 Great watch that "has it all" |
| Review Date: May 20, 2008 |
| Reviewer: scottjl, USA |
Picked up this watch last week (found it somewhere else for a for a bit cheaper) and loving it. The watch has all the functions mentioned and all work smoothly. The only thing to note is that the watch case itself is a mix of dark green and black (it's hard to make out in photos). Keep that in mind if you're "fashion conscious," didn't bother me one bit. The watch is a little on the large side so if you've got a very small wrist it might be huge on you. I'm a lefty and wear it on my right wrist and have no problem with button operations. For some reason the moon display was reversed but the documentation explained how to fix that quickly. Like all temperature sensing watches, your measurements will be off if you try taking a reading with it on your wrist (body heat and all). Everything else appears accurate. The radio receiver has worked flawlessly every night, even receiving a signal with the watch deep inside my house.
Pros:
Watch has everything except a GPS!
Solar powered, don't worry about batteries.
Large, easy to read numbers.
Bright backlight, auto backlight if you enable it.
Calendar programmed until 2099.
Great water/depth resistance (200m).
Cons:
Large size (only a problem if you have a small wrist).
Disclaimers in manual to take all readings with a grain of salt (not meant as professional quality measurements).
Two-tone case (dark green and black, why not just back?).
Non-standard watch bands, can't swap it out easily for non-Casio band. |
Great watch...just know its limitations
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| Review Date: April 29, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Oregon Troutbum, Sisters, OR USA |
I just got this watch and I really like it. As a flyfishing guide/fisheries biologist, I have found it a very useful tool. For a watch I have found its "casual" data quite useful. I have found the barometer to be accurate within .05 inPb and the altimeter accurate within 60-100 ft... what more can I ask from a watch. If I need more accurate data, I use precise scientific equipment(that costs thousands of dollars and needs more calibration than this watch). For the casual user (hiker, biker, fisherman/woman) this is close enough.
The compass is a little tempermental but works great outdoors once it is calibrated (readings are a little iffy indoors, near powerlines, or electronic equipment). The tide/moon data is great and can be specified to exact locations. For the thermometer to work accurately, the watch needs to be off your wrist for 20-30 minutes. This is probably the biggest con of this watch but temp is the least of my concerns.
The biggest downfall of most watches in this catagory is they eat lots of batteries. Well, I have found the solar powered battery more adequate. Just leave it exposed to sunlight for 5-10 minutes and it is fully charged. Additionally, if you set the watch to "Power Save" mode, it automatically goes to sleep when not exposed to light for more than 60 minutes.
The light can be left on by enabling "auto light." Turn on this function and rotate the watch to >40 degrees and the light stays on until you move it <40 degress. |
Got Gadgets?
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| Review Date: January 21, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Randell J. Grenier, |
For those who aren't familiar with atomic time watches, it works something like this. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) maintains super-accurate cesium atom and hydrogen atom clocks (hence "atomic time"). Astronomical observations from the U.S. Naval Observatory are used to keep the atomic clocks in synch with the actual rotation of the earth and its orbit around the sun. The resulting time information is then broadcast via short wave radio from Fort Collins, Colorado. An "atomic time" watch picks up the radio signal and adjusts its time to match it. Simply leave your watch near a window at night, and it will automatically adjust the time. Your watch will always be super-accurate within a fraction of a second (theoretically at least).
I've had many Casio watches over the years including a solar powered Casio G-Shock with atomic time that I've had now for 5-6 years. It still works perfectly. It's been in very hot weather, sub-zero cold weather, in the ocean, in the snow, in high-pressure car washes, in luggage compartments at 40,000 feet, and it still works perfectly. The damn watch won't die! The only reason I bought a new Pathfinder was because I felt due for a new watch. I don't need an altimeter, barometer, compass, moon phase nor tide indicator, I just wanted a new damn watch!
That being said, the Pathfinder PAW1500-1V is a really cool watch for gadget lovers. You can view the phase of the moon for the current date as well as for any other date. Not only can you view the tide for the current time and place, you can see the "lunitidal interval", whether it is spring tide or neap tide (I don't know--ask a surfer), and you can get this information for any time on any date.
In addition to the current barometric pressure, you can display a graph of the trend of barometric pressure readings to help forecast the weather. And then there's a compass, an altimeter, world time (all 29 time zones--yes, there's 29--not 24), a countdown timer, and 5 alarms. The atomic time feature also works in most of Europe and Japan (they have their own atomic time broadcasts) as well as most of the U.S. and parts of Canada.
All of this is solar powered. So long as the watch gets a little sunlight now and then, you never need to replace the battery. Did I mention that that this watch is water resistant to 200 meters?
