Full Written Review of the GARMIN Forerunner 101 Wrist Mounted GPS Fitness Computer.

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Garmin Forerunner 101 Waterproof Running GPS

Overall Rating:

Retail Price: $114.27

Amazon Price: $274.99

The compactly designed Garmin Forerunner 101 is capable of providing precise and accurate speed, distance, and pace data to all the runners. It can track calories burned, lap history, and all other performance data necessary for improving training.

The Forerunner 101 even takes this data a step further and can create a Virtual Partner that helps runners reach their goals better. The Virtual Partner can be configured so that the runner can check if they are able to keep to the pace that they want their running training to have.

What separates the Forerunner 101 from other devices is the fact that it is a high quality Garmin GPS device. This means that precise latitude, longitude, and altitude data can be expected from it. This allows runners to mark specific areas, and navigate to them through an electronic map

It is also notable that the Garmin Forerunner 101 is easily adaptable to any situation. There are many accessories available to suit your need. There are available accessories to make it better equipped for cycling, distance running or other physical activities.

What’s in the box:
Forerunner 101 unit, wrist strap, manual, and quickstart guide.

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User Ratings and Reviews

3 Stars Garmin 101
Disappointed with the unit. It has great capabilities and the price was right, but the pace function does not work dependably, and the battery life does not appear to be the 14 hours advertised. I needed a battery operated unit so that I could use the Garmin while hiking peaks from a backpack/backcountry situation, therefore being able to replace batts and use it every day, and during the pack, to track elevation and distance, etc. I have the 201 for day hikes, which charges electrically. It could be operator error, but battery life should not be…

1 Star Worked, For About 2 Weeks
My loving wife gave this to me after I commented how much my brother liked his. And for about 2 weeks it was pretty cool to watch my speed and distance while and ran or rode my bike, and to get data from the runs. Then it started acting up, and I switched batteries a couple times and re-read the manual but by the end of 3 weeks of semi-daily usage it quit altogether. I didn’t use this product in the rain or combat or anything, just for running and bike riding, honest. I am about to send it back and I hope to heck I just get our money back. The product I got was truly garbage and I advise anyone against buying it. Who needs to spend good money on something that only works 2 weeks? This reinforces my philosophy that sports and fitness should be kept simple, that going high tech is a waste of time and money.

4 Stars Nice little GPS
GPS system works great. I was originally skeptical of it being comfortable due to its size, but it hasn’t been a problem. The only complaint I have is that it goes through batteries very quickly. I probably put a new set in every week. Need to get some rechargeables.

Otherwise, I’m very happy with my Garmin.

3 Stars Good for distance, Poor for pacing.
If your looking for a GPS watch under $100 to just measure distance walked, run, or biked, then this watch will fit the bill. But if your a runner or biker looking for more advanced features like pacing you will probably be better served getting the Forerunner 205 for $50 more.

Here is my experience with the Forerunner 101:

I run a 5 mile loop along a pedestrian only parkway next to a lake. The distance markers have been measured and verified by a local track club so I know they are accurate. The Forerunner 101 usually hits the markers right on or is within +/- .05 of the marker, and the total distance is also within this variance. The pacing is a different matter. I usually run this 5 mile loop in around 40 mins. for a mile pace of about 8 mins./mile. The watch pacing swings wildly up or down per mile so one minute it says I’m running 10 mins./mile and then a few seconds later 7 mins./mile. During the course of the run it will level off for awhile to what seems a fairly accurate pace reading of about 8 mins./mile, but at some point will fluctuate wildly again. I have also used this watch in a 5K race with the same pacing fluctuations.

The GPS acquisition when you first turn on the watch does take awhile, normally 2 – 5 minutes. So you definitely don’t want to turn the watch on a few seconds before they fire the gun to start a race. I like the history log that records and stores the times for each run by weeks, this makes it easy to track each run without having to enter the information in a database.

The bottom line here is to keep in mind this watch has been around since 2002, so the technology is dated. If your on a tight budget and just want to know your distance traveled this watch should work for you, otherwise put the money towards a newer model.

4 Stars satisfied
This is the first & only gps watch I have owned. I live in a rural area with no tall buildings. I have been very satisfied with the Forerunner 101 as compared to the cost. I typically turn it on and set it on my front porch a few minutes before I run. 98% of the time I have no problems, when I have a problem it’s with signal strength. I love having time/pace/total distance all displayed at once. The distance seems to be very accurate & consistant. I was afraid the bulk of the watch would bother me but it hasn’t. Two AAA batteries are lasting me over 50 miles which is not bad if you only run 10-15 miles a week like me. I recently ran my first half-marathon and enjoyed being able to go back on the watch and see my pace for each mile of the race.

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Related posts:

1. Garmin Forerunner 405 Black GPS Enabled Sports Watch HRM Factory Refurbished
2. Garmin Forerunner 405 Wireless GPS Enabled Sports Watch
3. Garmin Forerunner 205/305/405 – Top Running Watch 2009

SUUNTO T3c Heart Rate Monitor- Brown - SS013574010

Overall Rating:

Retail Price: $189.00

Amazon Price: $184.99

The Sununto T3c Heart Rate Monitor and Fitness Trainer Watch allows runners to easily adapt their training according to their body’s needs.

