Every time someone finds out I write about it Sunrise alarm clocksThey ask me if I have tried Hatch. In particular, the Hatch Restore 2 ($170)On which I have seen Gift guide Left and right this holiday season. It’s a great device, but personally, I think you can do better.
Hatch is great for restore to sleepAnd if you want, fine sound machine. But if you really want to wake up easily, this is not what I recommend. my Favorite sunrise alarm clocks Both sell for over $200, which may be a bit more than you’d spend. But if you’re looking for something cheaper (and cheaper than the Hatch’s $170 price tag!) that can do all the same tricks, look no further than the Lumie Bodyclock Shine 300.
Bedtime Brightside
The way sunrise alarm clocks work is that they flash slowly over a set period of time. Both Lumi and Hatch default to starting at about 20 minutes, and you can adjust it to be longer or shorter to wake it up gradually. It simulates a sunrise, but right in front of your face and at your preferred time instead of whenever the sun is actually rising. This is especially handy in the dark winter months, and if you need black-out curtains to sleep in (or if you have a room with windows, like I once did in college).
The sunrise alarm clock is supposed to mimic the sunrise, the thing that makes life possible. So the ability to be nice and bright is an obvious requirement. That’s my problem with Hatch—it’s not bright enough to wake me up in the morning. I don’t have this problem with the Shine 300, which not only wakes me up, but shines as bright as my bedside lamp in the evening.
It has a range of sunrise-like shades of yellow and white that it can perform, while the hatch can create a full rainbow of light like a smart bulb, but I found that I really only needed green or purple mood lights. Was not needed on a daily basis. What I needed was something bright enough to wake me up, especially as a non-morning person.
It also has a wind-down routine, which lets you customize a routine with sounds and dims the lights at your preferred time to help you get nice and sleepy. It’s one of my favorite features that has as much trouble falling asleep as it does waking up. I also like that whenever I’m ready I can push a button and activate the routine on the Shine 300.
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Photo: Lumi; Getty Images
The main disadvantage of not getting Hatch is missing out on Hatch’s huge library of sounds. Hatch Restore 2 gives you access to 13 wake-up sounds and 24 sleep sounds, plus you can get additional content if you subscribe. Hatch+ ($5 per month). Everything with Hatch is set up through its app, which is easy to use.
