 "Helo Pilot Loves Casio Pathfinder PAW1399T-7V - Great size and function.." | 2008-09-07 |
| - Reviewed By mellh_50 |
I have admired the Casio altimeter/barometer/compass pathfinders for several years. But I never cared for the huge size.
I wanted their functions in a smaller, lighter watch. When Casio introduced the PAW1300T-7V, I decided I would try it as a replacement for my aging Luminox Navy Seal watch. I needed a watch that was fairly light and easily readable in the dark. The Luminox had fit that bill perfectly with the Tritum capsules on the hands at at the hour marks. But over time those capsules loose their luminosity. Also batteries have to be replaced. The prospect of a solar powered, rechargable watch that automatically corrected itself with the Atomic Clock signal was an added benefit.
I fly for an EMS helicopter service for a living. Half of my shifts are night shifts. This watch works very well for quick time checks with its auto-illumination feature. I have found if I calibrate the altimeter and barometer with local conditions that the altimeter function is very accurate, usually within 20-40 feet of the calibrated altimeters in my helicopter. I frequently check the watch against the altimeters when we are flying. Dual time zones means I can leave the secondary time zone on UTC for filing filght plans. The temperature function is not of any real value to me as it is greatly affected by body proximity. But it is accurate if the watch is removed from the body for about 30 minutes. The alarms work well but the alarm tones are too soft for my ears after flying turbine engined aircraft for almost 40 years.
So, a quick recap: Automatic self-correcting time snychronization, Solar powered/recharged, Excellent automatic self-illumiation, Accurate altimeter and compass functions when calibrated for local conditions. It smaller than previous PAW's and lighter, especially in the Titanium version. I was just thinking the other day that I have been using Casio watches for the last 30 years. (I just put a battery in one of the oldest and it still works great!) I have always liked their layout and user interface. This newest Pathfinder of mine is no exception. It is easy to use, easy to set. If you like Casios, for the money, it is hard to beat this watch, especially on Amazon! |
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 "PAW1300T-7V" | 2008-09-06 |
| - Reviewed By User: A30X4S3QNAU70E |
It works OK apart for: Barometer, when I'm in mountains (ie, above 1000 m), the barometer usually does not show the graph of the previous readings, but only the current measure; this is bad if you want to understand how pressure is going.
The altimeter readings storage is not totally clear to me, I have still to understand something.
I do not use some features as Auto EL Backlight with Afterglow, World Time.
What disappoint me most so far is that barometer graph misfunction. |
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| "Great watch with tons of functions" | 2008-08-26 |
| - Reviewed By mattlesnake |
| I just used this watch while hiking in China, and I love it! Such a great buy and many more features than a Suunto for less money. |
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| "Great watch so far" | 2008-08-25 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3T7QNAC4N008R |
| Great watch, working well for the first month. For a multi function watch it is not too big.I like the solar charging, as I have had problems with prior watches losing their water resistance after a battery change. I love the atomic time, not so much that a timepiece needs to be that accurate, but that I don't need to reset the time ever, except with timezone changes. The automatic backlight feature works well and I like it. The altimeter is consistent, if not that accurate. I climbed Mount Elbert in CO, and after calibrating it read exactly the same at the same location on the way down as it did on the way up. It was between 100 and 200 feet off at the summit. If accuracy is needed, get a GPS watch. Compass and barometer work fine. Thermometer is pretty useless unless you strap the watch somewhere other than your wrist. I have not found the watch complicated to use, having to refer to the user manual only 2 or 3 times. I am happy with the titanium band, although it would have been easier to adjust with a tool designed for metal band adjustment. If one isn't handy with tools, get the special tool, or take it to jeweler to get it adjusted. I am looking forward to a band that should last forever, as resin bands on previous watches always harden, crack and break over time, usually 1- 2 years. I would recommend this watch. |
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| "Satisfied....so far" | 2008-08-21 |
| - Reviewed By User: A7N269FYUI406 |
| Just received my watch today and wanted to contribute to the reviews that helped make my decision. Bracelet is plenty large for all wrist sizes. I had to stop by a jeweler and have 3 links taken out. It fits perfectly now. Immediate impression is this is a very good looking watch. I am a little dissapointed with the barometer thus far. The manual implies that there should never be a need to calibrate the barometer but if one arises, luckily they gave instructions to do so. Mine read 29.75"Hg out of the box. As a pilot i checked this with my local airport's recorded weather briefing (only minutes old) and NOAA web site's reported pressure, both were 29.93. I went ahead and calibrated mine to 29.95 (only shows .05 "Hg units) and it has been changing well with the reported pressure changes the rest of the afternoon. Altitude works well so far. I am upgrading from a Highgear Summit that showed altitude in 1 foot increments while the pathfinder shows 20 foot increments which is obviously not as precise but to be fair, the Highgear fluctuated wildly. Compass seems adequate. I wouldn't use it if you had to navigate to a destination to the degree but for general reference it is fine. One thing i wanted to remind buyers is Amazon's excellent price guarantee. When i ordered this watch last week it was listed at $223.00. The day after it was shipped the price fell to $214.00. I contacted amazon and they promptly refunded the difference. You can read the details but it has to be within 30 days of purchase and must be an item sold by "Amazon", not another vendor. All in all, a good buy. |
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 "Great upgrade" | 2008-08-20 |
| - Reviewed By rod11490 |
I've been buying Casio Pathfinder watches for quite a while and this generation is the best so far. It has the two features I really prize: atomic timekeeping and solar power. It also has world time which is also a big plus, as well as a countdown timer and stopwatch - both of which I use. The thermometer function, like all watches I know of with this feature, is only accurate when the watch is not next to a heat source - like your wrist...