The Sunnto T3c features a built-in training effect programming that provides you with an accurate training routine that matches your personal fitness level. Using its chronograph and heart rate monitor, it gathers enough personal fitness data such as calorie burn and heart rate and tries to determine how intense the runner’s training should be.

Now you have a guide as to whether you should go for a full out competitive training program or just take a leisurely stroll around the park.

Despite all of the loaded features, the Suunto t3c Heart Rate Monitor and Fitness Trainer Watch is very easy to carry around. The lightweight but durable plastic used in the housing and the included chest strap ensures that you won’t have to worry about the watch interfering with your training.

Product Features

• Material: [Housing] plastic; [Strap] rubber
• Altimeter: No
• Barometer: No
• Heart Rate Monitor: Yes
• Chronograph: Yes
• Thermometer: No
• Digital Compass: No
• Adjustable Declination: No
• Low Battery Indicator: Yes
• PC Compatible: Yes
• Waterproof: Water resistant to 100ft (30m)
• Backlight: Yes
• Alarms: Time & heart-rate
• Battery Type:
• Battery Life:
• Size: Large
• Weight:
• Recommended Use: Training
• Manufacturer Warranty: 2 Years
• Country of Origin: China

Buy/More Info

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Stylish and functional
I’ve had the Suunto T3 for a couple years now and it’s worked well for me. It looks nice, so I can wear it as my everyday watch at work, and I’m also able to use it for all the heart rate monitoring things. It’s a little hard to read in low light or with polarized sunglasses. It reads my heart rate well without many problems. Only on long hikes in cold weather have I had issues with it reading. It definitely works better if you’re sweating. I usually put a little water on the electrodes and it does great from the get go.

You can set up the heart rate to exercise in heart rate zones which works great for interval training. It can also warn you if you’re training too hard or not enough with an alarm. I also like the ‘training effect’ because it gives me a rough estimate of how effective my workout was. The software that you can use to look at your workout info isn’t that great, but it’s somewhat interesting.

I don’t use it with any of the pods other than the PC pod to download information to my computer. Annoyingly, you can’t get the information to a computer without buying the add on PC Pod for this watch.

I had it replaced under warranty without difficulty as water somehow got inside the watch. Suunto was a pleasure to deal with and sent me a new watch. Battery life has been great. The band is starting to crack a bit (though it hasn’t broken through) and $25 seems pricey for a band, but I’ll probably do it since I’ve been happy with the watch.

2 Stars No good for variable intervals!!!!
I will likely be returning this watch soon, in favor of a Timex Ironman HRM. The Timex is not as stylish, but in my experience they are great training watches; unfortunately I cannot say the same for the Suunto.

The T3c has two basic modes: time and training. Pretty self explanatory. However, many timing options (like a countdown (interval) timer or stop watch) are not available in the timing mode–this could be just a minor inconvenience–and, more importantly, are buried in a terribly CLUNKY INTERFACE.

INTERVAL training is where this units truly falls flat. The T3c allows you to store only 2(!) interval periods plus a warm up period; effectively, interval #1 is your interval period and #2 is your recovery time (they alternate in immediate succession…for instance 5 on and 2 off). Unfortunately, the setting to change the interval duration is buried in the training menu and nearly impossible to get to while kicking hard or while in a brief recovery period between intervals. If you only use one constant interval period in your workout, this will not be a problem for you. But, if like me, you vary your interval durations throughout each workout you will be mightily disappointed by the Suunto. For instance, I like to warm up for 20mins and then jump into 2×10 min intervals with 2 off, followed by 3×5 min intervals with 2 off and then wrap up with 4×1 min intervals (with 30 sec off); and this is really an impossibility with the T3c (I could just count the mins/secs but I shouldn’t have to for the price of this unit). BOTTOM LINE: This “watch” is NO GOOD for someone who trains with varying interval lengths within each training session.

On the plus side, I find the belt to be very COMFORTABLE and I have no complaints with the general HRM function. Unfortunately this is just not a good training WATCH, despite its redeeming features as a HRM. I cannot recommend this watch until the interface is improved such as to make this a real training watch, not just a HRM.

1 Star Poorest Battery Life
This is a CRAPY Watch. As for the design it looks nice, but the overall quality of the watch is extremely poor. The face of the watch scratches very easily and the wrist band is not comfortable to wear when exercising. The battery only lasted 3-4 months and I barely used the watch!

Also, Suunto’s website is poorly designed and difficult to use. It took me a while to run some queries on it. This watch is designed in Finland, but unfortunately is made in the world’s worst quality and cheapest place-China!

Steer away from buying it

5 Stars Very Pleased Overall
HR Monitors aren’t very cheap. After conducting some research, the Suunto brand seemed to be the best balance for performance and features that was of good value. It was also the most reasonable looking unit and very usable outside of training as it doubles as a watch. I was concerned about other reviews reporting issues with the HR/watch face being quite easy to damage/scratch. To prevent this I also purchased a Zagg Invisible shield to protect the face. The Zagg and T3C combo has been flawless and has kept the T3C in pristine condition in the couple of months I’ve had it. I train 10 times a week, 5 of those sessions I use the T3C for both steady-state cardiovascular exercise and high intensity interval training.

As far as build goes, it’s been able to hold on it’s on quite strongly despite my level of activities. A fair few people have also commented on the appearance of the T3C as a nice watch but as soon as I mention that it’s more of an HR monitor they would not believe me.

