I read other people''s reviews saying how easy to scratch the face of the watch was. Boy, they weren''t kidding. Granted I''m not a very careful person when it comes to such things but within an hour of wearing this thing I already had three huge areas of scuff marks and scratches on the crystal face. I don''t even know how I did that. I don''t remember bumping into anything.So far that''s all I can say on this. I''ve used it once. The heart rate monitor seems to work fine. I haven''t bought any of the pods for it like the bike mount pod for measuring how far and fast I went (I have another computer on my bike for that) or the wireless pod for transmitting the data to a computer. I was considering getting them but if this thing scratches up any more than this I''m not putting any more money into add ons as I''ll probably end up shelving it.
Also, while the description does say it''s a woman''s watch it is unisex and can be used by men or women.
1) It is true. Put on my left wrist, sat back on couch, and spread my arms out to side like "Joe Cool" and it lost connection/heart rate reporting. Same thing when I put it behind my head for sit ups. But I will mostly be using this when running/biking/machines at gym, so okay. It did not lose it right away...but I''m sure it paused receiving for a bit. If you bring it back near front, I''m sure it will reconnect ...otherwise, if too long, then you will have to re-set your training monitoring session.
2) Quite a bit of a learning curve. Manual that came with it was SPARSE on information. So I''ve been playing around with it for it''s "intuitive-ness" (poking around like a dumbass, that is...heh heh). I''m sure there are features still yet that I am not using as well as I should or at all.
3) The dark digital face is just about as sharp as needed for me...but not so great. Some lettering is pretty small, but I can read just okay when I''m in the gym. The "backlight" button does not work as a backlight when you are in some modes, as it is used as a programming button or other...but it''s okay...for the features I use, I have not had an issue. Gives it a dark greenish look...not as good as Timex Indiglo...I''d rate it as 2/3 as good. But I guess it preserves battery.
4) Suunto Coach I pretty much just use it for the training effect...is that how it''s supposed to be used? I dunno...goes back to manual.
5) Calorie counter seems to be generous. The gym machine would report 570 while the watch would show 800 burned.
6) Strap is not so long...my chest is 39-40", and strap stretches just enough to remain comfortable. If your chest is bigger, be prepared to do some sewing to cut the strap and add some length.
7) Also true, face is plastic and scratches easily. Toothpaste helped to remove some scratches better than I expected.
8) The Pod thing that you attach to your strap and to your chest, well, it has some compression latches on either side so you can detach completely from the strap. However, I squeeze it to detach, it does not come off...I have to press what I feel is a somewhat dangerous amount of pressure using the very tip of my finger (to focus the pressure more) for it to dis-engage, and feel that one day in my haste, and over time, the plastic would weaken and I''d press at the wrong angle/pressure and snap the latches. Parts of this latch are small plastic protrusions that I feel will break over time.
9) Kind of understand "Activity Class", but at this moment, I can not recall how to set it...but I guess it is important. Kind of understand "Level", but same thing. I totally get "Training Effect", which I can make use of.
10) A bit confusing to configure. The menu options I had to go through several times before I kind of understood how the all worked. And I did not know how to get to the menus at first...back again to the manual.
How I Use It :
I guess I set all my biometrics, chose an Activity Class (can''t remember when I did that) and Level (same thing)...now I use the Coach to tell me when I should exercise, and how intense I should via the Training Effect and the "time" it tells you to achieve that training effect.
Main Likes :
1) Good heart rate monitor.
2) Like that it has a calorie counter though I think it''s off.
3) Like the Training Effect.
4) Coach feature is neat...that is, if I am using it correctly...can be used to plan ahead.
5) Logs my metrics for the day.
6) I can replace the belt battery, something people say you can''t with Polar.
Main Dislikes :
1) It can lose communication with belt if held behind your body for a bit...then does not re-find it when you bring it back in front...then you have to re-start your training session monitoring...sheesh!
