My wife prefers an alarm clock with hands (analog), and I prefer silent, no ticking. The more challenging thing, it must be dropproof! This clock is steel cased. My only concerns, the battery cover on this one was missing a clip to hold it closed, so when it got dropped, it knocked off one of the setting knobs, easily replaced. I also worry about the plastic face, sticking out past the case. Other than that, it is quite sturdy.