Digital Chess Clocks...

Shelby,

My question to you is how much are you paying Eyechess and can you add me to payroll? I would be a great employee and dare not talk the truth about the VTEK300.  Heck, if you wanted me to market the pet rock again as the ultimate pet, I would do it in a heartbeat.

Please send me some pet rocks now and I’ll get to sales right away. I have the perfect slogan too, “Pet Rock - the ultimate pet that won’t defecate, urinate or even bark at you.” It is a pet everyone has dreamed of for so long.

Tired of cleaning up after your pet or having to take them on walks? No need to worry, Pet Rock is here. At only $149.99 you too can have the ultimate pet. No more walks, doggie bags or veterinary bills!

In all seriousness, you guys seem to be pushing this product really hard. I am fairly new to the forum, but it seems like every post I've read of Eyechess is advertising the VTEK. If I didn't know any bettter I would've thought it was VTEK spammer. Let the consumers decide whether the clock is good or not. Shoving opinions of your own product down the throats of others is not a great way to increase sales.

Seriously, what's your problem?

I certainly am not on any Chess person's or company's payroll.  I wish.

I am an optometrist and play Chess as a hobby.

I have a thread that I started last night with pictures of my HoS B H Wood Chess set.  I suppose you are now going to claim that I am on HoS's payroll as well.

I also have posted quite a bit about Noj and the sets I bought from them, 2 Dubrovniks, 1 BCE set and 1 GM Pavasovic set.

And I have posted about Jonas and his Best Chessmen Ever company and the sets I own that he designed and the magnetic wood chess boards, 2, that he designed and I bought from him.

And I also have posted about The House of Staunton being the best Chess set producer with the best service, along with Noj and Jonas/BCE.

And I have posted about Raphael and his The Chess House.  I purchased the vast majority of my Chess clocks, and a number of other supplies for myself and the school chess club I run.

And, yes another and, I also have posted about the Chronos Chess clocks being very good.  I still own and use 3 Chronos clocks.

Dude, I'm not trying to shove anything on anyone.  If you don't like what I write, don't read my posts.

My opinion, that I have stated before on this forum, is that Chess clocks are boring, ugly and I don't like them in general.  However if we are to play competitive, over the board, chess then we are forced to use them.  And I play Chess.  I do not just idly collect sets, boards and clocks for collecting sake.  I actually use my stuff quite a bit.

Since the first delay clock came available in 1996, which was the Excalibur sold by USCF, I have thought all these clocks are downright ugly and that includes all the newer ones like the V-Tek, Chronos, Zmart clocks and your beloved DGT 3000.  They are all boxes of metal and/or plastic.  The displays are rectangular and too mechanical looking.

But, what do we chess players want in a chess clock, especially today?  We want quiet, accurate timing with both delay and increment available.  We want to be able to easily activate the clock via buttons or sensors.  We want to be able to look at the thing and quickly and easily see the time.

Do you actually play Chess?  The "demands" you put out as examples sure don't seem reasonable for someone that actually plays Chess.  Are YOU being paid by a Chess retailer or manufacturer to attack other companies and their products?

The fact is that the 2 clocks you say you use and own, also cannot have the presets saved as you expect this new V-Tek clock to have.  Yes, the Chronos does allow for the Beep and Halt to be set and saved for each and every preset.  But the DGT 3000 and Zmart clocks don't.

It's also not practical as a Chess player to expect to play one game with a Beep, Halt and 3 time controls, and then play another game right after that with no Beep, no Halt, a single time control and everyone facing East (humor my boy).

The DGT has the USCF mode available as a global setting that must be reset at its own location.  So does the V-Tek.

Note, that I am not bashing the DGT 3000.  It's a nice clock.  I don't like the poor contrast on the display, the amount of information always displayed making it too busy looking, and the fact that when playing blitz I have to constantly pick the clock up to hit the button at the bottom of the clock to reset for a new game.  However I still bought and used this clock.  Sure, I sold it to buy a Chronos GX which I simply like better.

I also am not bashing the Zmart clocks.  They have limited programming, by design.  They also don't have the ability to show the delay countdown at the same time as the time left.  And I don't prefer the touch sensors.  However I still bought one of these, used it for about a year and then sold it because I liked other clocks better and wanted to buy them.

You say you received a V-Tek 300 as a gift.  I kindly suggest you give it away or sell it and continue to use your DGT 3000 and ZMF-II.  No one is forcing you to use the clock.

