Every time someone finds out who I write about sunrise alarm clocksThey ask me if I've tried Hatch. especially, Hatch Restore 2 ($170)that i have seen gift guides Left and right this holiday season. It's a nice tool, but personally, I think you can do better.
Hatch is great for restoration falling asleepAnd if you want, that's great sound equipmentBut if you want to wake up really easily, this isn't what I recommend. My favorite sunrise alarm clocks Both sell for over $200, which may be a little more than you're willing to spend. But if you're looking for something cheaper (and cheaper than Hatch's $170 price tag!) that can do all the same tricks, look no further than the Lumi BodyClock Shine 300.
Bedtime Brightside
The way sunrise alarm clocks work is that they flash slowly over a set period of time. Both Lumi and Hatch start at around 20 minutes by default, and you can customize this to be longer or shorter to wake up gradually. It simulates sunrise, but right next to your face and at your favorite time, not when the sun will actually be rising. This is especially useful in these dark winter months, and if you need blackout curtains for sleeping (or if you don't have a room with any windows, as I once did in college).
The sunrise alarm clock is supposed to be a replica of the sunrise, the very thing that makes life possible. So the ability to be good and bright is an obvious requirement. That's my problem with the hatch – it's not bright enough to wake me up in the morning. I don't have that problem with the Shine 300, which not only gets bright enough to wake me up, but also doubles as my bedside lamp in the evening.
It only has a range of sunrise-like colors like yellow and white that it can display, whereas Hatch can do a whole rainbow of lights like a smart bulb, but I found that I really needed green or purple mood lights. Not required on daily basis. I needed something bright that would wake me up, especially as a non-morning person.
It also has a wind-down routine, which lets you customize a routine with sounds and dimming the lights during your preferred time, helping you wind down nice and sleep. This is one of my favorite traits because a person like this has just as much trouble falling asleep as he does waking up. I also love that I can activate routines on the Shine 300 with the click of a button whenever I'm ready.
little quirks
Photograph: Lumi; getty images
The main downside of not getting Hatch is losing Hatch's large library of sounds. Hatch Restore 2 gives you access to 13 wake-up sounds and 24 sleep sounds, plus you can get additional content if you subscribe Hatch+ ($5 per month)Everything with Hatch is set up through its app, which is easy to use.