This product is a workhorse. I forgot to review it when I got it, I've now had it for over a year and it's going strong.

it was exactly as described. it works perfectly.

Purchased another one and it would only come on when it was dark outside

We use this for our deck lights. They come on at dusk and can stay on for 2, 4 or 6 hours or until dawn. We use the 2 hour setting. It is perfect so that we can enjoy the lights every evening. The timer is easy to set and very durable outdoors.

Muy sencillo el uso y muy práctico para controlar luces de patio. Uno lo use para encender y apagar con la puesta de sol y amanecer y otro encendido cierto tiempo después del atardecer. Además excelente relación costo/calidad.

Excellent all-weather timer. Works well in low temperatures (-20°C). It is supposed to be 'weatherproof' which also means waterproof, but I can't afford to take a chance (since this time runs our dock bubbler all winter in eastern Ontario, and it is on an island) so I put it into this clear tupperware container to reduce risk of failure. As long as the light sensor is pointed towards the clear part of the container, it will pick up dusk light levels and turn on the bubbler (which is 8 Amps).Note that this is a digital timer. The only mechanical part is the dial which selects the time duration. The actual timer is a digital board. This seems to be important to some people, but from what I see here, this digital timer is just as good or better than the older mechanical timers. You can set 2, 4, 8 hours, or dusk-to-dawn operation. Placing the light sensor correctly is critical - you should test it first before leaving it for the winter.

UPDATEI have revised my rating slightly. I have two of these units and one has started to fail after about a year and a half. This unit got water in the outlet side, which is starting to short out the circuitry. Amazingly it still works, but it hums like a transformer, and it’s no longer safe. The fact that it failed after getting water in it is understandable, but the reason it got water in it on the first place is why I downgraded my rating. The cord is extremely short and rigid, so in order to mount the the unit with the outlet side down, the unit has to be mounted directly below the electrical outlet. I’m this location, I can’t do that, because the outlet is on a pole and is close to the floor. I need another 2-3 inches of cord to mount it on the pole beside the outlet. Because all I could do was hang it loosely, heavy rainfall splattered off the floor of the dock and got into the outlet side of the timer. On the up side the buzzing from the timer warmed me that there was an issue, so that the timer failed in a safe manner (without surging or catching on fire). The other identical timer I have is still working perfectly because I was able to mount it appropriately in the location I was using it. Keep the short cord in mind regarding the location you intend to use the timer because they will fail if they get water directly into the outlet.QUALITY - 5 STARSI have had one of these Woods photocell timers in continuous use for a little under a year, and it has yet to malfunction. I use mine for a timer on submerged lights around a dock. The location is covered by a roof, but without any walls, the rain frequently blows in onto the dock, so the timer is occasionally exposed to moisture. I leave these lights in continuous service year round, and I have been impressed that the timer has functioned flawlessly so far.FUNCTION 4.5 STARSThere are slight downsides to the photocell style timer versus a traditional timer, but for my intended purpose I much prefer this photocell style. One small downside is that it will occasionally come on during heavy cloud cover and rain. If this happens, then either sufficient sunlight has to reset the photocell, or the timer has to be manually turned off and back on, in order for the timer to function that night. Furthermore, the timer has choices of "On", "Dusk till Dawn", 4 hours, 6 hours, and 8 hours. The "on" function obviously negates the need for a timer at all, as whatever is plugged in is on all the time. The other choices determine the amount of time that the timer will stay on once the photocell initially trips the switch to on. These choices aren't quite as flexible as a typical timer switch would be, but for my purposes I much prefer the photocell function. I obviously only want the switch to be on at night, and the photocell keeps me from having to adjust the times set on the timer throughout the year as sunset time changes. Another function issue is that the cord is extremely short, which makes mounting the timer a challenge. The timer has to be mounted with the outlet side down to prevent moisture from entering the electrical components. The cord is so short and rigid, this can be a challenge. Also, the photocell sensor does get dirty over time, and if it isn’t clean, it will become less sensitive to light (meaning it will turn on earlier or during cloud cover). I now have two of these timers, and I started noticing that the older one kicked to the lights on about 30 minutes before the newer one till I cleaned the photo eye.