Of course I used mine just tonight.  We played G/30, d/5 in a US Chess rated event.  I keep my clocks in US Chess mode, always, because I don't want it to halt at the end of any time and I play US Chess rated only.  So hitting the G/30, d/5 preset with just a few clicks of the center button got the game started with no problem whatsoever.  Neither my opponent nor I gave the clock any real attention after it was set and started.  And that's the way it should be.

Now, there is a guy that asked me about him buying a Chess clock just before Christmas when the V-Teks were just available.  I told him to buy a Chronos II because I felt that clock suited his purposes better.  He had that Chronos II at club tonight and he had the same clock experience that I had, easy peasy.

Eyechess,

Did you really own and use the DGT 3000?

You do realize there are upwards of 5 user presets which can be configured to have freeze on/off, sound on/off, Fischer Bonus, US Delay, and Bronstein Delay? I’m not sure how you concluded this clock does not have the capacity to save any configuration of these options.

I think you are under the assumption that every person in the world plays chess with the same exact time controls as you do. Did you ever see the time-controls used for the World Chess Championship or Grand Chess Tour? I mean why would DGT, Zmart II and VTEK include these options in their clocks if they weren’t ever used?

Regarding the Zmart clocks, yes, you aren't able to have each and every user preset to have different sound or led options selected. It is similar to the VTEK preferences in that when you have one of these options selected, the clock will continue to function in that way unless adjusted. The price is fair for what the clock is capable of doing.

The VTEK clock is what it is. I will keep it as my backup for if and when my other two clocks stop functioning. I had no intention of ever owning this clock.

Shelby,

At the end of the day, we just have different opinions on what customized presets are. While these problems are “inconsequential” to you, they are a deal breaker for me. Imagine buying a luxury car that didn’t include all the bells and whistles?

I am all for keeping jobs in the USA and I understand that comes at a price, but not the price you have set. As an engineer, I have helped design several medical devices used throughout the world today. I have a good grasp on the cost of components used in your clock.

The VTEK is what it is and I have accepted that. I do want to Thank You for taking your time to reply.

I have Chronos II and recently got a Zmart Pro. I like the big display of Zmart pro and its novelty. When I walk around the tournament hall, it's nice to see the digits from far away. Though on the other hand, Chronos can display more information which is also good.

As a reference for Chess players regarding the V-Tek 300, I want to mention the specifics of the presets and global options like the Beep and Halt.

There are 20 preset slots allowing the user to save up to 20 time control settings.  The first 5 of these slots allow that time control to be protected as a preset, meaning it cannot be overwritten.  If a time control that has been saved as a preset and is not protected it will be lowered in order after another time control has been saved.  The last, number 20, preset will be lost or deleted.  The protected, first 5 slots, preset will remain in its spot and not lowered or deleted.  Of course there also is the option to delete and save and and all presets.

So, you have these presets on the clock.  The preset saves options like the number of time controls, delay or increment, and the time for each.  Now, there is what they call the Play Mode.  There are 3 options for this mode US Chess, FIDE, and Custom.  This play mode dictates things like the Beep and Halt at the end of a time control or game. 

Now the presets are saved as Favorites.  And that is available exactly when the clock is turned on.

The Play Mode, US Chess, FIDE or Custom (where you set your own desired options) are in the Play Mode area accessible after a click or so of the center button, once turned on.

The Play Mode remains set no matter what preset or timing control is used.  If you want to play with a preset under a different Play Mode, then all you need do is click over to the Play Mode and Change the mode.  It really is easy.

Let's take an example.  Let's say that I have a preset of G/30, d/5 in my #1`favorite slot.  I have G/90, i/30 saved in #2.

Let's say I'm playing a G/30, d/5 event with USCF rules, no halt and no beep.  I have the Play mode set for US Chess and that's how it is.

Now, let's say the next day, I am going to play in a FIDE rated event and its time control is the G/90, i/30.  Well, that time control is in slot #2 and very easy to pull up and use.  Oh, I just need to click the center button 3 or 4 times to get to Play Mode.  And then it's just another few  button clicks to have the FIDE Play Mode.  And then another 2 clicks to get back to the time control and that's it, Bob's your uncle.

If you want to then play some fun Blitz under your own Custom Play Mode, that you already have set up, which is easy peasy to do, and you have the Blitz time control in #3, say, then all you do is pull up that #3 favorite and switch the Play Mode to Custom.  This takes less than 1 minute, a lot less.

So, this clock is practical and very useful for Chess play.

