Purchase Guide: After trying out all CASIO, GARMIN, and EPSON, we found out the best solution for outdoor watches with GPS for each purpose [Part 1]

4. Operability and Interface: Once you get used to touch panel operation, everything else becomes a hassle

Outdoor watches not only allow you to look at the time, but also check various information and set functions, so you will need to operate the watch frequently. For this reason, high operability and simple settings are important

The first thing that stood out in this regard was the WSD-F20 's simple operation with just three buttons and a touchscreen LCD. Of the three buttons grouped together on the right side, the up and down buttons only call up pre-set main functions (by default, they check various sensors and display maps), so essentially all operations are performed using just the middle menu call button and the touchscreen. Of course, this may not be the same for people who aren't used to touchscreens, but in these days when more people are accustomed to smartphone interfaces, this method of operation is sure to be easier.

It can be a bit slow if there isn't enough memory, but operation is smooth and the touch panel is sensitive

On the other hand the fenix 5x and MZ-500 require you to make various use of the five buttons located on the left and right sides to call up and set many complex functions. Garmin, in particular, makes it difficult to intuitively perform each operation, and you first have to spend time "memorizing" the names of functions, the locations of menus, and each operation. Personally, I find it tedious that you have to perform the habitual operation of "holding down a button" at various times. This is purely a relative opinion, though.

The first hurdle is getting used to operating the buttons located on the left and right

The most notable example was the operation on the map screen. Let's compare them

On the left is the Garmin map operation. The left middle and bottom left buttons scroll the map little by little. On the right is the Casio map operation, which can be done with either the touch panel or buttons, making it much easier to operate

The WSD-F20 lets you tap the buttons on the screen (though not shown in the photo, there are "+" and "-" buttons on the screen that you can tap to zoom in and out), and you can use familiar controls like swiping and pinching in and out. the fenix 5x , once you've displayed the map, changing the map's scale requires you to press and hold the menu button, change the scale, and then use the menu (UP) and DOWN buttons to change the scale. Furthermore, to scroll the map, you have to press the top right button again to switch to left/right or up/down movement mode, and then use the UP and DOWN buttons to move the map a little at a time. Overall, this interface discourages you from looking at the map, and I'd like to see some improvements.

5. Battery Life: Epson is strong, Garmin is strong, and Casio is just passing

While the specs give you a general idea of ​​battery life, they're usually just theoretical maximums. What most people want to know is how it performs in real-world usage for specific activities

So, this time, we did a day hike and started the test three times, starting from a fully charged state and checking the battery capacity at the finish line. There were no significant differences in the trends across the three tests, so the table below shows the results of one of the tests: a day hike to Mt. Tanigawa (approximately 6 hours long), with maps and other information frequently displayed

Results from a day hike up Mt. Tanigawa. From the left, Garmin is at 63%, Epson is still almost full, and Casio is at 36%

As for the results, none of them are unusable, but in terms of peace of mind, the MZ-500 's power consumption is astonishing, the fenix 5x does a good job, while the WSD-F20 's power consumption is a concern (although ideally, power consumption could have been reduced further if airplane mode had been turned on to stop unnecessary communications while hiking).

Roughly speaking, the quality of the battery is roughly proportional to the visibility of the screen and the ease of use of the UI. Rather than the quality of the battery itself, it seems that as a result of placing more emphasis on the clarity of the display and ease of operation, the battery life suffers accordingly

the WSD-F20 , which consumes the most battery, has a secret feature that the other two models don't have: it can be used while charging. If you're really low on battery, you can just run the cord from the mobile battery in your pocket directly to your wrist and charge it. *All models can charge while measuring, so more accurately, you can wear it on your arm while it's charging.

With the WSD-F20, you can put a mobile battery in a hip belt pocket, pouch, or sacoche, and use it to charge your watch while walking

Of course, the manufacturer doesn't particularly recommend it. Personally, I think the extended cord looks unsightly and is prone to getting caught, so I don't recommend it in all situations. However, it recovers a lot with just a few minutes of charging, and recent mobile batteries come in very compact models with high capacity, so I think it's actually a viable method. Above all, it's important to be able to use it as an emergency solution when you really need it

RAVPower 6700mAh Mobile Battery

Continued in Part 2

So far, I've written about the first half of this comparison review, focusing on the appearance and overall usability. In the next post, I'll take a deeper look at how well it performs outdoors, such as hiking, and the usability of the app and sensors

⇒ Go to Part 2: "6. Functionality and Capabilities, 7. Accuracy"

