Stepping Up Into Master of G
Master of G
I went through the exercise of re-rating my watches in detail so that I could lose some of them and make space for one from the Master of G collection. But then the Master of G has a lot of variation, with models catering to very specific kinds of users, and even that changed across generations. The only models I could shortlist for my use were the MudMan (and MudMaster), RangeMan, and RiseMan.
MudMan/MudMaster
The MudMaster series is a little too extreme, and expensive, and those watches are pretty huge, especially for my wrist size. So that took it out of the way right there. The MudMan was one of the easily approachable options that weren’t too crazy and had a few very interesting offerings that I could be interested in.
RiseMan
The RiseMan was unique, but it didn’t come with the sensors that I would be able to appreciate, like the compass and/or thermometer. So a RangeMan would make it overlap with the other G-Shock watches in my collection, while missing the unique features of the MudMan or the RangeMan.
RangeMan
Speaking of the RangeMan, which is the choice of many, it seemed to be the best all-round Master of G watch with triple sensors, and info like sunrise and sunset times that I could use more than the moon-phase indicator on the MudMan. Also, models like the GW-9400 also come with mud resistance, minus the harder-to-press buttons, kind of making the MudMan look redundant.
RangeMan or MudMan: Had to Make a Choice
With the RiseMan out of the question, I was left between MudMan and RangeMan, each having their own cult groups that would convince you that one was clearly better than the other. I wasn’t prepared to spend money on a brand new watch and had to choose a side, so given how badly beaten up the pre-owned examples were for RangeMan, and how I had a bias towards the physical design of the MudMan, I went with the MudMan 9300.
Went with MudMan
This watch, at least to me looked way better than the RangeMan, had an effectively smaller face, came with an EL backlight instead of LED, and was lighter and more comfortable in comparison, at least according to the reviews I read on the web. And yes, the straps are one of the softest, very close to those on the DW-290.
The buttons are indeed harder to press, but I don’t find it to be such a great deal. I know what soft buttons on Casios are like with my DW-290, and I also know how the softest buttons can be as they are on the GD-350. Having said that, I feel that these harder buttons won’t bother an average G-Shock enthusiast as much as it has been discussed on the web, especially in exchange for a design that is just gorgeous.
Getting this watch changes a lot. The GD-350 finally has some competition, and I’m yet to figure out why I’d wear anything else now that I have the MudMan. Remember when I mentioned in one of the previous videos how the ones that I started with kept getting redundant as I collected more watches? This MudMan made most of them, at least the digital watches redundant. I’d love to be able to collect as many watches as I possibly can. Still, in light of practicality, and to reduce my asset footprint, I’m starting to consider narrowing my collection even further to only have watches that cover an area or feature that the others cannot, similar to how I do with the software I have across my ThinkPads.
Went with Two MudMans
Just a day before I received the watch while staring at the pictures in the sale listing, I realized I ordered the wrong variant. I wanted the GW-9300, which is the Japanese variant, but the one I ordered was a G-9300, where one of the most significant differences is that the former has Multiband radio reception while the latter doesn’t. This was when I realized the reason there was less competition in the auction, probably the other bidders may have known the differences between the international version and the Japanese version, which are quite a lot if you look closely. It took a long time for the second MudMan to arrive, as it had to be shipped internationally from Japan, but once it did, it allowed me to see them up close right next to each other. Radio reception isn’t the only difference between the two variants, and because I have both of them with me here, I’ll cover the differences in detail soon.
Conclusion
Overall, after trying the MudMan, I do not desire the RangeMan anymore, and I feel like this is the G-Shock I always wanted.