Oh, I am not trying to push this clock on anyone.  I used my Chronos II clock for Blitz play just Wednesday.  That clock is already set for my G/5, d/5 time that we use.  I just turned on that clock and played Blitz.  And unlike the DGT clocks, I never had to pick the clock up to reset the clock for a new game, and we played something like 10 games.

And yes, on Monday I used the V-Tek 300 for our US Chess rated G/30, d/5.  I have the Play Mode on that clock saved as US Chess.  And the time control is saved as my #1 favorite on that clock.  So all I had to do was to push the center button a total of 3 times, quickly and we were playing Chess.

  I currently have a website that advertises chess clocks along witha variety of other chess-related products. That website is  http://cloverchess.com.  On some chess clocks there are merchants that go thru Amazon to sell their chess clocks so you have Amazon customer reviews on many purchases of the product. Amazon product reviews are more credible than those coming directly from a merchant because they are not cherrypicked. You hear it all, not just the reviews the merchants want you to hear.

   None of the VTEK 300 merchants I know about use Amazon so you have little to go on other than reviews furnished by merchants which are proably cherrypicked. What should I tell visitors to my site regarding this particular clock? Can I in good faith tell them it really is worth the high price?

   I can be reached by email at clover@cloverchess.com. There are several product pages on my website including a "Chess Clocks" page that advertises several types of digital chess clocks.

After owning and using the V-Tek clock for almost 4 months (Beta version) I think I am qualified to give a current and honest review.

After all the clamor and dust has settled, I have to say that this new clock is not the end of the world great.  It's good and a nice clock to own, but not necessary to own.

The biggest complaint and negative comment, whether right or wrong, is consistently the high price.  Let's tackle this one right away.  Yes, the $149 is a steep price compared to other chess clocks out there.  I feel that once it has been on the market longer, we will see it being sold on Amazon and I hope/believe at some kind of discount.  But until that happens, it is high at $149.

The Chronos II sells standardly at $115 at Wholesale Chess (where I bought my GX by the way).  That's $34 difference in price.  The question then is beckoned if the V-Tek is worth the $34 price difference over the Chronos II.

First off, the Chronos, both II and GX, are very, very similar to the V-Tek in build and design.  This actually makes a direct comparison easier.  IN MY OPINION, the only significant difference in quality to the tournament Chess player is the V-Tek is indeed quite a bit easier to set and run than the Chronos.  That's it.  Oh, I have heard of the V-Tek using newer technology, but in all honesty there's nothing wrong with the Chronos technology.

The build, feel and look of the 2 different brands are pretty darn close to being the same, exactly.  I personally like the lower sitting Chrohos over the V-Tek as it feels sleeker to me.  But that's my personal opinion.

I will say for the player using increment the V-Tek is a lot better.  It's easier to understand and set for increment because the Chronos has a very limited choice of timing options for increment.  I plan on using my V-Tek for our upcoming G/30, i/30 event starting Monday evening, for instance.

I have had 4 people talk with me in the last 4 months asking me what I thought would be the best clock at the best price for them.  And of course they pretty much wanted me to tell them where the best price was as well.  Of those four people, one bought a V-Tek and he's still asking me how to set it even though it's a lot easier than any other clock.  Two guys bought Chronos II clocks and one fellow bought a Chronos GX.  I suggested each of these clocks for each one because of what the use they would be putting the clock through. 

The one that bought the V-Tek has already used it for 3 increment tournaments and 4 delay events.  He plays quite a bit.

The one that got the Chronos GX has a small, 3.5" King, set and wanted the smallest footprint he could get and still have a good clock.

The other two that bought the Chronos II clocks just wanted an all around good clock to play locally.  And by locally I mean mostly delay time controls and very few incrememt ones, if any.  Sure, I'll be setting all 4 clocks tomorrow evening for the increment, and probably 2 or 3 others for the fellows.  But all of them will have a save option to keep that setting in the clock  so I won't have to trouble with either brand in the future.

If I were to suggest a single clock for one person, and they had a budget in the $50 range, the DGT North American is currently the best.

If I were to suggest a single clock for one person, and they had a budget in the $100 plus range, then I would have to ask further what kind of play they wanted.  If they were going to play much increment and have to set their own clocks a lot, the V-Tek would be the one for him to get.

If they were going to play mostly delay, the Chronos would be the brand to buy.

In all honesty, $35 should not be a deal breaker to buy the V-Tek over the Chronos.  Usage and perhaps personal preference or taste should also come into the equation.

