XREXSDigital Kitchen Timer Magnetic Countdown Up Cooking Timer Loud Alarm and Mute Optional, Magnet and Stand, Large Display Classroom Timer for Teachers (2 Batteries Included) Upgraded Version

We mostly use this kitchen timer because we soak our dog's kibble at each of three meals a day for 20 minutes. We set to time once (just have to press 2-0-0-0) , and hit start. When the alarm beeps just press "STOP," beeper stops and timer resets to 20 minutes ("20:00" on the display), and is ready to go for the next meal. After a while the display shuts off, saving the batteries (two AAA).The only negative is that the alarm is LOUD even though it is on the back of the unit underneath the flip-up hanging tab. Our home is quiet so I cut slip of paper off the sticky edge of a post-it note, punched one very small hole in the center, and stuck it over the alarm 'speaker' openings. Perfect! If you are always near the timer when it alerts, you can do the same without the hole and you will still hear it.We got the "upgraded" version which features H:M:S (and not just M:S). The upgrade also has a flashing Red LED when the alarm sounds, of use the mute switch to only have the LED alert you.I do not expect the original batteries to last very long, but so what? Change to quality cells when they die.It is only $13. What are you waiting for?EDIT: We have been using this alarm for a few days and have found it very useful. The alarm sounds for about 1 minute (we did nit time it). First with a series of single beeps, then double, then triple, then a steady beep then stops and the timer shuts off the display. So even if you are in another room you do not have to run to shut it off.When needed next time, just press the "start button, the display comes on and you will find the last set time ready to use again with one more press of the start button.It is the most intuitive kitchen alarm we have ever had.

This review is specifically for the “XREXS Digital Kitchen Timer Magnetic Countdown Up Cooking Timer Loud Alarm and Mute Optional, Magnet and Stand, Large Display Classroom Timer for Teachers (2 Batteries Included) Upgraded Version”……note the UPGRADED VERSION” detail since Amazon includes both the “OLD VERSION” and THIS version on the same listing, which is confusing and also results in sloppy reviewers not making it clear WHICH version they are writing about. This product appears to have no model number.I have had a handful of old ‘digital countdown timers’ for several decades (probably 40 years or so), which Radio Shack sold as the “Micronta 63-880”, and I used them for all sorts of applications around the house and shop where I needed to know when a certain amount of time had elapsed. Those old ones worked great for kitchen timers, shop timers, in my home recording studio to remind me when it was time to change the tapes/CDs/whatever's in my duplicators, by my recliner to wake me up after naps. But I wanted to update my collection of those timers with some new ones, and was frustrated because so many ‘digital kitchen timers’ are designed to be set using a single button that needs to be held down, like setting a digital watch. Those old Micronta ones had a 0~0 keypad for direct entering of desired time values, e.g; press 1 5 3 0 to set up the timer to count down from 15 minutes and 30 seconds, and that is a critical feature I wanted. I have tried some other newer ones that DO have the keypad feature, but they often had very weak audible alarms, or depleted their batteries very quickly, or simply were of low quality and quit working after a while.After some trial, error and experimentation, I have settled on this XREXS Digital Kitchen Timer and have purchased a few of them. In this review I will share various details in order to help out others who might be considering buying one or more of these.This is a digital count up/count down timer. This means that you can enter the desired time value (in the Hours:Minutes:Seconds 00:00:00 format) and the counter will start with that and count down the time until 00:00:00 and then sound an audible alarm and also give a visual indication. The counter retains the same entered time value until you press the RESET button, thus allowing you to easily repeat the same timing period without needing to re-enter it each time. The counter ALSO can count up from 00:00:00, and this is useful when you want to know how long some event takes; it can be used as a stop watch or to time any other event.Besides the ten numeric buttons, there are two more buttons “STOP/RESET” and “START”. For use as a countdown timer, typically you will press “STOP/RESET” to make sure that any old timing value is deleted, then use the numeric buttons to directly enter the desired time value, followed by pressing “START” to begin the timed countdown. If