So far so good. I bought this Pathfinder a month and a half ago to replace a Casio Atomic Solar G-Shock whose recessed buttons had become too difficult to press without resorting to the tip of a ballpoint. My son says it's because i have fat fingers. I don't. And anyway, they're no fatter now than they were 18 months ago when I bought the G-Shock and had no trouble with the buttons. G-Shocks seem to do that. On the other hand, I beat the tar out of watches, which is why G-Shocks have always been my first choice. They really can take abuse and shrug it off. I've always felt they had everything I needed, so I was tentative about shelling out twice as much for a Pathfinder that seemed to have a lot of things i didn't need. On the other hand, I do a lot of hiking, have no sense of direction, often gear my agenda by the weather and I'm busy enough for it to matter to me how much time things take. Besides, I had to buy something.
So here, at the 50-day mark, is how that decision turned out. The PAW-1300B-4 (hereafter referred to as simply the Pathfinder) is billed as "slim," and I guess by comparison with most other expedition-type watches it is. It doesn't dwarf my wrist, but it's clearly a presence (the unnecessary bronze color may have something to do with that) and its footprint if not its thickness makes the old G-Shock look small. On the principle of bad news/good news, here's the bad news in my opinion: Some may like the bronze colored bezel; I don't hate it, but I'd have preferred simple black, which i didn't find available. The shiney black inner liner just inside the bezel has a lot of hashmarks and gradient arrows. That's frippery. And like virtually all the type on the surround of the watch the identifying type on that ring is too small to read easily. That's a function of a watch designed by folks who never tried out their designs in practice. Both the black and bronze bezels scratch immediately. Mine already has two scars, acquiring the first minutes after I opened the box. Another piece of silliness is the indigo-colored ring on the extreme outside of the face itself. A black dot travels around the indigo track indicating the passage of seconds. Why? This is a digital watch and it shows the changing seconds digits in the lower third of the face. The little indigo racetrack just absorbs dial space that could have been better used to make some of the ancillary symbols and type (which are now much too minute) larger. More self-congratulatory design candy. Space allocation in the design of the face is adequate if not optimal. For example, in barometer mode, the most useful element, the weather trend graph, is crammed into the smallest space. You can read it, but you have to squint. Meanwhile, the inches of mercury (I changed mine to those units because it's what I'm used to) numbers are huge, even though they're arguably less immediately useful. The thermometer has so far been useless. It's always higher than the true temp. If it consistently read the same amount higher than the true ambient temperature, minor mental math would make it useful. But it varies all over the map, sometimes 15 degrees too high, sometimes as many as 25. That failure disappoints me because an accurate temperature reading would have been a useful feature. I've never tried to use the altimeter feature because, frankly, I don't care how many feet above sea level I am and since I don't climb mountains, and no longer rock climb, I probably never will. The watchband, made of plastic that does not remotely look like leather, with cheap looking contrasting stitching, with a bronze accent patch and a recessed inset strip of some grey material that looks like plastic but seems to absorb water, is in my opinion another triumph of cosmetics over common sense. Of course some people will like it. Some people may even like the velcro-adjustable strap that secures the tail of the watchband. Why velcro? Why adjustable? When I rest my wrist on a desktop it feels like I've put it down on a marble. And that bulky strap invariably catches and hangs up when you pull on the sleeve of a sweat shirt or shrug into a jacket that has tight cuffs. I would have preferred the tough black resin watchband used on the G-Shock. And this little confection can't be changed for something better.
You're probably wondering why I gave the Pathfinder four stars. Okay, the good news: Casio packed a lot of functionality into a watch case that can be worn without making accommodations. I love the atomic timekeeping for obvious reasons. Ditto the solar. I think you'd have to live in a cave to have power problems. I've never had less than full power. I wear a watch to know what time it is--the digits that do that are large and easily read and the day and date are clear. It's all the key information in one shot, no buttons. Speaking of buttons, one of my prime complaints about my old G-Shock was the recessed buttons. Yes, I understand the logic. Nevertheless, inherently bad idea. By contrast, the Pathfinder buttons are large, pressed easily, and the action is crisp and positive. And I've yet to find that any of the buttons have been pressed by accident. If you orient the compass properly initially, it works quite well and matches the accuracy of my in-car compass and a lensatic compass that I've used in the past when hiking in more remote areas. The degree reading on the compass is twitchy, but it's consistent which is more important than accurate. I haven't tried it on the water yet, but it works fine for land navigation. The barometer function is where the Casio really shines. The trend graph though small has been dead accurate, maybe a little more so than my pricey bedroom weather station, and the pressure readings are remarkably close to those on the weather station.
So far I've worn this watch hiking in misty rainy conditions, while playing tennis, building a deck, stripping paint with a vibrating rotary stripper and nothing has fazed it. The band may not be to my taste, but it soldiers through sweat and spray from a power washer and dried off quickly. Using the stop watch while driving is a piece of cake and the countdown timer has been extremely useful in the kitchen. I do wish this Pathfinder had been ruggedized to match the G-Shock and given the same resin case. And I'd be delirious if Casio would figure out that alarms should be optionally audible or vibrating or both, as is the case with cell phones.
Only time will tell how well this Pathfinder will hold up, but so far, so good. If asked today would I buy it again, knowing its plusses and minuses, the answer would be "Yes."
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Casio Men's PAW1300B-4 Pathfinder Slim Solar Atomic WatchProduct Description: The Casio Men's Pathfinder Slim Atomic Solar Watch #PAW1300B-4 brings together a unique, rugged design and cutting edge technology. Prepared to take on the most challenging of adventures, this watch provides triple-sensory date, reliable altimeter and barometer readings, and a digital compass, all in addition to traditional timekeeping functions. A durable resin case and a unique metal bezel with textured accents and an orange-tone finish compliment the detailed digital display and keep this watch looking cool. This watch is water resistant to 330 feet.
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