9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Entry-Level Altimeter/Compass Watch, January 24, 2007
This review is from: Nike Men's WA0018-001 Oregon Series Alti-Compass Watch (Watch)
PERSPECTIVE: An endurance runner & cyclist that was looking for an inexpensive (< $200) compass & altimeter watch that is durable, accurate, fashionable, and has the appropriate features for altimeter training in my sports. When shopping for this watch, I also considered the Suunto Vector.
PROS:
+Durable Case: Hardened aluminum and mineral glass crystal take abuse well. (Vector has a plastic case and plastic crystal.)
+Excellent band: Very durable and good ergonomics. The band keeper is a particularly nice feature.
+Chronograph stores up to 50 laps in any number of individual runs. (Vector only stores one lap.)
+Compass feature is convenient and accurate.
+Chronograph stores the altitude of the end of each lap. (Useful for recording bottoms and tops of hills.)
+Weather feature shows the temperature, barometric pressure, and 12-hour trend graph. Nicely done.
+Timer feature has graphical representation of each segment (using the compass arrow LCD layer).
+Seven alarms are useful and more than most people need.
+Watch mode shows day and date.
+Relatively inexpensive for an instrument with these features. (If I bash it against a rock by accident, the loss is not that great.)
+Altimeter feature shows a graph of the relative altitudes over the last two hours.
CONS:
-Altimeter accuracy is questionable, even when using it for relative measurement. For example, altitude on a calm day will vary by up to 20 feet over an hour at the same location (for example, at the beginning and end of a run).
-Chronograph feature does not record the accumulated and maximum altitude on a per-run basis. The watch stores these values globally, so you need to remember to zero it out before the workout and check it (and remember it) right after your workout.
-Chronograph feature has a fixed sampling interval for the altitude (2.5 minutes). This might be acceptable for running, but is not acceptable for skiing or cycling. An adjustable sampling interval when using the chronograph would be preferred. The global altimeter function can adjust the sampling interval, but to utilize an interval other than 2.5 min, you must start the chronograph, then change modes to the altimeter and keep it there. When you want to check your time, or record a lap, you need to switch between the altimeter and chronograph functions. This is annoying.
-No hourly chime available.
-Chronograph mode shows either lap time OR total time. Not a big deal, but Nike could have shown a combination of both as one of the selectable display options.
-The documentation accompanying this watch lacks detail. It should include more details on altimeter function (such as the algorithm used), at a minimum. I find myself reverse-engineering the operation of the altimeter to help myself understand it. This should not be necessary.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
very good, July 16, 2005
Used the watch today to log vertical gain in hill "sprints." Repeated to original altitude numeous times with no apparent drift.
I am still too green with this watch to have a firm idea of whether or not the altimeter is spot-on, but so far it looks good.
Flying around in a floatplane, the gain in elevation on the watch readout was 5-10 feet off at 1200 feet.
I really like the "total system" of having temperature, compass, barometer, altimeter, multiple alarms and countdowns.
Plus the watch looks sharp and upholds my previous positive experience with Nike branded heart rate monitors.
Re: the Altimeter refresh rate mentioned as irritating by a previous reviewer, there are three setting for refresh rate: 2seconds, 10s and 60s. The factory setting is the longest interval refresh of once every 60seconds. During training, I select the 10s refresh rate, but the 2s is still available.
I do not have polarized glasses, but looking through my binoculars that have polarized lens covers, I was able to read the display perfectly well.
I am very pleased with this watch. Human engineering and interface controls are good. Battery is user-replaceable. Control buttons are positive in operation.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
doesn't measure up to Suunto, November 7, 2006
This review is from: Nike Men's WA0018-001 Oregon Series Alti-Compass Watch (Watch)
I've put this watch, and the Suunto vector, through their paces in expedition kayaking. The Suunto's electronics are much better. Here's some more comments:
1. The Nike watch is much heavier. I don't have the specs, but if you're buying it for running/jogging, don't.
2. The Nike altimeter is not nearly as accurate, it jumps around much more than the Suunto's.
3. The Nike's face, being glass, is more scratch resistant.
4. The Nike's strap is bombproof, whereas the Suunto's failed me after 2 years.
regards,
Greg
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