There's a New Clock A'comin

if its priced at 100.. i might as well get a chronos for 114.. lol the zmart switch on and off caused accidental turn off during game play.. because of its location.. so in my zmart i had to move the switch to the back to avoid people from accidentally turning the unit off by punching a hole in the back and used glue to place the power button there.. people during blizt play will turn it off by accident or on purpose if they are losing and claim accidental

I almost went with this one: http://www.uscfsales.com/chess-clocks/dgt-projects-chess-clocks-2/dgt-xl-digital-chess-clock.html

Which is an upgrade over the 2010. It looks gorgeous, too. The bottom line was, however, that this clock is five years old and the DGT3000 is the newest DGT out and is the 2015-2016 official clock of FIDE. 

At the end of the day I would choose ANY DGT over a Zmart. I still maintain that the clock in the OP is one of the ugliest, dated clocks I have ever seen. 

Unfortunately for you, there is currently no Official FIDE Chess Clock.

Following the end of FIDE’s agreement with DGT, FIDE would like to receive offers to be the official FIDE Chess Clock.

This is from the FIDE web site.  Note that there was an agreement to make DGT the official FIDE Clock, and they are looking for offers, "Pay us money..." for an official clock.

I own a DGT 3000 as well as a 2010 and a North American.  I also own Chronos clocks. 

I used to own a ZMF-II clock and sold it to a student of mine because I personally did not care for the LED's, especially when flashing as this clock does.

I do not plan on ordering this new Zmart clock because they are using thee exact same programming as their old one.  I also do not care for the LED lights on top are so close together and the center button. 

But, you don't need to be so deragatory about the clock.  It is not ugly, as you say.  It also is not dated either.

Now, back to the DGT and FIDE.  The DGT clocks are approved by FIDE.

Any clock manufacturer can go through the process to have their clock approved by FIDE.  The clocks need to have the details that FIDE expects and wants in a clock.

My DGT 3000 is alright, but as others have noted, the display is cluttered with too much information all at the same time.

I find the Chronos has a much cleaner look.  It also has better contrast than the DGT 3000.

Now, when Shelby Lohrman and his partner come out with their new clock at the end of this month, that should have the looks of the Chronos, or better, plus be easier to program like the DGT and others.

The bottom line is that they use the DGT 2010 and DGT 3000 at major FIDE events. We can argue semantics all we want but ...that's the clocks they use. 

I can assure you that you'll never see one of those Zmart clocks @ a FIDE event lol.

They use those clocks at the FIDE events because,...wait for it,...here it comes,...those clocks connect to the DGT boards and therefore are an integral part of the DGT board setup.  That setup is used because the game information is immediately to a hub and then online and everywhere else.

DGT payed money to FIDE to have their clocks be the official FIDE clock before the boards became popular.

There are other clocks that are FIDE approved AND used in tournaments that do not have the DGT boards in use.

And, it's not semantics, it's facts...

I understand all of this but, again, you're just telling me WHY they're the clocks that FIDE uses. The fact is, they use them and you'll never see them use that gigantic, ugly Zmart clock that looks like it belongs under the Christmas tree with a Radio Flyer in 1978. 

Well you need to keep buying DGT clocks then.

By the way, FIDE does not use the clocks, the tournament organizers and arbiters do.

If you look at tournaments that do not use the DGT boards, you will see a lot of clocks that are FIDE approved in use.

The Garde clock is but one example that I think of off the top of my head.

The DGT 3000 is alright.  It's objectively not the best out there, but it's good and that's good enough for you.

Well, that's really the thing - It's more than I'll ever need. I'll have it for ages. 

When I'm just knocking around playing 30+30's or 3+2's OTB I'll use this: 

http://kantack.com/chess/gametime.htm <<<---- I have it in red. They were pushing this out the door bundled with tournament and club sets back in the fall and winter so I wound up acquiring it that way. As you see, the main complaint in the review is about the plungers which, since then, they have rectified. The newer models they were selling at the end of '14 there have a newly designed plunger system. I've been using it for months and never had a problem. 

Warbringer, if you pay enough money to FIDE you can make any clock the official chess clock of FIDE. I think it is around $25,000 per year if I'm correct. So, if you want and if you have the money, you can make your alarm clock the official FIDE chess clock. All they care about is the money.

Eyechess, about Shelby's new clock come on who is going to pay $150 for that clock? Maybe you will, but I don't see too many people buying that clock.

By the way, I still think that the DGT 3000 sucks. The display has too much information in it which is very distracting. My first option would be the Chronos and my second option would be the ZMF. The one that I have has the yellow LED displays and I love it.

Yes, I also have 2 of those, both a red and a black.  Those are alright but the plunger problem was not fixed.  I know because I spoke with the US distributors for that clock when it was sold.  Also the plunger problem was not in every clock.  It occurred in less than 2% of those clocks.

The DGT 3000 is alright, as I said before.

I also will not be buying the clock that this topic is all about.  In fact I do not plan on buying any Zmart clock.  I don't like the way the clock operates with its programming.

I just started the topic when I got the picture yesterday and then an explanation from my friend about some of the clock details, as he has one, and some of the expected details like cost.

Both he and I agree that we don't like how the top LEDs and buttons are clustered in the center, making it hard to see who is on the move from a distance.