the counter is currently timing (either up or down) and you press “STOP/RESET” the counting will pause, and may either be reset to 00:00:00 by pressing “STOP/RESET” again, or timing will resume by pressing “START”. If the counter is currently on 00:00:00 (rather than some entered time value) and you press “START”, the counter will count UP until you press “STOP/RESET”. This is all very intuitive and easy to remember.One thing that is a bit confusing is that this counter will allow you to enter ANY numeric value, even if it does not make sense, e.g; you can enter 74 into the Minutes or Seconds fields, even though there should not be any value greater than 59 in either field. The counter deals with such unusual entries by dutifully just ignoring the unusually large value in any field, counting down until that field resets and rolls over past 00 to a more appropriate value of 59 in the field, after which it will always be no greater than 59. If you enter 3:74 (3 Minutes and 74 seconds) and press “START”, the seconds field will count down from 74 to 00, and then roll over to 59 at the same time the minutes field decrements from 3 to 2, and then all will be back to the normal expected countdown sequence. Just be careful when entering time values, because since this counter’s logic does not check for conventionally valid inputs, your timed interval might end up being longer than you intended (especially if the invalid number is in the Minutes field), and this could mess up any process that you are trying to time. When using this counter as an ‘up timer/stop watch’, it follows normal conventions. Note, I decided to test my old Micronta timers and discovered that they ALSO behaved in this same way, not preventing invalid entries, but dealing with them in the same rational way. It is possible to set a time value up to 99:99:99 for countdown, and in count up mode it will time up to 99:59:59.All buttons are of a soft rubbery material, but have a good feel and clear silk-screens legends on them.When the counter times down to 00:00:00, the audible alarm will sound. This is fairly loud, and should be easily heard in another room of the house, at least if you are not more than one room away from where the timer is located. It initially has a politely low volume and the sound is “di-di……di-di……di-di……”, then if you do not press “STOP” after a few seconds, the volume of the beeping increases noticeably, but the beep pattern continues for perhaps 10 seconds. If you still don’t acknowledge the alarm, it keeps the same louder volume but becomes more aggressive by changing the beep pattern to “di-di-di…… di-di-di…… di-di-di……”, and after a longer interval to allow you to respond, it finally goes to a continuous “di-di-di-di-di-di-di-di-di”. At the same time the audible alarm is sounding, a red LED on the front of the counter will flash in time with the beeps; it does not get any brighter, and always flashes with the same level of intensity. I find this visual indicator to be of minimal value for my own needs, because it is neither large or very bright. HOWEVER, you might have situations where an audible alarm will wake the baby or something, and wish to just use the visual alarm (in which case the counter will need to be right in front of you and in easy view), and for this a switch on the side of the counter allows you to disable the audible alarm. Note that if you lay the counter on its back on a table, etc; the loudness of the audible alarm is somewhat diminished.The counter’s display is an LCD type, non-backlit and monochrome (not color). The LCD is “passive”, so all display light comes from the ambient light in the room, which passes through the LCD to the rear where a mirrored surface reflects it back out through the LCD again so you can see the display. This means that this display is very hard to read in low-light environments. The LCD’s “viewing cone” (viewing angle) is quite good from side angles, but poor from higher or lower; this means that you can read the display easily when viewed from one side or another, but not so well when viewed from above or below. The LCD numeric digits are about 5/8” (15mm) tall.During any time when the counter is actively incrementing or decrementing (i.e. it is not stopped at 00:00:00 or paused), a set of eight special segments on the display, located above the numerical 00:00:00 readout, will indicate in a repeating sequence like a theater marquee, at a rate of 1 second per segment. I suppose this might be useful to help you instantly recognize whether the counter is actively timing or not, perhaps out of the corner of your eye or something, without needing to really look at the numerical display to see if the digits are changing.There are two indicators on the LCD which are always present while the