2) Manual sucks. Am I missing using some features? Am I not using it optimally? Even though it is my first heart rate monitor, I''m no dummy and I''m a gadget freak, and it is not very intuitive.
Would I buy it again?
Hmm...I like the training effect thing...if I can get that in a cheaper watch, I would. Other features I''m not sure if I''m using the best...so makes me feel like the extra cost I paid is wasted...so...maybe I''d buy this one again, thinking optimistically right now that I will learn and make use of other features in the future.
Would I recommend this to newbies?
No.
From my research, I thought the Timex T5G971 (the back of the one I have says T5G981 though) is a good/cheap/simple/straight forward heart rate monitor. I bought it for my friend, so I''ve tested it and it''s good.
Or you can buy the Timex T5J031 (T5J041 on back) I bought for my siblings with a few more features...also tested okay.
I just wanted to get one better than theirs (ha ha), so bought this after some research.
Would I buy this over an equivalent Polar?
I guess so...mostly because of the stories I''ve read about Polar and the battery situation. I have never held a Polar in my hand..neither a Suunto until I bought this one.
Buy Suunto t4d Heart Rate Monitor and Personal Fitness Coach Watch (White Blaze) Now
This is a good exercise watch in general, however it has too many drawback in my opinion.It looks nice, however the inverted colours do not have sufficient contrast to be able to read well, even during the day.
The dial cover is made of plastic and scratches very easily. This watch has no resistance to water, meaning rinse it at your own risk. As for the chest sensor that came with it, it works, and did work well until my watch died (not sure whybut moisture wouldn''t surprise me), however the strap is of pretty low quality, and fatter people like me will soon find it tends to dig in... I now use a garmin strap with my iphone and a ant+ sensor, and they are great (iphone doesnt like swimming or rinsing either but i expected that!)I''m lucky to bought the used suunto t4d watch with not expensive price,if I bought new watch,i''ll feel very disappointed of the surface of the watch.You''d better wear the watch only in room exercise,after exercise,you should put it in a soft box,so that to protect it''s plastic face.
For all this,the heart rate monitor works very well,I also bought the pc pod for T4d.
Want Suunto t4d Heart Rate Monitor and Personal Fitness Coach Watch (White Blaze) Discount?
I bought the Suunto t4d after experiencing some minor, but very annoying, issues with a couple of Garmin HRM''s. I bought the t4d specifically for the Training Effect and Suunto Coach features and they both work great. The dual-comfort belt fits pretty well and it reads heart rate accurately while I am running; it doesn''t transmit well to the treadmill that I use but that isn''t important to me. The user interface on the watch is the worst I''ve ever seen but it wasn''t a problem after I consulted the manual a couple of times (it can be downloaded from Suunto''s site). The watch looks and feels cheap and I''m sure the face scratches pretty easily, as other reviews say, but I haven''t hit it against anything. Transmitting your data to Suunto''s Movescount website using the optional Suunto Movestick Mini is easy and flawless. The Movescount site has a good mix of information and social networking capability and I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it will also give your Excessive Post Exercise Consumption, or EPOC, value for each workout which helps guide your training. I decided that GPS capability in a HRM wasn''t important to me anymore but there is an optional footpod available if you should want to monitor your distance.There has been some question in other reviews as to whether this HRM, labeled as a woman''s HRM, is appropriate for a man: it IS appropriate IF you''re willing to spend a little more money for a replacement strap. The strap that comes on the t4d is shorter and slightly narrower compared to how a man''s watch would normally fit and it has all sorts of wavy lines etched into it that you would normally only find on a woman''s watch. That being said, the people around you probably won''t notice and if you''re okay with it then more power to you. I bought a Suunto T-series replacement strap off of Amazon and it definitely fits and looks better than the standard strap. If you decide to replace the strap you will need TWO little screwdrivers like the ones used for eyeglasses.
I have recently grown tired of spending a premium on gadgets that are buggy at best, requiring me to replace them or wait for a firmware update; I just want something that works.
The t4d just works and it costs less than the Garmins I owned before it.
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