Wake Up To Thomas (Wesco Thomas & Friends Twin Bell Alarm Clock)

Member Name: DavyMichelle

Product:	Wesco Thomas & Friends Twin Bell Alarm Clock
Date:	11/06/09 (29 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Colourful, Brand Product, Good Alarm Bells

Disadvantages: Analogue Clock, Not Well Balanced, Fiddly Battery, Expensive

Wesco Thomas & Friends Twin Bell Alarm Clock is a cute little idea, but definetely over priced. It costs £12.72 from Amazon, which is the only place I've ever seen this Wesco products if I'm honest. The RRP is £12.99 so Amazon haven't discounted it very much at the moment. It might be worth watching out for this during their next big toy sale, as we paid slightly less for this when we bought it at Christmas time.

In theory, this is a great little alarm for a Thomas fan. It's brightly coloured, chunky in design and clearly shows the numbers on the clock face. There's a nice picture of Thomas in the centre of the clock, and the twin bells will appeal to little ones trying to understand how an alarm clock works.

The on and off switch for the alarm is the little 'T' shape in the middle of the clock, and little hands will easily manage to push this up and down, which switches the alarm on and off. The alarm is set using a dial at the back of the clock, and when it goes off, it makes a loud ringing noise that will wake even heavy sleepers but without deafening the whole house.

There are a few problems with this alarm clock though unfortunately. Firstly, this is an analogue clock, so you can't use it very effectively for kids who sleep for less than 12hrs a night! There's no am and pm select function for setting the alarm, so you just have to go back in after the child's gone to sleep to set the alarm (if they're sleeping for more than 12hrs).

Also, the bobbly feet on the bottom do stand up, but they have to be balanced by an a steady hand. Some youngsters will find this frustrating, as it takes a few goes to get the knack right for standing this upright (and having it stay upright!).

The final gripe I've got with this is that the battery compartment is fiddly. There's a tiny screw to keep the battery cover in place. Great for safety conscious parents really, but annoying for when you want to put a battery in. Bear in mind that this falls over quite easily, so when that happens, the batter is often knocked out of place. I think they need to make the battery compartment a little snugger to solve this really.

All in all, this isn't a terrible little clock. In fact most Thomas fans will probably be quite impressed with it. But it's definetely not worth more than £5, so I'd watch out for this in the sale only.

Summary: Recommended Only On Offer