I only have two negative points about the T3C, but they aren’t worth worrying about when taking in consideration what the T3C does right. First thing is that the armband out of the box appears to be made for an extremely obese person and had to have a watch repair professional adjust and cut a fair bit to ensure it fit’s right on my wrist. The process was extremely quick and if anyone had the right tools this could be done with ease, the manual has some details on how to do this. Secondly, the interval trainer beeps aren’t loud enough. When I do high intensity training (usually in the form of sprints), both my vision and hearing are very much affected. This has made the T3C a little more difficult to hear. It’s not extremely bad and so far I haven’t missed any beeps from the interval trainer however if I trained any harder and if the beeps were any fainter then I am certain I’d start missing intervals. Otherwise, I am absolutely enjoying this product and have had no regrets with my purchase.

3 Stars Good looks, mediocre menu system, poor visibility
First off… I really like the overall looks of this watch/heart rate monitor. Very sleek and cool. One of the things that makes it look good (the black face) also makes the digital numbers, letters, etc difficult to read in dim/low light without using the watch’s back light feature. The Suunto watches with the white face and black readout is most likely better for low dim lighting situations.

The menu system takes a while to get used to and a little time to remember how to do certain things. There’s nothing straight forward or intuitive about it.

The chest belt seems to work fine in conjunction with the watch, keeping track of heart rate and calculating all the other information (calories burned, average heart rate, etc).

If you are thinking about using this watch and it’s Training Effect feature for when you are weight lifting… I would think twice. Of course it may differ for each individual but I don’t workout long enough to make a dent in the training effect.

There is no software support for the mac platform which stinks. This means I’ll never have access to my training logs anywhere but on the watch itself unless I go out and buy a pc or install windows on my mac. I knew this ahead of time but I still think it’s a shame.

Would I buy this again? No. I’d buy one that had a more easily read face and possibly look for one that was compatible with a mac.

Buy/More Info

Related posts:

1. Suunto t3c Heart Rate Monitor and Fitness Trainer Watch Black Polished
2. Suunto t4c Heart Rate Monitor and Fitness Trainer Watch Black Volcano
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Polar RS800sd Heart Rate Monitor Watch

Overall Rating:

Retail Price: $499.95

Amazon Price: $375.00

The Polar RS800sd Heart Rate Monitor is an elite level watch that can match the intensity of people who undergo elite level training. It is a complete training solution that encompasses planning, monitoring and even analyzing the training that you are doing.

The Polar RS800sd Heart Rate Monitor watch is capable of tracking maximum heart rate (fitness test-based and age-based), maximum/average of total exercise and of each lap (up to 99 laps), three target zones, and even gives auditory signals when you reach your targets.

All these data can then be tracked and analyzed in your computer. The Polar RS800sd Heart Rate Monitor comes with the Polar’s ProTrainer 5 software, which is an advanced training analyzer for your computers. Simply transfer the data from your watch to your computer through the Polar WearLink W.I.N.D. transmitter and you are ready to go.

Aside from these features, the Polar RS800sd Heart Rate Monitor is also highly adaptable. It can be used in conjunction with a variety of training accessories and even shoes, to ensure that it can be utilized no matter the type of training that you are doing.

Buy/More Info

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Polar RS800
This product is excellent i have been used Polar for more than 10 years, i have the GPS and the foot sensor, as i practice mountain bike, i had some doubts because i have read in Amazon the products is not very good, but i took the risk and no regret, the only issue is the Polar software is excellent but do not have manual, only the help files and this is the only reason they do not have 5 stars.

5 Stars It works for me
I have had my RS800SD for almost a year now, and I love it. Measuring cadence has helped my running more than anything else I have done. This is the main reason that I chose it over GPS units. I took ten minutes off of my half marathon time using it for training.

I have had GPS units in the past, but found that they were not as accurate as the footpod in terms of distance (when calibrated) or altitude. I was within a hundredth of a mile of my treadmill readout on a recent 5K.

Heart rate is accurate as well. I found battery life to be adequate for my purposes. I changed them recently just because it seemed about time to do so, but had about 50 hours of running in on the batteries before doing so.

I love the unit and it has been a great training help.

2 Stars The triumph of form over function
I’ve been a Polar HR monitor owner since the mid 90′s starting with 710i, then 625x, followed by the 725x, and now the RS800SD. I consider myself a serious competitive runner and have been so for over 30 years. Polar introduced me to heart rate monitoring as key component to performance improvement with the book “Training, Lactate, Pulse rate” by Janssen, which is no longer offered by them and may not be published anymore. I have had my VO2, HR curve, and lactate threshold measured in a lab several times over the past few years. I have used this product now for almost a full year and my review will focus on what does all this functionality do to help me improve my running vs some of the other reviews here which seem enamored with purported functionality without connecting the dots for useful training feedback.

The bottom line: This is their flagship product, top of the line and top dollar but Polar seems to have chosen marketing (a shiny sexy small form factor watch with apparently lots of new functions) over solid engineering, useful software functionality, and product reliability. If you already own a 625x or 725x model there is little reason to upgrade as this is an “unfinished product”

The good:

1. Small form factor for watch and footpod

2. Improvement in ergonomics — buttons and watch face are easier to use

3. More memory — you can record longer than earlier models at the 1 second rate

4. Running stride length has been added.

The bad:

1. The footpod and HR strap via blue tooth does not seem any more accurate than previous non-blue tooth models and maybe less so regarding footpod functions. HR measurement seems as accurate as earlier models.

