Here is the thing. Casio takes care of us and we take care of them. They make them and we buy them. Everybody wins.

In my opinion, Casio doesn't mind 'cannibalising' their watches because I'm sure there are people out there who will purchase a G-Shock like the DW-5600 AND this $30 DW-291H. Why? Because why not. :-) One feature I really really like of the DW-291H are the big buttons. I hate how difficult it is to push them on some G-Shocks and even older regular Casios like my 1982 W-400 'Marlin'. By the way, long-time lurker first time commenter here. I had a passion for watches and clocks since I was little, and for a while I even wanted to become a watch repairer (spent some time as a repairer's apprentice, too), then I got into photography, and in recent years my passion for watches has rekindled, so I've been checking out plenty of watch-related channels on KZfaq. Yours is among my favourites, especially for low-budget watches' reviews. I love your straightforward, humble approach, and the clarity and conciseness of your reviews. Keep up the good work, and all the best for your channel's growth! Cheers, //Rick

I'm surprised you didn't mention that this watch belongs to the HD (Heavy Duty) line, as some of the premises of this old lineage are practicality, 10 years of battery life, comfort, and robustness, among others. The HD line was always supposed to be something intermediate between ordinary watches and the G-shock line.

You might also take a look at the AE-2000 and AE-2100. They also have a claimed 200m water resistance, a mineral crystal and a stainless steel bezel. They have world time functions as well as all the usual features. These are all excellent choices for when you don't need the expense or the structural features of a G-Shock. Nice video, thanks. I bought two of these watches and modified one of them.

I've got the black version with the amber screen and I love the retro look. It is bordering large and weighty on my 6.75" wrists. Even folks with larger wrists will mot8ce the weight difference. I think the DW5600 is still a better choice for smaller wrists.

Thanks for sharing. It's not for me, but I love the world time feature. I'll keep on with my AE1200 Royale, 5600, and 5610. My ideal Casio would probably be with case and basic functions of the Royale but adding Multiband 6 and the auto light feature of the G-shock 5610. Maybe also with a Combi style bracelet all on an SKXMOD case.

Dave, I'm so glad you highlighted this watch. I have 12 gshocks, and I love this watch so much. I have the red and black version. It's quickly became one of my go-to watches. I work outside for the local utility, and it's held up great. It's no nonsense approach, and value really stands out for me. I, too, wondered if it is a Gshock replacement. I would say no, not straight up. But if you factor in value, I'd argue this watch can hang with any Quartz out there. 😊

I still have the dw290, it is the best non g shock that punches far above its weight. Ive done carpentry, swimming, mechanics, renovations, outdoor labour... This watch is a tank.

I'd take this watch over the DW5600 in a heartbeat - even if they were near the same price. I'm not a big digital fan but, I do like the like the ILLUMINATOR line.

This was a great and thorough review. I bought the DW-291HX-5AV based on your review, but when I got it the light was so uneven on it I returned it. The time section gets good light, but the upper section just looked terrible. Unless it was in a dark room that upper section was just hard to read. Unfortunate! Thanks for continuing great review work. Always a good channel.

I don't think the extra shock protection on a sub $100 matters and personally I find the warm amber back lights charming on my casio Royale 😊

Casio makes some of the most exciting/fun watches out there. Really hard to beat what they offer. Thanks for sharing another great one Dave!

I’ve own this model in the last 4 months and I have had no issues whatsoever with it. Very happy with the purchase.

I think part of the price difference is in the build quality. The G-Shock case and band have a soft but durable feel. This model is like my Casio vibration alarm W735. The case is "plastic-ky" and the band has oxidized over time although it's my favorite Casio (also in the $25 range). Casio does do an excellent job of producing watches for all of its customers in all price ranges.

"Intruder Alert, Intruder Alert". Sorry, but I can't help but see the arms of that goofy robot from that 1960s television show "Lost in Space" whenever I see this watch. It's those grooves around the pushers. I have handled one of these in a store and it definitely has a more premium feel to it when compared to a typical digital Casio.

This watch also works great on my motorcycle. Bit of foam pipe insulation on the handlebars and you can strap it on & it is easy to read

a series of these sort of videos would be great, comparing a gshock and their regular casio alternative. there are a lot of pairs like this and many are very similar to one another like thre ga100 and aqs810, dw5600 and w218, gd400 - trt110, gbd200 - ws1410, dw6900 - w214 and there are many analog pairs too.

Thank you for the nice presentation.. ❤

Hi bro i like your channel and its nice to hear stuff from a really authentic everyday dude. Btw, i never heard about this cool watch but i can tell you about another affordable G shock killer - the casio w43h, my mom bought it for me when I was 14 in August 2011 for about 15 dollars, I searched a bit online for it today but couldn't fine anyone still selling it 😥 I have it ever since and I changed a battary for the first time about 2 months ago, and it's still running rock and strong ❤ (recommendation for an affordable collector like you)

I bought the MWD 110H after watching your video on that model. I think I'm going to buy this one now that I've seen it! Thanks! Keep up the good work!