Excelente producto para esta temporada de navidad, esta en exterior me permite irme a dormir tranquilo sabiendo que se apagara solo así como su encendido, tambie au ahuyenta los ladrones al encenderce solo da la apariecia que hay alguien en casa. No ha llovido así que no puedo opinar sobre su resistencia en la intemperie pero no creo que sea problema

Compré este timer para las luces que colgamos en el porche y que a diario había que conectar y desconectar.Se programó para que se prendieran al anochecer y se apagaran al amanecer y funciona perfectamente.Te quita la lata de estar conectando y desconectando, con la posibilidad de que se olvide hacerlo y se puedan quedar las luces encendidas por demasiado tiempo.El precio fue excelente, a $120.

These are amazing! We purchased these for a large community park Christmas light display this year. They are very simple and reliable, and most importantly, they are not messed up by a power outage. They come on at dusk and stay on for the number of hours you select. These timers have done away with the need for volunteers to turn the lights on and off manually and were a much more economical solution than the complicated wiring being contemplated. They have worked for a month with no issues. HIGHLY recommended.

This timer is lightweight, works properly, and seems to be durable (I say this having owned it for only a few weeks). It has several settings (2-, 4-, 6-, or 8- hours, dusk to dawn, always on, always off). Overall the timer is pretty low tech, which I like. I don't anticipate malfunction later on. I would purchase this product again, especially at the reasonable price I paid for it.To anyone considering using this timer for holiday lights, I have a few thoughts (take them or leave them):I recommend that you consider the cord length between where the plug is and the timing control unit. If your goal is to use this timer for outdoor lights, particularly in a covered or semi-covered space (i.e. a roofed balcony, a patio with a trellace), then mounting the timer may become necessary if you cannot otherwise orient the timer towards the sun. If this is your situation, you may want to consider an option with a longer cord. Alternatively, you could use a small extension cord, if compatible, to help the timer reach a better position for mounting. I was not able to mount the unit onto the exterior wall of my apartment, which inhibits its ability to function properly under conditions where there is very little (but some) sunlight remaining because it rotates slightly. When it starts to get close to sunset, the unit alternates between on and off a few times before finally staying on. To me, this is no big deal. As long it doesn't damage the lights it is controlling, I'm happy. I want to emphasize that this is not the fault of the product, but rather a byproduct of shortsightedness on my part. Part of the issue for me was the way the outlet was installed (it protrudes from the wall and is too far from the ground to just set the unit on the floor) and the fact that the outlet has a cover, making it more difficult to bend the cord to a proper mounting position while still being able to reach the lights it is supposed to be controlling.

This timer is mainly for controlling outdoor lights, such as Christmas lights. It can probably be used for other things, but my review will be for the Christmas light application. It works perfectly for this. The light timing is totally dependent on dusk and dawn via a photocell that senses when it gets dark or light. The dial you see has "OFF" , "ON" (always on), "DUSK-DAWN" which will turn the lights on at dusk and off at dawn. Then there are hourly increments, of 2hrs, 4hrs, 6hrs and 8hrs. These are the hours the lights will stay on after.the photocell detects it is dark (dusk). I use the 6hr setting, so my lights come on at about 5:30pm and will stay on for 6 hours after that (around 11:30pm). There are no other functions, such as a mechanical type timer will have. Please realize this timer was designed specifically for outdoor lighting applications, and it wortks perfectly for that. If you need something that needs to be on during the day, this is NOT the timer you want. The only con I have about this timer, is that it appears to be very light and flimsy. It doesn't feel very heavy duty, but then again maybe it doesn't need to be. It works just fine (so far) and does exactly what it was designed to do and setting it is so very easy. I am very happy with it.11/30/14 UPDATE - Just took this out for this years lights. It held up just fine last season and I am now using it again. Only change is I set it to stay on for 8hrs instead of 6hrs like last year. It has performed flawlessly.