2. Software (Polar Pro Trainer 5) has new functions which are questionable at best and misleading at worst — namely the running “index” function which on a scale of 30 to 76 purports to give you the sum of all calculations with a number which roughly correlates with expected future performance (running times) on various races such as a 5K through a marathon.

3. Customer Service. I was told at first that the inability to record temperature on the watch was a bug in the software. Later was told that the watch could not record temperature (correct). Also was given an excuse as to why temperature was no longer recorded by the watch (users body temperature — hah! — it worked well enough on earlier models). And regarding the index calculation, I was never given the algorithm which could at least help me understand what type of math it was doing (it is a mystery to me and the algorithm seems biased to reward you with a higher index score for a lower heart rate and slow time vs a slightly higher heart rate and faster time). Instead I was given a platitude;

“It is worth to remember that in addition to good Running Index, maximal running performance demands good preparation, optimal running conditions, speed endurance and guts. Training quantity and quality have an affect as well as natural talent. The RunningIndex gives a value measured in current circumstances.”

I especially like the “guts” comment — really happy about that as I don’t know how I’ve gotten by over the past 30 years beating people without “guts”

The ugly:

1. Incomprehensible design decision to modify the altimeter sensor holes from recessed (previous polar models) to flush on the bottom of the watch resulting in erroneous readings as soon as you start to sweat (yes you read that right — sweat) and thus rendering the altimeter function of the watch largely useless unless the watch is worn in such a way (flopping on wrist or strapped to clothing) to preclude the sensor holes from clogging with sweat from your wrist.

2. Software. Looks real nice until you try to modify data. Say you got erroneous distance reading on your last run and you want to easily fix it. You won’t be able to. No simple function to correct the total distance of a run and have that correction evenly applied to entire run. This undermines the whole point of exercise comparison within the software. If you go out on two identical runs but the distance recorded by the watch varies by a few tenths of a mile there will be no easy way to correct the data.

3. Temperature. Previous models recorded temperature as a data point whenever you took a lap marker or finished the run. This model does neither requiring you to manually enter the temperature into the software.

4. The running index calculation does not take into consideration temperature (AMAZING! since the book noted at the beginning of this review showed clearly that there is a positive correlation between high temperatures and higher heart rates — you work harder to cool youself). The lack of temperature calculation (an identical run can have HR vary by 10 BPM based upon temperature) seriously undermines the usefulness of the running index function.

5. No way to tell software about different running conditions for a given distance and have that taken into consideration on the index calculation. Five miles run on a track are treated the same as five miles run on sandy roads or trails. So when you go into the comparison graphs which purportedly allow you to see at a glance trends in your running, you cannot account for different conditions on runs. Neither different temperatures or different running surfaces are considered on calculations. This seriously undermines the usefulness of comparing weeks worth of training runs in order to come up with a performance trajectory and let you know are you ready for that next race.

Until this product I rarely even considered any other HR monitoring tool. Polar may not have made “pretty” watches, but they worked. They made tools for athletes interested in maximizing their performance. The marketing department has apparently taken over the company from the engineers. The company may have “jumped the shark” with this watch and software. I hope I’m wrong and Polar surprises with its next watch. It needs to actually delivers useful functions for serious athletes and not take away functions offered from previous models (temperature and an altimeter which works reliably). And if they are going to go to the trouble of providing a number which tells all — the index number — then they better explain how that number is calculated and provide the user with the ability to modify the formula (temperature and surface conditions to start with) in order to meet variable conditions if their engineers and exercise physiologist have not already thought of everything.

And keep the marketing department out of product design until functions are firmly set and don’t represent a two steps forward, two steps back design as we see with this model.

1 Star Polar, freight and importation taxes
What bothered me the most was the fact that Amazon didn’t inform that I must pay further taxes when I would withdraw the product at the Post Office.

4 Stars Nice option for runners
I already owned most of suunto and polar heart monitors. The RS800SD is the one of my favorites. It has nice options of screens and it is very light. It seems not so robust as the 625x or 725x (I owned both). As some colleagues wrotes seems to me also that the S3 pod is not so accurated as the S1 but is lighter. I also own the RS400, if you are not looking for the running index, it comes with the S1 and coded transmitter that is easier find find spare parts (also once is a little bit darker than RS800 I prefer the looking). The main issue with Polar is the Irda interface. I already bought one Irda connector (universal non polar) that is working very well with the S725X but it is not with RS800 or RS400. Now I ordered the original Polar connector but once I use the windons Vista I am expecting problems (based on users reviews). Polar should pick an easier system suc as wired connection or bluetooth. Last point, the RS products are not designed for multi sport (biking for example)

Buy/More Info

Related posts:

1. Polar S625X Heart Rate Monitor Watch
2. Polar RS200 Running Heart Rate Monitor
3. Polar RS200sd Heart Rate Monitor Watch Black

