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I recently played in a tournament and these clocks were supplied. I was generous giving it three stars if only i could guve it 2.5.

the first problem was the seconds were hard to read when you had above ten minutes on your clock I hate it when they do this (maybe i'm just a time stinge :)).

and second of all was the buttons it was to easy to press the button only half way which pauses the clock. i wouldn't rccomend this as a chess clock to many people unless you are playing blitz.

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I ordered the ExcaliburII and I had my doubts about the clock. I read negative things about it on the internet. From the plungers breaking because it's plastic and it's not durable to the seconds are hard to read. And I'm going to tell you it's not true. Like I said I am a person who purchased the ExcaliburII and it is a great clock. The plungers are very durable and can take a beating unless you're hitting it with a sledge hammer then I could understand why it would break . And the screen is nice and big so the time is easy to see. The clock weighs about a pound or so. So the clock won't move around if you're playing blitz games. I love the sleek style of the clock and it has all the chess settings you need. For the price of the clock it is well worth the money that you're going to spend on it. Don't believe all the negative stuff you read about this clock.

Rating:

A cheap, entry level clock thats a fraction of the price of a chronos.  Plenty of features and quite usable, but still, you get what you pay for.

The biggest issue is that this clock is just flimsy.  Don't expect this clock to last a lifetime, it has a good chance of breaking.

Second, the plungers are awkward and long.  You have to smack it a unusually hard (not a good thing combined with the clocks flimsiness) to guarantee the plunger will go all the way down.

Despite these cons I would still recommend buying this as a first chess clock, if you aren't sure if you want to spring for a chronos.  Thats the point of "entry level" equipment, you try something cheap out before you commit to buying something expensive.

After working with the clock for about 6 months I found its not very durable but,if youre looking for a clock for an adult thats relatively cheap this is it.

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it is useful

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I do not normally bother adding comments to reviews or blogs.  However, I felt the Game Timer clock is getting a bad rap for durability. 

I coach hundreds of students ages 5-11.  I have had 30 clocks for 6 years.  We travel to many weekend tournaments both in the state and nationally.  These players with tiny hands are entrusted to carry the clocks.  Children can be careless as children are inclined to be.  In other words, the clocks have encountered thousands of "risky" situations.

Children have often dropped them on hard floors.  The batteries sometimes pop out of the battery compartment, but no other damage.  I once dropped a plastic bin with 16 clocks upside down on my frozen, snow covered, concrete driveway.  The bin shattered.  I dried the clocks off and they all were fine.

For all the raving about the chronos clocks, they are still hard to learn how to set.  The Game Timer clocks are easy to set with a chart of the pre-programmed time controls on the bottom.  Elementary children and novice chess parents learn how to set them within minutes.  We setup a couple dozen clocks within minutes.  I defy anyone working with novice chess parents to hand chronos clocks to them and set them for a time control with a 5 second delay... and then verify at a glance that the dozens of clocks are set correctly. 

I regularly review other clocks for features, display, usability, and cost.  The Game Timer still comes out as the best value on all fronts.  You can now find websites where the price is below $30.  If you are an individual player with $100 and looking for a clock that you will use exclusively, you have many options to fit your preferences.  However, if you a running a club with many shared clocks, the Game Timer is the way to go.