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 Suunto T1 Heart Rate Monitor and Fitness Trainer Watch (Black) By: Suunto Average Rating: 3.0 Total Reviews: 12 More Information Good HR monitor, basic and elegant  On: 2008-02-22I replaced my very complex Polar RS200sd with the Suunto T1. So far, I am very happy. It is easy to set up (the Polar one about required a NASA engineer), easy to operate, gives good, consistent readings, and looks nice on my girly wrist. This particular model does not have the labels for the buttons on the front of the face - I think the next model year improves this. But there are only 4 buttons, and once you get aquainted with the unit, I dont think it is much of a problem. I like the calorie visual feature on the watch face, it is motivating. Have not had any trouble with the wrist unit picking up Heart Rate (had issues with that on the Polar.) So far, I am very pleased and would highly recommend this as a great HR monitor for a casual exerciser, or an athlete who does not need to store multiple workouts. (This model only stores one workout. The Sunnto T3 model stores more, but I did not need that feature.) doesn't measure up  On: 2008-02-02I was very disappointed with the Suunto. - The design of the watch is such that the display scratches very easily. After just a few weeks of using it (running and cycling) the watch values/numerals were very difficult to read (I had ordered the watch with the black display which I guess did not help). Suunto suggests buying a display shield to prevent this from happening. I believe a sports watch should be designed such that it does not scratch easily. - The heart rate monitor functionality was not very reliable. After about 3 months, it acted up and at times would fail (I did replace the batteries to make sure that was not the culprit). Eventually, the heart rate monitor functionality stopped working entirely. - The only thing I like about the Suunto is the interface for setting and reading heart rate zones. - Overall, I was so disappointed by the overall design of the product that I did not want to replace it with a new Suunto (the watch broke during the warranty time). I bought a Polar heart rate monitor instead and I just love it. Nice HR Monitor -- but falls short of other Suunto models  On: 2008-01-11I have owned at one time or another 5 different Suunto watches -- or wristop computers as they like to call them -- and without question, Suunto manufactures Great products. Without calling this model bad, I WILL say that it is not only the least expensive, but also the cheapest built model I have seen. I couldnt help but notice the number of reviews that state the watch looks almost entirely different in person than it does in photos...and I HAVE to admit that this watch looks vastly different in person than it does on my computer. Specifically smaller--a LOT smaller. Now there is nothing wrong with a small watch, but this one almost looks like a feminine version. NOT what I had in mind when I decided to get a good heart rate monitor for while I work out. Suunto is notorious for using plastic faces on their watches making them more apt to get scratches than average watches. If you are considering buying this for your primary means of telling time, you simply MUST reconsider for two major reasons...No. 1 the watch face can scratch at the drop of a hat. Seriously, I feel that a good stiff wind has the potential to mar the plastic face. No 2 has to be Suuntos penchant for claims that their watches are Water Resistent way more than they actually are. Once again, I get worried if I walk into a sauna wearing a Suunto if it wont get waterlogged and die on me. All that aside, Suunto DOES make technically capable wristop computers that can do a variety of really amazing things, the least of which is tell time. Whether you want to determine your altitude or your bearing with a compass, Suuntos are dependable and quite accurate. My personal favorite is the Observer -- not only is it my favorite, but probably the best-looking Suunto as well. But were talking about the T1. ALL of the Suunto models I have owned were relatively easy to program and figure out, but with the T1 you practically needed a certificate of membership to MENSA in order to figure out. The button sequence to shift from one section of the functions to another is simply confusing to say the least. I dont want to make it out that I think of myself as some kind of genius (because Im not) but I have a large watch collection and some have some complicated set-up features and they all pale in comparison to the confusing order you have to do things in order to just set the watches time and date function. Then -- as with all Suunto models -- you have to arrange it depending upon whether you live in a Metric country or standard like we have in America and, well lets just say reading the manual quite thoroughly is pretty much essential if you plan to get anything of value out of your T1. The heart rate monitor works great by the way. Ive used it several times already checking the accuracy against other sources and since there really is no point in spending this kind of money on something that wont work you ought to know that once you decipher the heiroglyphic manual enough to get it working properly, it really DOES work well. Bottom Line: If you need a heart rate monitor and you have some time to devote into reading the manual that (for me anyway) seems written in a somewhat confusing manner, and you arent planning on wearing it for everyday