I have this in the more classic amber tone & its one of my favorites. So many features for the cost & I love the funky Lost in Space looks.

Hi Dave, I've had on two years ago but sold it. Great and durable with multiple functions and ten year battery. But it is a bit oversized, and my biggest issue was with the bottom right button. When at work and twisting my wrist is pressing the button, it might pressed the light as well but haven't noticed. Very often I've noticed the time zone is changed, and every time I move my wrist, which is often, I'm changing the time zone and it sucks. That's the main reason to sell it. It used to be £25 here in the UK. Now is £38. Cheers 👍

This watch looks somewhat interesting (especially for the price), but after watching this video I've realized how much I love the design of the classic DW-5600 and decided to order it.

Great video. I would definitely put this on my buy list. Sometimes the G-Shock look and feel like too much for what I need.

I have been wearing my 291 for a few years now and it is super comfortable and takes all the beatings a normal person dishes out to their watch. I am a Casio freak and love my 5610 as well, but for $30... it is a total No-Brainer

This is actually a AE-1200 without the map, the modules are even interchangeable between this one on the video and the AE-1200, AE-1300 and the new WS-1600H.

Bought one for 18 euros 3 years ago and I love it. I have used it a lot for running and at work and still look like new, not a single scratch on the crystal. It's big but very comfortable and super legible. One of the best Casios out there.

I have this watch,but I'm quite sure they changed the silk screen at the bottom of the bezel. It used to say "200M",that's why I called mine the casio zoom lol.

I have two of these! Great watch. Only issue: the pushers are very proud of the case so if you're biking, you can activate them accidentally. But if you aren't on a bike, it's 100% great.

The DW-290 is a nice in-between option, coming in at around $40.

Dave, I feel really bad. My first interaction with you was poking a little fun at all the jump cuts at the beginning of your video, and I hope you don't judge me too harshly for that. I have to say your interest have gotten a lot smoother the cuts have been come a lot less noticeable, and all in all your videos just keep getting better every time. Plus I absolutely adore your theme music and your reviews are so spot on. You are doing excellent work sir keep it up.

I have the DW5610, my first Casio, and I love the daily connection to the time signal from the atomic clock in Colorado and the solar recharging. However, I hate the little buttons, and the light is of such short duration I never catch the time on the first press. This little pretender gets many improvements right, especially the buttons and the clarity improvements.

Love this watch for the price! BTW is that a Zune on your desk?!

The DW-291 bezel scratches and chips very easily if it's put through any rough treatment. Apart from that it's excellent, and top value.

Thank you for the video. Thinking about functionality differences, is there way to change date format from MM.DD to DD.MM?

Excellent video as usual. A truly interesting Casio. The sad thing is that in my country Casios are quite more expensive than in Japan or the US. This one goes for ~$80 and the cheapest G-Shock is around the same - close to $100. We've had a recent quite prominent inflation which of course set its marks, but even before prices were higher than in Japan and the US. Anyhows, keep up the good work, Dave.

Thank you very much Dave doing great work appreciated what are you doing but I need your help I'm looking for a watch Casio original said you live in Japan

One more great review,Dave.Personaly,having a limited budget,I used to have Seikos as the prime choice.Since they ''turboboosted'' their prices about three years ago,I don't even consider them anymore.On the other hand,Casios,being a very considerable option already,became my number one,by far.They offer durabiliy,options,looks,affordability and so many other features that outclass a lot of other manufacturers.I wouldn't give up the idea of buying one more budget G-Shock,I would get the DW-291, as well.As you have realised,Casios have turned me from a customer into a enthousiast!

It's a great watch for an unbelievable price. But for some reason I almost never wear mine and grab one of my G-Shocks instead. I can't really put my finger on why that is. My son, on the other hand, loves to wear it. Maybe the design speaks more to younger people. Anyway: great review, thanks you!

I have this watch and love the larger screen and the durability, but the buttons get pushed by your wrists and switches the time on you.

I own the 5600 and I have Jay & Kay’s strap adapters so I can swap out straps, do you think it could be done on this model

Nice. Thanks for this info bro

Got that model few months ago. Best bang for buck. Great finish, look great on the wrist. Also holds up really well through swimming and exercise. Highly recommend.

Yo! This piece has been around for quite some time - and is one of the most overlooked Casios! I had it for years and I love it. Nice steampunk-design for your wrist, legibility especially in the evening is top and better than most G's (especially for my older eyes), durability at this price not an issue (mine is in almost perfect condition though). Annoying is just the little round digi-analogue display in the upper right, completely useless imho but adds to the charme, I guess. Best G-shock shocker for the well-aged Star Wars fan 😅!

