Taylor5849 Four-Event Digital Timer with Whiteboard for School, Learning, Projects, and Kitchen Tasks, white

Having four independent timers is incredibly useful when cooking a meal with multiple components, like keeping track of how long your pasta is cooking while also making sure to sear the meat for a few minutes per side, AND also keeping track of how long something is baking in the oven. We multitask all the time when cooking, and one timer at a time simply doesn't cut it. I like how easy it is to set up different default countdowns, and I have my unit programmed to give me 1-minute, 3-minute, 7-minute, and 15-minute timers. These generally work out well and for longer times, I can just re-start a timer with a single button press or change the timer countdown. This unit is mounted magnetically on my fridge door and always ready for action.

I really like this timer. I actually got it to count how much time a pottery kiln was operating (at high power, and at low power) so I could figure out how much electricity was being used. For this purpose, I use two timers, both in count-up mode, but only one timer actively counting (the high-power timer, or the low-power timer, depending on how the kiln is set). A pottery kiln needs to operate for many hours, and this timer can count to more than 24 hours. But I also use the timer in the kitchen for various purposes. For example, sometimes I'm far enough away from the microwave that I can't hear the beep when it's done. So I set a timer to count down the desired time value, and carry the timer with me into the other room so it can remind me when the microwave is done. Also, it's common for microwave cooking instructions to tell you to let the food stand for five or ten minutes after the microwave shuts off. In this case, I set the timer at the same time I start the microwave, but set the timer for five or ten minutes longer. Then I can just wait for the timer to beep, indicating dinner is ready.There are four separate timers, each of which can count-up or count-down, and each of which can be set, started, paused/resumed, stopped, or reset, independently from the other timers. The operational buttons only affect one timer, and you select which of the four timers by pressing the EVENT button. This shows a "TIME" icon in front of the timer you will be affecting, and the icon moves from one timer to another as you repeatedly press the EVENT button.To make a timer count down, press the HR and MIN buttons as desired to set an initial time value. You can press HR or MIN repeatedly, or you can hold down the button to scroll the value quickly. The minutes value scrolls to 59 then wraps around to 00 without affecting hours. The hours value scrolls to 24 then wraps around to zero. Therefore the biggest count-down time you can enter is 24 hours and 59 minutes. You can not enter seconds, you can only enter whole minutes. However as the timer counts down, once it gets below one minute, it will show the final seconds counting down, you just can't enter seconds for an initial value.To start the count down, press the START/STOP button and the time value will start counting down. You can press the START/STOP button again to pause the timer, then press START/STOP again to resume, as many times as you want. When the count reaches all zeros, the timer starts beeping, and will beep for quite a while until you press START/STOP.Any timer that displays 00 hours 00 minutes 00 seconds will operate as a count-up timer. The easiest way to get all zeros is to reset the timer (see below). Once the time value has been reset to all zeros, press START/STOP and the timer will start counting up, press START/STOP again to pause, again to resume, etc. Also, once an active count-down timer counts down to all zeros and starts beeping, it also automatically starts counting up, until you press START/STOP to stop the timer (and the beeping).To reset a single timer, press the HR and MIN buttons together, and the timer with the TIME icon will reset to all zeros. To reset all four timers, press the HR, MIN, and EVENT buttons together. Note that an actively counting timer won't reset, you have to pause the timer first before resetting it.It's important to note that all four timers are independent, and the button presses only affect the timer that has the TIME icon in front of it. So for example, you can set an HR/MIN value in timer 1 to make it count down, and start it counting, then reset timer 2 to all zeros to make it count up, and start it counting, then set timer 3 to count down, but a different value than timer 1, and start it counting, then reset timer 4 to all zeros but leave it inactive. Then you can pause timer 1, then pause timer 2, all without affecting timer 3 or 4, then resume timer 2, then resume timer 1, then pause and reset timer 1, then start counting up on timer 4, etc. Just remember to press the EVENT button to select the desired timer before you use any of the other buttons.There are a few relatively minor issues:- It has no on/off switch, so once you put the batteries in (two AAA batteries, which are included), the display stays on continuously. This used to bother me, and I used to take the batteries out, but eventually I got tired of doing that and decided just to leave it on all the time.- There is no backlight, so the display can be hard to read in dim light.- It has a couple of magnets on the back so you can stick it on your refrigerator, but this is not a very secure mounting method so I don't use it. While you are pressing buttons on the timer, it can slide around a bit, and even pop off the refrigerator and fall.- It has a tilt-out arm in the plastic base so you can stand the timer up, but the tilt-out arm is so flimsy I'm sure it would break right away, so I don't use it. You don't really need a stand - you can press the buttons just fine while the timer is laying on a flat surface, or while holding it in your hand.As an engineer, I think it's a pretty neat and powerful gizmo, and if I was a kid, it would be a pretty cool kid toy.

I love that I can write down what which timer is for. I have so many things on the go sometimes, that I forget what needs to be done. This little tool helps out a lot! Easy to use and doesn't take up too much space. At this point, I wouldn't want to be without it.

This is a pretty, pretty good kitchen timer. I by mistake knocked over my last kitchen timer on to a wicked hot frying pan and melted the buttons off of it.Out of the box it is 4.5" wide, 4" tall, and about 3/4" thick. It has 2 magnets on the back that stick good to the stove, refrigerator, and stove exhaust hood. The timer also has a little kick out stand on the back for holding the timer up on the counter top.Using the built in stand on my kitchen counter is my favorite way to keep it, but the magnets work just as good.The instructions on the back of the box are clear and well written.It's really pretty easy once you read the instructions: Hit H for hours, M for minutes. The Start/Stop button will start the timer or stop it.The new button that I haven't seen before is called "event". Hit the "event" button to scroll through the 4 different timers.Also, the little dry erase board and pen are excellent. The board is really slick, the pen has a nice sharp tip, and the eraser works great.It comes with 2 AAA batteries in it, with a bit of a pull tab to get the timer started. The 2 AAA batteries included in it are some heretofore unknown brand. The batteries are colored green with a silver swirl, with a black stripe the length of the battery, and across the label it says: AAA GoldenPower Long Life 1.5V GR03x R03 UM4 Greenergy, Made In China. I also second the nomination for whoever thought of this timer to get a raise.

The whiteboard is a useful addition to this 4-channel timer. It's great to be able to see all 4 timers at the same time. However, the buttons are tiny and not easy to press (compared with the other 4-channel timer that I have, General TI388).