Fitness/GPS watch input wanted

[BehindBlueI's]

I've read the existing smartwatch/fitness watch threads but had some specific questions.

I am an Android user and am most interested in heart rate monitoring without a strap and running stats. I do not run without the smart phone on me as well. I play music while I run, but over the phone's speaker and do not use headphones. I'm mildly interested in the ability to see texts on the watch, but that's secondary. I want something I can wear on duty as well. Ideally, I'd like to stay at $300-ish or less.

I've been looking at the various Suunto and Garmin offerings. There's so many options and I frankly don't know how valuable something like onboard GPS is for me, although I do occasionally do some hiking in unfamiliar but not remote locations...so maybe?

The Garmin Vivoactive 3 and Suunto Spartan Sport HR are the two I'm mostly looking at right now, but I don't know what I don't know as far as other brands and what I'm getting for the money.

Here's what I've currently got in my Amazon list:



So...help.

*edit*

Maybe a rep counter isn't a bad idea for weights...

[Peally]

I'm a big Suunto fan just because I think they make solid professional products across the board (not just with watches). That being said if all you want is fitness monitoring and onboard heart monitoring there are also watches like the Fitbit Alta HR for half the price of the higher end Suunto and Garmin selections.

I own a Traverse Alpha which is more of an outdoorsman's watch but I use it for running as well to track my pace and map where I've been FWIW, although that's not its primary designed purpose. My primary reason for owning one is because it takes a lot of the load off my phone during hiking trips so my Gaia GPS app isn't sucking battery (which means carrying charger batteries which means more weight which means crankier Peally).

Sorry that's not much help but I doubt you'll be pissed regardless of your choice. If you're buying from Amazon do keep an eye on the prices, mine would randomly drop by 40 bucks some days and be back to normal pricing the next.

[revchuck38]

I've read the existing smartwatch/fitness watch threads but had some specific questions.

I am an Android user and am most interested in heart rate monitoring without a strap and running stats. I do not run without the smart phone on me as well. I play music while I run, but over the phone's speaker and do not use headphones. I'm mildly interested in the ability to see texts on the watch, but that's secondary. I want something I can wear on duty as well. Ideally, I'd like to stay at $300-ish or less.

I've been looking at the various Suunto and Garmin offerings. There's so many options and I frankly don't know how valuable something like onboard GPS is for me, although I do occasionally do some hiking in unfamiliar but not remote locations...so maybe?

The Garmin Vivoactive 3 and Suunto Spartan Sport HR are the two I'm mostly looking at right now, but I don't know what I don't know as far as other brands and what I'm getting for the money.

Here's what I've currently got in my Amazon list:



So...help.

*edit*

Maybe a rep counter isn't a bad idea for weights...

I have a Garmin Forerunner 235 that ticks all the boxes except the rep counter. Additionally, it auto-uploads your run through your phone to Garmin Connect and auto-syncs with platforms like Strava. IIRC, the MSRP is about $250.

[Sasage]

I went from a VA3 to a Garmin Instinct.

I use a Polar OH1 for HR when working out/running. Its an armband that can be worn on bicep or forearm.

Respond to txts, HR, sleep tracking, steps, ABC.

Works well for me so far.

[Notorious E.O.C.]

I'm another ForeRunner 235 user. I've had mine just under three years and it's been hassle-free. It is probably close to the end of its product life cycle (Garmin observers seemed a bit surprised that we didn't see a 245 replace it at CES this year), but that means Garmin has gotten most of the bugs out of the firmware.

When I adopted the FR235, I switched from an older Suunto with a chest strap heart rate monitor. I wore the two together on runs for a few weeks to assess the accuracy of the Garmin's optical HRM. My unscientific observation was that the Garmin was within 2-3 BPM of the strap, but about 15 to 30 seconds slower to pick up changes.

If you want something that has all* of the functionality of the FR235 in a package that looks like an old school Casio, check out the Garmin Instinct.

One note of caution: decide now whether you want a touchscreen or not. Mrs. Write has a Vivoactive 3, which is a touchscreen device, and seems to experience unwanted device inputs at a fairly high frequency.

* As far as I can tell, the only FR235 feature the Instinct lacks is VO₂Max, which I think is only important at a certain level of running competitiveness. YMMV.

[littlejerry]

I have a Suunto Ambit 3 Sport. It was ~$180 a few years ago.

Works well for what I want. Primary use is HR and mileage tracking while running or rucking. For long races I pace based on HR. I've run probably 10-15 biathlons/run'n'gun events wearing my Suunto and it's held up well to the low crawls, obstacles, mud, submersion, etc. Also tracked some long open water swims in the 1-1.5 mile range without issue.

Biggest problem I've had is battery life. If you're doing something longer than 9 hours you'll need to charge it on the go. I've done some long 10-20 hour rucks where I brought a backup battery to charge while I was moving. A little cumbersome but doable.

Only fault I've had was after a 50 mile ruck my phone lost signal during the (large) data transfer. This apparently caused the file to get stuck in purgatory. It took a week of communication with customer service and many diagnostic/log file uploads to get the data synced up properly. Supposedly this is a bad software design on the Ambit series of watches and no longer an issue on the newer Spartan series.

I've heard that Garmin may have a mildly better interface when it comes to reviewing data. I haven't felt limited by Suunto but I may not geek out as much as others.

Suunto is also preparing to transition to a completely new tracking utility in 2019. Not sure what the goal is or if there is new functionality in it. There could be growing pains with that.

If you are on Expert Voice you should check for a Suunto discount. Their old models are basically the same as Amazon but the newer ones are good deals

ETA:
There are some excellent in depth reviews by DC Rainmaker:
https://www.dcrainmaker.com/blog

Good analysis of both GPS and HR accuracy. Some watches have been very inaccurate. My Ambit 3 is typically better than my phone.

[revchuck38]

Re: wrist vs. strap heart rate, there's a pretty short learning curve to get good results. At least with my FR 235, the watch has to be snug enough to leave a light imprint on your skin to work correctly. I'm 67, so younger folks may not get that imprint as easily as I do due to geezer skin. I agree with @Condition Write that it's pretty close once you get it figured out.

[Sasage]

I did not like the touchscreen on the VA3 because I felt it was activated accidentally too often when working out (lift) or work (FF/Medic)

I find I can get 4-5 days out of my Instinct battery life.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A6003 using Tapatalk

[gtae07]

I have a Fitbit Versa. Love it. It's been key in losing 40 pounds since August--after all, you lose by eating less than you burn, but how do you know how much to eat if you don't know what you're burning? As near as I can tell it's pretty darn accurate (within 5%). Waterproof, 3-4 days on a charge.

I never go anywhere without the phone (too many years of dreading the "oh no, I think I had a seizure" phone call from my wife) so I just use the "connected GPS" function.

[BehindBlueI's]

I have a Fitbit Versa. Love it. It's been key in losing 40 pounds since August--after all, you lose by eating less than you burn, but how do you know how much to eat if you don't know what you're burning? As near as I can tell it's pretty darn accurate (within 5%). Waterproof, 3-4 days on a charge.

I never go anywhere without the phone (too many years of dreading the "oh no, I think I had a seizure" phone call from my wife) so I just use the "connected GPS" function.

Congrats on the weight loss! That's fantastic.

The fitbit's features are nice, but I want something that looks more like a traditional watch. The smart-watch look really doesn't mesh with how I dress.