Watches

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Reg0928
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Re: Watches

Post by Reg0928 »

Another pro for the Fenix 6 is that I'm able to link it to my InReach so that I can call SAR from my watch.

When linked up to the InReach the watch also has "Incident Detection" and will automatically contact SAR if it detects a series of heavy impacts in succession.
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Jorts
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Re: Watches

Post by Jorts »

434stonemill wrote: Tue Sep 06, 2022 11:58 am
Rollie Free wrote: Tue Sep 06, 2022 11:43 am I have a Suunto Ambit3 Vertical. I bought it specifically for mountain travel but also for running.

Its the only GPS watch I've ever had so I have no real comparison. From what I have gathered online is that should something go wrong, you are not going to be well taken care of. Personally, I tried to get a hold of Suunto's customer service about minor issues several times and got no response. The complaint is that they either don't respond or respond with poor options. These aren't cheap things and I don't think their customer service should be that poor.
It was great for gps but for some reason the elevation just hasn't ever been right. I am always about 3-500 feet off. I also found the documentation crappy.

I like it and use it but frankly, the ONLY thing the watch gives you is convenience. Phone apps will otherwise kick it butt.

I also have a Suunto Ambit 3, but the Peak not Vertical version (maybe that is what you meant, or there really is a Vertical version). I have had the watch for 7 years and love it. With an internal barometer, the elevation is very accurate. And as a plus, allows me to keep an eye on the pending storms...if pressure drops, storm is a coming. The battery life is great. About 2 years ago, I would have highly recommended this watch, then Suunto went and ruined the interface for it. Previously, there was a web interface, where you go to do, to look at your activities and plan routes, map them out and download to the watch. They did away with the web interface and now you must use their app. So you can still plan routes, map them out and download to your watch, but you have to do it on their app. Its really hard to map out a detailed route on your phone.

I have also heard their customer service is poor. They were bought out by a Chinese firm a number of years ago, and some quality has gone a little downhill after that acquisition.
It's too bad. I've had my Ambit 3 Peak for over 6 years now. It's the best GPS watch I've ever owned. And still has great battery life. But it seems like the company has backslid since I bought that watch. I can also attest to the hassle now of trying to map routes on the phone since the old movescount website has been mothballed. Super lame. 4 years ago I would have recommended Suunto. No longer.
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nutella262
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Re: Watches

Post by nutella262 »

I recently spent two weeks on Garmin's website evaluating watches to upgrade from my Garmin 735XT. I nearly bought the newest Fenix Solar but it's really REALLY big and heavy. I settled on a 255S and I LOVE it. I have the altimeter directly on the watch face and have so far been very pleased with its performance in the mountains. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the 955, but it has a lot of the same features. To be honest, I didn't originally consider the 255 because I presumed it wouldn't have all the features I wanted. But in looking at Garmin's other watches (the Fenix, the 955, the Instinct Solar), all of the watches were much heavier than my 735. My primary outdoor activity is running - having a 50g+ weight on my wrist is too much when I'm banging out a hard 5K. At 39g, the 255S is one of the lightest smartwatches in Garmin's line up. That may not matter to you. FWIW, my 735XT held on to 4 years of daily use before the battery started to give out and I got tired to charging it every other day.
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Re: Watches

Post by benihana320 »

The Apple Watch has been great for everything I've done, but I was disappointed to see it die before I finished Longs on Sunday. It looks like the newer model should have more battery life and be a little more rugged, but looks a little pricey.
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Alan Arnette
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Re: Watches

Post by Alan Arnette »

benihana320 wrote: Wed Sep 28, 2022 9:21 pm The Apple Watch has been great for everything I've done, but I was disappointed to see it die before I finished Longs on Sunday. It looks like the newer model should have more battery life and be a little more rugged, but looks a little pricey.
I got the 8 Ultra and used it on an all-day ice climb (Browns Peak - WY) this week and the battery was 50% after using all the functions.
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Re: Watches

Post by nsaladin »

Alan Arnette wrote: Fri Sep 30, 2022 5:21 pm
benihana320 wrote: Wed Sep 28, 2022 9:21 pm The Apple Watch has been great for everything I've done, but I was disappointed to see it die before I finished Longs on Sunday. It looks like the newer model should have more battery life and be a little more rugged, but looks a little pricey.
I got the 8 Ultra and used it on an all-day ice climb (Browns Peak - WY) this week and the battery was 50% after using all the functions.
Have the ultra as well. Have been using it for a week or so with 2-3 mile hikes everyday and just work for the rest of the day. It’s been lasting ~60 hours per charge with just those small activities being recorded with the workouts app and recording my sleep. Have probably been over-checking blood/oxygen saturation and ECG more than I would normally.
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RWinters
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Re: Watches

Post by RWinters »

I know you have all been wondering which watch I decided to go with??? :-D I appreciate all the input based upon your various experiences with watches. I'm going with the Garmin Fenix 6X Sapphire. I know there is a 7 version, but not enough differences for me to justify the cost.
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Istoodupthere
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Re: Watches

Post by Istoodupthere »

I have a Garmin Instinct. Less expensive than most smartwatches and has the basics I wanted (mileage tracker, breadcrumb trail, altimeter, elevation gain). Only issue I have with it is the fact that the altimeter is all over the place. About 300’ low on upper reaches of 14ers.
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martinleroux
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Re: Watches

Post by martinleroux »

Istoodupthere wrote: Wed Nov 30, 2022 6:16 pm I have a Garmin Instinct... Only issue I have with it is the fact that the altimeter is all over the place. About 300’ low on upper reaches of 14ers.
That's an inherent problem with all barometric altimeters. The trouble is that changes in barometric pressure are an imperfect proxy for elevation changes. In my experience, barometric altimeters can easily drift out of calibration by as much as 100' for every 1,000' of gain, even if they're calibrated when you start. I've owned 5 or 6 altimeter watches over the years (some Suunto, some Garmin), and it's the same for all of them. They all do an excellent job of measuring ambient pressure, but to convert a pressure reading to an elevation reading they use an idealized mathematical model that may or may not correspond to actual atmospheric conditions at that particular time and location. (It's a model that's prescribed by the Int'l Civil Aviation Organization for use in aircraft altimeters).

At one point some Garmin devices had a "continuous auto-calibration" feature. The idea was to apply corrections based on the moving average difference between barometric elevations (precise but biased) and GPS elevations (unbiased but noisy). But they disabled that feature without explanation a few years ago.
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nyker
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Re: Watches

Post by nyker »

Interested to hear any user opinions/experience with solar ABC watches, and with a HRM on them.
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Re: Watches

Post by AndrewLyonsGeibel »

nyker wrote: Fri Jan 06, 2023 3:04 pm Interested to hear any user opinions/experience with solar ABC watches, and with a HRM on them.
Any specific questions? Edit: Did you mean non-GPS?
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Re: Watches

Post by nyker »

could be either non-GPS or GPS, understanding the latter will likely have more limited battery life on solar
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