Yes, the V-Tek is the newer technology with more bells and whistles.  If I were forced to own only one clock it would be the V-Tek, even though I like the size and shape of the Chronos better.  The V-Tek is not necessarily for everyone.  But isn't that what makes the world go around?

I don't worry about a pricey digital clock anymore. Got that ZMF PRO Black metal case at amazon through Chess Geeks of Portland. only $80 free shipping. Love the large display and it has an option of not showing at all the annoying flash 5sec countdown delay. This is the bad boy of metallic timers.

At first I agree with ChessandDrums, it looks you are not familiar with DGT 3000 clock.

I own DGT 3000, DGT NA and Chronos GX and I'm playing regularly in the USCF and FIDE tournaments.

DGT 3000 could be easily setup (even without user manual) to any time control used in the USCF and FIDE tournaments with all USCF and FIDE requirements and regulations (sound, freeze, etc.).

Even more DGT 3000 could be easily setup to exotic time controls like different delay mode (delay, increment, Bronstein delay, no delay) in different periods etc.

Process of DGT 3000 setup is much simpler, easier and completely intuitive than for Chronos, ZMF and V-Tek timers. 

At second it's a price.

Amazon sells DGT 3000 for $74.00 It's half(!) of V-Tek 300 price.

USChess.org sells Chronos GX with 20% discount for $87.00

It means for price of V-Tek 300 you could buy DGT 3000 and Chronos GX together (!).

Is there any significant reason to look on V-Tek after that?

Thanks,

If you are replying to me, you are simply wrong about what I know and use.

First, you are replying to a post of mine that is over a year old.  Things have changed since then.

Secondly, I own and use the DGT 3000.

I also own and use the Chronos II and the Chronos GX.

And yes, I also own and use the V-Tek 300 that has recently been updated in software.

I have bought the DGT 3000 for less than $74.

And I have bought my GX with a substantial discount as well for about the same price you quote.

However, you must be fair in your claims.  I recently purchased a second V-Tek 300 for substantially less than the full retail price.

Yes, I actually own 2 of each of the clock models mentioned above.

Next, the V-Tek is easier to set than even the DGT 3000.  With its new update in programming it is now the best clock on the market for this.

The V-Tek and Chronos clocks and ZMF Pro all have a more substantial body being metal instead of the DGT plastic.  The V-Tek buttons are the exact same as the Chronos buttons which are the best in the industry.  While the standard DGT rocker is alright it is not the quality feel of the Chronos or V-Tek clocks.

The display of the DGT 3000 is not as crisp or simply elegant as the Chronos, V-Tek or ZMF-II or ZMF Pro clocks are.

So, the significant reason to look at the V-Tek is if you want the best quality Chess clock available.

(1) DGT 3000 could be set to any time control without user manual even by users who never see the DGT clocks before.

And opposite, many of users who own Chronos-style clocks long time need to look the user manual even to setup a simple mode.

If you still think that V-Tek (which is a chronos-style clock) could be setup easer than DGT 3000 it's fine with me ... What I could say more?

(2) I'm playing chess many years. And I played many games including blitz, Armageddon games etc. but I never used chess clock as a hammer. Did I miss something in my life?

If you worry about the chess clock body you could buy several cheapest DGT NA (which could be easily set to blitz time control) and use them in the blitz tournaments where a possibility to broke a chess timer is little higher than 0.

(3) "Best in industry" it's only your opinion but the official chess timer for the top level tournaments is DGT 3000 (not V-Tek 300), 

I only agree with your statement that "the display of the DGT 3000 is not crisp" and it's a reason why I prefer DGT NA or Chronos GX for the blitz tournaments.

But again, for a price of V-Tek 300 you could buy DGT 3000 and Chronos GX together(!). And both DGT 3000 and Chronos GX could be set to any time control ever happened in the FIDE and/or USCF tournaments.

You obviously have not used a V-Tek clock.  And you obviously did not read the specifics of what I wrote.

The V-Tek also is very easy to set without a manual.

The DGT clock is the FIDE clock because the company pays a lot of money to FIDE for that right.

And the V-Tek can also be purchased at a discount.

I understand you really like the DGT clock and that is fine.  I also own and use it.

But even though it is a good value there are still clocks made with some aspects better that are also a good value.  That includes the Chronos and V-Tek clocks.

Ok, suppose you are right (see note below) and V-tek could be set as easily as DGT 3000.
And V-tek has the same button and crispy display as Chronos.
 
But does it mean the V-tek has to be priced as DGT 3000 and Chronos together (!)?
 
