Intermatic ST01C White Self Adjusting Wall Switch Timer

I've read many reviews here some saying this is very easy to program, others saying it is very difficult. I lean towards the difficult. It isn't so bad if you have the directions readily available and follow them precisely step by step, but lose your directions or try to do any programming without them and you'll have a mess on your hands.

I like the dawn to dusk features and that makes programming easier. I think the difficulty in programming comes, when like me, you only want it on for a few hours during the evening.

The size of the switch is a little daunting when trying to install, especially when installing into a box with a three- or four-way switch. The main point is to be very careful with tucking all wires away to enlarge the space you have to work. Once installed, the features of the new and improved version of this timer "shine" as the auto dusk/dawn setting really works well. Highly recommended, as this version improves upon the spotty record of the SS7 version.

Have gone thru 3 different Intermatic wall timers, inlcuding this one. They all eventually failed. They were all very difficult and tedious to program. They all had poorly written instructions in tiny print. Lights flickered with one timer. I refuse to buy another one of these Chinese-made Intermatic products, even though they seem to have a monopoly in local stores.

I've had three in wall timers from Intermatic. When they work, they're great. Program them once and forget about them. No more forgetting to turn on the lights at night or turning off at dawn. The ST01C even self adjusts to the season.

The biggest problem with these is that they only last about a year. For some reason they just stop working. Changing the batteries doesn't fix the problem. With the ST01C, it uses lithium camera batteries so they're expensive compared to the AAA batteries that the previous model used. I think this one broke within the warrenty period and I got smart and scanned my receipt so I got a copy.

Unfortunately, unless I can find a better timer, I'm stuck with buying a new one every year. Hopefully some competitor to Intermatic will come up with a more reliable product.

I purchased the ST01C timer to control a post light with 4 13W compact flourescent bulbs and 2 exterior wall lights, each with 3 7W compact flourescent bulbs.

In short, this timer works well and does not cause flickering of the bulbs because a relay completes and opens the load under control of the many programs that can be entered into this unit. It's really amazing how much Intermatic has crammed into something that fits in a standard receptable box.

I have nothing to add to the many positive comments already written here by others, however I would add that it is easier to read the display when programming if a small penlight is shined head-on; the "am" and "pm" indicators, in particular, are very difficult to read because they are so small. This is a minor issue, as far as I am concerned, compared to the many conveniences this timer presents.