Suunto T4 Heart Rate Monitor and Fitness Trainer Watch (Black)

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
The Suunto t4 is equipped with Suunto Coach to your changing physiology, making on-target workout recommendations for achieving your goals. Designed for athletes in training, the Suunto t4 monitors your progress and makes intelligent workout recommendations for frequency, duration and intensity. Using the Suunto Coach feature, the Suunto t4 generates a 5-day plan for improving your aerobic condition. Employing Training Effect technology, it tells you which days to workout with information on duration and intensity. The Suunto t4 will guide you through the session to make sure you receive the proper training load. Salient t4 features include Training Effect, heart rate, calories burned, and speed and distance with optional Suunto PODs. Equipped with optional PC POD and Training Manager Lite PC software, you can transfer data to your PC and easily maintain a personal training log. 2 adjustable HR limits with alarms Speed and distance with optional Foot POD, Bike POD, MTB POD or GPS POD Compatible with PC POD Dual time, date and alarm Log memory for 15 workouts Stopwatch with 50 split laps Interval timer User-replaceable battery HR Belt with error-free ANT transmission technology Water resistant to 30m (100 feet) Interchangeable bands

Amazon.com Product Description
Designed for athletes in training, the Suunto T4 wrist-top computer monitors your progress and makes intelligent workout recommendations for frequency, duration, and intensity. The unit is built around the Suunto Coach feature, which generates a five- day plan for improving your aerobic condition. Employing Training Effect technology, it tells you which days to work out with information on duration and intensity. If you accept a recommended workout, the T4 guides you through the session to make sure you receive the proper training load. If you decline a recommended workout in favor of a rest day or non-recommended workout, however, the T4 continues to monitor and adapt by adjusting your five-day plan accordingly.

The unit is also compatible with Suunto's various speed- and distance-measuring pods, including the Foot Pod, Bike Pod, and GPS Pod (all sold separately). Each model offers its own functions: the Foot Pod measures your foot speed in seconds or miles per hour, while the Bike Pod gauges your cycling speed and distance. The GPS Pod, meanwhile, employs a global positioning system to track speed and distance across a wide variety of outdoor activities, including hiking, cycling, cross-country skiing, inline skating, and kayaking. Other T4 details include measurements for heart rate, calories burned, and distance; a three-tier zone training system with alarms; and a wristwatch with dual time, date, and alarm modes.

An ideal training companion, the T4 monitors your progress and makes intelligent workout recommendations for frequency, duration, and intensity.

T4 Details:

Suunto Coach mode (adaptive training advisor)
Real-time training effect
Measures current heart rate, average heart rate, and maximum heart rate
Gauges real-time calories burned
3-tier zone training system with alarms
Two adjustable HR limits with alarms
Speed and distance with optional Foot Pod, Bike Pod, or GPS Pod
Compatible with PC Pod
Dual time, date, and alarm
Log memory for 15 workouts
Stopwatch with 50 split laps
Interval timer
User-replaceable battery
HR belt with error-free ANT transmission technology
Water-resistant to 100 feet
Interchangeable straps

About Suunto
Suunto was founded in 1936 by outdoors man and a keen orienteering enthusiast, Tuomas Vohlonen, who had long been bothered by a problem: the inaccuracy of traditional dry compasses and their lack of steady needle operation. Being an engineer with an inventive turn of mind, he discovered and patented the production method for a much steadier needle, better readings, and a new level of accuracy.

By 1950 the company was exporting compasses to over 50 countries around the world, including Canada and the United States. In 1952, Helsinki was hosting the Olympic Games, and the torches carried to light the Olympic flame were Suunto products. The next step was improving the stability and accuracy of marine compasses. The first marine compass, the Suunto K-12, was launched onto the market in 1953. In 1957, Suunto started manufacturing hypsometers, which measure the height of trees.

In the 1960s, the compass range grew further and Suunto introduced its first diving compass--initiated by the divers themselves. A British sports diver attached a Suunto compass to his wrist and found that the device also worked underwater. Thanks to his feedback and initiatives, the new business category was found. Suunto's exports and business grew steadily and Suunto then focused on combining its strength in precision mechanics with new skills in electronics. Accuracy, reliability, and ruggedness have been Suunto's key values from the very beginning of the company history.

