Customer Reviews

Nike Triax C8 Heart Rate Monitor Watch (Blue / Black)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The product has worked well for me. The only "hitch" if you want to call it that, is that you have to wet the back of the heart monitor before you put it on so it will read. Once you begin to exercise and therefore sweat, the monitor continues to work. It also works will all the equipment at my gym, so that means you can look at the much larger display on the exercise machine to see your heart rate. Overall, I do like it. Plus I've worn the watch as a normal watch when I've left mine at home and it looks fine for everyday wear.

The Nike Triax C8 is a nice watch. The instructions are not. The watch shouldn't be purchased for anyone wanting to swim, or for that matter take a shower with it on. I got my arm under a stream of water while washing dishes and the screen clouded up (cleared up later but now I'm more careful). The other slightly annoying feature is that bumping your wrist against the buttons tends to change the display rather easily. I've thought about returning the watch due to the water problem but..(now the positive stuff)...
I am addicted to seeing my heart rate on TEK (Gym at work) and PRECORE (Gold's Gym) fitness equipment. Both pick up the signal from the chest strap.
The chest strap is very easy to put on (I generally put a little water on it first but don't know that this is necessary) and seems durable through 2 months of use. The chest strap isn't annoying at all (I thought it would be) as I almost forget about it. If you are in a quiet place or have earphones in with out the music playing you may hear a faint tink, tink of the heart monitor magnifying your heartbeat. I usually have music on and don't hear it at all. If I am in a fairly busy gym I don't hear it even if the music is off.
Its also nice to see your avg heart rate for a run or particular period. I believe this has a zone that can be set up for a heart rate alarm but I never use it since I have tunes going when I do this bit anyway.

I have been running seriously for the past 5 years, 4 to 5 times a week, preparing for weekend races, half and full marathons. I've had a more expensive watch from Timex with GPS and a lot of functions but very soon you realize that you don't need all the bells and whistles. To train properly, you just need a reliable heart rate monitor, a good display of split times and HR, and readable after workout statistics (lap times, split times, HR per lap). This watch has all that and little more (HR zones that nobody really uses with more experience). On my wish list, I would have liked to have on the display the three pieces of information: lap time, cumulative time, and HR as you can only see two of these at the same time. During a long race, when you reach a mile marker, it is important to know how fast you've ran the last mile, how long you've ran so far, and your current HR.

By the way my favorite Timex watch died on me as I tried to replace the battery myself; I was tired of paying someone $20 to put in a $3 battery but I learned my lesson... You can google how to do that but something must be definitively loose as the watch randomly reboots in the middle of a workout (and you lose all data...). The Triax C8 (2008) seems to let the user change the battery as there's a slot in the back to open the watch with the help of a coin.

The only con so far after 3 months of use is the wristband. The watch is very difficult to remove as the extremity of band kind of widens out completely unnecessarily, so I had to trim that out. That helps but that's not the end of this annoyance. The metallic buckle is shaped weirdly and the rubber band gets stuck in it (a lot of friction). If you're tired and not really thinking about anything else but a nice bath, you tend to rush and pull hard on that band. That reaps the metallic buckle off the band; this has happened twice so far. Be extremely careful if that happens as the axle holding the buckle on the band is made of two tiny metallic pieces and a tinier spring in between... It is very easy to lose one of these three pieces, I've just been very lucky not to. If you lose a part, it'd be disastrous as you can't replace the band (it is part of the body of the watch -- stupid design). I guess you could always try to find an understanding jeweler to try to fix things...

I purchased this watch as a gift for my husband. He recently started a new running regimen and needed specifics from his watch. So far, he has had no complaints and uses it at least four times a week. It has many features some of which he has not used, but intends to. The manual and dvd program were very helpful. It has definitely allowed him to find his target heart rate and monitor his improvements. He also enjoys wearing it as his casual watch on the weekends. Thanks for making such a great product. We definitely recommend it.

My Triax C8 lasted less than 3 months. I do triathlons and relied on the manual which states, "Designed for underwater performance to a depth of 165 ft. Attention: Water damage will occur if watch buttons are pressed underwater." Unfortunately I had water damage just from wearing the watch in the pool even though I never pressed buttons underwater. The watch was not water tight and started to sometimes freeze up after swimming with it on, eventually failing altogether. In addition the HRM functionality didn't work great. I've since switched to a Polar HRM and it provides more consistent HRM performance. The Triax C8 chest strap transmitter sometimes sends numbers that were clearly much too high, even after getting good and sweaty, and doesn't start sending good data at quickly as the Polar. I like a lot of Nike products, and liked the form factor of the Triax C8. However, I was extremely dissapointed with its performance and would not buy one again or recommend it.

Like many other reviewers, I think Polar has the best selection and functionality in HRMs, but I just got tired of being dependent on Polar for battery replacement. The Nike Triax C8 has the basic functionality I need, and I can just go to the drugstore for a CR2032 battery when either the monitor or the chest strap need one. I like the rotation of the monitor face. It's a small detail, but it makes viewing the monitor just a little easier when I'm running. The C8 also came with a little stand for the monitor that I put on my elliptical trainer. I put the monitor on the stand (like a watch display in a store showcase), and now I don't have to take my hand off the elliptical to check heart rate. Another nice little detail. The chest strap is a bit over-engineered, with a locking tab that isn't really necessary and is more likely to break. The big issue with the chest strap is size. I am not a big man (my chest measures about 40 inches where the strap goes), and I have the chest strap adjusted almost all the way out. I read other reviewers' complaints about the strap breaking, and I can understand that happening if you have to stretch it around a big chest. For me, the fallback (should I need one) is the chest strap and transmitter that came with my Vision Fitness treadmill. It works with the Nike (and with Polar and all other fitness equipment I've used), and it too takes a CR2032 battery.

The functions are ok, but the Heart Rate went crazy within less then a month of use. I am very disappointed with this product. I expected a more quality product from Nike.

I bought this item and when I get it on my hands for the first time, man, it was amazing.
Totally functional and worked just fine!
I was used to workout 2/3 times a week with it and was exclusively for that. I put it on my wrist when I start and take it back to the case when I finish (even it looks pretty crazy).
After 4 months, I saw that the blue color was not that blue anymore.
With 10 months, I saw that the blue still not as blue as it was supposed to be and the rubber band around the display was kind of detaching but I thought that was nothing, after all it is a nike watch!
I was forced to stop my workouts for 5 months and when I return to my regular workout and get it back from the case, I was surprised with how the rubber band had detached of the display! I had no more guarantee so I sent nike a photo and some emails saying that I have this with my C8.
None has been replied and when I went to a technical assistance shop, the price to fix it was more the I paid for.
I went to some other shop and bought a Polar. Much better..
Anyway, the seller is very good, but the product is not.

This is a great product, especially when you consider what you can buy it for now. I think when it was introduced it was around $125 and I paid around $55. The display is easy to read, the heart rate monitor is accurate, and the controls are large and intuitive without being obnoxious.

I received the Nike Triax C8 as a gift one year ago to replace a lost Polar S150 so I have a basis for comparison. I found the Nike watch to be bulky and heavy. It also had poor pickup from the chest monitor. I could not walk or run without the watch losing contact with the monitor and missing results. When using it on a road bike or stationary bike I would mount the watch on the handlebar and also found it would lose contact with the transmitter. I cannot recommend this product and grade it as poor.