Vintage price, but still desirable item.
This model is no longer being manufactured and as a result these are getting harder to find any new ones, which is the cause for the increased prices several times the original list price due to its rarity.
I purchased mine used and it had a defect, because someone had an unqualified person remove the inside module and reassembled incorrectly so as to jam up the buttons so only the time worked. Because it was rare, I had it reassembled correctly to get all functions working correctly and now very pleased with this item. Therefore, I recommend only qualified persons remove the inside module because complications can damage buttons on reassembly if not done correctly.
I read on a forum that some places refuse to change the batteries in this model instead referring folks to send them to a Casio Service Center to change the battery due to problems from unqualified persons opening the case. One issue is there are two springs that can fall out and make it no longer work if those get lost. So recommend you are careful not to let the springs fall out or put them in the wrong holes, or have Casio change the battery to prevent making it no longer work.
I had an older Casio Database Model 610 with only 50 memory storage, and a rubber membrane keypad. Those of us who had any model of these before, know that while the case is subject to wear, the internal components seem to last and last. My old watch bought in 1989 is still working fine, but now wanted this newer model with more memory and hard keys on the keypad. With the older a rubber membrane keypad the printing faded soon and was hard to read and later hard to press. This newer keypad with hard keys is much better and a long overdue upgrade to this model.
A drawback with this newer model is the programming of the exit of Modes button. The older 610 model had an early exit feature wherein once you select any of the modes, by pressing any button followed by a single press of the Mode button would exit that menu returning to the time mode. This is not so in this newer model. Now, once you select any mode, to exit to the time screen, you no longer get early exit and have to press the mode button for each mode until you finally return to the time screen. In other words, now more button presses are required to exit any mode you are in.
Another change is the Toggling of am/pm vs. 24-hour Time Mode. The older 610 model you only had to press the select button on the lower right side to toggle between am/pm vs. 24-hour Time Modes, however, now you have to enter the time edit mode before you can toggle that feature, thereby requiring more keystrokes.
I do not know if those features were modified to take more button presses to make space for more storage memory, or why they made those harder to use.
I use my telephone list to also store other data than phone numbers, such as PIN Numbers, Birth Dates, Padlock Combinations, and more. What ever you can image that can be stored in those spaces for characters and numbers is your limit to its abilities in that space.
Bottom line, the hard keys on the keypad is better than the older models, but the programming of the exit of Modes and Toggling of Time Mode was better in the older model than this newer model. Even so, the hard keys on the keypad and expanded memory of this model still make it worth it to have this model. A big plus for me is that the memory is not saved, even if your battery goes completely dead. My older model sometimes lost the memory when changing the battery if not done quickly enough or done correctly. Not a problem with this model.
New smart phones can store a lot of stuff now a days, but this is a handy place to keep data that is readily available even when your smart phone is not, or needs charged.Read full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
