
  
  

• great price for so much..

  
  By AZYS62CA5X6YZ on 2008-02-23
  I was so happy with this purchse, it really has a lot for such a small price. As soon as I pluged it in within seconds it had not only set the time but the date too. It small enough to fit on the night stand, easy to set for the alarm,and it has great reception on the radio. I live in an area where there are so many trees you have to go outside to get cell service. I have several Sony radios and cd players in the house and they are the only brand I have not had a problem in getting great reception on FM and AM, and they have such incredible sound......
  
  
• Great product, great price
  By AJ4V8HV14SNN0 on 2007-11-12
  This is just about as basic as you can get. A great clock at a great price. I've had many different clocks in my life, but here's why this clock was above the rest.
  1. Easy ON/OFF buttons. If you want to quickly check the volume of the radio before setting the alarm, it is very easy
  2. Fantastic alarm setting "toggle switch". So many clocks make it long and tedious to set the alarm. You just toggle the lever left or right, and the alarm is set in seconds. VERY helpful.
  3. Great reception - The FM radio uses the power cord as an antennae.
  4. Internal battery - Power outages won't mess you up in the morning.
  
  There are other good reasons to list, but these were the best things I've seen. One of the best $10 I've spent.
  
  
• Set this CLOCK...NEVERMORE
  By A274YPH07VVSS0 on 2007-08-10
  I hate to set the clocks. We have quite a few power outages and boy am I glad to have found this one. Up and running like a charm and I DO NOT have to re-set.....It's WONDERFUL!
  
  
• Sony clock for only $11 - that's amazing
  By A1VJ6N5YWBDBWW on 2007-07-26
  * Bargain bin $11 price tag
  * It's a Sony Brand
  * Auto clock. though mine was set in the wrong zone, still had to adjust it after plugging it in.
  * Doesn't loose the time during power outage
  * Very bright, can be seen easily from far away dark room.
  * Bright enough to be used as a night light if you place it in a good spot.
  
  Cons: doesn't use battery. So you have to plug it to a wall.
  
  Ever since I got my sony rechargeable batteries, want to use em everywhere lol.
  
  The radio is ancient. It's a turn dial to switch stations. Don't think I remember how to use those and I'm over 30 already.
  
  Even though this Clock Radio really only functions as a clock, with the $11 price, it's well worth it.
  
  
• Clock Radio with snooze.
  By A212MGOT815VI6 on 2007-08-13
  The clock radio works great and meets our needs 100%. Some of the controls are small and difficult to use (especially for the elderly. This unit is a great value for the money.
  
  
• Sony ICF-C218 - simple and intuitive with one notable limitation
  By A29TRY42QEQDV4 on 2008-03-08
  I looked at the Sony ICF-C218 clock radio primarily as an alarm clock. In that function it succeeds quite well, except for one deal-breaking limitation that caused me to switch over to its updated sibling the ICF-C318. The limitation is the following: when the AC power is off, the alarm does not ring, even though it has battery backup that preserves the correct time for when the power comes back on. In an alarm clock, this limitation is a serious flaw for a simple device that should work at a high rate of reliability. If the power does come back on after the time the alarm should have rung, it rings immediately. Maybe the power will come back on in time for the alarm to wake you before your boss calls to ask why you haven't come in to work! Nonetheless, this radio has many other good features to recommend it.
  
  The buttons to operate the clock, radio, and alarm are (with one minor exception) intuitive to use and of convenient size. Most people could figure out how to set, arm and disarm the alarm without needing to consult a user manual; the same cannot be said for many other electronic alarm clocks that are available. The unit looks pretty snappy. The 'buzzer' is really a 'peeper' and instead of getting louder when it is ignored (as some have indicated), it peeps more frequently. The peeping isn't as loud as a tree full of blackbirds. If you need a really loud alarm then you should use the radio alarm rather than the buzzer alarm. The radio has adequate lo-fi sound; it reminds me of the transistor radios of my youth. The battery backup uses a CR-2032 Li wafer battery, supposedly good for about 250 days of clock backup use. I don't know why they didn't use a more common and cheaper battery with longer lifetime like an AA. The alarm is turned on to radio or buzzer mode with a recessed knob. The alarm mode (off, buzzer, radio) is indicated via a tiny hard to see pit on the knob. You would think Sony could spare a tiny blob of white paint to make the mode setting more apparent, but I guess you could always paint one on yourself. In any case, there is confirmation that the alarm is on when an indicator LED is illuminated on the front panel of the radio. The non-intuitive button is the Time Zone one. It isn't the button function that is non-intuitive, it is that the zone numbers it displays have no inherent meaning without the user manual. The radio will advance or retard the clock time for DST unless DST is deactivated with the DST button. In places like Arizona where DST is not observed, the ability to deactivate DST is helpful (Emerson clock radios with SmartSet do not have this capability). Because the unit is AC powered, it means the display can be illuminated all the time. In a darkened room the display is easy to read, but in an illuminated room it can be nearly impossible to read at distance.
  
