Today we are going to do a review of the Casio A158. This particular model inhabits Casio’s retro styled model line. Casio’s retro styled watches bring back the styles that were popular with Casio watches throughout the majority of the 80’s and 90’s.
If you are an older Casio fan, then you may remember some of these models from back when they were first introduced. Well now they are back, sometimes having a little bit of a modern touch added.
The Casio A158 has been one of their more popular models in this retro resurrection line. In this article, we will be looking at the build quality, design, features, and pricing of this watch. If you are thinking about buying this watch, then the information provided here should definitely help you to decide whether or not this one is worth a purchase!
Casio A158 Review
Before we even get into the review, let’s take a brief look at the specifications of the Casio A158.
Specs
- Case is 33mm in diameter, 8.5mm thick.
- Band is 18mm wide.
- It uses a digital display.
- Utilizes quartz movement.
Build Quality
So the first thing we will look at here is its build quality. Casio is already known for their dependable and sturdy watches, especially with their popular G-Shocks. Well the A158 is no G-Shock, so then how does it hold up?
To start, the watch case is made of silver colored resin with a stainless steel back, and the band is made of stainless steel. It has a mineral crystal dial window. So pretty standard watch materials so far. As for water resistance, it is water resistant 30 meters. This means it can handle splashes and such. However, you shouldn’t take it swimming or anything like that.
What we see from the build quality is that it is pretty much basic. Nothing too special here. This is a watch designed for casual use only. So you probably don’t want to take it with you camping, hiking, skiing, etc.
Next, let’s look at the design.
Design
As you can clearly see, this is an old school style here. It sports a rectangular case, and overall has a very sleek look to it that I like. The A158 is completely silver in color, with a chain link style band. The links on the band press together nicely giving the band a smooth appearance.
The 3 buttons are easy to get to, as you have the backlight, and mode buttons on the left side, and the 12 to 24 hour button on the right. Very simple design.
When looking at the watch face, everything is pretty basic. You’ll see the texts describing the watch’s functions, as well as its water resistance description at the bottom. The text does not stand out too much, which is a good thing, in my opinion.
So the Casio A158 is a good looking watch, with a very simplistic and basic design scheme. Next, we’ll take a look at the features.
Features
There is not too much in the way of features here. The Casio A158 sticks to the basics. It has all of the main features you would expect in a digital watch, nothing more, nothing less.
You can hit the one button located on the bottom left to switch back and forth from 12 to 24 hour format. The mode button on the bottom right, allows you to set the time, access the the alarm, and stopwatch features. Finally, the button on the top right turns on the backlight. And that backlight is something that needs to be addressed.
Like the also popular F91, the A158 has a very weak backlight. The backlight is extremely dim. While it does technically work, you may still have a hard time seeing the display in the dark. This is one of the main caveats to this watch that most users encounter.
It is also worth noting that the backlight issue was addressed in the updated A168. There are some pros and cons to that version, however. We did actually do a full comparison between the A158 and the A168.
Anyways, moving on, we’re going to talk about the price of this watch.
Price
This is one aspect of these Casio models that really stands out the most. And that is that these watches are cheap. Incredibly cheap! Bargain bin prices all day!
Needless to say you will not be breaking bank should you decide to purchase a Casio A158. The extremely low pricing here means that this watch can fit into just about anyone’s budget.
Final Thoughts: Should You Get The Casio A158?
So to sum it up, we have a cool looking, and very affordable retro styled Casio watch. But is this watch for you? That really depends on a couple of factors.
The main thing is, if you can deal with the weak backlight issue that plagues both this watch, and the F91. If that is not a problem to you, and you otherwise love the look and feel of this watch, then go for it.
If, however, you want an almost identical watch, but with a better backlight, then you may want to consider the A168. However, there is a tradeoff here. As stated before, this one also has its own caveats, which we cover in our Casio A158 Vs. A168 comparison.
Anyway that concludes our review of the Casio A158. If you liked this review, then feel free to check out come of our other individual and brand reviews here
