Casio Pathfinder Triple Sensor Watches…

[Anonymous]

Hi friends, I bought a Casio Pathfinder Triple Sensor watch… the PAW1500-1V. Just got it in the mail a few hours ago. I was wondering…

The readings are meant to be used only as approximations. The temp reading will always be significantly off if it is worn on the wrist. Most everything needs routine calibration to give the approximations…

So… Is this watch just a useless pricey time keeping stop watch? I mean, I have never needed one of these before… just thought I might like to check nightly lows and altitude while out there… but, seems like I may as well say "feels like 36 degrees", and "according to the map, we're at 9250 ft" and save myself the couple hundred bucks.

I think I just answered my question…
Just wondering if I have a useful gem that just needs uncovering through great reading of the manual? Is this a hiker p*rn toy? ;)

[Franco Darioli]

I have a previous version of that. The main reason for my purchase was that it is solar powered and has the features I like..
The temperature gauge when not worn on the wrist is pretty accurate and the altimeter seems to work for me without having to calibrated all that often.
I like to check the temperature when I wake up at night ; knowing that I can press that light on as many times as I want helps.
The alarm is loud enough for me and useful both travelling and on the trail.
I would have liked to have a countdown timer and or stopwatch, but apart from that I am happy with it.
Franco

[Anonymous]

Thanks Franco. I really bought it for the same reason… altimeter, and temperature readings when I wake during the night. I just wasn't excited after having futzed with it for about a half of an hour. Maybe it's the color… ;)

[Travis Leanna]

Do you guys have experience with this watch compared to the Suunto Core, or anything similar from the Suunto line? I was looking at the Casio not too long ago myself.

[Franco Darioli]

In Nepal I tested the altimeter and the temperature against two Sunto, one was an older model the other was the new top of the range (sorry I do not know the number). We had readings pretty close to each other,from memory the worst was 50 m off but usually within 10-20 m meters . (30-60 ')
The Casio is fairly chunky but don't notice that any longer.
Franco
BTW, I don't like the 09 12 16 date display…

[Anonymous]

I looked at both the Suuntos and the Casios, and it seemed the Casios were regarded by many as the better of the two… but the internet is full of misinformation, and cheeky opinion… and I hate to contibute, as I only own the Casio… and have only owned it for a few seconds… I suppose they will both get you there… since the getting is approximate. The atomic, the solar bit, and the reputation of the Casio are to be considered, as is the 40 percent off retail pricing at Sunnysports.com

I like the looks of the new Suunto Core Extreme, and if you do the 007 friday night, Van Peski saturday morning thing… The Core may better suit your… suit jacket.

[Roger Caffin]

The time of day is useful for telling you that it is too early to stop for lunch … or when to get up for an alpine start.

The altimeter is useful in alpine country to assist with determining position. Yes, I use it for that quite a bit.

The date function can be useful on a long trip … you know what I mean :-)

The thermometer is there to help calibrate the altimeter.

The rest is … Feeping Creaturitis (especially the utterly useless 'pseudo-compass'.)

Cheers

[joe newton]

I've had a Suunto watch for a year and now realise that although I don't NEED an ABC watch it is nice to have, more for interest rather than crucial information.

Like Roger I have used the altimeter to pinpoint my position on a map in the mountains. But I would have got home without it.

I have used the barometer to predict an oncoming storm. But I carried the clothing to cope with it anyway.

I have used the compass to quickly orientate myself in a wood. But I would never rely on it and always carry a regular compass.

The thermometer is very interesting when judging the efficiency of clothing/sleeping systems but it only works accurately when you take the watch off. I don't know about you but I like to keep my watch on my wrist when I'm sleeping outdoors.

The time, date, stopwatch and alarm functions are all useful out on the trail but these are available on any sports watch.

ABC watches also weigh quite a bit more than regular watches…

[Brian Lewis]

My Suunto altimeter started acting wonky, so I reluctantly did a search and just got a Casio triple sensor — of the bazillion of model variants I opted for one that doesn't do radio time updates, and isn't solar powered. Maybe I should have gone for the solar power, however, as in reading various user reviews someone had commented about the batteries being replaceable … a key factor for me, not having to mail the unit back to the manufacturer or third party.

Well, it turns out that someone has posted some detailed and possibly tricky instructions for replacing the batteries, but the documentation clearly says you need to mail the unit in. It's definitely NOT designed for user replacement of batteries, much less "field replacable" as my Suunto is.

So caveat emptor, FYI. The particular model I have is the PAG-40.

Initial reaction is that it's heavier than my Suunto, nicer overall controls (direct buttons to get to altimeter, temperature, compass). Unlike the Suunto there's no declination adjustment for the compass (but a turnable compass ring that doesn't strike me as much more than "possibly cool-looking to somebody …". The separate button on the Casio for turning on the light is nice, I would periodically forget on the Suunto which button I had to push and hold in the middle of the night, particularly since the unit is mostly symmetrical (picking out for sure *which* button to push and hold, and not inadvertantly reset some functionality).

I'm not a fan of how the Casio unit displays the time in HH:MMSS format, with the seconds digits immediately adjacent to and equal size as the minutes. No big deal, just seems like a poor design choice to me, maybe I'll get used to interpreting that over time.

The battery replacement is the big issue. I almost mailed the unit back, but instead downloaded the somewhat tweeky/geeky replacement details that I could find and am gambling that when it's time to replace the batteries that (a) I won't be 3 months into a 6 month trail, and (b) I can actually accomplish it even at home in a clean environment with tweezers and tiny screw drivers available.

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