Emerson CKS3516 SmartSet Dual-Alarm Clock Radio with Time Projection System

This review refers to the CKS3528 model, which I purchased from Amazon's partner, Target. The only difference between my model and this one is that the clock projection has a selectable color filter on the CKS3528. This unit listed here does not.

I purchased this clock for the large digit display and projection functions. So far both are working out quite nicely. The display is not too bright at night, when the dimmer is set to low. It is still quite readable in a lit room. The projection is too dim to read if the room is lit, but it works nicely in the dark. I am nearsighted, but I have no problem reading the ceiling display with my glasses off at night. I'd guess the digits are about 10 inches high on my ceiling. The projection is also not so bright that it lights up the room or keeps me awake.

The smart set function is little more than a preset internal clock that lives off a lithium battery when it is not plugged in. The manual says the battery will last...Read more

I bought this Emerson projection clock in August. I immediately loved the projection feature - no more rolling over to see what time it is and no more sleep interuptions when my husband props himself up to peek over me and check the clock! But, our joy was short-lived. The LED display on the first clock stopped working after 2 days and wouldn't keep time. I took it back to the store and exchanged it for another. The second clock was broken out of the box - the projection never worked. I exchanged it again (I REALLY liked the clock's features!) and the 3rd one worked fine for about 6 months. But last night we realized the projection was stuck on 11:03. When I rolled over, the LED was not displaying the time. I unplugged it and when I plugged it back in I got no lights at all, only a loud clicking noise. It's certainly dead this time! I am so disappointed. I did get all 3 clocks from the same store so maybe it was a bad batch, but we also purchased 2 Emerson Smartset CD clock radios...Read more

I spent many hours reviewing projection clock/radios on amazon and newegg. The problems i saw everywhere, regaurdless of the price of the units were: the projection isnt bright enough, the alarm is not loud enough, and the alarm doesnt have the right settings. This to me means that the price of the unit will not improve these problems for various reasons. I also do not need the extra features like the outdoor temp or the weekly forecast(which seem not to work most of the time anyways). So i chose to find a clock that only had what i needed: TIME, ALARM, RADIO, AND PROJECTION. So i set out to find the most solid, simple, and best priced unit that had all these features. I ended up finding this unit. Not the most attractive, not the most Hi-tech, but it seems the most reliable and had decent reviews all around.

THE PROJECTION on this clock works fine, you can start to see it once dusk comes, but does not become clear until the TV or Computer Monitor in the room is turned...Read more