The Chronos clocks are very sturdy and popular. A lot of people like the Z-Mart clocks too.
Personally, I like the DGT North American and the DGT 2000 XL, though the latter is an older clock and has been replaced by a newer version I believe. Those are both plastic body clocks but hold up will if you aren't super rough with them.
Yes, the Chronos! I love that clock. It's simple in design but a bit complicated in setting up controls.
And that's the clock too I was thinking about: the DGT. I like how the button obviously moves down but there are some features about it that I could do without (like needing to press a button to start the clock for the first move, rather than just hitting the button).
Right now, the Chronos clocks seem to be the most popular for those wanting the better quality clocks. There is the Chronos II which is the regular one we have seen for many years. There also is the Chronos GX which is not as long and has smaller windows than the other original clock.
The DGT clocks seem to be the next most popular. At the higher price range, the DGT 3000 is the standard clock you see in the big tournaments as it connects to the DGT board.
They are all plastic clocks but do seem to hold up well. The rocker arm is also never a problem. And yes, to start a game you have to push a button on all of them. In our local tournaments I see people using the Chronos the most. Second is the DGT North American. Then I see some of the ZMF-II clocks. About equal in numbers to the ZMF-II I see the no longer made Excalibur GameTIme II clocks. I don't see the ZMF Pro or the V-Tek at all, except when I bring my V-Tek.
The Chronos clocks have metal, aluminum, bodies and hold up very well. The one I use for blitz I have had since 2002, over 14 years, and it's still working fine.
Thanks, eyechess. Very in-depth and informative. I'm glad the Chronos are still popular. They are among my favorites. Great design and simple. And strong.
from using various clock. these are my view from using them
dgt. annoying reset option- will never buy
zmf ii poor quality build thing will fall apart after heavy use from the power switch button to other various minor failure
chronos gx i use and own this. i got it for 86 bucks when it was on sale from one of these chess site. compare to the base price of zmf ii which is 60 bucks.. chronos gx at 86 is a must buy. no question ask.
i own three clock an analog. a zmf ii and a chronos gx.. the chronos gx is my goto clock for 5 min blitz.
I have had a Saitek chess clock for many years now. Its case is made of plastic but it has held up. A friend of mine bought that chess clock with the full metal chassis and that has only two buttons. I thought those were the standard clocks these days. When I complained to a chess partner friend of mind that I didn't want to lug my pieces all day at work so we could play in the evening, he went out and bought a clock. It seemed very cheap but the guy in the store told him it was the most popular one on the market these days. Within a week, it broke and stopped working.
What happened to those two button clocks that were so popular years ago? Don't remember the name unfortunately.