113541 Features: Monitor your time, distance, pace, and calories with a single sport watch-personal trainer as it stores all of the data so that you can review your improvement later Switch between monitoring your speed to viewing your GPS monitor by tapping the touch bezel Don’t worry, you’ll always get great reception for your GPS thanks to the unique design provides the antenna a larger view of the sky If you have to pause, or begin a new lap, you don’t have to spend time resetting everything to the Auto Pause and Auto Lap features take care of that for you Record up to 1000 laps worth of lap history and customize your workouts, with multi-sport, advanced, and simple workout schemes to track your energy output Your best workout buddy, it’ll give you warnings when you deviate from a set pace, and alert you when you’ve reached time or distance goals Compatible with power meters so that you can view data from 3rd party ANT+Sport-enabled power meters Share your data with other Forerunner 405 users easily with the wireless transfer capabilities or automatically download it to your computer with the USB ANT Stick Specifications: Weight to dimensions: 211 ounces to 188 x 278 x 0646 inches Barometric altimeter: no Display size diameter: 106 inches Battery to battery life: rechargeable lithium-ion to 2 weeks (power save mode); 8 hours (training mode) Waypoints to routes: 100 to 0

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Superior Running Watch
After recently buying this product and taking it for a few runs, on and off-road, I’ve had none of the difficulties others have. The bezel is adequate, and as there is really no need to be pushing buttons or scrolling through menus while on a run it is completely functional. The software has worked flawlessly for me and has provided me with a plethora of information, making my written training log nearly obsolete. I can’t ever imagine using all of the functions provided by the 405. The GPS usually connects quickly, and I’ve never lost a signal. The shape of the watch does make it a better fit for those with larger wrists, but you can always just wear it higher up on your arm. You’re going for a run, how comfortable do you plan on being? Though this is my first Garmin watch, I am willing to bet most issues others have had are due to user error, as I am not the most tech-savvy person.

My only qualm with this product would be the accuracy of the GPS measurements. I’ve seen the accuracy on my watch jump to +/- 113 ft., and when on a 10-15 mile run, that can really add up.

Furthermore, because of the setup, it isn’t very practical for interval training, but let’s be honest, it’s easier to just stick with a stopwatch.

Other than this, it’s totally worth it for someone who, like me, does a lot of running and a lot of trail running (as the mileage on trails can get dicey). I personally plan to take this watch with me on most of my runs.

5 Stars Excellent product

I am very pleased with not only the fast delivery of the watch but also with its performance.The gps enabled feature has really changed my runnings entire dynamic. While it did get some getting used to with regards to use and online support overall I am still, after a few weeks of use, very happy with the watch. Now a few words of advice: always lock the bezel when going on a run to prohibit sweat or rain from messing with the sensitivity of the bezel and be use software updates with caution and be sure to read how to redtart the watch if the update fails and leaves the watch unactive.

5 Stars Can’t live without it for training!
Currently training for a marathon. I guess people have trained before without the use of a GPS watch but why not use the technology if we have it. Watch is great for training. I mainly use the watch for miles/time/and pace. Many other features of this watch that I have yet to use but love how I can log on after a run and see the terrain/calories estimated and map of course. Great watch. I agree with the others to lock the bezel prior to running because the sweat will sometimes cause it to move in the menu. Not a big deal.

2 Stars Decent GPS and definite improvement but plenty of issues
I bought this recently after owning the 201 previously. The design on the 405 CX is much better than the rectangular old design but that seems mainly attributable to the decreasing size of technology. I also owned a polar with a footpod recently for comparison and viewed this an upgrade. Overall, my experience has been only OK and echoes a number of comments on here that i didn’t see or hear from the running store when i purchased the 405. Had it been a $200 purchase i’d view it as an expensive and heavy watch that sometimes has a useful GPS function but it was ~$400.

Positives:

A little large but not as large as previous devices

Software was relatively straightforward to get installed (but doesn’t work reliably – see below)

Finds location faster than prior version but not nearly as fast as others indicate here (i live in NYC so tall buildings can present a problem but it does ok in trails of NJ or other tree covered areas) – i have never had it lock in the ’5 seconds’ others mention. The best case is 20 seconds and up to a minute or two, which is obviously frustrating since you can’t start the timer until it locks

Negatives:

Biggest complaint is that the software worked exactly three times uploading data and has not worked again (despite using multiple computers, turning off surrounding wireless devices, etc)

I emailed customer support, got two responses then no responses after that when i clearly outlined the problem had not been solved

the heartrate monitor is subpar and feels like polar technology from five years ago. the hard plastic definitely will rub you raw if you’re not careful.

the bezel is twitchy and i have had problems on longer runs when there is plenty of sweat or rain and i can’t get the bezel to recognize the touch.

the menus are hardly intuitive and not designed from a runner’s perspective. i wonder who tests this stuff and if they can run around the garmin headquarters but i digress.

the altitude was laughably wrong but since i’ve only been able to see the elevation changes a couple of times (see software problem above) i can’t tell if that was run-specific or a general problem.

As you can tell i’m generally disappointed because i thought i was getting an upgrade but i’ve gotten a whole new set of issues. unfortunately, i’d still recommend this over the footpod option (notwithstanding the superior heartrate monitor) but if you can hold out you may want to consider waiting for the next version.

