Customer Reviews

Suunto t3 Heart Rate Monitor and Fitness Trainer Watch (Black)

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

 

 

I traded in my Polar and waited for this watch to be released. I had doubts about the Training Effect feature, but after using it a couple times at the gym, it works great and helps to push me to make sure I get a good workout. The only drawback is that the face of the watch is plastic and may scratch, but I guess that is what you get for a watch under $200. So far though, I am very happy with the watch and its features, its very easy to use and since it has a 3 line display, you can get all the information you need while working out without hitting the buttons all the time. Both batteries can be user replaced which is nice and the belt has no crosstalk with the other machines, ie. other gym equipment. I would definitely suggest this watch if you are serious about getting into shape or monitoring your workouts. The other nice thing is that you can switch out the bands if you don't like a certain color or want to change the looks of the watch.

This is a beautiful, functional HRM that is a perfect companion to your workouts. I previously had a cheap Sports Instruments ECG3 HRM, and although it got me my heart rate and calories burned (the latter is inaccurate), that was about the only thing it could do and I often had disconnects between the ECG3 watch and chest strap (interference I think). This Suunto, on the other hand is perfect in reception, plus it keeps a nice 15-day log of your workouts so you can really analyze how well you are training over time. I too was curious about the Training Effect (TE) that was advertised, but I think it does give a fairly good indicator of how hard you are working out. TE takes not only heart rate into account, but I believe also the time spent in the workout along with your age/weight and activity level (which it automatically increments with more activity). I was a little surprised that I got to a TE level of 5 (the max) on my first couple hour-long bike rides, but I guess it's in the right ballpark, as I was really pushing hard and needed recovery days afterwards. As you've probably already read, this HRM also has traditional zones, avg/peak HR, and calories. Speaking of zones, if you notice on the face of the watch, heart rate and TE are displayed on the circumference of the dial .. this is a very intuitive user interface for these numbers because you can visually see which zone you are in and your TE (a picture's worth a thousand words....).

Construction of the watch is fine .. I was worried about the plastic face at the beginning, but so far it is doing well, and I only wear this while working out on a bike or an elliptical and not as my daily watch (I require mineral glass for my daily watch). Unless I crash and eat the pavement hard, I think it should be fine. Now, you'll notice that there are 3 different bands for the T3. Get this one in the review (the matte black rubber)! It's soft, very comfortable to wear (compared to the stiff band on the the ECG3), and maintenence free. The other shiny black plastic band requires trimming (!), while the fabric band will stay wet...

I have also researched Polar models (a friend of mine has a high-end version for biking), but not only are they much more expensive, the batteries are not user-replaceable in the strap, and they don't have the graphical indicators around the dial that I mentioned above .. they are very numerically oriented.

As such, I highly recommend this T3 model if you are active and want to improve your stamina. I am very satisfied and happy with this purchase.

Btw, I also have a Nike Oregon Series Alti watch, which I used to wear while climbing to gauge the altitude, but that was the only piece of information I needed from that watch (and it's a bit chunky for my wrist)... now with this T3, I can pace up the hills without killing myself :)

This watch is a very excellent product with all the bells and whistles possibly needed to train at a higher level. My husband has not used it yet with any of the pods to get an even more accurate reading, but I have no doubt it will be an extra bonus to look forward to.

My biggest complaint would be the quality of the watch crystal face. We had read other reviews for a different model of this same watch stating how fragile the glass is to scratches. We decided not to buy the other model for this reason, BUT not even 2 days into wearing this watch and there is already a noticeable scratch on the crystal. He has not even taken it to the gym yet. I can tell you there is no one more careful with the handle and care of watches than my husband. We are disappointed that for such a pricey "superior" sports watch Suunto could not make the crystal more scratch resistant especially considering this watch is to be worn by athletes during rigorous sports training.

This is a very nice option. Very cost effective compared with similar Polar models. The TE is a very interesting method to understand how hard was the training and also to avoid overtraining or even worse undertraining.
You can connect with computer or pods.
Suunto could only spend more $ with a high quality finishing and material and care about a nicer look for it.

