Price Paid:  $40.00 from EBay

Summary:
I have the Sur-20 (same thing) and have found it to be a great remote. I had to "trick" the unit to follow some commands, especially from my Kenwood VR-507 receiver and Phillips TV. The company''s customer service was very helpful, even though I figured out the problem before they called me back. Anyway, the device seamlessly controls devices from Kenwood, RCA, Phillips & Toshiba without a hitch. This little device has allowed me to put 5 remotes in the drawer! If you can find a good deal on one of these BUY IT! I think it would be a good deal even at retail ($120) but you can regularly find them for <$50 on EBay. My system: 32" Phillips Kenwood VR-507 receiver RCA DirecTV interactive receiver w/optical Dolby output Toshiba SD-2700 DVD Bic 52 center channel Cerwin-Vega LS-12 fronts Stock Kenwood surrounds and powered sub.

Strengths:
convenience, cool looking, nice backlight and ambient light sensor.

Weaknesses:
No hard buttons. It takes some getting used to. Somewhat overly sensitive when learning codes.

Similar Products Used:
None

Price Paid:  $100.00 from Circuit City

Summary:
The Crisp Solutions U Command is truly a great remote controller. I actually have the Sima SUR-20 (I think that's the model #) which is the same remote marketed under another brand. Actually the Sima should be better because it's a universal/learning remote while the U Command is a learning only remote. This was hardly a problem as the built-in codes didn't operate much of my equipment anyway and I wanted to select my own button layout.
The learning function couldn't be easier to use. It is simple to program (and actually fun to do) and ANY button (except the 4 learning mode buttons) will learn any command or macro! There are about 32 learnable buttons on each screen and a total of 8 screens (for each component in your A/V setup) for a total of 256 learnable buttons! There are settings for when the backlight will come on (the remote control has a built-in light sensor) and how long it will stay on. Set these cautiously as my first set of (4) AAA batteries (Energizer E2, not cheapies mind you) lasted a whopping month.
The remote is extremely flexible, but some creativity is required. Each button gives you about 4 labels to choose from. These are not customizable and you can't relocate the label to another button on the screen. While 4 choices sounds like enough, you can quickly run out of labels as 2 or more of the common labels may be under the same key. This is where the creativity and the compromise come into play. Basically you cannot use this remote to totally replace your old remotes. You can program every everyday function in the remote without much problem, albeit some of the labels you've assigned to buttons may not be your first choice; you'll just have to remember which button meant what. My DVD and VCR remotes have a lot of infrequently used fluff buttons that are neat but could not be squeezed onto the Sima (even my programming button on the VCR had to give way to other more important buttons). While this sounds like a major problem (it almost kept me from buying it) once you own it, it's not. Frankly unless your willing to pay $400 for a Pronto, you won't get this kind of flexibility from any other remote out there (even the $180 Sony RM-AV2100 has the same basic design and is way to bulky).
The U Command/Sima is a little on the heavy side but is slim and rests comfortably in one hand. The backlight is bright and easy to read. The only problem that I've had with it is it's inability to learn sound field modes from the remote that comes with your Sony receiver. It won't learn them directly but there's a way around it (check out Crisp's website and look under the FAQ's). The remote now controls my Toshiba TV, Sony CD player, Sony receiver, Toshiba DVD player, and Panasonic VCR and is the best $100 I've spent in a while.

Strengths:
Flexibility, completeness, price

Weaknesses:
Battery usage, button labels are not customizable.

Similar Products Used:
Universal remote that came with my receiver

Price Paid:  $86.00 from Consumer Direct Warehouse

Summary:
Great remote. I is simple to use and program. It is very wife friendly. Super Product!!

Strengths:
Easy to use, Learns everything, Great look

Weaknesses:
None!!!

Price Paid:  $199.00 from smarthome.com

Summary:
This review is actually for the U616. This remote comes without any codes built in so all commands must be learned. So if you have lost a remote beware. Learning the various commands is very intuitive and easy. The dot matrix LCD screen permits the easy re-sizing of any button as well as custom labeling. This unit will support bitmaps but beware they cannot be downloaded as with the Pronto. All functions can be performed without the use of a PC and it took me about 5-6 hours to configure this remote to my home theater. Much of this time was actually spent in planning and laying out the buttons for my various components. This unit learned all the commands from my six remotes and now I can perform all functions using just this one remote. The blue luminescent backlight is very bright and fully adjustable in sensitivity to ambient light. I feel that this remote is the best in the under $200 range. ($199.00 with Ni-MH batteries and charger, $179.00 without). Those who have the extra $100 bucks and love glitz should buy the Pronto. Those of us who have had enough with that and just want a remote that will run everything in our home theaters, pass the Wife Acceptance Factor and be programmable without a programming degree should buy this remote. I rate the Ucommand 616 5 stars for customer support, ease of use and value.

Strengths:
ease of use

Weaknesses:
none so far

Similar Products Used:
old Fox 800

Price Paid:  $99.00 from Etronix

Summary:
I'm afraid this is a re-review. After almost 4 months I am not that satisfied with my Crisp Soltutions. Perhaps, I did not find the solution, that crisp!
It's an interesting design, and had enough memory to handle anything I needed.
Most aggravating was the lack of tactile feel, especially for a remote where you have to rely on a touch screen 100% of the time.
I never used a pencil eraser which is often advised for touch screen use, that might be better.
Programming was okay. A bit unusual but worked everytime.
The touch screen, as I learned does not require a lot of pressure. And in fact, too much pressure and the particular will not work at all. With hard buttons, once you find the minimum pressure, it doesn't matter if you hit them harder.
The illumination seems a little primitive. You can make out the location of the light sources, instead of a nice even glow.
So I picked up a Sony VL-900 with no backlight, but I really find it much more satisfying to use. It has fantastic memory and adaptability, especially for the macros.
It learns other remotes very quickly, and besides putting out a good beam, macro commands are transmitted much faster than the CS. (Delays can be inserted if necessary).
I feel much more comfortable, and in command with the Sony.
On the UC 515 I did keep the 'protector' in place to increase the tactile feel of the CC, but that seemed like a squirrely solution, not a crisp one.
But for those that would have nothing but a touch screen, the CC is bargain.
For me, it's the Sony. By the way, if anybody wants a good deal on a used one UC515, I have it, complete with manual and fresh batteries.

Strengths:
attention getter
good value for a touch screen
good programming capability

Weaknesses:
No hard buttons
Illumination is not that sophisticated
A lot of functions are not intuitive

Similar Products Used:
Sony VL-900
Cinema 7