4 Stars First time Garmin watch owner and it works great
Being this was my first time I would own a Garmin sport watch, I wasn’t sure to either get the 305 or 405 based on some negative reviews of the 405. But I figured there were just enough good reviews, and it being a newer version I decided to take a shot and go with the 404 and I can tell you..so far…it works great! I’m using it to train for a marathon and I’ve been running with it for the past two weeks. I’m just blown away by all the information it is able to record and then transferring it wirelessly to my laptop and logging into my Garmin Connect account to get the detailed maps of the routes I took and information breakdown of all my runs is awesome. I haven’t had trouble locating satelites (takes less than a minute) and I can’t say I’ve had trouble with the bezel acting crazy during my runs. Maybe I don’t sweat so much that it gets wet maybe. Not sure. But I’ve even changed settings during the runs with no issues. But just as the manual tells you, you can lock the bezel after you have your desired settings and display. After that you can touch the bezel all you want and it won’t move or change screens. Really not a big deal from my experience. The watch fits fine around my wrists with no irritation or anything. Feels like a normal watch. I think the only thing that I found doesn’t record correctly is the elevation. I guess it should work as intended but I don’t rely on the elevation data to much. Don’t know what else to say about the watch. It’s been working great for me. I thought the instructions were pretty clear (such as syncing the watch and laptop) and easy. I’d recommend getting the watch.

Buy/More Info

Related posts:

1. Garmin Forerunner 405CX GPS Sport Watch with Heart Rate Monitor Blue
2. Garmin Forerunner 310XT GPS Enabled Sports Watch
3. Garmin Forerunner 405 Black GPS Enabled Sports Watch HRM Factory Refurbished

The Sports Instruments Fit 3 Heart Rate Monitor is a good choice for anyone looking for a training tool for keeping fit and staying healthy.

The Fit 3 Heart Rate Monitors provide runners with a way to track their training data. They would be able to see their Heart Rates, track their distance travelled, and even learn about their pace during their training. It even has 3 separate training zones to ensure that you can find the proper training intensity that your body can handle.

The Fit 3 Heart Rate Monitor also features a chart mode that can help people track their previous work-outs. It would display results and you would be able to see if you are improving your running times through training.

The Sports Instruments Fit 3 Heart Rate Monitor also has a zoom feature that makes the display easier to read. This makes all your data much more easier to analyze and handle.

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User Ratings and Reviews

3 Stars nice HRM but the case breaks
nice HRM but the case breaks

i think they quit making them too

the ears that hold the band on, break

i have had 5 of them so far!

no, i am not doing anything special to make them break

on the other hand it is a very good HRM

you can just exercise and later see how much time you spent

in 3 separate zones

the zones are not changeable

they are

50-70% max

70-80

80-up

i like that better than having to set ‘training zones’ like all other HRMS

this one is different

i like the way it works better

if the cases were any good

they aren;t

both batteries are user replaceable

battery life is good

wle.

5 Stars Best HR monitor yet
I’ve been using the Sports Instruments Fit-3 Heart Rate monitor for about a month now and it’s proven to be great. I especially like the ‘zoom’ feature, making it easier to read. The ‘chart’ mode is great also as I can keep a record of past work-outs. I previously used another brand of HR monitor that was good, but this unit is great!

2 Stars Sports Instruments products were produced in 2003 or earlier
Sports Instruments (SI) was a Utah based company with 3-4 employees that was sold to Bell Sports in 2004 (and Bell Sports was later sold to Easton Sports in 2006). SI’s activities had slowed, and it is reasonable to believe that Sports Instruments Pro, Fit and ECG Heart Rate Wristwatches were last produced in 2003 or earlier. Products were made in Asia by a reputable factory.

Designer and competitive masters athlete Bill Corliss created products with an intelligently designed user interface that was easy to use. The Pro 7 and Pro 9 Hear Rate Wristwatches provided detailed and valuable data for the serious athlete. The Fit and the earlier ECG Fitness Heart Rate Wristwatches had fewer advanced features. The chest transmitter should work with most fitness equipment designed to work with the Polar standard.

If you buy an SI watch, you should know that the original batteries are at the end of their shelf life. Unless the seller has recently replaced batteries, you will quickly or immediately face the burden and cost of dealing with battery issues.

Replacing the watch batteries is too difficult for most consumers. Even a professional repair person must use care to maker certain that the parts are precisely returned to the original positions to maintain water resistance. Expect to pay $9-20 to have the watch battery replaced, and tell your repair person you want the product to keep its water resistance. The battery on the wireless chest transmitter may be less drained than the watch’s and is user replaceable, a nice feature. The chest transmitter’s CR2032 3-volt lithium battery should be available for under $4. Total outlay for 2 batteries: $13-24.

The Sports Instruments Pro, Fit and ECG products are closeouts with manufacturing dates of 2003 or earlier. If you are willing to deal with battery replacement issues, make certain that you get a good enough price to justify the added repair burdens … and that you get good information about how to obtain warranty service from a brand that is no longer produced.

4 Stars Works like charm
I have really enjoyed this product. As some have mentioned on this page i also experienced some issues with battery life. I sent in the product to the mfr (the warranty is for 2 years from purchase)the bater was replaced and I got it back within 2 days. Their service department was greatIt now works like a charm and I couldn’t be happier. I use it 5 times a week and have yet to see another monitor with the same features for the same amount of money.