This Suunto watch has a great feature: the training effect. Also, the HR Belt is very comfy, compared to the similar Polar ones. BUT I wish it was a little better. The alarms are not loud enough: if you train with intervalls, there no way you can know when you just passed one step. You just can't hear the alarm. Also, there is no possibility to store different exercise types. So the day after a long jog, if you decide to train with intervalls, you have to go through the complete set up. Too bad.

I got this for Christmas and have been training with it for a few weeks. I've been very happy with it.

I got the version pictured above, with the dark-on-light-background face and black plastic strap with a regular buckle, not the reverse-face version with the hard plastic clasp band that other reviewers have complained about. It looks very nice (as a sport watch) and is easy to read. I wear it much of the time as a regular watch, and although the face looks like it might be prone to scratching, it hasn't so far.

It has user-replaceable batteries for both the watch and the HRM sensor, which was one of the main considerations for me in choosing this model over a Polar.

Heart rate monitor, timing and log functions are relatively straightforward and intuitive. The Training Effect and log functions have been very useful so far in monitoring my training, and I'm looking forward to using it for triathlon training and racing this summer. I didn't get any of the optional pods, but I did figure out how to transfer detailed log data into Suunto's free Training Manager Lite software, which is also very useful in monitoring a training plan.

I haven't reviewed products before, but I have been using a Suunto heart rate monitor for a little over two years, and thought I'd give a report on it. I have a Suunto T3, which I got in October 2007. With it, I have a heart rate sensor, a foot POD for running, a bike POD for the bike, and a PC POD for downloading the data to my computer. Suunto has now upgraded to a -c version, which has added benefits I'll cover below. But I think my experience will apply to the T3c as well.

With the T3 I have heart rate zones established, which I use and track in Training Manager Lite (Suunto), and also in Training Peaks. I generally use the autolap feature, set at one-mile intervals, which I use to benchmark and compare performance over time. There is an interval feature in the T3 which can be used to warm up, then train at set intervals, with an alarm tone sounding for each transition. For me though, the alarm is too quiet, and at a tone too high for me to hear well at all, unless I'm in a quiet room and it is near my head. I think the issue is my hearing, and not the watch.

The recent logs (fifteen most recent) are easy to call up, and I like the built-in summaries (this week, last week, and monthly going back six months). You can quickly see summaries for distances (running POD, bike POD, GPS POD) and calories. If you want more specific summaries or data, you can simply look in Training Manager Lite.

The T3 tracks calories burned, which helps assuage the guilt for eating certain things. I can't evaluate the accuracy, but I have read it may be underestimating by 10-20% (cool!).
Triathlon transition - easy to use, just quickly cycle the watch (press a button three times) and the watch picks up the foot pod and says you are running. Once the foot POD is on, it overrides the bike POD.

The training effect feature allows you to use the watch to set an intensity level target, but I tend to use it as and after workout evaluation of what I did.

Someone who works for me was shopping for a heart rate monitor, and asked me about Garmin. I told him about my experience with Suunto, after which he purchased a Suunto T3c, which has some added features, including bicycle cadence, pace data, and a button lock. I found much of this while I was helping him set up heart rate zones.

I really like this watch, and it just fuels my desire to upgrade to a newer model, either a T3c, or maybe even a T6c, which I can use to easily upload data to Training Peaks. I have been considering it for some time, but cannot justify the expense, given my T3 is working just fine. With the addition of the above features (especially the cadence and pace features), I am really tempted to upgrade. Now if I can just get the Mrs. to understand that I need this... And some Zipp race wheels... And more destination events...

Battery life - I usually don't wait for things to stop working, though I have found the shoe POD battery (AAA) gives me little warning before the battery is too weak (the light blinks quickly meaning change battery NOW). The HRM and watch use a CR2032 (conveniently available in two-packs at Wal-Mart). For me, I change the watch battery after every other HRM battery change. It may be premature, but I do this a couple of weeks before my spring and fall marathons, as I don't want to find out about battery life at that time.