If past experience with Casio watches is any indicator, I expect my PAW1500-1V to be an extremely durable and reliable watch for many years. BTW, it is really cool looking, and you'll want it to be visible the next time you're in the conference room where everyone else is wearing those bogus diving watches.
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PAW1500-1V - Excellent Pathfinder Watch!
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| Review Date: June 6, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Paul E. Harvey, Culver City, CA |
Just picked up the PAW1500-1V - all things considered, it is my favorite pathfinder yet!
With moon and tide graphs, along with compass, altimeter, barometer, thermometer, timer countdown, stopwatch, five alarms, world time, hourly chime, solar power, extreme temperature resistance, power saving, radio-atomic timekeeping - this watch simply has it all!
The PAW1500 is a fantastic looking timepiece as well.
I have also owned the models below:
PAW-1300G
PAW-1200-1V
PAG-40 (Newer with Resin Band - Green/Grey)
PAG-40B2V (Blue w/Nylon Band)
A few other models I don't have the numbers for
In response to someone else's complaint about the backlight - I agree it could stay on longer (and I looked for a way to set this, but unfortunately there isn't), but unlike the PAG-40, this watch features a MUCH BETTER Auto Backlight function as this watch has a light sensor so it won't activate the auto backlight when you're in conditions with alot of sunlight. The PAG-40 Auto Backlight turns on no matter the condition or amount of sunlight. Also, being that the PAG-40's auto-backlight is tied to the Barometer button, it would continually turn itself off as it would invariably be hit by my hand during the day if my wrist was flexed. Lastly, being a solar powered watch, you don't have to worry about battery drain with the auto backlight on the 1500.
In response to one other reviewer's complaint about the band - I have a solution and have created what I consider to be the ultimate looking pathfinder.
I too dislike the plastic resin bands. The band doesn't stay in the band-holder and the plastic bands also become uncomfortable after hours on my wrist.
Using the black plastic band 'holder pieces' from the PAG-40B2V (which easily bolt onto the PAW-1500) I have attached a multi-strap nylon band with quick release buckle from a Casio G2110V G-Shock which truly creates the ultimate, rugged looking pathfinder timepiece.
The G2110V Multi-strap nylon band is wide and makes the timepiece look more balanced as the wide band suits the large watch. I've been searching for the ultimate looking and performing active watch and I've finally been able to create it.
This configuration also works and looks great with the Green/Grey/Black PAG-40 (however, if you're buying from scratch, the 1500's additional Solar Power, Atomic Timekeeping, Countdown Timer and Auto Backlight features make it a much better buy).
Try it out if you get the chance! |
Lots of fun, easy to wear, looks better in person
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| Review Date: April 23, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Kelly Knight, |
A lot has already been said about this watch, so I'll just add a few more notes.
I like this version better than the one with the titanium band. First, the color scheme is more to my liking. Easier to match black. Second, it's much more comfortable. If you're going to be wearing this outdoors, possibly while sporting or hiking, then you might prefer the resin band to the titanium band, especially considering how it will feel on a hot day when you're sweating. I prefer the resin.
Next, this watch looks pretty good in person. It does look odd, what with having such a huge display, but it doesn't look close to as bad as it does in the online photos. If you're iffy about it, you should definitely go to a local store and try it on.
As others have said, the thermometer function is largely useless. Not only do you have to remove the watch from your arm, but you then have to wait about 10 minutes to get anything close to what the real temp is. This is no joke, as the other day I measured the temp in my office at 73 degrees (thermometer right on my desk), but the watch said that it was 86 degrees. So I took the watch off and hit the temp button every minute. Each minute it would come down about a half degree. Took so long that I finally just gave up on waiting.
The functions are really nifty. Do we need all of these functions? No. Are they super cool? Absolutely.
Fun toy!
I bought this watch just before heading to Japan for vacation. Now, when I get to Japan and can't figure out which way is north, I'll have a compass on my wrist! And a barometer so I can figure out if rain is coming (it's raining there this weekend). And an altimeter for when I hike Fuji-san. And a tide graph for when I go surfing. And ultra-water resist so I don't have to worry about leaving the watch on the beach. And a day/date/worldtime mode so I'm always oriented. And an atomic clock so I won't have to re-adjust the watch. And an alarm so I'll wake up on time. And an auto backlight so I can see all of this at night by just tilting my wrist to an angle and having the light turn on.
Is any of that necessary? Probably not. But it sure was fun typing that out...