  Overall, this is a well designed clock radio alarm at an attractive price. Its simplicity and intuitive controls make it easy to recommend. The limitation that it won't ring when the power is off is notable but the likelihood of such a failure is small - power failures are infrequent to begin with and power failures coinciding with alarm time would be even less frequent.
  
  
• Great clock
  By A3F4JC2GC6F4DV on 2007-07-18
  I really like this clock with the big numbers and the green display.
  
  Other Pros:
  * Keeps the time when unplugged b/c of the internal battery (which can be replaced, not sure how long it's suppose to last).
  * I especially like the snooze. With each press, it adds 10 minutes. This was the main reason I bought this. Other clocks out there have 7 or 9 min. With the Sony, I only press it 2x, and get a 20 min snooze!
  * The alarm buzzer starts out soft, then progressively gets louder, making it easier to wake up without being startled.
  * Compact design.
  * The cheap price tag of $11 bucks!
  
  Cons:
  * The alarm switch is sort of inconvenient.
  
  
• great small clock with auto time
  By A2WQFHI4XBB076 on 2007-07-19
  very happy with clock. great price on Amazon too. One thing could be added to the clock ... the ability to make the displya light brighter
  
  
• Very good improvments!!!
  By A2CTICKDQWM0LJ on 2007-11-15
  This clock is great. First you don't have to set it. Second you use a little paddle to set the alarm. No holding down an hour button and pushing up and down. Very easy, you can do it while you sleep! Third the snooze is sweet. 1 push for 10 min, 2 for 20, ect... It also won't let you set the alarm time, if the buzzer/radio is off. And it works with DST. Great Clock
  
  
• CAME WITH DEAD BATTERIES
  By A3H816WPUCBPQ2 on 2007-12-28
  i purchased TWO of these sony radios because of the good reviews i read from other customers. what i like most is that they are black with a green digital display as opposed to red. however, both clock radios i received came with DEAD batteries. the whole point of buying these radios what because they have a backup battery. and most customer reviews stated their clock radios came already set to the proper time... NOT MINE. the batteries in both clocks were dead. i called amazon and they said they werent responsible. i called sony and they wanted me to pay to ship them back. everything else worked on both clock radios, however, i was aggravated at how long sony kept me on the phone (over an hour) setting up the returns and all the stupid questions such as "are you sure you have the radio plugged in an outlet"... DUH!... which shouldnt matter anyway since the batteries are supposed to keep the clock on in case of a power failure, which by the way recently happened to me which is why i purchased the clocks in the first place. i decided not to send back the clocks. the most annoying thing is that the litheum batteries cost as much as the clock - 12 bucks. JUST AN AGGRAVATING EXPERIENCE!!!!
  
  
• Bad LCD Display
  By A1FR1XMCOIVVOX on 2008-04-07
  I don't know if it's my particular unit but I have a hard time seeing the LCD readout when there's too much sunlight in my room. Only when its night time that I can see it and it's not that good. I hope it's only my unit but now I feel hesitant about buying another Sony clock.
  
  
• Amazing for the price!
  By A3IWOWO6OFVNT on 2007-07-09
  I paid $11 for this alarm clock and that included the shipping. This is a great product for that price. This alarm clock blows away my old alarm clock. This alarm clock has big numbers and it is easy to set the alarm. Great product!
  
  
• Good so far
  By A1M80GZ0NDD8OP on 2007-09-10
  I have only had this model a few days but so far I am pretty satisfied. The only complaint I have is I really wish the display were brighter. There is no dimmer switch and I find the LED too dim.
  
  
• Nice clock - alarm a little quiet though.
  By A34OLQVKD0NCW1 on 2007-10-18
  This seems to be a nice little clock. Cheap and easy to use it was easy to set up. However the "tone" alarm is really quiet and it will not wake our boys up in the morning. Using the radio alarm works much better.
  
  I don't think you could ask more of a clock for this price though.
  
  
  
  
• Great Little Clock, But It's Not An Atomic Clock.
  By A20UGDJ3SFJJED on 2008-02-12
  I have been very pleased with the Sony ICF-C218, but I keep seeing that people refer to it as being an Atomic Clock. Well its not! Its preset at the factory to the correct EST time and then you change the setting for your time zone. I have four other atomic clocks in my house and office, and my wrist watch is atomic. So far my Sony clock has been keeping time with them just fine.
  
