Watches

Recent Watch Reviews

Garmin fenix 5X Sapphire

A complex, high functionality watch that blew me away with all of its features! For three weeks now I've enjoyed getting more out of my trail runs, hikes, treadmill runs and gym sessions and all the other daily tracking capabilities! I find the GPS excellent and HR monitor superior to some I have tried before. For me, definitely worth the price so far! As a first time Garmin user I am impressed, but I suppose that is to be expected with the Garmin Fenix 5X! The GPS accuracy has been on point for… Full review

Suunto Ambit2

I have both the Ambit and Ambit2. The first got a cracked cover eventually—user abuse, so no bad on Suunto on that. The second's battery quit after three years (just outside warranty) of similarly intensive use, and the recharge cable also wore out (contacts snap off, fyi). I'd be disappointed if not for the fact that Suunto replaced the entire watch with a new Ambit 3, despite the fact that the warranty had expired. They probably took one look, saw the gouged bezel, scratched cover, and decided… Full review

Garmin Foretrex 101

Good basic wrist GPS available for £xx on Ebay and actually more useful than many GPS devices at £xxx So why would I bother reviewing a bit of kit that is so old it was probably the second backup nav system for Noah after the dove and the olive branch and probably guesswork? Simply put, I am a fan of writing down what you need then finding the cheapest but most bomb proof way of getting it. I understand the attraction of easy link wifi enabled blue-tooth watches, but in the end so few people even… Full review

Garmin Foretrex 301

Tough little device, handy for hiking and other active sports. I use this device for hunting, jogging, canoeing, and hiking for about three years. While it’s too small to have detailed maps and other niceties, its “breadcrumbs” mean I can always find my way back to the start, and I can focus on looking for game, instead of looking for markers to backtrack. The “AAA” batteries make it a little bulky, but it means you can change to fresh batteries while you are out for extended periods. … Full review

Suunto X9i

Save you money—poor manufactuer support! This GPS device was made to support the Suunto brand directly by not providing their product through general retail outlets, and to make the product sealed, preventing customers changing their own battery. This device must be sent to the local national Sunnto-owned and operated office for battery change. This product is priced-fixed through Suunto authorized dealers only. A MAP price is forced on those Suunto-authorized dealers.  They are not allowed to… Full review

Suunto X9i

I have owned two (2) X9i watches for several years which I purchased when on a cruise. After a couple of years the wristbands started to break and chip. Wristbands on the watch housing are made out of rubber. Every year afterward the wristband started to chip and break more frequently. Paying the amount for two watches you would think the rubber parts of the watch would last more than a few years. I recently called for service and the service dept. said that it would cost between $45-$65 to replace… Full review

Suunto X6HR

I had the watch for about five years. I like it because it is comfortable and not too heavy. After replacing the band for the third time, the display went south and now shows all features displayed at once. If I take the battery out the display shows normal for about 1 second then goes out for lack of power. I done fooling around with this turkey. Older watch so you don't have to worry about buying one. They were advanced when they first came out. They had lots of problems. Customer  support is … Full review

Garmin vivosmart HR

A multi-functional health tracker combining wrist-based heart rate monitor (HRM) with ANT+ broadcasting capability and simple smart/sports watch abilities. Nice device for those who are tired of chest-based HRMs. Unfortunately the feature set is very limited in comparison to true smart/sports watches. Background I’d been using the chest-based HRM with my old Garmin GPSMap 62s in 2011-2013. I liked the possibility to examine my pulse during the rides, especially the reaction of my body to various… Full review

Garmin vivosmart HR+

The Garmin Vivosmart HR+ is definitely not perfect, but packs a lot of useful features into a relatively compact package. I have been using the Garmin Vivosmart HR+ for about a year now, mainly for day-to-day health tracking and hiking. Here is a summary of what I think is good and bad about it. ProFeatures: Provides lots of features including step count, heart rate, GPS tracking, sleep monitor, Bluetooth connectivity, notifications from phone and control of music on phone (I don't use this). Size:… Full review