=) |
Great Watch For Hikers and Climbers
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| Review Date: August 27, 2009 |
| Reviewer: T. Vervaeke, Colorado Springs, CO USA |
I bought this watch about 8 months ago and have used it regularly when hiking or climbing. Have been a lover of the Casio sport watches (G-Shocks) for a long time. Primarily I got this watch to hike with as it's altimeter will be helpful as it is on my wrist. I always hike with a Garmin Rino 530Hcx which is a GPS, Radio, Moving Map, and altimeter. But it attaches to the front of my backpack's shoulder strap and is not always that convenient to read w/o unclipping it and reading it.
The 1500 watch is perfect for that. At the Trailhead I will turn on the GPS, get a fix, read the elevation, and then set the Casio 1500 to that elevation. It's normally pretty close on it's own but not always perfect. Then I start my hike. Most of my hiking is upwards from the TH to a lake or mountain peak that I know the elevation of. So I can use the watch to determine how I am doing and how much time I have expended. In conjunction with the Garmin GPS it's a wonderful combo.
This is my first solar powered watch and that too was one of the reasons I got it. No more batteries. No chance it is going to die from batteries when out on a week-long adventure somewhere (which has happened with my battery powered quartz watches). My watch keeps itself charged even if sitting on my desk in my office for weeks at a time and the only light it gets comes through a window 10' away.
I have not really used the back light much that many folks complain about as I don't hike much at night. I'm old, when it's dark I'm likely to be inside.
As for the atomic time sync: no issues at all. Again, my watch normally sits on my desk inside my house and it gets the time signal just fine. In fact there's a screen on the watch to inform you when it last synced. Never an issue. I live in the western US.
The thermometer is accurate as long as the watch is not on your wrist. It takes 5-10 minutes once off of your wrist to be accurate. Unfortunately, since I'm a mammal and it's a watch it can't measure wind chill. Darn. :-)
All in all this is a great watch for the $$ especially if you buy it someplace like Amazon on sale. I expect this watch to last 10+ years and thousands and thousands of hiking miles. I consider it part of my hiking survival kit.
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Excellent Piece of Time Keeping Equipment
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| Review Date: January 2, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Cpl Delves USMC, Brooklyn, NY |
I purchased the Casio Men's Pathfinder Multi-Band Solar Atomic Ultimate Watch #PAW1500-1V via my wife for Christmas, its something we both do. I have to say I am very impressed. I am a "just like to know/ useless information" type of person and this wrist watch had me intrigued from first sight. I tested out the various non-time keeping inturments on the watch to give my self a feel for its accuracy, or inaccuracy for any matter. Here is what I found, along with the pros, cons, and intuitive insight of add-ons:
Compass: Pretty accurate when compared with my old manual compass from my Marine Corps days. Slight movements will throw off the bearing but,as with manual compasses one should check their bearing from time to time anyway.
Barometer: Accurate when checked with the National Weather Service.
Barometer Graph: Accurate. When the graph displayed a downward slope there was rain or snow within 12 hours, as the weather faired better the graph sloped upward.
Altimeter: I still have not totally figured how to check the accuracy of this measurement.
Thermometer: Inaccurate due to reads the ambient air along with your body heat when worn. Accurate if taken off your wrist and allowed to calibrate.
Atomic Timing: Accurate with offcial US time at [...]
Moon Graph: Accurate.
Tide Graph: Accurate.
Pros:
Solar powered
Atomic Timed
Compass
Barometer Graph
World Time
Automatic Illumimnation, when watch is tilted 40 degrees or more.
Lots of gadgets
Cons:
Thermometer
Bezel too loose
Good features to include for future:
GPS
Mild Vibrate
I have a little insight ot a couple of feature others complained about.
-Illumination time is only 2 seconds: I see this as purely tactical. As a Marine I wouldnt want a backlight so bright to be on for more than a couple seconds.
-Alarm is on the low side, volume wise. Another tactical advantage. I would not want it to be any louder but a mild vibrate feature would solve that slight discrepancy.
-Size; I am six foot tall, 155 pounds, slim build, the watch doesn't seem large or bulky at all.
All and all the Casio Men's Pathfinder Multi-Band Solar Atomic Ultimate Watch #PAW1500-1V is as the the title for my review states, an excellent piece of time keeping equipment. |
casio PAW1500-1V
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| Review Date: August 14, 2008 |
| Reviewer: Thomas E. Coleman, st louis, mo |
| i bought this watch after reading about it. i didnt think it was possible for a watch to do so many different functions. however it does, and at a very reasonable price. barometer, thermometer, altimeter, compass, stopwatch, timer, and on and on. i have checked the readings against the weather station, and the readings are right on the button. enjoy this watch, it does so much |
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