It’s makes perfect sense for Casio. The watch industry has always been a competition for people’s wrists; Casio gets this, they literally have a watch for everyone and as such when someone who isn’t super in the watch scene asks someone they know is “what watch should I get” and cost is a factor I will always find a Casio that checks all their boxes.

The DW-291H def. kills the DW-5600: 10 year battery, world time, 5 alarms, bigger digits! The LED backlight is more than sufficient and helps saving battery juice. The only thing the DW-5600 has going for is the nostalgia factor. But even that is already fading.

I have had one for a while now and it’s my go to beater. Light, comfortable, great legibility and v inexpensive. For the price it’s an easy choice. I got an inexpensive screen protector for it but - to date - it’s escaped any serious scratches. My Casio watches run from this through G-Shock and Protrek to an Oceanus and they are all great value for what they deliver.

Looks a bit like a world timer and I love the analog style watch in the corner

Casio digitals are already tough in their own way. Being digital, and really light, really not a lot things could break. For that reason, I'd rather choose a smaller sleeker f91 or the ae series. My own ae 1200 survived a drop from over 20m on a concrete floor, which is enough for me.

Excellent review.

They know that a lot of people who own Casios own multiple Casios. I'm not even a big Casio fanboy and I probably have about 6 of them, including 3 G-shocks. They also know that people who view watches as purely utilitarian objects would be happy to pay $30 for this watch, but would balk at the $58 Gshock.

Casio has a great watch for every affordable budget tier, and this model is just another proof of that... but what's making me really curious is what's on that Audio Adrenaline cassette? 🤔

Great Review. I now want to get one

I would go with the DW-5600 if given the choice. However, if the drawbacks are too much but people still want much of the features of this watch, then the DW-290 "Mission Impossible" watch would be the way to go. It is still priced less than the G-Shock but is almost as touch and has much of the same features of the DW-5600 and DW-291, a kind of successful blend of the two.

I am a fan of the square G-Shock form factor and it's unmatched rugged durability. I have a personal issue with battery replacement, so I happily paid the uptick for a variant with solar capability. There are a few features of the watch in this video that I like. I like the easy to read display and the larger pushers. I really do not like the 2 led backlight setup that Casio seems to be moving toward across the board. It is inferior, IMO. I infer that they are moving this way because a 2 led setup uses less power. It also looks chintzy and is harder to read. I do like a dual time zone module. I expect that this will find it's way into the G-Shock lineup in due time. The size of the square G-Shock is as large as I want to go on my tiny baby man wrist. I still think that these G-Shock watches are ugly AF, but the form follows function design language is very compelling. The fact that no self respecting mugger is going to want my watch is also a plus. If you live in one of the squalid dying drug and crime infested cities of America, as I do, you don't want to wear anything shiny.

What are the differences between the W-217H and the B650WD? (I'm not sure what the suffix letters/numbers are)

great review, good to see casio isn't going stupid with prices like some other brands

This watch reminds me of an old Winamp skin I used to use. Can't wait for my order to arrive!

Saw the audio adrenaline tape and I about lost it. Now I’m going to have to dig mine out of the boxes in the basement. 😆😆

I'm surprised it's taken you this long to review one. I've owned three different variants of this for about two years now and I absolutely love them. They fit perfectly on my 8.5 inch sala, are extremely durable and look dang cool 👍

I have both the DW291H and the DW5600 which I think is the oldest or base model of the square shaped watches. I would definitely buy the 291 over the basic 5600 model. However, I wouldn't pick it over their DWH5600 with its semi-solar power, heart rate monitor and, if I remember correctly, automatic time adjustment. It's the $300 price tag that is holding me back...for now.

Great review. From Australia

It's a nice watch. I like the silver accent in stead of the plain black G-shock. I would look for ease of maintenance. In time, the protective resin bezel on G shocks wears and comes apart. To keep it original, you would have to go to Casio for parts. Great presentation! Thanks! 😊

Cost here in Australia for this watch is $120 (sometimes on sale for $80) so here at least youre better off just getting the G-Shock

Was wondering how come in the video it says 20 bar on the Bezel and on the Amazon link 200 M

What is the lug width? I would definitely be buying adapters.

Dave,I have both 😊 love the content

Bought this one to mod as it uses the same case as the AE1200, but... couldn't see the point in spending over £100 to give it a proper strap and case. It's good enough...

