Taylor Precision Products RA14276 Mechanical Stainless Steel Timer for School, Learning, Projects, and Kitchen Tasks, One Size,

Truly is Super LOUD – best timer for aging ears &/or big houses! BUT stopped working after 2 yearsI am in my 60’s & don’t hear as well as I used to, plus, my stove’s built-in timer is so soft that it can’t be heard from upstairs (& sometimes can’t even be heard from the living room when the tv is on loud). I have tried to find a truly loud kitchen timer so that I won’t miss hearing it go off & end up boiling the water out of a pot yet one more time :)! I have bought several different timers that claimed to be loud, but, they were only loud enough to hear if you were really listening hard for them, &, then they stopped ringing or buzzing after 45 seconds. When I am absorbed in doing something upstairs, I can easily miss hearing those timers, or actually, I might hear them momentarily & then sort of just forget about them when I’m really absorbed working on the computer upstairs & they stop ringing.This Taylor kitchen-timer is the BEST timer I have found for making sure you hear it. It is loud enough that it is actually obnoxiously loud & deafening if you are near it when the timer goes off, which is terrific for those of us who are becoming a little hard-of-hearing & want to be able to hear it from upstairs.The other excellent feature is that the sound does not stop until you physically push the button on it, so there is no way you can ignore it – there’s no way you can just it go off & then just go back to what you were doing & forget about it; it keeps on reminding you that you have to tend to it.The digital display is large & easy to read. The only reason that I did not give the rating 5 stars is that I am frequently unable to clear the number of minutes I set it for; it frequently takes me several attempts before I am able to clear the setting. Since I’ve only had the timer for a few days, I don’t know whether I just don’t have the hang of doing it correctly (it is a bit tricky – you have to press the button & then rapidly press it again & hold it a few seconds), or whether this one is a lemon that is only responding intermittently to clearing it & that I will need to exchange.The timer doesn’t take up much space at all on the stovetop or countertop; it is only 3″ in diameter – very compact. (The product description has an incorrect measurement that is larger than the size actually is – I think it says something like 6″). It is round & the timer face is slanted/angled towards you to make it easier to read.I am very happy to have finally found this truly loud kitchen timer, that is at a very decent price.UPDATE – Now that I’ve had it for about 2 months, I updated the 4 stars to 5 stars. Once I ‘learned’ how to clear it, I had no issues with it. I love this alarm – I don’ t know how I lived without it – I never have to worry about not hearing it!UPDATE – (Removing 1 star) – Problem : I have now had it for about 2 years & it has stopped working. I tried putting in new batteries, & that has not helped. The ‘problem’ started a few days ago with the ‘ringing’ sound weakly continuing on even after I had pressed the button to turn off the timer/sound. Plus, the digital display then looked faint. That’s why I assumed that it simply needed new batteries. But, the batteries only helped for a few days. Now, it is just dead. (I DO use the timer every day, probably about 6 to 10 times per day, & I do too often let it ‘ring’ for a long time before going to turn off the sound. Nonetheless, I would have expected it to work for more than just 2years,8months). Now I am forced to buy a new one after only 2 years of use, because I have become very dependent on this timer & I NEED it since it IS still the BEST (loudest) timer & the only timer that continues to ring until you turn it off. BUT, if I have to buy a new one every 2 years, it will become a VERY EXPENSIVE timer, so, it might be more worthwhile to buy the more expensive “commercial kitchen” type of timer to start with, that presumably could last through heavy-duty usage of many cycles per day & presumably last more years, therefore being more cost-effective in the end.UPDATE : I temporarily replaced it with an ordinary little cheap timer while I decided what to do, but meanwhile now I’ve ended up still using that cheapie one for over a year (!), even though it doesn’t help me the way the Taylor one did.

LoudBought this for my grandma who is hard of hearing and she’s able to hear it even if she is in the next room over.

Activate alarm EVERY TIME before useI initiated the return process because it wouldn’t ring before realized you need to activate the alarm EVERYTIME you use it, not just one time out of package, by turning the pointer clockwise all the way to zero then counter clockwise to your desired time, for example 5 minutes.You need to do it every time before use

Claims to be loudWhat is loud? This is , for me , normal. I want 15 -20 feet and a hearty long Brbrbrbrrr. Not a second long brrr that I have to listen for. Startle me loud! My chicken is burning away now!!!

Can’t open the battery compartmentThe battery compartment is held closed by four cross head screws which are too tight for me to undo. Waiting for some muscle with a screwdriver.