As a gift to myself at the end of 2024, I purchased the Hatch Restore 2 Alarm Clock—this was a purchase I never expected myself to have needed to make, but with my perpetual habit of snoozing my phone’s alarm clock or not even hearing it go off altogether, I concluded that I needed a solution to solve my difficulty getting up. I realized that I was getting too used to my phone’s alarm clock so, I tried everything, such as choosing different alarm sounds, having the volume set as high as possible, and setting my phone across the room so I would have to get up and turn off the alarm. Yet, I would either not hear it go off, ignore it altogether, or hit snooze, which overall left me rushed in the mornings and definitely not rejuvenated. This problem began to arise during fall quarter and once an entire quarter passed and I was still struggling with this every day, I decided it was time to make a much-needed change for my winter quarter.
I did a bunch of research, read numerous articles on the Hatch Restore 2 alarm clock, and settled on it as the best option. I have had it for about a week now and I am still getting used to it, since I chose a very soothing alarm to wake up to in the morning rather than my usual loud and disruptive alarms. There are many things I love about this alarm so far: it is seamless, streamlined, and straightforward. Two buttons on the top serve as functions for turning on the Rest or Rise modes, there is a simple toggle in which you can turn the alarm function on or off (you can make your weekly alarms pre-saved and set, so when you are away for periods of time you can just turn the alarm function off instead of manually disabling all of your saved alarms). Additionally, the backside of the alarm clock allows one to use a series of tapping motions to increase the volume or brightness.
Now, onto the app and its features. I like the app a lot, but I do not have a premium membership subscription, which offers more features. I am already satisfied with the number of features I do have. My favorite aspect of this app is that it is very easy to navigate. Just like an iPhone, you can set daily alarms, duplicate alarms to be set for multiple days, and easily edit, disable, remove, and turn off all of your saved alarms. When creating an alarm you have ample options: the sound offerings are fantastic and you can adjust how loud you want the alarm to be. I personally wake up to the sound of the ocean waves which, by waking me up more slowly, has allowed me to stat my day in less of a panic. Moreover, when creating an alarm you can add a sunrise setting to it. The Hatch will mimic a sunrise and you can set it to begin the sunrise for a certain amount of time before your alarms go off. I enjoy this feature and it is especially useful if you either sleep with your blinds closed or wake up before the sun rises because it gradually brings up warm light to help you wake up.
Furthermore, you can adjust the Hatch to be any brightness and display a variety of light color options at any point in time. For individuals who like to fall asleep to sounds or white noise, the Hatch does just that—there are sleep sounds you can enjoy and set for yourself, like pouring rain, crashing ocean waves, pink noise, and more. I love these sounds, not just for falling asleep, but also for when I am doing work in my bed and I want background noises like rain or a thunderstorm.
In addition, you can customize the clock settings as well and choose exactly when you want to be able to see the time in the morning and night, which is especially great for people like me who can wake up in the middle of the night, see the time, and start to freak out.
There are truly just so many customizations depending on how you sleep and wake that the Hatch 2 Restore provides. It is fantastic and so user-specific which is one key aspect that makes this alarm clock so special. It also has so many functions outside of being an alarm clock, and the app is convenient and beyond functional.