1 Star DO NOT BUY THIS ITEM
Beware, I received this watch and it did not work, when I sent the inquiry to Infitinate Surplus, I never received a response. Wish I had read all the reviews prior to ordering and realized it had been manufactured in 2003!! The watch arrived DOA! Now Amazon says Infinite_Surplus has a policy that once an item has been opened, they will not take it back (Amazon should be ashamed of themselves for making people read the fine print of their re-sellers for shipping a product that doesn’t work, how are you supposed to find out it doesn’t work unless you open it????) In any event, this watch came in a box that had obviously been opened before and taped back shut. Now I think Amazon AND Infinite-Surplus are a huge rip-off

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Suunto T3c Heart Rate Monitor and Fitness Trainer Watch (Deep Green)

Overall Rating:

Retail Price: $189.00

Amazon Price: $140.75

The Suunto T3c Heart Rate Monitor and Fitness Trainer watch is best for people looking to personalize their training according to their body’s needs.

Powered by a built-in training effect programming, the The Sunnto T3c is able to help you create an accurate training routine that is in accordance with your level of personal fitness. The chronograph and heart rate monitor of the T3c allows it to gather enough personal fitness and exercise data such as calorie burn and heart rate and tries to determine how intense the runner’s training should be.

Now you have a guide as to whether you should go for a full out competitive training program or just take a leisurely stroll around the park.

Despite all of the loaded features, the Suunto T3c Heart Rate Monitor and Fitness Trainer Watch will not hinder or get in the way of any of your training activities. Crafted from lightweight but durable plastic and nested in the included chest strap, the Suunto T3c works without bogging you down or interfering with your movements.

Product Features

• Material: [Housing] plastic; [Strap] rubber
• Altimeter: No
• Barometer: No
• Heart Rate Monitor: Yes
• Chronograph: Yes
• Thermometer: No
• Digital Compass: No
• Adjustable Declination: No
• Low Battery Indicator: Yes
• PC Compatible: Yes
• Waterproof: Water resistant to 100ft (30m)
• Backlight: Yes
• Alarms: Time & heart-rate
• Battery Type:
• Battery Life:
• Size: Large
• Weight:
• Recommended Use: Training
• Manufacturer Warranty: 2 Years
• Country of Origin: China

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User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Stylish and functional
I’ve had the Suunto T3 for a couple years now and it’s worked well for me. It looks nice, so I can wear it as my everyday watch at work, and I’m also able to use it for all the heart rate monitoring things. It’s a little hard to read in low light or with polarized sunglasses. It reads my heart rate well without many problems. Only on long hikes in cold weather have I had issues with it reading. It definitely works better if you’re sweating. I usually put a little water on the electrodes and it does great from the get go.

You can set up the heart rate to exercise in heart rate zones which works great for interval training. It can also warn you if you’re training too hard or not enough with an alarm. I also like the ‘training effect’ because it gives me a rough estimate of how effective my workout was. The software that you can use to look at your workout info isn’t that great, but it’s somewhat interesting.

I don’t use it with any of the pods other than the PC pod to download information to my computer. Annoyingly, you can’t get the information to a computer without buying the add on PC Pod for this watch.

I had it replaced under warranty without difficulty as water somehow got inside the watch. Suunto was a pleasure to deal with and sent me a new watch. Battery life has been great. The band is starting to crack a bit (though it hasn’t broken through) and $25 seems pricey for a band, but I’ll probably do it since I’ve been happy with the watch.

2 Stars No good for variable intervals!!!!
I will likely be returning this watch soon, in favor of a Timex Ironman HRM. The Timex is not as stylish, but in my experience they are great training watches; unfortunately I cannot say the same for the Suunto.

The T3c has two basic modes: time and training. Pretty self explanatory. However, many timing options (like a countdown (interval) timer or stop watch) are not available in the timing mode–this could be just a minor inconvenience–and, more importantly, are buried in a terribly CLUNKY INTERFACE.

INTERVAL training is where this units truly falls flat. The T3c allows you to store only 2(!) interval periods plus a warm up period; effectively, interval #1 is your interval period and #2 is your recovery time (they alternate in immediate succession…for instance 5 on and 2 off). Unfortunately, the setting to change the interval duration is buried in the training menu and nearly impossible to get to while kicking hard or while in a brief recovery period between intervals. If you only use one constant interval period in your workout, this will not be a problem for you. But, if like me, you vary your interval durations throughout each workout you will be mightily disappointed by the Suunto. For instance, I like to warm up for 20mins and then jump into 2×10 min intervals with 2 off, followed by 3×5 min intervals with 2 off and then wrap up with 4×1 min intervals (with 30 sec off); and this is really an impossibility with the T3c (I could just count the mins/secs but I shouldn’t have to for the price of this unit). BOTTOM LINE: This “watch” is NO GOOD for someone who trains with varying interval lengths within each training session.

On the plus side, I find the belt to be very COMFORTABLE and I have no complaints with the general HRM function. Unfortunately this is just not a good training WATCH, despite its redeeming features as a HRM. I cannot recommend this watch until the interface is improved such as to make this a real training watch, not just a HRM.

5 Stars Very Pleased Overall
HR Monitors aren’t very cheap. After conducting some research, the Suunto brand seemed to be the best balance for performance and features that was of good value. It was also the most reasonable looking unit and very usable outside of training as it doubles as a watch. I was concerned about other reviews reporting issues with the HR/watch face being quite easy to damage/scratch. To prevent this I also purchased a Zagg Invisible shield to protect the face. The Zagg and T3C combo has been flawless and has kept the T3C in pristine condition in the couple of months I’ve had it. I train 10 times a week, 5 of those sessions I use the T3C for both steady-state cardiovascular exercise and high intensity interval training.