HRM - The strap is comfortable, and clean-up is simple (I rinse the unit and strap in the shower, and wash the strap in the machine with my workout gear when I do laundry). As for accuracy, my great uncle was looking for a HRM that he could use in addition to a tabletop unit he has been using for many years (he has had heart surgery). We compared the results and they were the same, giving some validation to the accuracy. I have used this indoor at a gym, and at every race, including some very large races (Big Sur marathon), and with the many other HRMs around, never had an issue with interference.

Foot pod - over 2000 miles accurate (compared to G-Map), recalibrate with new shoes, maybe once halfway through shoe life (200 miles), marathon showed 26.5 miles, accuracy issues when running strides, or other intervals with unusual strides.

Bike pod - accurate, compared to G-map. Turns on automatically. Really nothing to say, other than it works, and is nearly transparent.

GPS POD - I do not have this item, as I have both shoe and bike PODs. I considered it, but it seemed redundant. Additionally, I don't think these types of GPS units are as accurate or responsive for this purpose (I base this on performance of friend's Garmin GPS).

Training Manager Lite - Very easy to use. Simply plug in the PC POD (USB) and press a button on the watch. It will download in less than a minute, after which you can name the workouts, make notes, and analyze the data. The detailed graphs are good visual representations of the workouts, but it's important that you either have the Autolap feature on, or you manually hit the lap button.

Warranty - My heart rate sensor started acting strange (giving strange readings, then jumping to normal). I sent it in for repair, and it was replaced under warranty. It took a few weeks to get the replacement, but I was very happy to have a replacement and pleased with the process with Suunto.

I have used this watch for over 30 days and have done about 20 workouts with it. I bought the Suunto T3 to help me train for Go Vertical! in Chicago. The watch's heart rate monitor is excellent, as is the training effect feature which analyzes how hard/long you work out and shows you on a scale of 1 to 5 how challenging the workout is. It was a bit uncomfortable for me at first but now I have gotten used to it and it suits me well. My biggest complaint is that the face of the watch has scratches already. Albeit, I may be a little rugged on the watch I would wish a watch of this caliber had a face which is more resistant to scratches, so buy some protectant or shield for your watch!

Overall, I highly recommend the watch. It is a very good tool to help you look at your prior workouts, analyze them and adapt future workouts to maximize goals. Great if you are training for an event and also good if you are trying to get in shape!

I'm very happy with this watch. I mostly wear it during and before/after workouts.

In terms of the actual performance of the watch, it has been great. I make heavy use of the HR zones, lap timers, calorie readout and log capability. The large readout for continuous HR makes it easy to keep an eye on the readout. I like the "dot-matrix" display and the customizability of units (km/mi, kg/lbs, date format, etc.)

I've probably used it for 30 hours so I'm not sure how long the battery will last.

I find the "activity class" rating somewhat useful. It goes up and down pretty responsively depending on the regularity and intensity of your workouts and I would think you have to train pretty hard to maintain a higher activity class.

Generally I think the watch is of high quality and the screen would be really nice as crystal (like on the Nikes) but the HR functionality is obviously why I bought it. I probably will get a foot pod at some point as well. I also think it's generally stylish with the large/clear block numbers.

Update: I've used it for several hundred hours now and replaced the watch battery twice and heart-rate strap once.

I had bought a very inexpensive monitor to see if I liked it. The watch stopped working but it was well worth the price. I decided to go higher end with my next purchase expecting to get a device the would last. I was very happy with the functionality of the of the $145 T3 aside from the fact that cardio machines at my gym did not recognize the transmitter. However, after less than 5 months it was no longer transmitting my heart beat. I changed the batteries and synced several times with no luck. The watch had a 2 year warranty, however when I attempted to register in order to facility contact with the company, a popup window implied that the warranty was not valid because the watch was manufactured over 2.5 years ago. I experienced a virtual run-around when attempting to send the company a simple email.

I am about to cut my loses. Ironically the transmitter from the cheap $20 watch still works with cardio machines. Perhaps I will further stimulate the economy and try an even more expensive Polar.