Surprisingly, the Clocky has grown in popularity over the years since it was originally released, and has proven very popular among people who simply cannot stop hitting the snooze button each morning. It’s therefore one of the best alarm clocks for those who have trouble getting up and need a little extra encouragement to throw back the duvet and face the day.
How come? Well, the Clocky isn’t your average alarm clock. Sure, it’ll sit on your nightstand, but don’t expect it to stay in the same spot for long once your morning alarm goes off. You get to snooze your alarm once. As soon as you've hit the snooze button, the Clocky runs away ready to sound its alarm for a second time.
The idea is that you have to get out of bed to chase it to switch off the alarm. So no second snooze for you. Once you’re up, you’re up - try to fight the temptation to jump back into bed, no matter how comfy your mattress is.
Clocky review: Design
The Clocky is a battery operated (4 x AAA) alarm clock with one main trick: getting you out of bed, instead of letting you snooze until you’re late for work. Beyond that it’s a fairly basic alarm clock, with no radio or dual alarms, but that also makes it simple to use. We also like the easy-read display, which is backlit for nighttime use. That light also flashes when the Clocky starts rolling around on your floor.
Those wheels will go over carpeted and hard floors, and don’t leave any marks behind either. It’s designed to be sat on your nightstand, but will tumble off after the first snooze. Don’t worry, it’s purpose built drop and roll, with wheels that actually form a buffer around the body of the clock, so you shouldn’t have any concerns about it breaking.
The battery slot is on the bottom of the Clocky and secured by a small screw. That way, you don't have to worry about the batteries dislodging whenever it jumps off the nightstand and hits the floor.
The Clocky is available in a seemingly endless array of colors, some of which are more expensive than others. Most of the matte colors cost $39.99 RRP, while the flashier chrome versions cost $49.99 RRP.
Clocky review: Performance
We’ve said above that the Clocky is very basic in terms of design and features compared to alarm clocks like the Homelabs Sunrise Alarm Clock. That's true, but it’s also excellent in terms of getting you up. If constantly hitting the snooze button is your biggest wake-up issue, the Clocky will snap you out of it.
We like how you can view the time in either the 12-hour or 24-hour format, and there's a single on/off button is on the front of the Clocky.
So, what about that one snooze you’re allowed before it runs away? You access it via a big snooze bar on the top of the Clocky. If this is far too tempting for you and you want zero-snooze options instead, you can disable the snooze function altogether. No? Want to snooze just once? No worries - you’ll get a maximum of ten minutes to sleep on.
As soon as you hit snooze, Clocky runs away. It will then randomly roll around on your bedroom floor while it sounds its alarm. Eventually, it will stop rolling and keep sounding the alarm until you get out of bed and go get it.
The unit is built to handle a fall of about three feet. You can also disable the Clocky's wheels in case you want it to function like a non-moving alarm clock, but how will that get you out of bed faster each morning?
Besides the movement, the alarm sound is also, er, unique. Instead of a standard single tone, the Clocky's alarm is a series of loud beeps at random tones. You can't control the volume on the alarm, but it's loud enough to wake most sleepers. Those randomized alarm tones also mean you won't grow used to the alarm and sleep through it either.
Should I buy the Clocky alarm clock?
We’d recommend the Clocky to any person who has trouble lifting their head off their pillow each morning to actually get up and start their day. Serial snoozing is very common but can be solved with a few lifestyle changes, your commitment to rise better each morning… and with a little help from the Clocky.
While it has a three-month warranty, and is available in a host of colors to suit your bedroom decor, it’s a basic alarm clock. There are far smarter, fancier clocks available these days. Even your smartphone or smart speaker will do a good job of sounding a morning alarm, but they just don’t roll the way the Clocky does.
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