Pluses:
+ Better display - includes day AND date; the previuos model required switching between one or the other.
+ Declination adjustment - BIG improvement!
+ Smaller & lighter - BIG plus
+ Nicer design (my objective opinion)
+ Elegant band clasp design - virtually foolproof in keeping the clasp from accidently unsnapping.
Minuses:
- 10 degree compass accuracy - what?!
- no depth guage; not much of a big deal for me, but if the sensor is already there...?
- Barometer and altimiter are "close coupled" meaning whether the weather changes, or you're climbing/descending, both readings change. Suunto has a rather elegant fix for this in their new CORE line - you can set the Alti-Baro mode to "Alti" if you're climbing and only the altitude changes, or you can set it to "Baro" if you're in one place and only the barometric pressure changes. OR, you can set it to "Auto" and it then interprets rapid/large changes in pressure to be altitude changes and slow/small changes to be weather changes. It then switches modes to lock one or the other accordingly - really neat feature that works very well.
Finally, setting items in the various modes is still not quite intuitive, but getting better.
All in all, I'd recomend it.
RH
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| "Finally, Casio got it almost perfect" | 2008-08-20 |
| - Reviewed By akubiak |
| I had several of the Pathfinder watches including the latest Casio Titanium Pathfinder PAW1200T7V. Although the previous watch was light and worked fine, it was a little big and lacked a couple of features that I wanted. This watch is thinner, lighter, and has every feature and mode I've ever seen on Casio G-Shock and Pathfinder watches. It is very comfortable, not too big, and the face is layed out very well (there is no wasted space with useless displays). By far, the best Pathfinder watch Casio has produced by a long shot. Why did I say it was "almost perfect"? , it wasn't free :) |
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| "The best of the Pathfinder Series" | 2008-08-15 |
| - Reviewed By fred19 |
This is my third Pathfinder watch. Of my previous models, one was lost and the other stolen.
The good points: Light weight. I looks heavy but the titanium band is light and the clasp is VERY secure. This watch is slimmer than my previous Pathfinders - so it looks better on my slim wrist. The "atomic" function works very well. It sets almost every night no matter where I put it (but it works best near a west-facing window-I'm in Louisiana and the "atomic" transmitter is in Colorado). I've had many compliments on the styling. I'm sure the solar charging system works well but since it has never run below "high" charge, I can't know for sure.
The bad point: The compass indicator is no longer a set of lines that display over the entire face of the watch. This model has indicator dots around the edge of the dial - hard to see in low light.
Buy it - You Will Like It. |
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| "Almost perfect" | 2008-07-14 |
| - Reviewed By User: AJ7WDFZJX182K |
Yes, this watch is almost perfect. I love the mix of features, including the solar charging and NIST time sync. It all works very well.
The bad feature is the design of the buttons. The absolute worst is the button for activating the back light. This button is pretty much impossible to find in the dark, which is when you need the back light. |
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| "Outstanding watch for traveling" | 2008-07-07 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2D3L3T80VDQP4 |
I travel around the globe as a consultant. This watch is easy to read without my glasses -- in the dark-- in an airplane that is darkened for night travel
Very light weight for the metal band it has. Big bold time display with manual back light as and when needed.
Not sure I will use all of the features -- but they do work if I want to use them.
Even my wife says that it looks good when I get dressed up -- and she normally prefers the older style with fancy gold trim.
I highly suggest this Pathfinder PAW1300T watch if you travel extensively and need a dependable time piece. |
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