The Doorstop Alarm: 125db of Pulsating Terror

Once when I was in college, some prankster pulled the alarm in the middle of the night, and everybody filed outside and stood in the cold, waiting for the building to be declared safe. Well, everybody except me, that is. I slept straight through the alarm — and the unit was right outside my dorm room. I guess you could say I was a heavy sleeper. I don’t really sleep that deeply any more, but the Doorstop Alarm may be the perfect gift for the heavy-sleeping traveler on your list.

Designed in the shape of a regular door stop, the fabulously-named Doorstop Alarm is placed behind a door. If the door is opened, the alarm gives off a pulsating 125db shriek. Just as an FYI, 125db is somewhere between Propeller Aircraft (“Threshold of Pain”) and Riveting Hammer (“Threshold of Feeling”). In other words, it’ll probably wake you up — and nearly give you a heart attack. As an added bonus, you can always slip the alarm into your pocket and “accidentally” set it off during dinner when the snotty waiter doesn’t come around to bring the check. (“Misseur, you want ze bill now?”)

For use with a single 9-volt battery, a Doorstop Alarm runs in the neighborhood of $14. Conveniently, it features an on/off switch so the alarm doesn’t accidentally go off in your luggage — and nearly give the baggage handler a heart attack.