It's relatively expensive. It's also one of those 'healthy lifestyle' gadgets that you buy, use once or twice then shove it to the back of a cupboard. So why would I buy it again? My partner isn't an early riser. She also suffers from SAD. I was stuck for a Christmas present for her and time was running out. I happened to be talking to my daughter, a team GB athlete and health guru. I mentioned about buying a SAD light to try and help my partner through the depressing winter months but was sceptical they even worked. She spoke positively about the theory behind them. Don't get me wrong, SAD definitely exists and can cause severe depression. However, reading reviews of the plethora of SAD lamps available it looked like a lottery. Prices ranged from almost free to stupidly expensive, like this one. But bear with me. I read and read and read again and again and again. It was a nightmare. Choose between a quack gadget or known name. The real problem is there didn't appear to be any recognised standards to conform to. So I put this Phiips offering in my basket and left it there for a few days. Eventually I pressed the Buy Now button. I had now paid about £160 for for what is basically a clock radio! Except I didn't. Christmas came and went. The lamp remained in its box, unused. We needed a new bed so decided to decorate the bedroom as well. Fast forward a month, deep into the misery that is January. My partner, buoyant through the bedroom remodelling, was now struggling. We took the lamp out, set it up according to the instructions and placed it on the chest of drawers. At this point I'm not going to describe the ins and outs of its workings, Philips explain that very well through Amazon. Suffice to say this is the first winter my partner has gone through without the effects of SAD. She wakes up in a much more relaxed state. This lamp does that, a gentle wake up call spread over your predetermined time frame. I was sceptical but no longer. On those days I have laid in (I'm usually an early riser) I awake refreshed. Don't ask me to explain the science, I can't. I just know it works for my partner and I. Although I'm lucky enough not to need it, even I benefit from waking to it. I'm no longer a sceptic and I would even pay double if I ever needed to replace it. Expensive clock radio? No, it's a vital tool to ensure my partners wellbeing. I would never have believed the difference such a simple but well engineered and well presented device could make to someone's life. Read more

An intriguing device from Philips that should be thought of as a clever light which offers sleep, wake-up, and relaxation modes and sounds. There’s also an FM radio. What it does best is a light. It feels like a quality luminaire and can go very bright but as a larger light-source it’s not as intense on the eyes as a point like bulb. And it’s party trick is the midnight light. In a dark room it’s like red sunset and easy on the eyes. This night light is simply activated by just tapping the top rear of the unit. These things aren’t easy to photograph as the camera picks up the LED refreshing so apologies for the quality with the light activated. Other things to note are that functions are accessed by touching icons around the clock area and the clock auto dims and brightens depending on lighting conditions. As for the sound quality, as a rear firing speaking it’s not going to set an amazing standard in audio but it’s acceptable. It also doesn’t go too loud and isn’t the cleanest sound - not great for the hard of hearing - but if not too far from a wall this helps to improve the volume. Overall this is primarily a light with audio bolted on. Read more

I’ve used a Phillips wake up light for the past 12 years or so, and finally that old one gave out. Not the light, but the sound. So I figured I’d get a new one. First I bought a cheap non-Phillips one that turned out to be a disaster, so I decided on a proper Phillips one instead. I’m happy to see the new features added in comparison to my old one. Features I especially like: - the midnight function: if you need to get up in the middle of the night simply tap the top of the light and it will give a tiny amount of red light. Just enough to find your way and not stumble over clutter and breaking your neck. Very much appreciated. - ULTIMATE BRIGHTNESS!! The highest brightness level is seriously bright. No way you won’t notice that. - very dim clock light. I need my bedroom to be as dark as possible. Most electric alarm clocks have a clock light that is annoyingly bright, making it difficult to sleep. Luckily this light has a very dim setting, making the clock just visible at night. During the day it will not be very visible probably, but that’s fine. You can also turn it off if they want. - snoozing only stops the sound. The cheapo light I bought also stopped the light during snoozing which is just stupid. - the touchscreen can be quiet. By default it make a small sound, but you can turn it off. Using the menu is easy and straightforward. No idea why it is designed to look like a ceramic sink drain, but you can’t win them all I guess. All in all this light is just about perfect, sink drain look and all. Read more

I was wary about splashing out on this, but in the end it has been worth it. I researched all kinds of lamps and couldn't quite find the "perfect" one with all the features I thought I'd like. In the end I took a leap and went for this due to the reputation of the brand and taking all the other positive reviews on balance. Now, rather than being yanked out of my sleep by a blaring alarm and desperately hitting snooze, by using this lamp I'm waking up in a way that feels much more natural, and doesn't leave me startled and stressed. To begin with I gradually shifted the sunise setting earlier and earlier, and now I've actually been managing to get up at 5am ready to start the day. This means I'm getting so much more done, I feel more productive and I'm in a better mood all around for the day. It still takes me by surprise when I open my eyes feeling like I've awoken "natirally", yet I've not had a lie in at all. The wind down / sunset setting is also really useful. I set it and read while the light starts to dim, then I end up off to sleep pretty quickly. On the slight downsides, as others have mentioned, the controls are a little bit unintuitive and take some getting usd to. And I'd have loved the ability to set a weekday and weekend schedule independent of each other. Having it "auto-sunset" each day would have been handy too, But all things considered, the positives to my routine have been so beneficial that I can overlook those gripes. Read more

Anfangs war ich skeptisch.... doch schon beim ersten Probelauf bestätigte sich, was ich gelesen hatte. Es ist ein"sanftes " aufwachen..... überhaupt kein Vergleich zum abrupten hochschrecken mit einem Radiowecker.... Wir möchten diese Art des aufwachen nicht mehr missen. Die wahlweise einzustellenden Naturgeräusche nutzen wir nur am Ende der Lichtphase..... als Sicherheit..... falls das Licht mal doch nicht ausreicht zum wach werden. War bis jetzt jedoch noch nie der Fall... Klare Kaufempfehlung Read more