Its just a great watch, but only for the larger person. I'm 6'3 and I love the size, the large clear display, the mineral crystal and excellent back light. Mine is also much more accurate than my AE-1200

i like bigger watches and have a great old GShock thats about 50mm across and 16mm thick.. it became a gym watch because of its size a long time before i bought a GShock GBX100 with a Stainless "bezel" and the brilliant MIP screen - about $125 but worth the extra to me.... if only it was solar😊

Who else does ‘air sax’ at the beginning of the videos? Great watch, great video

Great watch and video. Do what I did and get both! As to the watch it comes close, much closer than your previous contender which just had the looks but none of the characteristics of a G-Shock. You see, the DW-291H is part of Casio’s Heavy Duty line. There’s an HD emblem on the display. 200m of WR is reached by having double o-rings on the buttons. Glass like you said is mineral. What you missed though is that this watch’s resin case is reinforced with a stainless steel cage. Open it up, remove module and you’ll see it. This is what makes the DW-291H tougher than any Casio. What makes it less than a G in shock resistance is largely the lack of the shock resistant rubberized bezel. And it terms of functions it blows both DW-5600E and the WD-110 out of the water. Not to mention just how very comfortable it is on wrist. The strap is slightly softer than on many Casios and even more entry level Gs. The LED double lights illuminate the screen perfectly. Casio does it to bump up battery life. 10 year battery life probably means 12 to 15 years in real life. Which puts it even in competition with solar powered watches, but with less to go wrong. Casio is even putting the double LEDs into newer G which suggests this is Casio’s way forward. As you can tell, I’m a fan of this watch.

I have this watch and personally I think it can't be beat - the alarm is far more audible than on my g shocks and also you can get it with a long strap which is great for my large 8.5 inch wrists. The light may not look as pretty but it does the job no problem and for the price I'm over the moon with mine.

Nice. But I realy wish they would also make a smaller version. For small wrists.

Dude, where’d you get the shirt ? That’s badass !!

I agree with you that it appears Casio is creeping up into gshock territory. However, I really don’t think gshock aficionados will veer away for a $20 savings. This just makes for a really nice “beater” that you don’t mind tearing up.

😮Can Anyone recommend? Looking for a Gshock or Protrek with analog+digi, solar, 2or3 sensors Humble thanks😅

In regards to the pushers being hard to press on the DW5600, I really don't think that is a purpose design. The reason I say that is because the pushers on the more premium GWM5610 does NOT have this issue. The pushers on that watch are much easier to access and press. Ditto for the DW6900 and GW6900. Same watch design, different pushers and different effort to press.

I would love to see this watch with a different strap to give it a different look. Do standard straps fit this watch?

11:38 11:39 what is the sound in the background?

This is an upgrade to the DW 290 the one used on mission impossible 1 Tom cruse. I have both now.

Perfect need another beater work watch. Gotta keep a little abuse off my beloved MRW-200H. Didn’t expect 200M water resistance! Absolutely love Casio and Citizen Group watches.

I own this watch for almost 2.5 years and one of the best watches i bought. It is designed for utility. A budget Heavy Duty watch with 10 years battery life were main buying decision for people like me.

The AE-2000 / AE-2100 is basically the same with a good bezel protecting it. Greetings!

I'd definitely be getting the cheapest option. It's a throw around watch so as you said 40% less is great.

Hi Dave. An interesting alternative to a G Shock. The G Shock may be better for construction workers, farmers and members of the armed forces. Keep up the good work, Regards, Liam

Its the best review i saw of this wath you are awesome

Coincidentally, I just bought a DW-291 while wearing my DW-5600. 😊. I will say that it is an impressive watch (dw-291) but I just don’t want it to get scratched.

My collection has slowly morphed into a casio collection. Sold the swiss, kept a Seiko, couple Citizens, couple Edifice, couple Casio digis. Set for life.

I can't comment on whether this is a better buy than the G. I own a G Shock (not the 5600) because I found it on clearance for $20. And it is a solar model too. But it is a pain to adjust the time come Daylight savings.

Was that a Microsoft Zune in the set? Haven’t seen one in a long long time! Haha

“Just”. This watch is like 4 years old by now, but it’s great

Once you buy a G shock, you keep buying them, I have a rangeman, now looking towards buying a Mudmaster and prottek

is it just me or does that cassette tape missing the tape in the opening really bothering?

Casio AE-2000 is the watch it shoud compare with, similar design language, and seens using same watch dial. The ae2000 also was budget sports watch which has 20o meter WR, and exect the same function around 30 dollars . I think some one in casio may just use this watch to clean stock movenments. One better thing of ae2000 is its front metal panel are actually metal which casio just don't want to use on low end watch some how.

I appreciate the Audio Adrenaline tape in the background 😂

I love casio watches! They look really nice and aren't that expensive, compared to other brands. If i just think, how many watches I could buy from the price of one Rolex. There are many great brands from Japan like Seiko, Citizen, and of course Casio.

I hate the buttons/pushers on the DW 5600 especially the one on the top left. That is why I prefer the DW 291.

I have one if these, it is great. Quite a bit bigger than my square G though. Reminds me of the robot from Lost in Space, Forbidden Planet for some reason. BTW what's a kug 😂

I bought this exact same watch and am very pleased with it