Philips HF3500/60 Wake-up Light Review

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Philips HF3500/60 Wake-up Light Review

Many companies have tried to imitate this Philips Wake-up Light, but none succeeded (we checked). For less than half the price of the HF3520, the HF3500/60 takes out the bells and whistles and gives you straightforward alarm clock.

How Does It Work?

"Since there are fewer features, less functions are programmed into each button."

First of all, there are two sneaky, little buttons on the kickstand that you might miss if you're the kind of person who doesn't read directions. The left button helps you set the clock display's brightness while the right button helps you set the time or toggle between a 12 and 24 hour clock.

On the front, you have four buttons: a sun, a plus sign, a minus sign, and a bell. The sun button turns the light on and off. The bell button lets you turn on and set your alarm. You'll know the alarm is on via a tiny bell on the clock display. When you set your alarms, that is when the sunrise simulation will reach peak brightness.

The plus and minus buttons help you set your alarm, the time, and adjust the alarm brightness. You can also tap the top of the alarm clock to activate the snooze feature.

What Works?
  • You can use this alarm clock as a lamp. It's bright enough to light a small room or to use as a reading light.

  • There's a backup sound alarm that starts once the sunrise has reached its peak brightness.

  • The buttons you'll use the most are fairly intuitive. Since there are fewer features, less functions are programmed into each button.

What Could Be Better?

  • The clock display is too bright. Even on the clock's lowest brightness settings, some reviewers found that it was difficult to fall asleep with the clock facing them.

  • The only sound alarm is a beep. Though the beep doesn't come on until you should be awake or stirring, the beep is loud and grating. You cannot adjust the volume of the sound alarm, nor can you opt for silence.

  • You can only set one alarm, so you'll have to adjust it on your days off or simply not use it.

Warranty and Customer Support

We highly recommend registering your wake-up light with Philips. You'll be covered by their two-year warranty and 90-day money back guarantee. Customer support isn't always lightning fast, but they offer reasonable solutions with a pleasant demeanor. 

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The Gizmos Team