counter is ON; one is an hourglass symbol and appears to be there simply to let the user know that the device is a timer, and the other is an image of a traditional wind-up alarm clock……I assumed that this would be visible only when the audible alarm is enabled (NOT disabled), but no, it is always visible.The counter turns itself off after a period of non-activity, but can be turned back on by pressing any of the buttons. This should extend battery life, but there are no specifications on this and I have not had any of mine for long enough to get a feel for low long the batteries can be expected to last. The counter uses 2x “AAA” size cells (batteries) which can be alkaline or lithium; a pair of these cells are provided with each counter, but nothing on them indicates their type. NOTE: The included AAA cells have a transparent plastic wrap which prevents their end terminals from making electrical contact with the battery clips. You will need to remove this plastic wrap before the counter will work; the included user manual does mention this as a reminder.The counter normally rests on its bottom edge, which is angled so that the face of the counter slopes backwards a few degrees for better visibility. It may also be laid flat on its back, and another option is to flip out a little foot on the top of the rear panel so that when the counter is on its back it still has a shallow upwards slope to the face for better visibility. For use as a stop watch (or any time you have a portable application for the counter), the same little foot can be flipped upwards so it extends past the top edge of the counter, and the included lanyard can be attached here so that the counter will hang from your wrist. If you supply a larger lanyard, the counter can be hung around your neck. The rear panel of the counter has two embedded neodymium magnets, allowing the counter to be stuck onto sides of appliances, steel office furniture, etc; I found that while these magnets are strong enough to keep the counter from falling, they are too weak to prevent the counter from sliding around while you try to use the buttons.The counter’s dimensions are 3” (7.5cm) wide, 2.5” (6.5cm) tall, and 7/8” (2.3cm) thick/deep. It weighs 2.7oz (76g).The included User Manual is a single small slip of paper, printed in English on one side and what I assume is Chinese on the other side. Unlike many products originating in China, at least the English text seems fairly well written and is understandable and covers all main aspects of using the product.

This is in my top 5 list of best timers, with a couple of reservations.THE GOOD* LOUD: The alarm is good and loud.* KEYPAD: It has a 0 to 9 button keypad, for quick entry of numbers* FLASHING LIGHT: It has a red flashing light, for visual alert your time has expired.* SILENT OPTION: You can turn alarm sound off and just use the flashing light as alert, which is good when you need silence in exam, at home, or in public place* SILENT BUTTON PRESSING: If you switch off alarm sound, then the keypad is also silent. This is a BIG feature for me, as it means you can set it without pissing off your spouse, neighbours, or other people in cafe.* LONG ALARM: The alarm sounds for about a minute, I think, so it is hard to ignore or miss it. Another BIG feature for me.* STAND AND LANYARD HOLE: It has a simple effective foldaway stand for sitting on desk, and a hole for a lanyard, so it is quite flexible for different situations.* 99 HOURS: It counts down from 99hr, 99m. Very important. Can set reminders in the morning for that evening, or even a reminder today for tomorrow. These are not possible with 9 hours, or 99 minutes timers.THE RESERVATIONS* NO COUNT UP AFTER EXPIRES: When time expires, some other timers will start counting up, so you know if you missed the timer by 1 minute or 3 hours. This is important for me, as I often don't hear timers, even when they are very loud and next to me.* NO SCREEN LOCK: This means that if you put in pocket or hang on lanyard, you can easily knock it and either turn it on (embarrassing when in public or at work) or turn it off (so you can't trust the alarm to work if you carry it, cause always a chance you will knock it).* MEMORY DIFFERENT: The memory (of the previous count down setting), works a little different to most other timers. Normally first press of stop/reset button stops the alarm, and send press resets the time to memory, and then you would press start. For this the press to stop alarm also resets time to memory. If you press stop/reset again, you wipe the memory. So my reflexes often accidentally wipe the memory of this.* NO LIGHT: it has no built in light to view screen, so in the dark (eg. Bed, outside at night), you need a torch or light to see the display.Overall, I'm pretty happy with it.