Claber 8420 Aquadue Duplo Evolution Dual Outlet Digital Water Timer

In 2009, I purchased and tested several timers before settling on the Claber. Its higher cost led me to try several alternatives before going for the Claber. It would have saved some very bad experiences with cheaper products that all seemed to be designed to be cheap - to the detriment of operability,reliability, endurance, and convenience. Bu contrast, the Claber is exceptionally well designed to work flawlessly and conveniently over the long haul. Quality of design and execution is especially important in a product that combines digital, electrical, mechanical, and tap water technologies. The single 9V battery in the Claber lasted more than three years - even though my unit opens and closes both valves twice every day. The unit's attractive but sturdy plastic case (as pictured by Amazon) looks as good today as it did when new - quite an accomplishment after well over 1,000 days of outdoor use. It is out there every day except during freezes. I found it hard to program. The people who designed the unit probably find it easy, I did not. It had taken much time to program it the first time, three years ago. It took just as long now, after the new battery was installed, because there are just three buttons to program time, days of week to operate, six times of opening and closing of valves, three for each water outlet. That makes for a lot of combinations of settings. The printed manual is reasonably clear and, importantly, also available also for down-laod just in case. It describes how to use the three buttons to program all the different features. It also explains an issue that had vexed me both times I had to deal with it: it seemed impossible to use all but the first two or three of the six watering times. The reason for this is that the six watering times must be set sequentially. For example, if you programmed #2 to end late at night, say, 23:00 (military time for 11 PM), then you can program # 3, 4, 5, and 6 only for times between 11 PM and midnight. The solution is simple: program the earliest watering time on #1, the next on #2, and so forth. Is it all worth it? You bet! On a Claber, you do this once in three years, then forget about it unless you want to change something. On other units, programming may or may not be easier or quicker - but you have to do it more frequently because they do not last as long as the Claber. In sum - the Claber is the best electronic water valve I have found. Its quality, performance, and endurance make it well worth the price. I would not even consider a cheap alternative.

Very well made and reliable timer. I run two micro-sprinkler systems on this timer, one at 50 psi and one at 30 psi. They can not be set to run at the same time, but I set the second to run immediately after the first stops. They are set to run every third day. The timers were used for three months last year with no problems. I removed the timer for the winter and stored it out of the weather. I can find no fault with the timer other than it is bright orange. Equipment in landscaping should not be a focal point.Update after over two years: Timers are still working great. However, put in a new battery at the first of every season, even if the old battery still works. A battery died and I didn't notice until the plants wilted. Also, if rain or water from a sprinkler hits the timer case just right, it can get inside the battery compartment and short the battery. This happened to one of my timers. I remedied it by putting tape over the seam at the top of the unit. I added a second unit to run two more micro-systems after a Orbit unit failed.Both units are still working great after three seasons. I remove them after the three month watering season and store inside without the batteries. I always install a new battery for the season. The comments about it being difficult to program are somewhat justified, I had to actually look at the instructions. It then took about two to three minutes to set. Once you have done it a few times, it doesn't seem so hard. One reason it is complex is that it has really good flexibility on the days, times and length of watering for two hoses (or in my case two separate micro-sprinkler systems). I use teflon tape on connections to minimize leakage.

PROGRAMMING: If you're at all "tech savvy" you will not find programming this unit to be as imposing as some of the other reviewers might lead you to believe. Twenty to thirty minutes with the "quick guide" in hand and I was done.FLEXIBILITY: This is the unit's only real weakness. You cannot get fancy with the programming. For example, when you define "watering days" on which the timer will activate at the scheduled times -- you cannot specify that hose A activates on some days (mon, wed, fri) and hose B on others (tues, thu, sat). Instead both hose A and hose B will activate on the *same* days.RELIABILITY: No issues here as long as you keep the batteries fresh. Runs like a german train.RAIN SENSOR: The (separately purchased) rain sensor works well. It deactivates the timer for about two days following a moderate to substantial rain.OVERALL: I was impressed with this unit, it works well!**2012 Update (3 Years Later)**After working great for 2.5 years, one of the two units I own developed an internal leak. A pinhole sized leak floods the internal compartment which deactivates the battery and shuts off the unit. I'm going to try and solder it shut, but the prognosis is not good. It would have been nice to get 5+ years out of such an expensive unit. Due to this failure I'm docking another star. If I had to purchase again, I would likely try a different model.