What cuckoo clock to buy

People often come into the workshop with cuckoo clocks they have acquired that do not work – ebay or car boot purchases. Obviously there are costs invloved in the repair and if a customer has to spend more than I think the clock is worth, I tell them. The next question they ask is if I sell cuckoo clocks and… well I dont. I should, but I dont. This is because Im just too busy on all sorts of clock repairs to run a sales operation. I know somebody who does though, Ryan at www.cuckoocollections.co.uk

So thats where to get your clock (read to the end for a 5% cuckoo clock discount code). Its not a blind recommendation – I know this company and they are good.

But what sort do you buy and whats best?. Firstly think about cost of ownership as much as appeal. The more moving things there are on the front of the clock, the more power required, and therefore the wear on the components accumulates more quickly. So, you may be tempted to buy a model village town hall with a brass band, water wheel, rocking goat and music box but think about what you really want. The simple mid range machines are a good place to start. If it were me I would go for a simple two weight machine with a music box. This gives you a cuckoo and a little bit of fun drama on the hour. Always try and get a 1 day clock as opposed to an 8 day as they are more robust runners and need less servicing. If the weights on cuckoo clocks go much over 420g per weight you have to be aware that you will probably be looking for a service on the machine after the warranty term runs out. This is likey to be 40% of the cost of the clock as a rough rule of thumb. So if you buy a £1500 super brilliant everything machine running 1500g weights then expect to invest further in it moving forward. You also have to remember that cuckoo clocks are windy things. They waft in particulates from the air which gather around the oiled portions of the movement and will eventually gunge up the workings at which point a service will be required. Incidentally I often also get asked when you should have a cuckoo clock serviced. The answer is really simple. When it stops working. Dont bother before this as its just not worth it and will cost you more in the longer term rather than being a cost reducing preventative maintenance issue.

Braintree Clock Repairs are the service centre for Loetscher Cuckoo clocks. These are top quality machines with all the things you would expect from a larger maker in that they have a consistent manufacturing approach, good warranty terms, and excellent performance. I can personally recommend the clocks simply because I happen to know that they have an exceptionally low mechanical failure rate. In three years we have had three clocks in under warranty. All three clocks had very simple problems that were easy to sort out and I believe in each case the customer received their clock back within 10 days. When you are buying something quite complicated lke a cuckoo clock this really matters.

Now its all very well recommending a brand but what is more important is who you buy it from. I dont buy cuckoo clocks so Im not exactly experienced in this area, however, I do know Ryan who runs www.cuckoocollections.co.uk. The thing I like about this site is the choice. Also, because we cover repairs and warranty for Ryans company, I know that hes selling good machines because we hardly ever hear from his customers. I think in 3 years we have had a coupe of minor issues to sort out under warranty which, for me, shows hes selling the right quality when it comes to the brands he represents. There are a lot of clocks to pick from as well as electric clocks.

Now you might think electric clocks are not in the spirit of things and I would have agreed with you until I owned one. There are some obvious benefits. Firstly, they are reliable time keepers. While a clock regulated by a pendulum can be accurate it will never really compete with time keeping based on the resonance of a quartz crystal with a current run through it. Secondly there is no winding or pulling of chains. One of the most common problems we see on repairs is the effect children have on the machines. Small children love the cuckoo popping out and find the machines fascinating and fun. They will of course imitate what they see you doing in pulling the chains. The problem is of course that children do not know when to stop pulling and I have heard stories of children actually trying to swing on the chains of the larger clocks like Tarzan!. So, if you have small children or children visiting then you might find an electric cuckoo clock is the direction you should be looking in for the meantime at least.

This is what I like about cuckoo collections as a site generally – the choice. Its really worth a look if your into cuckoo clocks just because there is so much on there.

www.cuckoocollections.co.uk

If you want discount (who doesnt?) then use the discount code BRAINTREECLOCKS and you will get an automatic 5% discount on any cuckoo clock you purchase.