Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
A major disappointment from Nike, September 15, 2006
Before I bought this watch, I did a lot of research on the offerings from Suunto, Polar and Nike, and finally ended up choosing the Lance 4 watch for my cycling-specific activities. And I have to say, my disappointment began within 2 minutes of opening the shipping box. Here are the three major ways this watch (and Nike itself) have failed me:
1) This is a complicated, multi-function instrument. But if you're expecting a detailed instruction manual, forget it. What you get is an elaborate pictograph that illustrates which buttons to push. It skims over the setup procedure and many of the most important functions, and omits many features entirely.
2) Relative to the above complaint, I contacted Nike customer service about the setup. Since I'm a cyclist, I was particularly interested in the altimeter function, and dismayed by how thin the "manual" is. The instructions say you can select a 60-, 10- or 2-second sampling rate of the barometric pressure in order to determine altitude. What it fails to mention is what the ramifications are for choosing one over the other? Is one more accurate. Does one use more battery power? We'll apparently never know, because Nike's customer service failed to answer the question. While they admitted that they had received several complaints about the manual -- and were considering writing a new one -- they simply sidestepped my question about the altimeter function in their email reply.
3) And then there's the performance of the watch itself. In most cases it's impressive -- that is, in every case except the one for which I purchased it: the altimeter. On my group rides, there are always at least three other people with altimeters. A post-ride comparison of altimeter results always puts their readings within 3 percent of each other. The results from the Nike are at least 20 percent off. That means the altimeter results are not to be trusted.
While the watch is attractive (that's why it earned 2 stars instead of just one) and has an excellent band, it simply doesn't give me the accurate altimeter results I need. And since the altimeter results are so far off, I can only assume that its built-in weather sensor (also based on barometric pressure) is hugely flawed, too.
With the manual being as light on information as it is, with Nike's customer service either unwilling or unable to shed any light on the watch's usage and with the flawed performance of the altimeter function, I can only say that this watch represents a major disappointment. It may meet Nike's standards for fashion, but it fails my standards for performance.
|
|
|
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Appealing to the eye, easy to use..., October 19, 2004
A very interesting watch with useful features, plus it is Nike! However, if you will be easily offended by seeing scratches appear on your watch face, then look for another watch. I've not been able to determine if it is a defect or not, but my watch scratches very easily. Reaching for a pen, I bumped the watch against a plastic desk organizer... SCRATCH. The face of my watch is peppered with scratches. Perhaps these can be buffed out. Some other little hangups... the temperature is not very accurate. Of course you can calibrate the watch to take into account body temperature... but that will surely fluctuate with activity. Another downfall is the backlighting. You can activate extended backlighting by holding in on the button a few seconds, but the moment you press another function button, the light will go out. I think this is a great watch, but if little things like the things I described above will bother you, I suggest NOT getting this watch.
|
|
|
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Watch - But Hard To Master, September 15, 2004
The watch itself is made by Seiko, so you know it is excellent quality.
Works as described but you will need some time to understand how to use all of its functions. Once you do that it is a very useful tool. The product documentation is a bit light on content but thankfully the watch is fairly intuitive to set up.
The barometer does seem to drift a bit more than the Suunto Advizor that I own. However, I havent done a side by side comparison so take that with a grain of salt. This watch is a direct competitor to the Advizor and fits the bill very well. The only feature this watch lacks in comparison to the Advizor is the Heart Rate Monitor.
I got the impression that the Nike Lance 4 is a bit less functional overall than the Suunto product but that really hasnt been the case in my experience. At the end of the day though, which would I prefer to have on my wrist when hiking in the woods...Ill take the Suunto. However, if I want to have a watch that is well made, has nearly the same functions, looks better and has Lance's approval then count me in. Thats why I own this watch.
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
