I did a lot of research on these watches/computers and glad i got the suunto. you wont find much documentation on the website and not much comes with the watch but you really dont need it. All you need is some time to mess around with the menu and if you join a free forum like movescount, you will get all the information you really need on it.The watch is light weight, durable, keeps more stats than the average person really needs, and is reasonably accurate. I dont regret the decision to purchase the watch or foot pod; would do it again in a heartbeat and am considering giving them as gifts.
Things i don''t like, when in a training program the backlight is useless. It lights up, and you can read it, but it flashes; i cant read a small flashing screen when i''m running in the dark. The PC connection cable and terminals are archaic. three recessed brass terminals on the watch and 3 brass pogo jumpers on a clip, after drenching the whole thing in sweat and grime, it takes a few tries to get it link up and download. i would have expected some sort of BT sync or something more advanced given how great the watch is.
again, the watch is more than most people would need -more than i need but the HR band is very comfortable and the watch does it all and is comfortable to use and wear.
UPDATE:
I have had this watch/belt/foot pod for over a year and use them to run at least 3 times (5hrs) a week. So far the watch is great. I have no regrets and would buy this again. Belt and foot pod take little/no time to setup, calibration is also simple. Once setup I found them to be reliable and accurate. The watch is easy to use and easy to read when running; I especially liked the setup of custom displays. The watch is extremely comfortable and does not slide around. The HR belt is also very comfortable, I forget it''s on most of the time.
I find the Suunto watch/software to be useful. It tells me all sorts of stuff HR, pace, averages, altitude, temp, distance, training effect, lap times, time, kCals, ...etc. Suunto''s MovesCount website keeps the logs and training statistics online which is nice. Best of all the sync software is MAC/PC compatible.
The only annoyances i have with this watch are the backlight is non really useful and the audible alarms are faint. The sync cable can be annoying. The foot pod is light and constantly accurate, but the mounting clip is slightly wider than i would like for my shoe.
I called Suunto technical support, they said the t6d can not be adjusted for brightness.
Disappointed that such a nice watch has no way of adjusting brightness.
Buy Suunto t6d Heart Rate Monitor Now
There are many HRMs on the market, just about all of them follow the "more data/features == better" strategy. Suunto does not. Suunto does very well with this HRM. It is quite easy to set up and get going with it though there are a few functions not (very well) described in the manual. The thing that convinced me about the T6D is that once you set it up, it allows you to focus on your training rather than having to fiddle with buttons and look at non-essential parameters.There are three displays: Time, Display1 and Display2. The Display1 and 2 are used during training and show you three rows of configurable parameters. Download Suunto''s user manual for a list of all the parameters if you''re interested there are quite a few. The third (bottom) row of each display you can program a number of parameters for that you can cycle through when training very handy!
Suunto''s claim to fame is the Training Effort (TE) value it computes as an overall index for how hard your training was. There is some technical literature about this and Suunto''s claims appear not entirely taking from thin air but have a level of medical foundation it seems. The TE values at least work for me and they give me direction to my training schedule. Be sure to take the time to set all your personal parameters up properly as this will make a big difference in the TE values.
Another thing that attracted me to this watch is the extensibility through pods Suunto sells a foot pod, bike pod, GPS pod etc. So you don''t have to buy an HRM with a GPS built-in that seems totally cool when you buy it but in the end you don''t need or don''t use all that often. Buy the pod you need when you need it.
Not a functional item but the Suunto T6D looks good (my opinion anyway). I bought the black flame and worried a bit about the readability of the inverted display. In a dimly lit room it is rather tough to see I must say but then again, we''re not training in a dimly lit room are we? If you do some night time exercises, the watch has the option to turn on the backlight at the touch of a button or continuously (though it will eat your battery when you leave that on all the time). In sunlight, the display is perfectly readable. I frequently use it as a regular watch and have no issues with the display.
Suunto also has PC software you can download for free. It allows you to obtain your training logs and study the data. Though the software appears fairly stable (no crashes), it has a very bad user interface and lacks features. Oh well, it is free I guess. Suunto also has a web-site which allows you to upload data and participate in groups less data analysis but some form of socializing. Hopefully Suunto improves on the analysis aspects of this soon.
I came from a Polar s610i and the Suunto is quite a change; for the better I must say. As an HRM Suunto works better (much less glitches and an EXTREMELY comfortable sensor strap), the Suunto looks much better and their is a ton more meaningful data.
Read Best Reviews of Suunto t6d Heart Rate Monitor Here
The Suunto t6d has all the capabilities of my high-end Polar Heart Rate Monitor (an old, now-discontinued Polar S625X). But right off the bat, I will point out a couple of its limitations, which may or may not be a deal breaker for you:(1) It doesn''t support GPS Mapping (like some models from Polar and Garmin), and (2) it doesn''t monitor the length of your stride or running cadence (like some models from Polar).
With that said, I do find this watch an indispensable tool for my training runs. It monitors and displays, in real time:
o Heart Rate
o Distance
o Stop Watch, Lap Time (to the nearest 1/100th of a second)
o Altitude, Ascent, Decent
o Temperature
o Date/Time
o Pace (minutes per mile)
o Speed (miles per hour)
o Average Speed
o Calories Burned
o VO2 Max, or Maximal Oxygen Consumption (in ml/min/Kg)
o EPOC, or Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption
o Training Effect (an indicator, from a scale of 1-5, of how hard you''re training)
All this data can be downloaded to your computer with the provided link cable for analysis.