You are not right and I don't have any preference to DGT clocks ... I like new devices and I'm ready to invest to new devices, but in the device which get me something over existing ones with less or equal price. But I don't see any reason to buy something for double price and do get nothing over existing half priced devices.

(*) Note: it's technically impossible to create 3 buttons digital device which could set the same functionalities/setups as easy as 6 buttons device. 

Buy what you want and be happy.

A new entry into the chess clock business is always a good thing for us chess players: more choices, more competition = happier consumers.

Also, the chromos clock is actually pretty intuitive in its setting.  I've never needed to touch its instructions besides the first day; and my son (who was 6 at the time) figured out all by himself w/o ever reading the instructions.  (We only use the delay feature though)

(1) I completely agree "A new entry into the chess clock business is always a good thing for us chess players". But I expect "new entry" will give us chess players at least more functionalities and/or cheaper price. Otherwise what is a reason to consider that "new entry"?

(2)  Simple example how to set [40/90, SD60 +5"] time control on Chronos GX

a) Press both play buttons and after that red button to went in setup menu;

Is it easy to figure out w/o user guide?

Please note, pressing red button and after that pressing two play buttons will not go in the setup menu ...

b) Press 4 times red button and after that press right play button to pick-up "tn-2" option;

Is it easy to figure out w/o user guide?

"tn-2" is very very informative ... is not it?

c) Long press red button to change default values;

Is it easy to figure out w/o user guide?

d) Set a correct time control for first period.

It's not so hard.

e) Set "05" a specially under "1 n" symbol which mean increments;

Maybe with some imagination it's possible to do w/o user guide.

f) Set a proper settings for second time period with corresponding increments;

g) switch off a beep and switch on led will not produce a problem w/o user guide;

h) Pick-up a correct option from 0,1,2 for bP at End, bP at tC, Ht at End maybe it's ok too with some imagination;

i)  But to figure out w/o user guide what do mean two values in option "11 dp Opt" people need to be at least Nobel price level ...

j) Long press red button to exit from setup menu ...

I don't think anybody could go thru all those settings without any mistake and without reading user guide or helping from parents/friends/teachers ...

I'm so sorry but yours and Eyechess posts related to V-Tek 300 chess clock look as commercial ads:

"V-Tek is best because it's best ..." nothing more ...

I'm a chess player who started playing  in the tournaments after many years delay (when I played early all chess clock were analog) and I simple bought 1-2 top models of each chess clock brands where presented on a market and playing with them in real tournaments. Currently I played in the tournaments with approximately 20 different time controls and I tried to set a corresponding time controls on all chess timers I have. And I could compare on which ones it could be set easily and faster ...

Shortly I'll create new post where will compare DGT3000 and Chronos GX in term of flexibility and functionality. Currently I know several really needed options which could be set much simpler on DGT3000 and also I know some really needed functionalities which could set on DGT3000 by pressing one button but required 20-30 manipulations on Chronos GX.

But I don't know any opposite example. Do you?

Could you give any example which option/functionality could be set on V-Tek 300 and couldn't on DGT3000? Or could be set in much simpler way?

P.S. I like Chronos clocks and I own them and use them in tournaments. But in term of functionalities, flexibilities and simplicity of usage it's very hard to beat DGT3000.

Did you not read when I wrote that I own and use DGT 3000, Chronos II, Chronos GX and V-Tek 300?

I have given an honest and objective review of all these clocks, no commercial.

You apparently will only accept what you own and use as being good and acceptable.

Please continue to buy what you like and enjoy it.

Why do you think "your objective review" is more objective than mine?

If you do think so could you answer the simple questions I've asked several times early:

"Could you give any example which option/functionality could be set on V-Tek 300 and couldn't on DGT3000? Or could be set in much simpler way?"

As opposite examples:

To switch between "increment/Fisher delay" and "US-delay" modes you need to press one button only on DGT3000. How many buttons you need to press on Chronos clock?

To switch ON/OFF "Freeze/Halt on end" mode you need to press one button only on DGT3000. 

Etc.

And it's real examples.

Time controls G/45, G/25 are very popular in the tournaments but some clubs/tournaments use US-delay, some of them use increment/Fisher delay.

It's very useful functionality switching between those modes ... 

FIDE and USCF use different requirements/regulations related to "freeze/halt at end" mode. 

And again it's very useful functionality switching between those modes to easily switching between FIDE and USCF tournaments.

And a list of those differences is not to short ...

Thanks,