[Reference] Comparison table for WSD-F20, fenix 5x Sapphire, MZ-500L specs

*Excerpt from the official websites

Item name	CASIO PRO TREK Smart WSD-F20	GARMIN fenix 5x Sapphire	EPSON Wristable GPS for Trek MZ-500L
exterior
Reference price	55,080 yen	107,784 yen	42,984 yen
weight	Approximately 92g	Approximately 98g	Approximately 67g
size	Approx. 61.7 x 57.7 x 15.3 mm	51.0 x 51.0 x 17.5 mm	Φ47mm t=17.6mm
Display size	1.32 inches	1.2 inches
Display type	Inorganic glass/Capacitive touch panel (supports anti-fouling coating)/Two-layer color TFT liquid crystal (320 x 300 pixels) + monochrome liquid crystal	Sapphire lens/240 x 240 pixels, semi-transparent MIP color display	Mineral glass (anti-fog treatment)
Touch screen	〇	―	―
Band exchange	△*Available in band exchange.	〇	―
battery	[No GPS used] (varies depending on the usage environment) Normal use (color display): Approximately 1 day Normal use (color display auto-off※): Approximately 2-day dc only (timepiece mode): Approximately 1 month or more [When using GPS] (varies depending on the usage environment) Positioning per second (color display): 6-8 hours (precision priority) / Approximately 18 hours (battery priority) Positioning per second (color display auto-off※): 7-9 hours (precision priority) / Approximately 25 hours (battery priority) Intermittent positioning (color display): Approximately 1 day (6-minute interval positioning) Intermittent positioning (color display auto-off※): Approximately 2 days (6-minute interval positioning) * When not operating, the clock display will automatically switch to monochrome LCD clock display.	Up to 12 days (watch mode + optical heart rate monitor) , up to 20 hours (training mode + GPS mode + optical heart rate monitor) , up to 30 hours (UltraTrac mode + optical heart rate monitor)	[When using a watch (Note 1) (Note 2) (Note 3)] Approximately 24 days (when the activity meter is on) Approximately 30 days (when the activity meter is off) [When using GPS] Approximately 46 hours (high-precision mode, GPS per second positioning) (Note 3) (Note 5) Approximately 110 hours (long-time mode, intermittent GPS positioning) (Note 3) (Note 4) (Note 6) (Note 1) When auto sleep is enabled in our environment. (Sleep time: 14 hours/day) (Note 2) GPS signals are received regularly on the clock display screen to reduce the GPS positioning time. (Note 3) Operating time may vary depending on the GPS reception environment and the settings of this product. In particular, if the GPS reception environment is poor, such as indoors, the operating time will be shorter. (Setting conditions: Light on/HR monitor, etc.) (Note 4) Long-term mode cannot be selected in running mode. (Note 5) Operating time in trekking mode. It can run for up to 40 hours in running mode. (Note 6) Operating time in trekking mode. Long-term mode cannot be selected in running mode.
GPS	Compatible with GPS, GLONASS, and Michibiki	Compatible with GPS, GLONASS, and Michibiki	GPS and Michibiki compatible
Offline color map	〇	〇	―
sensor	Atmospheric pressure altitude sensor Accelerometer Gyro Sensor Geomagnetic sensor GPS	Atmospheric pressure altitude sensor Geomagnetic sensor Accelerometer Gyro Sensor Optical heart rate monitor Temperature sensor GPS	Accelerometer Atmospheric pressure altitude sensor Geomagnetic sensor Temperature sensor GPS
microphone	〇	―	―
Waterproof	5 atm	100m	10 Atm (100m)
Durability	MIL STANDARD compliant
Operating temperature	-10℃ ～ +40℃	-20℃ ～ +50℃	-20℃ ～ +60℃
ABC (compass, barometer, altimeter) function	〇	〇	〇
Thermometer	―	〇	〇
Sunrise and sunset	〇	〇	〇
Activity meter	〇	〇	△ (Only when measuring)
Pedometer	〇	〇	△ (Only when measuring)
Sleep Monitoring	―	〇	―
Bluetooth/Wi-Fi connection	〇	〇	Bluetooth only
Smartphone integration	〇	〇	〇
Smartphone notifications	〇	〇	△*Mountain disaster information only
Course navigation	―	〇	〇
Goal setting	Can be set using the standard app "ACTIVITY"	〇	〇
Waypoint registration	Recordable using the standard app "LOCATION MEMORY"	Approximately 1,000	100
Distance Record	Recordable using the mountaineering app "YAMAP"	〇	〇
Pace Recording	Can be recorded using running and cycling apps such as "Strava"	〇	〇
Advanced Record	Recordable using the mountaineering app "YAMAP"	〇	〇
Location Record	Recordable using the mountaineering app "YAMAP"	〇	〇
Record of calories burned	Can be recorded using running and cycling apps such as "Strava"	〇	〇
Heart rate measurement	―	〇	―
Pitch Cadence Measurement	Can be recorded using the running app "Runkeeper"	〇	〇
Data and Record Management Services	―	Garmin Connect	NeoRun
Smartphone app	CASIO MOMENT SETTER+	Garmin Connect App	Run Connect App

We also recommend this article about GPS clocks for mountain climbing.

• First Look: Casio PRO TREK Smart WSD-F20 What is the power of offline maps? I tried using it for a hike right away
• Review: Tips and tips for 100% outdoor use of the Casio PRO TREK Smart WSD-F20, you won't let go, even if you notice it.
• Review: Enjoy the winter outdoors with the winter-style Casio PRO TREK Smart WSD-F20X
• NEWS: SUUNTO has finally released a color LCD/touch panel GPS sports watch. SUUNTO SPARTAN series

   

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