* Note: Distance, Pace, Speed, and Average Speed readings require the use of a Foot Pod, which is sold separately.
-Pros --
Intuitive User Interface
The watch has an intuitive user interface that allows you to easily change the units (miles vs. Km, °F vs. °C), set the base elevation, calibrate the Foot Pod, select the data (stop watch, distance, etc.) to be displayed, and perform other functions.
Easy Data Transfer
The provided cable allows you to easily transfer your data from the watch to your computer.
Fairly Accurate Distance Readings
Using the Google Maps Measure Tool, I have determined, after calibration, that this watch has an accuracy of +500 feet on my 6-mile circuit.
Reliable Suunto Dual Comfort Belt (Heart Rate Transmitter)
In the 6 months that I''ve used the t6d (for 3-4 runs a week), the watch has never lost its connection to the heart rate transmitter in the middle of a run. (The foot pod is equally reliable.)
-Cons --
Limited Screen Customizability
The layout of the watch is divided into 3 rows (the last row is a little hard to read when you''re on the run). The 3rd row allows you to cycle through a limited set of readings that''s dependent on the Display Mode you''re in.
You can set the watch to any of 3 display modes.
(1) Time display mode
Row 1: Date (Customizable in Settings)
Row 2: Time (Customizable in Settings)
Row 3: (Allows you to cycle through on-the-fly Weekday, Seconds, Dual Time, Altitude)
(2) Training Display Mode
Row 1: Time (Customizable in Settings)
Row 2: Heart Rate (Customizable in Settings)
Row 3: (Allows you to cycle through on-the-fly Average Heart Rate, Calories, EPOC, Lap Time, Training Effect)
(3) Training Display Mode 2
Row 1: Distance (Customizable in Settings)
Row 2: Speed (Customizable in Settings)
Row 3: (Allows you to cycle through on-the-fly Altitude, Ascent, Average Speed, Time, Descent)
*** [Update 2012-08-01] ***
The first two rows are also customizable, but you would have to wade through the settings menu to do so. Thanks to baf10 for leaving a comment to point this out!
Flickering / Dim Light
It has been mentioned, ad nauseam, that there are a couple of problems with the Light function. (i) The light is not bright enough and (ii) the light flickers when (and only when) the stop watch is running. These problems make it *very difficult* to make out the smaller readings on the 3rd row in pre-dawn or post-dusk hours.
No Sensors For Running Cadence or Stride Length
This watch does not monitor either running cadence or stride length. (Running cadence measures the number of strides you take per minute.)
Limited Functionality on the GPS Pod Accessory
The GPS Pod (sold separately) is used in conjunction with the watch to measure distances only; it does NOT transmit GPS coordinates to your watch. Unlike some Polar and Garmin HRM models, none of the Suunto Heart Rate Monitors have mapping capability, which allows the recorded route to be displayed on a map.
No ANT+
This watch supports ANT, but not ANT+ (ANT Plus). ANT is the protocol for wireless communication between devices. A newer protocol, called ANT+, allows interoperability among devices from different manufacturers that use the ANT+ protocol.
This watch will thus only work with other Suunto devices that support the ANT protocol, not with transmitters from other manufacturers such as Polar and Garmin. (For more information on ANT and ANT+, see the "thisisant" site.)
Discontinued Training Manager Software
The proprietary Training Manager (for PC) that used to come with the package has been discontinued. Suunto now charges for its running analysis software (called Firstbeat Athlete). You can, however, upload your data to the Suunto movescount site (which is, thankfully, free) for analyzing your running data. (You can also export your data to a text file and import them into a third party software.)
---
In summary: I find this an indispensable training tool for monitoring my progress and for keeping me motivated. For the most part, I have no regrets about getting this watch. My main complaints are (1) the flickering/dim light function and (2) the limited display customizability. It''s also worth re-mentioning that the watch doesn''t monitor your stride or running cadence, and it doesn''t have GPS mapping.
There you have it. Would I recommend it over the Polar or Garmin? That''s a tough call. It all depends on your personal decision on what features are important for you. In any case, I hope this review is useful for helping you make an educated decision on whether the Suunto t6d Heart Rate Monitor is right for you.
[Update 2012-08-01]
I had to replace the battery after six months (with a brand new Energizer CR2032 battery), but after I replaced the battery, the low battery indicator persisted. A search on the Internet shows this to be a rather common problem for some users. I disregarded the low battery indicator, and two months later, it simply went away.
Want Suunto t6d Heart Rate Monitor Discount?
I have owned the T6D for approximately one month and am very happy with the watch; however the HUGE dissapointment is that Suunto discountinued support for their Training Manager software (which is how you access the raw r-r data files). They have an online service called MovesCount (in beta), but it doesn''t let you export data files. I ended up purchasing FirstBeat Athlete from a third party ($70) to allow me to look at the raw data. Perhaps Polar would have been a better option.
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