Wholesale Advanced vs. Tap N Set Chess Clock: A Comparison for Chess Players

Chess clocks are an important part of chess but it can be hard to decide which on to buy. For our chess club members looking to invest in a reliable chess clock, two popular options stand out: the Wholesale Advanced Chess Clock and the Zmart Tap N Set Pro Digital Chess Clock. In this review, we’ll compare their features, durability, ease of use, and value to help you decide which is the best fit for your needs.

Wholesale Advanced Chess Clock

The Wholesale Advanced Chess Clock is a budget-friendly, durable option designed for both casual and serious players. Priced at approximately $35, it offers excellent value for both casual and tournament play.

Pros

• Durability: Built with a sturdy plastic shell, this clock is designed to withstand the rigors of frequent use, including the fast-paced tapping of blitz games. Its robust construction ensures it can handle the occasional knock or drop without issue.
• Great Price Point: At $35, it’s one of the most affordable FIDE- and USCF-compliant clocks on the market, making it ideal for clubs or players on a budget.
• Rocker Style Design: The rocker arm is a standout feature valued in the more expensive DGT clocks, with a high-contrast color scheme that makes it easy to see whose turn it is from a distance, a plus for tournament directors and players alike.
• Extensive Preset Time Controls: With 38 pre-programmed time controls, it covers a wide range of USCF and FIDE settings, including multi-period controls based on move counts (e.g., 40/90, SD/30). This versatility suits most tournament formats.
• Delay and Increment Support: The clock supports both delay and increment modes, essential for modern chess tournaments.
• Custom Time Controls: Setting custom time controls is straightforward, and the clock allows each side to have different settings, offering flexibility for unique game scenarios.
• USCF and FIDE Compliance: It meets all requirements for rated events, ensuring reliability in official tournaments.

Cons

• Missing Key Presets: Some common time controls, like a straight 10-minute game, are not included among the 38 presets, which may inconvenience players who frequently use these settings.
• Custom Time Limitations: While custom settings are supported, only one custom time control can be saved at a time, limiting flexibility for players who switch between multiple custom formats.
• Less Intuitive Custom Setup: Compared to the Tap N Set, setting custom times manually is slightly more cumbersome, requiring button combinations that may take time to master.

Zmart Tap N Set Pro Digital Chess Clock

The Tap N Set Pro, priced at around $55, is marketed as the world’s first smartphone-programmable chess clock, leveraging NFC technology for unparalleled ease of use. It’s the official clock of the US Chess Federation and boasts innovative features.

Pros

• Easiest Clock to Set: The Tap N Set’s defining feature is its smartphone app, available for free on Android and iOS. Players can select from 70 preset US Chess time controls or create custom settings in the app, then tap their phone to the clock to instantly program it via NFC. This is a game-changer for quick setup, especially in tournaments with varied time controls.
• Comprehensive Features: Like the Wholesale Advanced, it supports one-, two-, and three-time control games, increment, delay, optional move counters, and FIDE’s Freeze mode, making it fully compliant with USCF and FIDE standards.
• Replaceable Buttons: The clock uses keyboard-style buttons, which are replaceable, adding a layer of maintainability not found in many competitors.
• Manual Programming Option: If a smartphone isn’t available, the clock can be programmed manually, similar to other ZmartFun clocks, ensuring versatility.

Cons

• Questionable Build Quality: The Tap N Set’s plastic housing feels less robust than the Wholesale Advanced. The battery cover is a particular weak point, prone to breaking or detaching, which can be frustrating during play.
• Fragile Indicator Lights: The lights indicating whose turn it is are prone to failure, diminishing reliability and visibility compared to the Wholesale Advanced’s rocker arm.
• Less Durable Overall: The plastic construction doesn’t hold up as well under heavy use, especially in fast-paced games like blitz, where durability is critical.
• Higher Price: At $55, it’s significantly more expensive than the Wholesale Advanced, yet offers less durability, raising questions about its value.
• Reliability Concerns: Some users, including myself, have experienced occasional glitches, such as unexpected resets or timing inaccuracies, which erode trust in the clock for longer, rated tournaments.

Comparison and Recommendation

Both clocks are FIDE- and USCF-compliant, support a wide range of time controls, and cater to tournament players, but they differ significantly in durability, ease of use, and value.

• Durability: The Wholesale Advanced is the clear winner, with its sturdy plastic shell and rocker arm design built to endure heavy use. The Tap N Set’s plastic construction and fragile components, like the battery cover and indicator lights, make it less reliable over time.
• Ease of Use: The Tap N Set shines with its NFC-enabled smartphone app, making it the easiest clock to set, especially for complex or custom time controls. The Wholesale Advanced, while user-friendly, requires more manual input for custom settings, which can be less intuitive.
• Price and Value: At $35, the Wholesale Advanced offers exceptional value for its durability and feature set. The Tap N Set’s $55 price tag feels steep given its durability issues and glitches.
• Tournament Reliability: The Wholesale Advanced’s consistent performance and robust design make it more trustworthy for rated tournaments, particularly longer games. The Tap N Set’s glitches and fragile components raise concerns for critical matches.

Our Recommendation: Wholesale Advanced Chess Clock

For most chess club members, the Wholesale Advanced Chess Clock is the better choice. Its durability, affordability, and comprehensive feature set make it ideal for both casual and competitive play. The rocker arm’s visibility and the clock’s ability to handle all USCF and FIDE time controls ensure it meets tournament needs reliably. While the Tap N Set’s smartphone app is a fantastic innovation for quick setup, its higher cost, questionable build quality, and occasional glitches make it less dependable, especially for serious tournaments. If you prioritize ease of setup and don’t mind the higher price and potential durability issues, the Tap N Set is worth considering, but for most players, the Wholesale Advanced offers the best balance of performance and value.

Final Thoughts

I would LOVE to see a rocker-style clock with the Wholesale Advanced’s exceptional build quality combined with the Tap N Set’s NFC tapping feature for effortless setup. The durability of the Wholesale Advanced paired with the convenience of smartphone programming would be the ultimate chess clock. I’m surprised the makers of the Wholesale Advanced haven’t created this yet, but if they do, I’d buy it in a heartbeat!

Invest in the Wholesale Advanced Chess Clock for a reliable, budget-friendly option that will serve you well in any tournament setting. Happy playing!