Stanley 31195 TimeIt Mini, 1-Outlet Grounded Mechanical Timer

I've been using similar timers from a different maker and I also evaluated another near-similar Stanley product so I had a general idea of what to expect. As it was the case with the other like timers, following the seven-paragraph manual was easy. All you need to is to set the time by aligning a little arrow with the time marks on the outside dial. It's done in 30-minute increments. On the very outer edge of the dial there are 48 easy to pull pins, one for each 30-minute interval and the setup is simple: power is off when the pin is up, power is on when the pin is down. The end of setup. Then, you make sure the side switch is set to the 'clock' position, plug the timer into a power outlet and whatever you want to control into the timer. Maintenance is probably checking it every now and then to make sure that what the time at the arrow shows is still the correct time and adjust it if needed and resetting it after a power interruption that lasted longer than a few minutes. Be aware that unplugging the timer or any power update will stop the clock and therefore you will have to readjust the time when that happens, You can turn of the timer function by simply sliding the red switch to the ON position. On the 'expectations' side, timers from another maker worked well for about 1-2 years, then they stop working. This one works well now and I have no reason to believe that it will follow that pattern but... time will tell. I will update my review if anything unexpected happens.

This timer works well. It was easy to setup and operates silently. I was happy to find a grounded timer at this price. I am using it to limit the running time of an HVAC unit in my home.

Works as it should. No issues with it. Hard to be extremely precise with time but works exactly as I need it too

I've moved into a fairly large house and like to have two or three lights on to help me navigate and just to make the house seem warmer. I've always used timers on a few lamps and have had good and bad experiences. The digital timers have issues with power outages; they need to be reset each time the power goes out. Plus, they're not that easy to reprogram as the days get shorter or longer. I've also had timers that are noisy, humming along all day long. This timer is smaller than my others, and it''s quiet and unobtrusive. The plastic pins are easy to pull up and push down to make 30-minute time changes. The time can be set with a simple spin of the dial. You may want to check it once in a while to make sure none of the pins have been accidentally pushed in.

Initially I got an IKEA one and it started making buzzing noise after several weeks. Same story with this one, completely silent when new but a month later it's making a constant buzzing noise. With my previous experience the noise is only going to get louder overtime. I'm using this in a bedroom and it gets very annoying when your ear in tuned into the noise at night. Guess it's time to give up on these mechanical ones.