Is The Wholesale Advanced Chess Clock Good?

Sort:
EggDropAsian

I am planning on getting this clock since I don't want to spend too much money for one. I was wondering to those who have had or used it if it is any good. Thanks.

Micahsmith

I think it is quite a good clock, especially for the price. 

havb1961

Same here, it is a very good clock, great quality for the price. IMHO it is an excellent alternative to the DGT North American chess clock: cheaper and it does show the seconds all the time. This is why I decided to buy it over the DGT one.

RussBell

https://www.wholesalechess.com/shop/chess-clocks/digital-chess-clocks/wholesale-chess-advanced-digital-game-timer-with-bonus-delay

https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/3E0B9228-8B92-41B0-B7C1-486697F0C060?ingress=2&visitId=1900b8f5-9a39-470c-838f-29a2c1fbd9ae&ref_=ast_bln

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcEyqzNBIcQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHgneZ-7GY8

https://www.amazon.com/Wholesale-Chess-Basic-Digital-Clock/dp/B073XRPS7Z/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Wholesale+Chess+Basic+Digital+Chess+Clock+%26+Game+Timer+with+Bonus+and+Delay&qid=1605998267&sr=8-1

https://www.houseofstaunton.com/fide-approved-chess-clock.html?aw=7&coupon=GOOGLE10&gclid=EAIaIQobChMItriv59OU7QIVxQp9Ch1VNAZAEAQYAyABEgK5IPD_BwE

https://www.uscfsales.com/fide-approved-chess-clock.html

 

Micahsmith

The Wholesale Chess Advanced is much better than the DGT NA since the Wholesale Chess Advanced shows the delay countdown in digits while the DGT NA just has the word delay flash every second during the delay countdown. By not seeing the delay countdown in digits, you won’t know when your delay time will run out and when your base time wil start counting down. This can be a big issue if you are low on time. 

TundraMike
Micahsmith wrote:

The Wholesale Chess Advanced is much better than the DGT NA since the Wholesale Chess Advanced shows the delay countdown in digits while the DGT NA just has the word delay flash every second during the delay countdown. By not seeing the delay countdown in digits, you won’t know when your delay time will run out and when your base time wil start counting down. This can be a big issue if you are low on time. 

I bought one when they first came out and have used it in 3 OTB tournaments. It beats the DGT NA by a mile and shows seconds all the time due to a bigger accommodating display.  Easy to replace batteries just like the DGT. Seems very rugged but I do not go out of my way to drop it or pound it. For the money, I can say you would be hard-pressed to find another clock that has all the features and a much better display. 

BigLew
The only draw back to the Wholesale Chess clock of the DGT NA. Is that the delay or incremental time can not be set for more that 59 seconds. Not a problem for delay tournaments. But some tournament using Fischer increments have the increment at a minute or more.
If you don’t play these tournaments then the Wholesale clock is a fine choice.
Micahsmith

Unfortunately I have to take back what I said earlier about the Wholesale Chess Advanced clock being quite a good clock since I noticed an issue when using delay (it's at least an issue on the Wholesale Chess Advanced Clock I have which I bought near the end of 2019). Here is a test I conducted several times that illustrates the problem: 

I set the Wholesale Chess advanced, Leap KK9908, and DGT 3000 (both of these other clocks are FIDE certified) to 10:59 (ten minutes and fifty-nine seconds) with no delay or increment and started the clocks at the same time. They ran at the same speed. However, I then set the Wholesale Chess Advanced for 10:00 (ten minutes) with a fifty-nine second delay and kept the Leap KK9908 and DGT 3000 at 10:59 with no delay or increment and started clocks at the same time. After the 59 second delay countdown was up on the Wholesale Chess Advanced Clock and the clock showed 10:00, the Leap KK9908 and DGT 3000 had just gone to 10:02. This means the Wholesale Chess Advanced Clock isn't giving the full amount of delay time each turn (all of these clocks round the seconds up on the screen so none of the difference in the time shown on the screen is due to rounding differences). If you try the same experiment but with a lower amount of delay, the difference won't be as large but there will still be a difference, meaning the Wholesale Chess Advanced still isn't giving the full amount of delay time each move. 

 

Micahsmith

Based on the testing I've done so far, it also appears the base time on the left side of the Wholesale Chess Advanced clock runs a little too slow while the base time on the right side of the clock runs accurately. For example, if you let the left side of the Wholesale Chess Advanced and either side of the Leap KK9908 clock count down from one hour, after about 20 minutes, the Wholesale Chess Advanced will be about one second behind the Leap KK9908 clock. If you do the same experiment but with the right side of the Wholesale Chess Advanced, the time is on par with the Leap KK9908. 

TundraMike
Micahsmith wrote:

Based on the testing I've done so far, it also appears the base time on the left side of the Wholesale Chess Advanced clock runs a little too slow while the base time on the right side of the clock runs accurately. For example, if you let the left side of the Wholesale Chess Advanced and either side of the Leap KK9908 clock count down from one hour, after about 20 minutes, the Wholesale Chess Advanced will be about one second behind the Leap KK9908 clock. If you do the same experiment but with the right side of the Wholesale Chess Advanced, the time is on par with the Leap KK9908. 

I do not have the clock you are testing it against but I can test it against a different one. It could just be in your clock and not systemic.  I might try it when I have the time against a Chronus. But that takes an assumption that the clock I am testing it against is correct. 

Micahsmith

I also just tested the delay issue against the VTEK 300, longer Chronos, Chess Evolution Classic, and Chess Evolution Premium and the same issue arose (if you test it against the VTEK 300, be aware that the VTEK 300 rounds the delay seconds up like all of these other clocks but rounds the seconds on the base time down while all of these other clocks around the seconds on the base time up). This time I set the clocks with a 59 second delay and started the clocks at the same time. The delay time on the Wholesale Chess Advanced ended about two seconds earlier than the delay time did on all of these other clocks. Unless the time in the Leap KK9908, DGT 3000, VTEK 300, longer Chronos, Chess Evolution Classic, and Chess Evolution Premium are all inaccurate, the issue is with the delay on the Wholesale Chess Advanced.  Also, I saw the same delay issue occur in a Leap PQ9912 clock (the Wholesale Chess Advanced Clock is the Leap PQ9912 clock privately branded under the Wholesale Chess name) so this issue seems to be systemic. 

I'll test the base time issue with these other clocks when I get a chance. 

I don't have the Wholesale Chess Basic/Leap PQ9907s clock. I wonder if the same issues occur with that clock.

Micahsmith
TundraMike wrote:
Micahsmith wrote:

Based on the testing I've done so far, it also appears the base time on the left side of the Wholesale Chess Advanced clock runs a little too slow while the base time on the right side of the clock runs accurately. For example, if you let the left side of the Wholesale Chess Advanced and either side of the Leap KK9908 clock count down from one hour, after about 20 minutes, the Wholesale Chess Advanced will be about one second behind the Leap KK9908 clock. If you do the same experiment but with the right side of the Wholesale Chess Advanced, the time is on par with the Leap KK9908. 

I do not have the clock you are testing it against but I can test it against a different one. It could just be in your clock and not systemic.  I might try it when I have the time against a Chronus. But that takes an assumption that the clock I am testing it against is correct. 

Have you had a chance to test the clock yet?

Micahsmith

FYI: I was just informed that the delay issue with the Wholesale Chess Advanced clock has still not been fixed.