Suunto t6c Heart Rate Monitor and Fitness Trainer Watch (Black) Great Potential. Terrible Product. Terrible Customer Support. – A. H. Klein –
I bought this watch/computer four and a half months ago because it seemed to have the best feature set and the most manageable problems (specifically, the HRM belt problems that a few reviewers report below) and I am sorry that I did.
Download the latest software update from Suunto. I am running a fully updated version of WinXP SP3, and the software with which the watch came brought the BSoD with it. Moreover, I had to completely uninstall/reinstall MS Office because Outlook was permanently damaged. The newest software update, which is available for download at the Suunto website, installed properly.
The altimeter function seems worse than useless indoors because it’s never right, and I’m not sure that the “Training Manager” software doesn’t factor it into calculations. At least it, like many of the records, can be turned off.
The temperature record is also useless if the watch is worn against my skin: it doesn’t give ambient temperature but something like my skin temp. Having gleaned that ambient temperature has a substantive impact on my performance, and because I would like to learn more about it, I am disappointed that the function is basically useless.
The “Training Manager” software doesn’t let one tell it how many breaths one take per minute. I must think that this is important to calculation of oxygen consumption.
Sometimes the watch does not correctly calculate calories.
How one might actually use the “Suunto Monitor” software (not to be confused with the “Training Manager” software) is not immediately obvious (from a purely technical standpoint). Relevant instructions may be someplace in the manual, but I rather expect that software shouldn’t require instructions for basic use.
As for the “Training Effect” (TE), it seems a little gimmicky [and automatic calculation of activity class seems likewise--it's now bumped me up all the way to 10; yeah, I train a whole 10 hours or so per week]. After a hard hour on the erg, TE is almost invariably over the 5.0 threshold. Sometimes I get there by 45 min.!
The HRM strap isn’t just fragile. As of 06/03/2010, mine, which I treated like a delicate electronic device is useless. The problem is not with the transmitter. It’s with the strap itself, which seems to fall apart within months.
A note about MrWatch, from purchase to receipt, the service I received from MrWatch was top notch. And, I would highly recommend this vendor *EXCEPT* for the fact that MrWatch doesn’t seem to be an authorized vendor, or it doesn’t participate in Suunto’s repair/service program. Either way, I must recommend against MrWatch for this reason.
When I contacted Suunto seeking an RMA, they gave me the runaround and referred me to other pages at [...], which led to a long form that ends up telling me it will cost me just to send the watch to Suunto and another to get it back. I might spring for the , but the same pages seem to suggest that the repair will not be covered under warranty.
Finally, I ordered what I thought would be a one year supply of chest straps (three) just so that I wouldn’t feel like it had been a total disaster. After only a few weeks, the first “new” chest strap just broke at the clip.
Unless you like throwing money away, look elsewhere.
[FYI: Beware of reviews your read at the [...] sales site. I left an appropriately negative review of their product, and it was deleted.]
Suunto: SS013579010 t6c Heart Rate Monitor- Black Reaching your goals can be tough. It takes the right tools, knowledge, and guidance to improve with each training session. Enter the Suunto t6c heart rate monitor and fitness trainer watch, a professional-grade training tool for monitoring, analyzing, and optimizing your workouts. The t6c is equipped with a bundle of valuable features, but none is more valuable than its correspondence with the included Suunto Training Manager PC software, which provides a detailed analysis of seven physiological parameters with an accuracy previously available only in sports laboratories. This analysis breaks down nearly every aspect of your training, so you can make adjustments and train more efficiently in the future.
The t6c also tracks your real-time Training Effect, a quick and accurate measurement of how hard your body is working at any given moment. By knowing your Training Effect, you’ll enjoy a more intimate understanding of your body’s workout “sweet spot,” an essential tidbit if you want to achieve your targets without setting yourself back by under- or over-training. The Training Effect works intuitively: The watch first notes the info from your personal fitness profile, and then analyzes your physiological progress and translates the data into a simple one-to-five scale. For example, if you want to improve your aerobic fitness at a moderate tempo, you should exercise until your TE meter reads between 3.0 and 3.9, two to four times per week. To improve your aerobic condition more rapidly–but without the risk of over-training–you should push yourself harder once or twice per week, so your TE meter reads 4.0 to 4.9, with a few recovery sessions in the TE 1.0 to 2.0 range. The Training Effect is relative to each individual. While a novice runner might achieve a TE of 4.0 on a four-mile jog, a professional runner might have to complete an uphill marathon to get the same reading. In other words, both runners will have to exercise hard to achieve a TE of 4.0.
