Amazon.com Reviews
Average Rating: 3.0 out of 5 Stars
The following review received 23 helpful votes out of 23 total votes:Review Date: 2007-01-05"Good, but not great."This monitor DOES indeed do what the manual says it will do. That is, it monitors heart rate and provides "training effect" information. However, I note 3 problems w/ it that cause me to recommend my previous brand - Polar- over the Suunto. First, because the monitor is not the least bit intuitive in its operation, the manual needs to be much more detailed. I'm pretty saavy w/ monitors and can program most w/o even consulting the manual. I can't even operate this one w/o continual reference to the manual. I end up delaying my training by 5 minutes or more just to get the monitor ready to go. Second, the monitor loses the heart rate signal more than any other monitor I've ever owned. I've replaced the batteries and still, it cuts in and out both inside and outside. Since the monitor is supposed to track your training via heart rate and time in various training zones, this interruption is frustrating and undercuts the whole point of this monitor. Lastly, the monitor is capable of interfacing with various add-ons such as a "foot pod" and a "bike pod." That's fine if one wants to purchase and utilize those add-ons. But, the menu on the monitor should permit you to delete those fields for which you have NOT added the extra apparatus so that when you scroll through you don't have to click past 3 blank fields for which you have no use. A minor point, I know, but it contributes to an already cluttered menu arrangement. 3 stars The following review received 20 helpful votes out of 20 total votes:Review Date: 2007-02-24"Good, could be better foir the $$$"My background: running since 1985, 8 yrs of XC, 9 marathons. I've been using HRM's for training for years and have tried Nike, Polar, Freestyle and Timex HRM's. I was intrigued by the buzz this watch was getting in some of the running and outdoors magazines, so I picked up the T4. Here are my thoughts:
1. The band looks cool, but that cool white stripe is grey and dingy two months later. It also constantly slips and requires readjustment. Nylon bands also get wet and stay wet until you take them off...a pain if you wear your watch all the time like me.
2. The crystal is not recessed/does not have a rubber buffer around it...as is typical on most running watches. This means the crystal is unprotected and the face is more scratched after two months than many of my older watches.
3. The "coach" function is neat, but it's not that much of a revelation really...probably some simple algorythm that comes up with a training progress rate based on how long you're working out at what heart rate. Good for a beginner, but nothing a serious athlete can't figure out on his/her own based on the principles of HRM training.
4. The HRM itself has been inconsistent...on my last several runs the HR reading has been way below where it should be (ie 90 when it should be at 130...) then, out of the blue, it pops up to a more reasonable reading. Then it freezes without explanation. Not something you want to deal with during an interval workout or hard run where your pace/HR matters.
5. After years of mostly Nike and Timex, it just isn't intuitive or easy to use. The menus are hard to navigate on the fly. This is my fault though, I guess I need to try harder.
6. The split display when the chrono is on is cool...you can choose between a variety of displays: calories burned, HR, time since last split, average heart rate, etc. My only beef with this is that if you stop during a split, and then restart, it shows you your time since you restarted, it doesn't keep tracking your split time. Kind of inconvenient when in the middle of an interval.
Anyway, for what it's worth, those are my thoughts. Nike remains probably the best for running features, although I've had reliability problems with Nike (short battery life and cheap bands), Timex is probably the most reliable for the bucks. I just don't think this one was worth the price tag. On race day I'll probably break out an older, more reliable HRM. 3 stars The following review received 18 helpful votes out of 22 total votes:Review Date: 2006-11-06"Very nice training tool"This is a great training tool. The post exercise information is very, data by log, week and month and the coach is a very nice training tool. I just believe that suunto could invest in a better strap and general device materials. Making long history short this is a better option to T6 and even better than S625x if you are looking for a daily training tool. 4 stars The following review received 8 helpful votes out of 9 total votes:Review Date: 2007-09-11"If only it were perfect"Its not perfect. I'm a cardiac patient and former college oarsman, fit even to three weeks before I had an emergency triple bypass surgery.
Some comments
Training Effect:
If it climbing fast, but your heart rate is not. Your heart has fatigue you are unaware of. Better cut back and cut it short.