use, the T1 can be a valuable addition to your workouts. Either way I recommend attempting to find a model and inspect it IN PERSON before buying because the photo you see here and what it looks like in reality on your wrist really is quite different. ***UPDATE*** After more use, I have decided that I was more harsh than necessary in regards to how difficult it is to learn to operate the T1. While the instruction manual is FAR from being the easiest to understand, and while sophisticated, the T1 could use a little update on becoming a bit more user-friendly. But overall, I have to admit that once you get past the tedious programming phase (setting the day, date, time, your age, weight, height etc) the watch is pretty accurate and at a glance can tell you a LOT of info. Id recommend updating the instruction manual to make it a little easier to understand and I would then offer the T1 a full-4 stars. I just wish it were a bit larger. Nuff said. Simple, attractive, reliable  On: 2007-12-01Ive had my T1 for about 4 months and I love it. It took a bit of setup with the manual but now I can reset even the personal settings with ease. (My husband and I both use it and reset it between our various sessions.) The display is easy to read, its attractive, the usability is good after the learning curve, and the chest strap is comfortable enough. (I have forgotten to take it off a few times actually.) I use it as a watch when Im not running. Ive found it to be very reliable. No interference, no spontaneous resets, no problems! If you need a straight forward heart rate monitor without a lot of bells and whistles I cant recommend this enough. Really awesome workout watch On: 2007-09-24This watch is expensive, so I think it is important for people to know, it is fully worth it. I love this watch, it helps me keep track of how intense my workouts are or if they are too intense(thus poss causing injury), or if they are not good enough. I do so much in a day, this helps me figure out how many calories I have burned etc. You need to read up on all the features, but it works well. I have been using for about a month almost every day and have had no problems with it or the battery. The light on the watch is kinda weird, but it does its job as well. This watch is so complex that you may need to make a few calls to their help line for setting up or understanding some things but it is worth all that. AMAZING WATCH, LOTS OF FUNCTIOS On: 2007-08-11This watch has lots of functions, you can set, limits, zones, two times, and your personal info (age,weight,height). The display is great it has three lines for display, the one thats on the center is the biggest and most important but the other two ar also helpful, you can change the info displayed on the lower line, so you can see whats useful for you. The training mode is great also, and it records the totals (time, laps, calories, hr average, hr highest, hr lowest) of sessions, for last session, week sessions, month sessions, its great. It is a good value, the only things why im not giving it 5 stars is becasuse the case is not silver like it appears to be in the photo, it is white plastic, be aware of this, and the screen scratches easily, but a small piece of PDA screen protector can save the screen of the watch but youll have to cut it round. The photo is much better than the real...  On: 2007-06-13I bought this unit to my wife due the beautiful picture. Unfortunately reality is not so good. The "brick color" is not red but a orange one. The "metal" environment is a white plastic. The watch is very ugly to be honest but, does what have to do (nice heart monitor). What you see you won't get On: 2007-05-05Im returning my brick polished t1 to the retailer. The photos from the Suunto website are deceiving. Upon opening the box, the watch shell wasnt silver (or at least metal as I had hoped for) like in the photos; it was a white painted plastic shell with a few cosmetic imperfections. What was worse was the "brick polished" strap which also seemed metal, oh yes, looks nice on the photos huh. Believe me, its a rediculous orange rubber strap! Got the bar code and product numbers right and none of these details(i.e. metal or plastic) were inicated on the product information. The display was also very poor. You need to press the light button to see the data under cetain types of lighting. I loved the older models which were functional and reliable. What happened Suunto? Great price ... great features On: 2007-04-08I got this for my wife to replace her Nike heart rate monitor. The features are great (time in zones is a very good feature addition), the display is easy to read while working out. My wife tells me that the chest strap is comfortable and that it looks nice. What more do you need? She has had no issues with the buttons etc that other reviewers have previously mentioned and she uses it 5 days a week. Disapointed On: 2007-03-08I live in Argentina. I bought it and someone brought it to me from the usa. The watch doesnt work and I cant change it or sent it back to usa. Very disappointed On: 2007-01-15First of all the colors of the product at amazon pictures and the real product doesent match. What seens to be a silver watch it is realy a white one. At the beggining everything was ok, at the end of first week the light button locked (after a few hours i get it unlocked), in the second week the the battery has ended. Im very disappointed... Suunto, can't beat it!!!!! On: 2007-01-09The service was fast and the product is great. thanks |