The basic idea behind the Lumie Bodyclock is that it combines a timer, a dimmer switch and a Neodymium light-bulb; it can thus simulate a summer sunrise on the coldest darkest winter mornings, thereby giving a more gentle and holistic wakeup than that which is afforded by a shrieking buzzer in the dark. We’ve had one for about 12 months so we thought we’d give it the once over.
Lumie make several versions of the Bodyclock; we chose the Advanced model because we thought it looked nicer than the other models and the spec’s showed that it did all we needed.
Overall Performance
To be blunt, it’s a gem. It really does make waking up a better experience, akin to being gently welcomed by a nice warm day (even if it’s blowing a gale outside).
The first feature that’s worth a special mention (because its already proved it’s worth on more than one occasion) is that if you pull the power cable out, the time and alarm settings survive, so if there’s a power cut in the night you avoid waking up late for work. Never again will you see the flashing alarm clock displaying the exact time since power came back on. Top marks to Lumie for this.
During the summer months (and if you don’t have blackout curtains) the benefits of the Lumie are significantly reduced, because dawn often arrives long before you’d want to wake up, totally scuppering the dawn simulation. If you have blackout curtains, then this is the perfect clock for all seasons.
In Use
Lumie clocks tend to feature four controls: P, Up, Down and A. P is used to program the clock: pressing it cycles through a straightforward on-screen menu, whilst Up and Down can be used to adjust the values that are displayed for each menu item. A nice touch is that each button is a different shape, so they are easy to use in the dark.
A quirk of the interface is that the menu readout is set below the time display, and the surrounding plastic moulding conspires with this fact to render the display unreadable from a level position, so it’s not possible to adjust the Lumie whilst lying in bed, you have to sit up. This is a small issue but one which we’ve noticed surprisingly often.
The A button is a depressible toggle-switch (rather than simple button) and it is used to enable and disable the sunrise alarm. Contrary to common practice, depressing the button switches the alarm off. This can take a little getting used to depending on your mental model.
When you’ve left the P, Up & Down alone for five seconds it reverts to “clock mode”, during which time the Up and Down buttons make the light brighter and dimmer.
Room for Minor Improvement
The only real omission from the interface is short-cuts: for example, it’s not possible to instantly turn the light fully on or off, you have to hold the Up or Down buttons and wait for 3 seconds while the dimmer does its thing. If the software could recognize a double tap on the Up for full brightness and a double tap on Down for off, that would solve the apparent delay.
Another short-cut related improvement: Currently pressing and holding the Up or Down button when setting the time will accelerate the rate of change: a useful addition would be the inclusion of some two-button combinations. e.g. pressing and holding down a button change the time in increments of 5 minutes, but then also pressing the opposite direction button at the same time could accelerate the time shift to 15 minute segments. We’ve used such an arrangement on a Zeon travel clock before now and it was surprisingly intuitive.
Summary
Ultimately the Lumie Bodyclock is a fantastic bedside gadget. It’s a simple combination of basic features that just makes life better, and therefore, deserves it’s place in the Eulogize category.
Lumie Bodyclock
When does the light extinguish after the sunrise cycle?
Hi Chris, I don’t know if there’s an auto off – it goes off when I wake up and switch it off.
Also, I’m not sure if this is an update in the firmware but the version we have now* has a very handy off shortcut – just hold the “up” button and tap the “down” and the light dims until it’s off – exactly what I mentioned earlier. Marvellous.
(* our unit stopped working and was very swiftly replaced, with no postage to pay on our part)
I tried using the Lumie model, however I had severe concerns about the amount of heat generated by the unit.
I switched to a product from morningsunrise called the SRS200 and found it much more feature packed as well as they have addressed the heat problem.
We’ve become accustomed to “cold” lights (such as LED’s and low-energy fluorescent bulbs) so finding a bulb that is warm to the touch can be disconcerting. Our unit certainly gives off some heat but when the bulb is off it’s a cold machine.
The Lumie Bodyclock (mid-priced version, the one below this one) was my first dawn simulator and made all the difference to waking up on a winter morning, which is not a life-affirming experience as far north as London. I now use blackout curtains and a dawn simulator year round.
My only caveat is that that particular model was overpriced and dubiously designed and made — it was prone to all sorts of erratic behavior like resetting its own alarm hand, coming on with a bright light and a piercing beep in the middle of the night, refusing to dim when the button was depressed etc. I sent it back and the company refurbished it, but problems persisted. I’ve since scrapped it and bought a different model altogether, but I’ll never go back to just a shrieking digital alarm.
I’ve been looking at the Lumie Bodyclock because I’m convinced it would be a better start to my day than having the radio shout at me at 6.30am each morning. My concern is that my partner doesn’t need to wake at the same time as me. How bright are these clocks; is it possible to use them without waking others in the room?