We were also disappointed that they haven't improved the programming except to add 2 countdown style options for the delay.  The single button push reset has been and will continue to be a problem as we see it.

The clocks I use and/or plan on using are the Chronos for a lot of general tournament use, the DGT 3000 for more lightweight increment or otherwise USCF rated games, DGT Easy Plus as coffee shops and Barnes & Noble's cafe uses, Shelby Lohrman's new clock for general tournament use and as my main blitz and skittles clock.

If someone wants the new, metal Zmart clock, I see it as a general, USCF rated clock and skittles and blitz.  I personally think there's better made, especially with the predicted price tag of this new clock.

Coffee shops and Barnes and Noble uses: 

http://www.uscfsales.com/chess-clocks/dgt-projects-chess-clocks-2/dgt-960-digital-folding-clock.html

I agree with the DGT 3000 showing too much all at once.  It can be darn right confusing.

I love my Chronos clocks and use them the most, and expect that will stay so for quite awhile.

I don't like the Red, Green and especially Blue ZMF-II clock displays.  It think the yellow and the white on black might be alright.

Yeah, I know they say the new clock is going to be $150.  Somehow I expect it to either be discounted or otherwise have the price come down.

I would be really surprised if they have any success selling it as $150.

Personally, I'm getting one at a discounted price as a beta user.  I'm going to test it, fill out the forms and end up with a perfectly working model at a discounted price.

I also sent Shelby a couple of clocks as a trade-in that he says he is going to offer on his American Chess Equipment site.  He is going to donate the clocks sent in to needy, scholastic chess clubs.  And he told me a trade-in discounted price that would be just about at the price of a discounted Chronos.  So, I'll either buy one or two this way, depending on what the price really is.

The thing about this new clock is that in his YouTube videos, Shelby shows the new clock in use.  It looks like it should be an upscaled Chronos with a bigger display and easier setting styles.  The housing is still aluminum like the Chronos.  The buttons will be the exact same models and types as the Chronos uses.  The led lights on top will be the same, except he said something about the color of light might be able to be changed or something.

Maybe when they come out with this clock, it will motivate the Chronos guy to improve and update his.

In the meantime, this Zmart clock goes metal and LCD displayed.  So we'll see how it fares.

Yeah sure, I own 2 of those.  I keep them with a couple of House of Staunton Marshall analysis or library sets in plastic with a couple of 1.875" vinyl boards for use on either the small tables at coffee shops or in restaurants especially when sitting in a booth.

Those clocks are alright but they don't work as well as the bigger models.  The DGT Easy Plus is cool looking and is reset for a new game by just pushing a button on the front and top, like the above mentioned folding clocks.

I think overall the new Zmart clock looks good minus the HUGE display. I have owned several DGT and Chronos clocks and they have the display sizes just right. With a display any bigger it just becomes a distraction to what I think is the most important part- the game. This is why I think Chronos and DGT have designed their clocks to be non-flashy, they want the focus on the players and the game - not the clock.

Another thing that some of you have mentioned is that Zmart didn't really change the program with this new clock. This annoys me because we pay for the "brain" of the clock. They have simply just taken the internals of their other clocks and added a metal case...

Regarding the new clock that Shelby is soon to release, I think its a copy cat of the Chronos but for $150?!? I'm sorry but I don't think I would pay for something that only has several different features.

The transfer port is also a bit useless in my opinion. All the tournaments I've played in the time controls were announced in advance. It doesn't take me more than a few seconds to set my Chronos or DGT clocks. I can only see it taking longer to plug your clock into another clock to do data transfer!

When it comes down to it I would reccomend anyone looking for a clock to buy a Chronos or DGT. I think they both have it right when it comes to the features you need and the appearance.

I own a couple of different clocks and i really loved playing with my Chronos, the only problem i have had with it is the damn thing quit working after about 4 months clock was handled with care the whole time.Sending it back for repairs has become a nightmare.

For coffee shop and everyday use I would go with the ZMF-II every time.

Why?  It's easy and fast to reset and re-program.

I don’t like the ZMF-II clock for tournament use.

Why?  The same reason guardianx9 brought up in post #22, the on/off switch on the top.  I think this issue needs to be fixed for tournament use.

For tournament use, I go with the DGT North American. 

What’s wrong with the DGT for coffee shop every day use?

The reset, turning the clock off and on to reset every time, then having to initiate the program again… this needs to be fixed… will it get fixed?  Doubtful.

Will the ZMF clock on/off switch get fixed?  I’m guessing more likely.  In fact, where is it?  I dont see the on/off switch on the new clock.  Looks like it moved!

Now, the $100 price point for the new ZMF I think is a little high, but I’m guessing the metal case is partially to blame.  I'm fine with plastic.

Now that I'm playing more and more and do intend on finding pickup games at local coffee shops in addition to my online and offline rated games I'm considering picking up a Marshall Library Set, too. They're sized perfect and they look really classy. What size board goes best with them? I have a few boards and they're all the 2.25" standard USCF regulation size. 

I really have 2 of these setups.

I use a 1.875" vinyl board with both.

Cool. Yeah I'll pick up a board of that size and a Library set when I get a chance. I'd buy it sooner than later although the girlfriend is starting to refer to me as a "Chess Horder"