The t6c includes a couple of additional features that put it above and beyond traditional heart rate monitor watches. For example, the t6c gives you a readout of your excess post-exercise oxygen consumption level (EPOC), letting you measure and adjust your training loads to ensure that your body is safely getting the most from each workout. And users will love the built-in altimeter, which lets you monitor your climbing or hill performance to know how your body will react when training at various altitudes.
Finally, the Suunto t6c offers interference-free digital ANT transmission, making it easy to pair your heart rate monitor with the included Suunto comfort belt. You can also use this secure connection to monitor your speed, distance, or cadence by pairing your Suunto t6c with an optional Suunto training pod. Training pods are small units that attach to such items as a running shoe or a bike to calculate your speed, distance, and even pedal revolutions per minute while you exercise. Pods are ideal for athletes who aren’t satisfied with half-hearted training efforts, but really want to monitor their training routines down to the last detail.
Specifications:
- Color: Black
- Measures vertical speed: Yes
- Real-time vertical cumulative value: Yes
- Temperature compensation: Yes
- Total ascent/descent: Yes
- Resolution: 1 meter
- Recording intervals: 2 seconds, 10 seconds
- Altimeter/barometer lock: Yes
- Altitude range: -1,600 to 29,500 feet
- Countdown timer: Yes
- Stopwatch: Yes
- Max number of split times in memory: 99
- Timers (interval and warm-up): Yes
- Average heart rate: Real time
- Training effect: Real time
- Calories: Real time
- ANT digital coded signal: Yes
- Memory capacity: 25 logs/100,000 beats
- PC analysis: Yes, with 7 body parameters
- EPOC: Yes
- HR limits and HR zones: Yes
- Suunto heart rate belt: Compatible, sold separately
- Suunto comfort belt: Included
- Suunto memory belt: Compatible, sold separately
- Water resistance: 330 feet
- Selectable metric/imperial units: Yes
- Menu-based user interface: Yes
- Dot-matrix display: Yes
- Backlight type: Electro-luminescent display
- Backlight option for night use: Yes
- User-replaceable strap: Yes
- Software: Suunto Training Manager (included)
- Low battery warning: Yes
- User-replaceable battery: Yes
- Suunto Coach personal training program: No
- Customizable display: Yes
- Button lock: Yes
- Compatible with pods: Yes
- Watch: 12/24 hour
- Calendar clock: Yes
- Dual time: Yes
- Daily alarms: 3
Manufacturer’s Warranty
Two-year warranty
About Suunto
Suunto was founded in 1936 by outdoors man and a keen orienteering enthusiast, Tuomas Vohlonen, who had long been bothered by a problem: the inaccuracy of traditional dry compasses and their lack of steady needle operation. Being an engineer with an inventive turn of mind, he discovered and patented the production method for a much steadier needle, better readings, and a new level of accuracy. By 1950 the company was exporting compasses to over 50 countries around the world, including Canada and the United States. In 1952, Helsinki was hosting the Olympic Games, and the torches carried to light the Olympic flame were Suunto products. The next step was improving the stability and accuracy of marine compasses. The first marine compass, the Suunto K-12, was launched onto the market in 1953. In 1957, Suunto started manufacturing hypsometers, which measure the height of trees.
In the 1960s, the compass range grew further and Suunto introduced its first diving compass–initiated by the divers themselves. A British sports diver attached a Suunto compass to his wrist and found that the device also worked underwater. Thanks to his feedback and initiatives, the new business category was found. Suunto’s exports and business grew steadily and Suunto then focused on combining its strength in precision mechanics with new skills in electronics. Accuracy, reliability, and ruggedness have been Suunto’s key values from the very beginning of the company history.
Today, Suunto is a leading designer and manufacturer of sports instruments for training, diving, mountaineering, hiking, skiing, sailing, and golf. True to its roots, Suunto is today the world’s biggest compass manufacturer. Prized for their design, accuracy and dependability, Suunto sports instruments combine the aesthetics and functionality of watches with sport-specific computers that help athletes at all levels analyze and improve performance. Headquartered in Vantaa, Finland, Suunto employs more than 500 people worldwide and distributes its products to nearly 60 countries. The company is a subsidiary of Helsinki-based Amer Sports Corporation with the sister brands Wilson, Salomon, Atomic, Precor, and Mavic.
Suunto t6c Heart Rate Monitor and Fitness Trainer Watch (Black)
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