|
I would be afraid to trust one now. I just tried one of these. As soon as I plugged it in it crackled and started to smoke. It is the first and last time that I will plug one of these in. What if this had happened when I wasn't there.
I unplugged it as fast as I could but the house smelled of smoke for a long time afterward. Then in June 2009, while watching tv with my two young children, the lamp turned off for no reason. I received this for Christmas and it worked fine for 6 months. I am just glad this didn't happen while I was out of the room. I walked over to the clapper and bent over to look at it, when it started sizzling and crackling and glowed bright red. I think the red glow was because it was on fire on the inside of the unit. I think my house could have burned down and/or my kids could have been hurt. Why hasn't this product been recalled.
In theory, this product is great. I used the clapper to activate some rope lighting in my kitchen, to keep me from plugging/unplugging the lights every time I wanted them on/off. Even on the "3-claps" setting, my lighting goes on/off every time I use my microwave or do anything in my kitchen, dining room, or living room. You should see the light show when microwave popcorn :O
I bought this as a joke for my partner. Fortunately the LEDs help train you. It's fun to play with, but surprisingly hard to make work. If you don't get the clap sequence timing just right in doesn't work. Perhaps it would be easier to use if they hadn't added the second socket requiring three claps. I would have preferred to buy a simpler one.
After less than three weeks of use on two 60-watt lamps (The Clapper is supposed to be rated to 400 watts) in which the device only operated after multiple attempts and only if it were in the open (not obstructed even partially by anything) it burned out one of the lamps and shorted out internally with great arcing, popping and acrid smoke. Had I not been there to remove the power immediately I am sure a house fire would have been the result.I would advise everyone against purchasing this device even as a gag gift. Someone might actually use it.
|
