How much blitz or timed chess are you planning on playing? How often do you play over the board? If the answer to these questions is not much, then hold off on the clock. No use buying something you aren't going to use. Maybe by the time you actually need the clock, you'll have more money to spend.
The Dgt North American is a decent clock. In my opinion, it's probably the best available at that price point. Me, I splurged on a Chronos years ago and have never regretted it.
U dont need to buy dvd.. With youtube and load of gm give out freee chess tutorial.. Plus stockfish.. I like watching kingcrusher.. On youtube
Electric analogs are close to the cheapest one can buy. Air Force studies "prove" pilots can can keep theirs minds on flying while reading analog better than digital displays. They may be set without arcane knowledge of the individual clock.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/321698530854?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2661&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
Although there is no excuse for their not being 100% reliable as they are not much more complex than an alarm clock, however switches etc. may be problematic. No specialized features, and not as accurate as straight digital (quartz makes running time accurate, but starting and ending points between left and right clocks differ).
Moraiarty...I share your point about holding off, if I am not playing OTB a lot. So I guess I just have to be responsible instead of greedy, tough though.
Guardian...I agree, there is a lot of free stuff which is good enough for progress; yet from another point of view, a book or DVD ensures covering all the bases in a systematic way. It is possible to do "enough searching" and compile 30 different links on a topic, but a book or DVD hopefully does that for me; even so I will probably use the free stuff for now, as you said.
Escapists....I don't know, analogs do not appeal to me. Just personal preference.
If you are planning to play OTB tournament chess I would choose digital over analog . I use ZMFII and so does my wife and we like these clocks a lot . They sell for about $50. each .
My recommendation is either the DGT NA (my choice) or the ZMFII. The ZMF has some issues that made me decide against it (weird display mainly), but it is still a fine choice. My #1 recommendation is don't spend more than $50 on a chess clock.
If you go digital, try to download a manual or watch a You Tube on setting procedure. Some can be a farce.
If you go digital, try to download a manual or watch a You Tube on setting procedure. Some can be a farce.
The ZMFII is easy and has an easy to follow manual that comes with it as well as videos on youtube . The manual is only 8 pages as opposed to more than 40 pages for the Chronos clocks !! You can also get 2 ZMFII clocks for the price of 1 Chronos , which is why I chose ZMFII over Chronos .
I brought an analog clock to a tournament once. My opponent didn't like it, and even though I agreed to use his, we asked the TD who said he would have ruled that I would have to use my opponent's digital clock.
I think maybe someone might have one they rarely use here or at the club you attend. Maybe they would be willing to sell it
TDs like the delay feature on digitals. It tends to mitigate the need for the obnoxious "insufficient losing chances" rule, which can make life difficult for a TD. The ZMFII may be correctly designed.
There are several reasons now that digitals are far superior to analogs . I am an old dinosaur myself but am still surprised when I see an analog clock in use anymore .
I bought my son the Saitek "scholastic" clock (the blue one) for about $35 a few years ago, and it works great. It's probably around fifty bucks now, though. Simple to set. Lots of pre-programmed time settings. The only thing I don't like is that you can't see the seconds counting down until the time falls below 20 minutes. But that's not terribly important in kids' games anyway.
In the price range I agree that the DGT North American is the best choice at this time.
I agree with Moriarty that if you do not play much OTB where you use the clock then hold off, save your money and buy one of the clocks in the $100 range. The DGT 3000 has all the good things the DGT NA has and is nicer. The DGT 3000 shows seconds left at all times and has a bigger display, for instance.
In the meantime, I see no problem with buying books or DVDs to improve your game.
Heck, if you play in a tournament you do not have to bring a clock. And if you win some money in that tournament you can use that to buy a clock.
You dont have to bring a clock but if everyone doesnt bring a clock there will be problems ...
I am satisfied with my DGT NA and do not regret my purchase. With that said, I will likely purchase a Chronos in the future. The superior construction of Chronos clocks and number of settings + the Chrono cachet are why I am willing to spend extra when I already have a perfectly adequate clock.
l bought a nice green digital clock - now, if l could only learn how to set it and make it work.could not follow the directions included.
These DGT foldables look clever to me. The "Easy", "960" and "Judit Polgar", Does anyone have any experience with any of them?
I received a 960 as a gift and keep it with a HOS Marshall analysis set and board when I meet a friend for dinner at a place like Perkins or something. It's portable and nice, the buttons are not the best, but it's portable.
I had a kid buy one of my clocks so I got an Easy Plus to replace it for skittles and fun games at coffee houses. It's perfect for this.
Realize that both the 960 and Easy Plus do not have more than one time control. In fact they both operate very similarly if not the same.
I think the Judit Polgar clock is an Easy with distinct colors. The Easy does not offer any kind of delay.
If you were just going to get one clock, at the $50 or under price range, I would suggest the DGT North American.
The DGT 3000 has the most and best options and display of the whole bunch. It's at the $99 price range, but it's worth the extra.
Maybe I should search old forum posts and find an answer to my question, but it it simple:
Which OTB chess clock do you guys recommend?
The Charlotte Chess Club uses the "DGT North American Chess Clock" which runs about $45.00. I have used it, and it looks nice, but did not know if other clocks had advantages, like a better warranty or ease of use, etc.
I realize that they even have options for ipad chess clocks, which I already have; but it is not ideal overall.
Finally, I am so broke I prefer putting $45 into a Chess DVD instead of a clock, a DVD seems to do more to improve my game than a clock, but if I want to teach my 6.5 year old chess, then he will use it eventually.