Hi Sally, it’s certainly better than a shrieking alarm for not waking the other half. I often work until 4am and if Em has an alarm set for 7am then it barely stirs me.
It is better than an alarm, I couldnt say I have noticed any benefits from SAD, I get up at 7am, with this lamp I am comfortably awake at 6.50.
my only complait is that the light stays on for just 10 mins after the time you have set . so, if you dose off, you have had it. You are returned to a comfortable dark sleepy room !!
The comment from Ken Jewell – I think you’ll find he works for morningsunrise (I’m not certain but please do ask him and please beware slippery replies)
(and I, to be clear, am financially connected with Lumie, and these products are my babies)
Steve
sending back the second one to go wrong or be faulty, this time whaen it was dimming, it would ( occasionally ) flash like lightening, scaring the kids, then it just refused to come on in the morning, would turn on manually though.
I do not intend to go back to this model, when it works it is good.
We have the Lumie advanced bodyclock as well and we quite like it except for two gripes
the transformer inside it makes an irritating little buzzing noise so in order to sleep we have had to put it on the other side of the room which makes it harder to use its ‘bedside’ features; and
the clock seems to gain a minute or so every couple of days so we are always having to reset it
For these reasons, we keep looking at other manufacturer’s models but are hesitant to buy in case they also buzz.
I tried an Apollo Daybreak Duo and it also buzzed – even when the light was off and it was just showing the time. It doesn’t sound too loud in the daytime, but at night, on my bedside table it actually kept me awake. The shop told me that they all do that, so I got a refund. Has anybody found a device that doesn’t buzz all the time? Normal clock radios don’t buzz, so I hoped that these things would be silent (until the light starts to come on at which point I could understand the variable resistor doing its stuff).
Ideally, I’d like to control my bed side lamp and have a radio (or a soft start alarm) in case I sleep through the light.
Thanks!
Matt
Hi Clare, neither of ours have buzzed at all, so perhaps you have a dodgy transformer. It’s probably worth giving Lumie a call, they were exceptionally quick to ship us a replacement when we reported a fault with ours.
I was just wondering if Lumie had a travel clock version. I use the mid-priced Lumie light and love it, so would like something portable that I could take when I travel on business or holiday.
The only problem I have is that the alarm setting sneaks up about 5 or 10 minutes over the course of the day, so I have to make sure the alarm is set to the right time before I go to sleep. It only started doing that in the last year. I’ve had it for 3 years and it works fine. I use the light with the radio because I like to wake up to classical music.
My wife bought me a Lumie body clock for my birthday. I opened the box, checked it out with a certain amount of pleasure, plugged it in and it was totally dead. This was a nasty surprise. I checked out the plug fuse which was fine, so the clock was definitely a dodo. I was about to phone the John Lewis store where it was bought for £70 and then I noticed the card advising that users get directly in touch with Lumie in case of problems. I explained to the lady and she sent me a new one with return postal bag for the old one to be sent back. The new one arrived in three days and while it beeped and switched on when I powered it up, and the clock, the radio and the light work fine, this one is faulty too. It is impossible to switch off the clock face light – a feature described in the instructions. It is supposed to toggle on and off by pressing the left most control button, and neither does it dim by pressing the second left button. These features are clearly described in the instruction notes.
I am VERY far from happy at the quality. This made in China item was sold at a very high price of £70 and the two I have had have not worked properly. I feel badly let down and that my wife has been ripped off. Quality control is obviously non-existent.
Tony V
Wouldn’t surprise me if they are sending you refurbs and that’s why the 2nd one went wrong. Which is technically illegal as they should of replaced it with a brand new one.
I’ve got the Bodyclock Elite 300. I feel it was a mistake as it’s overpriced. Why? Well for it has speakers for the relaxing sounds it makes. But the speakers are so poor quality that the sounds aren’t relaxing. The rain storm sounds like it’s in a tin meaning it’s not relaxing at all, and the beach waves are just as bad.
I’m also unsure on the bulb. I was expecting one of those proper daylight bulbs, but this clearly isn’t meaning the light, at full brightness gives me a slight headache.
I’m considering packing it up and sending it back for a full refund. May get one of their cheaper models but wish I had wasted money on the Elite.
I have had a Philips Wake Up Light now for a couple of years. A fantastic unit and none of the problems that users above have been suffering with. At the end of the day Philips is a household name and therefore you wouldn’t expect quality issues like you get with smaller cottage manufacturers. I am actually going to be upgrading as there is a new one I have seen on engadget with an ipod Dock. A bit pricey at $200 but seeing as I use it twice a day then it is certainly worth it. As soon as I have my hands on one I will update here.