Do watch compasses/altimiters/etc ACTUALLY work?

[admin]

It’s time for a new watch…im going through suunto, gshock, pro-trek…

I’m trying to decide whether to care about the triple sensors. I have mine on my riseman and have never once used it. The only one I might like having is the compass. Are they accurate enough to navigate in an emergency?

If not I’ll just grab one with solar and atomic.

Thanks everyone

[admin]

If you’ve set your declination correctly the compass is quite useful. Out of the box, it’s probably still good enough in a pinch. I used to have a triple sensor Pro-Trek and really liked it, but the compass was the only thing I used too. If I’m remembering correctly the thermometer is especially useless unless you take off the watch and set it on the ground in the shade for a couple of minutes so it can cool down from body temperature. Otherwise you’re just gathering information to really accurately describe the climate of your left wrist.

[admin]

Stick with the real deal like Suunto, for example. Casio G-shocks, Pro-treks and Pathfinders are toys when it comes to altitude and pressure recording.

The new first-ever triple-sensor G-shock Rangeman now shares the same 3rd gen sensor as the Protreks, but still pretty much useless for anything half-serious.

[admin]

I have a Suunto Core and an X10, and both work really great : On a 1000m+ ascension, altimeter accuracy stays in a good +/-10m range, compass have never failed and the barometers are more accurates than some well known dedicated stuff like Oregon.

I can’t talk about the overall quality of Suunto products, but the 2 I have are outstanding.

[admin]

Stick with the real deal like Suunto, for example. Casio G-shocks, Pro-treks and Pathfinders are toys when it comes to altitude and pressure recording.

The new first-ever triple-sensor G-shock Rangeman now shares the same 3rd gen sensor as the Protreks, but still pretty much useless for anything half-serious.

I agree Suunto’s are light years ahead of g-shocks in this catagory

[admin]

Thanks for the replies everyone.

The problem with the suuntos (for me) is the battery life. I need something that’s going to last more than a week or so. That’s why i like the solar gshocks. But if the compass on the gshock is much worse than the ones on suuntos I may have to reconsider. I can’t think of any use (for me) for the barometer thermometer or altimiter.)

[admin]

I have a Pathfinder. Works fine. I kept the instruction booklet because it lists how to calibrate ithe altimiter.

It works fine outta the box though. I checked it against a real compass when I got it. As far as using it for emergencies…it’ll be fine.

[admin]

The thermometer gives you an innacurate reading when its worn due to the temp of your arm.

[admin]

The problem with the suuntos (for me) is the battery life.
I have a Suunto Vector that I think is 12 or 13 years old. The compass works fine… when it is calibrated. The thing is, I can never remember how to do it and even the calibration process requires you to dance around in a little circle. That said, it has really helped me out on a number of occasions when I was otherwise under prepared for the day.

As far as the batter goes, I don’t recall it ever not last more than a year and, honestly, I think I may be getting up to two years out of it.

I’d also add that I’ve heard from several people horror stories about Suunto CS being rather poor. Make of that what you will.

[admin]

I love my protrek, I use the compass and the thermometer. I do take the watch off for a bit for a proper temp reading. I have used the timers and alarm, but never the barometer or altimeter. I never worry about it working, it’s been on my arm for years, can’t complain!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

[admin]

Big Protrek/Pathfinder fan here too. I like Suunto too, but it’ll probably be at least another decade before we can have GPS watches that are powered by the sun so until then I’m sticking with my Casio.

The compass is great, I trust it even more than my analog ones. Barometer is also very good at sea level. It works at altitude as well but you’ll have to compensate for the pressure difference. If you just rely on the graph there’s no problem at all. It (the graph) will go funky on you when driving through the mountains though. All those quick changes in altitude confuse the watch and it’ll need a couple of hours to create a new useful graph again. Thermometer is great as well, but you do have to take the watch off and let it acclimatize for a while, like you would have to do with every other thermometer when wearing it directly on your body. I’m not a big fan of the altimeter though. It works fine if you just want to check your elevation after or during a day hike, but you’ll need to recalibrate it every time the barometric pressure changes.

Also, this thread needs pics :rolleyes:

[admin]

…But if the compass on the gshock is much worse than the ones on suuntos I may have to reconsider. I can’t think of any use (for me) for the barometer thermometer or altimiter.)
No, the Compass on the Casio outdoor watches isn’t lagging much behind the Suunto or any other serious brand, for that matter. They’re all very similar in Compass performance department.

If the Compass is the only usable function from the triple sensors you intend to use, then yes sure, stick with Solar Casio’s and they don’t have to be Pathfinder or ProTrek sort, there other more cheaper (and smaller) alternatives from Casio.

[admin]

I have a Suunto Core. Compass is OK (although I’m usually in a city where compasses are easily distracted) and the barometer is excellent. (Calibrating a barometer for use as an altimeter has been a problem for hundreds of years and has nothing to do with the watch.*) Battery life is 6-9 months, usually. A watch that requires a battery replacement in less than a week is faulty and should be returned.

* Ever notice that GPS users are usually happy when their device gets them within 100 feet horizontally, but get cranky when they can’t get the altitude to the exact foot?

[admin]

I have a gshock with a compass and thermometer feature. Compass works perfectly, thermometer is off by as much as 5 degrees at times.

[admin]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I think im going to stick with a solar casio for now. Battry shoils last a number of years. When I was referring to the suunto lasting a week I was referring to the new one with gps that needs to be charged every week or so.

Among the casios…what are the differences between the protreks pathfinders and gshocks? I’d like the new range man but I think it’s $400. As long as it’s solar, compass, waterproof/shockproof, I don’t care. Any hints on pathfinder/gshock/protrek debate? It’ll be worn 5 or 6 days a week.

Thanks again!

(I’ll cross my fingers for a solar gps watch soon)

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