The Gadget: I can sleep through anything. I do, notoriously. It’s why I already have three alarms: My current super clock has two built-in, and I set my phone. But it’s still not enough. So Brian told me I had to review the only thing left to try: the Sonic Bomb, which has a 113dB extra loud alarm—louder than a jackhammer or chainsaw—and a bed shaker.
The Price: $37.00. The Verdict: I’ll put it this way: After using it once, the next time I set it up, I woke up five minutes before it was set to go off. Normally, I would go back to sleep and let the alarm wake me up. Instead, I went back to sleep for four minutes, and made damn sure I got up before it went off. When this thing jolts you out of a cozy slumber—or even my favorite, half-conscious dozing—it’s a deeply traumatic experience that scars you for life, or at least twenty minutes. That’s mostly thanks to the bed shaker, which isn’t so much a shaker as a knocker, at least when it was placed between my wooden bed frame and mattress, so it was like a hummingbird on steroids slamming a hammer next to my head. So yes, it will rip you out of your dreams. It still has a couple of flaws though. Namely, because of the cord extending from the clock to the bed shaker, you’ve gotta have it close to your bed. Though I suppose you could look at the trip wire it creates as yet another layer of alertness, ensuring you’re fully up and at ’em. Also, I wish it was harder to turn off the alarm—it’s way too easy to flip it off in a zombified state and roll back into bed. Having to solve a mini-puzzle would be nice in this respect. Otherwise, if you’re just looking for a basic alarm clock that will absolutely guarantee you’re out of bed—at least until you turn it off—this is it. [Sonic Alert]
