Customer Reviews

Casio Men's FT500WV-5BV Forester Electro-Luminescent Analog Sport Watch

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

When I first got this I was kind of put off by the band. It is velcro. After wearing it about a month I've come to appreciate the velcro as it allows for good adjustment. The dial is nice, with fairly large, brown numerals on a tan background. The illuminator works great. The plastic face cover isn't scratched yet even after a few accidental knocks against it.

I've had one for several years and decided to order a couple more (hopefully a lifetime supply). I've worn it while bicycling, doing landscape work, construction, etc. It's just a great basic watch! Not a fancy-looking watch that you would wear to formal occasions, and it does not have alarms, moon phase, or other fancy features, but it's an unbeatable everyday watch.

This watch has a weakness you should know about. The arms that have the pin holes that hold the watchband pins in place are made of PLASTIC, not metal. After just two weeks of GENTLE wear, one of these arms cracked off completely. I was just sitting at my desk at work and PLOP! the watch fell completely out of my sleeve and onto my desk.

I don't mean the pin just came out of the hole, I mean the ENTIRE arm which contains the pin hole broke off. Take a close look at those four light brown arms on each side of the leather watchband. Those are plastic--brittle plastic.

Obviously this part of any wristwatch is subject to some stress, and should be made of metal. Not this one.

UPDATE: One week after epoxy gluing the pin hole arm that broke off, I checked the underside of the watch and saw that all four arms had visible cracks. ALL FOUR! This is not just one weak arm folks. This is a design flaw.

I promptly went out and bought a Timex Expedition with metal arms. Total time this watch spent on my wrist--3 weeks.

I have a motto for this watch: "Twenty days for twenty dollars."

I bough this watch nearly 3 years ago and it still looks pretty good. I have been on a lot of construction jobs and been in the lake swimming and have even gotten a complement on it's looks in a store checkout line.

Only a week into ownership of the Casio Forester FT500, but I am impressed with the watch for less than $20.
It's half the price of the dead Timex 2812 it replaces (water leakage, says the jeweler, but the Timex served its purpose for several years) as my primary watch for kayaking, snorkeling and motorcycling - all activities where I don't want to wear more expensive watches.
Prior to purchase, I was concerned about the mostly plastic ("resin") construction, and the listed depth of a half-inch on the watch case (that's pretty thick).
Now having worn it, I don't think either matters much.

What I like:
- Value. Retail list is $29; Amazon obviously better.
- Highly visible.
- The earth-tone color scheme.
- Very lightweight on the wrist; makes up for the thickness bulk of the case.
- Excellent backlight (I prefer Timex's Indiglo blue, but...)
- It's been wet, and still keeps perfect time.
- Listed to water-resistance at 100 meters (300 feet).
- Decent strap with velcro-style closure, makes it easy to fit without removing metal links to fit my smallish wrist.

Things that keep it from being super:
- It's plastic, no doubt. Other reviewers have vouched for the watch's durability, so that doesn't seem to be a big problem.
- I suspect the leather-looking features on the band are plastic, too. They look...just OK.
- Although it has a 100-meters water resistance rating, the instructions warn against using it for scuba diving. I don't get that; almost all recreational diving takes place in waters above 50 meters. I may use it for diving anyway.

But on the whole, well satisfied with the Casio - for less than $20!

The Casio Men's Forester Electro-Luminescent Analog Sport Watch is a great watch for anyone. It is very easy to set the date and time, and keeps time just as well as any other watch. The light is bright and makes it very easy to read in the dark. At first I did not care for the Velcro strap, but I have recently come to like it. You can adjust the size far more accurately with the Velcro then you can with a normal buckle. It is also very comfortable to wear and does not slip of of your wrist unless you want it to. So, if you need a watch, I highly recomend the Casio forester, it will not disappoint.

Inexpensive, velcro wristband allows for easy adjustment even on us guys with large wrists, long-lasting battery. I do miss having the day of the week showing. I bought mine at Wal-Mart over 1 year ago, and very happy with it. Very water resistant as well.

Nice light weight watch & comfortable to wear. Back light extremely helpful; easy to tell time in the dark. Watch has all the features I wanted: date, white face, military time, back light & canvass strap. Happy with purchase. I'm in construction so it's a great everyday watch to wear to work in lieu of wearing your Rolex. LOL, who needs a Rolex when the return on this is so much more at a great price. Did I mention affordable?

I really love this watch. It's not shiny and fancy and the the front of the casing is brown and black plastic but it has a really nice rustic look and feel to it. The way it has 'Forester' across the top is pretty cool looking too. It shows the date too and it also lights up in a nice glowing green by pressing a wide button on the side. The band is velcro which makes for easy fitting. If you're looking for a nice inexpensive, yet somewhat unusual, watch that's good for outdoor activity or even just to wear all the time, try this one.

I'm an EMT and I ordered this watch because it has both regular and military time along with an analog seconds hand (which I find it easier to do pulses with analog). It also has no metal buckle which is good for me, because I have a pretty severe metal allergy. I did however have to use some silk tape over the back of the watch, but I knew I was going to have to do that when I bought it.

I'm female and it's really hard to get all the specs I need in a woman's watch, so I often need to buy men's watches. I like the Velcro back, it's really quite comfortable. I haven't found any problems with durability or anything. The light works really well and is clearly visible in the dark. I also like how it looks, it's not too too big and the face is clear and easy to read.

Overall I'm really happy with my purchase, it arrived really quickly and works well. It was also cheap and as an EMT/Paramedic student I don't make a lot of money, haha.