As far as build goes, it’s been able to hold on it’s on quite strongly despite my level of activities. A fair few people have also commented on the appearance of the T3C as a nice watch but as soon as I mention that it’s more of an HR monitor they would not believe me.

I only have two negative points about the T3C, but they aren’t worth worrying about when taking in consideration what the T3C does right. First thing is that the armband out of the box appears to be made for an extremely obese person and had to have a watch repair professional adjust and cut a fair bit to ensure it fit’s right on my wrist. The process was extremely quick and if anyone had the right tools this could be done with ease, the manual has some details on how to do this. Secondly, the interval trainer beeps aren’t loud enough. When I do high intensity training (usually in the form of sprints), both my vision and hearing are very much affected. This has made the T3C a little more difficult to hear. It’s not extremely bad and so far I haven’t missed any beeps from the interval trainer however if I trained any harder and if the beeps were any fainter then I am certain I’d start missing intervals. Otherwise, I am absolutely enjoying this product and have had no regrets with my purchase.

3 Stars Good looks, mediocre menu system, poor visibility
First off… I really like the overall looks of this watch/heart rate monitor. Very sleek and cool. One of the things that makes it look good (the black face) also makes the digital numbers, letters, etc difficult to read in dim/low light without using the watch’s back light feature. The Suunto watches with the white face and black readout is most likely better for low dim lighting situations.

The menu system takes a while to get used to and a little time to remember how to do certain things. There’s nothing straight forward or intuitive about it.

The chest belt seems to work fine in conjunction with the watch, keeping track of heart rate and calculating all the other information (calories burned, average heart rate, etc).

If you are thinking about using this watch and it’s Training Effect feature for when you are weight lifting… I would think twice. Of course it may differ for each individual but I don’t workout long enough to make a dent in the training effect.

There is no software support for the mac platform which stinks. This means I’ll never have access to my training logs anywhere but on the watch itself unless I go out and buy a pc or install windows on my mac. I knew this ahead of time but I still think it’s a shame.

Would I buy this again? No. I’d buy one that had a more easily read face and possibly look for one that was compatible with a mac.

1 Star Poorest Battery Life
This is a CRAPY Watch. As for the design it looks nice, but the overall quality of the watch is extremely poor. The face of the watch scratches very easily and the wrist band is not comfortable to wear when exercising. The battery only lasted 3-4 months and I barely used the watch!

Also, Suunto’s website is poorly designed and difficult to use. It took me a while to run some queries on it. This watch is designed in Finland, but unfortunately is made in the world’s worst quality and cheapest place-China!

Steer away from buying it

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Polar FS2 Heart Rate Monitor Watch (Black)

Overall Rating:

Retail Price: $79.95

Amazon Price: View Sale Price

Training is not just about doing the most difficult physical activity you could find. You should always take into account your personal fitness level and adjust accordingly. This is where the Polar FS2 Heart Rate Monitor (HSM) watch can help in your training.

The Polar FS2 helps you accurately measure your heart rate and provide you with the data that you need in order to adjust your training intensity. You would be able to know whether a particular exercise is over training or under training your body.

Using a very intuitive interface and one-touch button functionality, you could be able to set up the Polar FS2 HRM to alert you about your target rates. It would then display exercise information about your exercise, in its easy to read digital display.

These features and easy to configure and use functions make the Polar FS2 Heart Rate Monitor Watch a great watch for people who want to train properly.

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User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars reivew of Polar FS2 Heart rate monitor
I had the old model of this model and it lasted me over 5 years. Based on that, and the other reviews I read about this model, I decided to try the FS2. It is great!! It is a very good basic heart rate monitor. No bells and whistles, but I was looking for simple. I highly recommend reading through the manual, which is very short. It will give you some great tips so you can utilize the few features it does have, such as min/max heart rate limits, etc. All and all, a great buy. I’ve only had it a couple of months, so I don’t know about the battery life. Hopefully it will perform as well as the old one did!

4 Stars Fine Product and Excellent Service
Polar FS2 Heart Rate Monitor Watch (Black)

I ordered this for my daughter because it’s considered the best. When it arrived, it was defective and the screen was blank. I reported this to Amazon. Immediately, I received a prepaid shipping label to return the defective item. Within three days, I received a replacement, faster than I thought possible. The replacement works PERFECTLY.

I am THRILLED with the outstanding customer service and recommend this product highly.

5 Stars Polar Monitor
Takes a little getting used to, but once I understood the functions, it works great. Keeps me from exceeding HR objectives, both for me and my clients.

4 Stars Easy to use and simple
This watch does exactly what most people need, and is incredibly easy to use.

There are only a couple of things that keep me from giving it 5 stars, and that has more to do with me not thinking through everything I want:

1. A backlight would have been handy.

2. Minimum heart rate (in addition to max and average) is nice for resting heart rate measurements. (However, if you wait long enough, the average will approach the min.)

3. Ability to store more than one session. I frequently do multiple cardio sessions while at the gym. It would be have a log of all of the cardio sessions I did that day.

Overall, though, I’m very happy with it. It gets the job done.

4 Stars polar
It was east to set up, It has great visibility. Large numbers on the face makes it easy for an old guy like me to use.

Buy/More Info

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