If it climbs slow, but your heart rate is strong and fast, that means your heart is doing well. Thank God for that.
You may be less fit than you think. Do a series of hard intervals, and pump the TE, the TE may continue high when your heart does not recover fast. Expect it to recommend a day or two off afterwards.
Irregular heart rate:
Might be the battery, might be cardiac arrhythmia. A lot of jocks overdo it. Think twice before you ignore it.
Inconsistent pickup:
When mine did, I mailed it back, and got it back in about three weeks. Works great now.
Coach program:
If you follow it, it gives a good program with built in rest days.
If you don't follow it, it adjusts from what you are doing and gives a suggested pattern for the next five days, after every workout.
To guide it, you give it your weekly activity level and general fitness level, plus age, sex, height, weight, and your max HR. Push past your entered max HR, and it asks if you want to use that as your new Max HR. I'm 54. Even post triple bypass, my max HR last fall was 176. Makes my cardiologist shudder. But I only get it that high 20 minutes or more into a workout, and briefly.
Set three heart rate zones, by percent of your max HR, and it records time in 5 ! The obvious z1, z2, z3, plus time above z3, and time below z1.
Saves max HR in each workout.
Set standard intervals you want to record per workout.
Difficult to use ?
Hmm, download the manual before you buy it.
I got the hang of the button sequence with a few minutes practice. Five buttons, long press or short press do different things. From any one menu panel, the buttons go to particular places. Its not just 5 choices. Total programming options number closer to 100 than 5. Once you get through it, then its more obvious, and you can navigate pretty well.
Strap ? Wash it now and then. Mine must not come as loose as others.
You don't have to wear the watch. It has a 30m pickup, so you can use it on a table or bench or anywhere else to watch your HR while doing another activity. I need to watch my HR lifting weights, doing bench step-ups, or squats or mil.press, and can cut a set short if my HR is to my limit too soon. Rowing, I can't check my wrist. I can mount it to a fixed position and observe my HR, TE and workout time during the workout.
This is not an HR monitor for the casual athlete. Buy an Omron for $30, but the signal is only about 30 inches, or less, and can't indicate cardiac fatigue with TE the way Suunto does.
Think what you need, then but it. 4 stars The following review received 7 helpful votes out of 7 total votes:Review Date: 2007-01-21"Excellent functions, nice enough watch"I got this watch approximately one week ago. The coach function, which is probably the reason you are looking at it, is fairly nice, although I've only used it about 3 times. It seems to be a fairly good read of your current capacity, although for me it was too easy to exceed what it asked for (as I am in fairly bad shape, and even low intensity exercise shot my heart rate way up... of course this is not the watches fault). I expect that with time, it will help me improve in a better fashion than if i did not have this tool, will post an update in a few weeks/months.
The watch interface is fairly simple, although it does have all the basic functions necessary. Its got the normal time, dual time, alarm clock, day, date display (it only shows the time and one other thing at a time),and the alarm clock has a snooze function, which I had never seen on a wristwatch. It does not have all the extra functions that Suunto's normally do(altimeter, compass, barometer), but this is not expected, as this is geared towards fitness.
As for heart rate belt reception, I have not had a dropped signal in any use. When I first got it and tried it, the signal kept dropping, but after reading the instructions, and placing a small amount of water on the electrodes,this problem disappeared.
The watch has a slightly steep learning curve, as there's 3 different training measures that it uses (activity class, program level, and training effect), but again, after reading the instructions, it became clear what these mean and how they work (TE is the main workout measurement, the others are set up at the beginning, and you don't have to modify them or monitor them on a day to day basis). Again, I have had it for a week, and have been using it effectively, so the learning curve is manageable.
As other people have mentioned, the materials the watch is made out of are not necessarily the best, specially considering the acrylic vs crystal face, and the band, as I would have preferred an elastomer one(easy to fix with 19 USD). Nonetheless, it does not look bad.
In conclusion, its a nice enough watch with some very nice fitness functions, and at a very good price. I definitely recommend it.
AN UPDATE A FEW MONTHS LATER:
My only complaint is the band. I like the way it looks, but I have to adjust it about once or twice a day. Will definitely get the elastomer strap.
Coach function has helped! 4 stars |