  
• Great Clock Radio
  By A3I3IWVLOY3BPY on 2008-03-03
  Great clock radio. Comes with an installed battery that self adjusts to daylight savings. The radio gets better reception than my $2000 tuner! Large easy to read numbers in the dark.
  
  
• M G Felton
  By A1L06KXVEWUJ18 on 2008-08-09
  I have been very satisfied with the Sony radio that I purchased. It works just as advertised and I have had no problems with it. The two recommendations to Sony that I ha;ve is (1) make the alarm a little louder or have a volume control for it and (2) have the alarm control so that it could be left on without resetting it every day.
  
  
• Solid and a GREAT bargain
  By A7A6LUA70EC08 on 2007-10-05
  Great deal - a little more than basic. One of the best features is the automatic time-setting- when you take it out of the box it has the right time. Can't beat the price. Only shortcoming is the analog tuning- but for this price digital is out of the question, and you shouldn't count on grooving to your clock radio anyway - get up and get your iPod going! Also, a slightly misplaced button- sleep- on top, but it just takes a little practice to get over it.
  
  
• Finally.... An Alarm that doesn't alarm!!!
  By A1YA31SEVW0EWZ on 2007-11-13
  I love this clock. I'm a very heavy sleeper and my past alarm clocks have waken me with a sense of panic and confusion. I'm not sure how to explain but, this definitely wakes you in a gentle way. I doubted the auto time set for Daylight Saving. No worry! Clock reset itself without missing a second. Maintains accurate time and very easy to see. We've recently had several power outages due to storms. I haven't been late to work once because of alarm. The backup battery does the trick. I wish I had found this clock years ago.
  
  
• Sony ICF-C218 Automatic Time Set Clock Radio
  By A319EZXTT57GJ4 on 2007-11-25
  Wonderful invention! I do not have to keep resetting this clock. The digital face is such a soft muted green which is kind to the eyes in the middle of the night and early in the A.M. I LOVE THIS ALARM CLOCK.
  
  
• Tiny Price--Great Product
  By A3SB3YHB4JLREV on 2007-11-29
  This little bedside wonder delivers everything that I want in a clock radio. It is easy to set; the automatic time set is adjusted for the latest dates that the government has set for the start and end of daylight-savings time; the radio works well; it's really inexpensive. What more could one ask?
  
  
• Great simple clock
  By A1DBH6RVUKEPLU on 2007-12-08
  This is a great and very simple alarm clock. I prefer the buzz option for the alarm. It sounds very nice and easy to wake up to. The digits are large but the green light, I guess, makes them ""invisible" once you closed your eyes. Automatic time set is great as well. I like it a lot (I have it for about one month)
  
  
• Great Clock Radio
  By A2G627D5OL29HO on 2007-12-19
  This is my third dream machine, all the lower priced models. The other two are still working, they have replaced more expensive clocks in the other rooms which stopped working. I literally wore the writing off the top of one and it still is working. This one is upgraded with a CR2032 battery, automatic time adjust, and a new style lever to adjust the alarm time. A bargain in my opinion.
  
  
• Great Clock
  By A1QB1X99RWEOND on 2007-12-21
  It looks good right out of the box, all you have to do is plug it in and it sets the time automatically. Very good basic alarm clock. If all you need is a clock with alarm, this is the way to go.
  
  
• Poor reception and wrong time
  By A1TWIYCGAE9S9N on 2008-01-20
  The clock radio is not bad, considering the price. But, the FM reception is poor. I live in LA/Orange County, have extended the power cord/antenna fully, and live in a wood-frame house. So, the problem appears to be the radio.
  
  Also, the clock consistently runs 1 minute slow. It's possible to set the time but, apparently, when the clock receives an automatic time signal, it disregards the setting. My guess is that the time source that sends the automatic signal is wrong. The clock on my PC server, on which I base my statement that the clock's time is wrong, is time-synchronized within a few tens of milliseconds of standard time. So, again, the problem seems to be the clock.
  
  Finally, the LED numerals are too dim to be read across the room. This may be due to variation among units. But, based on other reviews, it may instead be a matter of personal preference. Ideally, it would be possible to adjust the illumination level.
  
  The bottom line: I wish I'd spent a bit more to obtain a better clock radio. But, for the price, it's hard to complain too much about this one.
  
  
• Excellent value and performance!
  By A29T9758EVRR2J on 2008-01-27
  The engineer in me is always impressed when a product performs well, has good build quality, and demonstrates that its designers considered all the details. Even more so at a such a low price. Easy to read LED display that is not too bright, very good radio performance (audio is acceptable if not great from the small speaker/case), and the auto-set feature worked quickly right out of the box. Simple to use, quality case, right size, and all this for little $. Recommended.
  
  

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