First, i have been using harmony for about 6 or 7 yrs now. Sadly i have gone through quite a few because they just seem to fall apart pretty quickly. Recently after my latest harmony one started having troubles i started reading up and found URC remotes to be the cream of the crop so everyone says.

I purchased the URC 980 a couple weeks ago and very good build quality, the best you could have asked for. However the remote was huge and pretty cumbersome in my hand, along with the wife hating it i decided to return it.

That brings me to today..Received the 880 in the mail yesterday, programmed it and still not happy. The remote seems to be not as responsive as the 980 was, it feels awkward yet comfortable in my hand. After using it for a couple days i just cant get used it. Seems a bit thicker than the 980 which seems to be bugging me, along with its kinda slipper in the hand. Again though, great build quality!

So i want to return this one also now...Where to go from here? What other remotes/brands should i check out before i go back to another harmony?

Thanks for any suggestions

It's shocking that your wife found the Harmony easy to control and the superior URC remotes not so easy. I understand (i think) about the MX_980 stature being an issue, but I would have to think that a remote that is professionally programmed would be the way to go. There is just no way that a Harmony could have such a better ergonomic than an 880. The harmony buttons are smaller, harder to read and dont resemble a regular remote.

Seems like your made for Harmony - the remotes that are superior to URC are professional and have much higher build quality...

if you know how to program and have access to CCP software, the mx 780 seems like a good one. I am using it and am fairly happy with it - except that they could have done a better job of making it easy for us to use it, with practice, the buttons, in dark, without actually looking at the remote.. I wish manufacturers would pay attention to that thought.. Home theaters are Dark..

Xsight Touch is also a very good alternative to Harmony. It doesn't do state tracking like harmony but does add the following that harmony lacks:

- RF
- Native DirecTV RF control
- Unlimited Macros
- Multiple Favorites lists
- Total of 18 devices
- Touch screen
- More hard buttons
- Much lower price