Re: Bushnell WristTop Digital Compass... any users
My Bushnell DNS Pro Digital Watch, Compass, etc. arrived from OpticsPlanet.com yesterday (Thursday), so here are a few first impressions. Keep in mind I have little or no experience with any other whiz bang timepieces like this, so you can take all of this with a grain of salt.
It is a fairly large watch, but probably no bigger than most multi-function watches of this type.
YWWV (Your Wrist Will Vary):
It may be a bit large for EDW (Every Day Wear?), but I did wear it to work today and didn't find myself smacking it into any non-moving objects. When that does occur the watch will no doubt show some scarring to it's plastic body, but it does seem to be of sturdy construction. Unfortunately, the "crystal" is also made of plastic, so expect scratches. The watch body (or, whatever it's called) and band are green and black with a silver colored (painted?) bezel. If this doesn't suit your sense of fashion, you're probably out of luck since this seems to be the only color scheme available.
The compass seems to read fairly close to the bearings shown on my old Suunto compass. The small round window below the face is a tiny bubble level to help keep the watch level (duh...) for compass readings. I don't have a barometer with pressure readings, but at the moment, the Bushnell is forecasting rain which matches the display on my La Crosse and Oregon Scientific weather stations. The thermometer is also in the ballpark with these two "instruments". Haven't had a chance to compare the accuracy of the altimeter against my GPS but realistically, I really don't have high (no pun intended) expectations.
As a digital watch, it has all of the expected basic features and functions such as alarms (3 for time, 1 for altitude and 1 for temperature) , a stopwatch and countdown timer and 10 memories for time and altitude. Bushnell warranties the watch for 2 years.
All in all, I don't think Suunto, or for that matter Casio has anything to worry about, but for a lot less than $100 (actually, $73, shipped), the Bushnell DNS Pro offers a lot of features and things to play with for the money. I don't think I'd rely on it to lead an expedition up Mt. Everest, but then again, I doubt I'll ever find myself there in this lifetime. I'll post updates if I have any other observations or revelations.