Today, Suunto is a leading designer and manufacturer of sports instruments for training, diving, mountaineering, hiking, skiing, sailing, and golf. True to its roots, Suunto is today the world's biggest compass manufacturer. Prized for their design, accuracy and dependability, Suunto sports instruments combine the aesthetics and functionality of watches with sport-specific computers that help athletes at all levels analyze and improve performance. Headquartered in Vantaa, Finland, Suunto employs more than 500 people worldwide and distributes its products to nearly 60 countries. The company is a subsidiary of Helsinki-based Amer Sports Corporation with the sister brands Wilson, Salomon, Atomic, Precor, and Mavic.

Customer Reviews: Read 7 more reviews...

3 out of 5 stars

Good, could be better foir the $$$ February 24, 2007
35 out of 36 found this review helpful

My background: running since 1985, 8 yrs of XC, 9 marathons. I've been using HRM's for training for years and have tried Nike, Polar, Freestyle and Timex HRM's. I was intrigued by the buzz this watch was getting in some of the running and outdoors magazines, so I picked up the T4. Here are my thoughts:

1. The band looks cool, but that cool white stripe is grey and dingy two months later. It also constantly slips and requires readjustment. Nylon bands also get wet and stay wet until you take them off...a pain if you wear your watch all the time like me.

2. The crystal is not recessed/does not have a rubber buffer around it...as is typical on most running watches. This means the crystal is unprotected and the face is more scratched after two months than many of my older watches.

3. The "coach" function is neat, but it's not that much of a revelation really...probably some simple algorythm that comes up with a training progress rate based on how long you're working out at what heart rate. Good for a beginner, but nothing a serious athlete can't figure out on his/her own based on the principles of HRM training.

4. The HRM itself has been inconsistent...on my last several runs the HR reading has been way below where it should be (ie 90 when it should be at 130...) then, out of the blue, it pops up to a more reasonable reading. Then it freezes without explanation. Not something you want to deal with during an interval workout or hard run where your pace/HR matters.

5. After years of mostly Nike and Timex, it just isn't intuitive or easy to use. The menus are hard to navigate on the fly. This is my fault though, I guess I need to try harder.

6. The split display when the chrono is on is cool...you can choose between a variety of displays: calories burned, HR, time since last split, average heart rate, etc. My only beef with this is that if you stop during a split, and then restart, it shows you your time since you restarted, it doesn't keep tracking your split time. Kind of inconvenient when in the middle of an interval.

Anyway, for what it's worth, those are my thoughts. Nike remains probably the best for running features, although I've had reliability problems with Nike (short battery life and cheap bands), Timex is probably the most reliable for the bucks. I just don't think this one was worth the price tag. On race day I'll probably break out an older, more reliable HRM.

3 out of 5 stars

Good, but not great. January 5, 2007
26 out of 27 found this review helpful

This monitor DOES indeed do what the manual says it will do. That is, it monitors heart rate and provides "training effect" information. However, I note 3 problems w/ it that cause me to recommend my previous brand - Polar- over the Suunto. First, because the monitor is not the least bit intuitive in its operation, the manual needs to be much more detailed. I'm pretty saavy w/ monitors and can program most w/o even consulting the manual. I can't even operate this one w/o continual reference to the manual. I end up delaying my training by 5 minutes or more just to get the monitor ready to go. Second, the monitor loses the heart rate signal more than any other monitor I've ever owned. I've replaced the batteries and still, it cuts in and out both inside and outside. Since the monitor is supposed to track your training via heart rate and time in various training zones, this interruption is frustrating and undercuts the whole point of this monitor. Lastly, the monitor is capable of interfacing with various add-ons such as a "foot pod" and a "bike pod." That's fine if one wants to purchase and utilize those add-ons. But, the menu on the monitor should permit you to delete those fields for which you have NOT added the extra apparatus so that when you scroll through you don't have to click past 3 blank fields for which you have no use. A minor point, I know, but it contributes to an already cluttered menu arrangement.

4 out of 5 stars

Very nice training tool November 6, 2006
20 out of 24 found this review helpful

This is a great training tool. The post exercise information is very, data by log, week and month and the coach is a very nice training tool. I just believe that suunto could invest in a better strap and general device materials. Making long history short this is a better option to T6 and even better than S625x if you are looking for a daily training tool.

4 out of 5 stars

Excellent functions, nice enough watch January 21, 2007
9 out of 9 found this review helpful

I got this watch approximately one week ago. The coach function, which is probably the reason you are looking at it, is fairly nice, although I've only used it about 3 times. It seems to be a fairly good read of your current capacity, although for me it was too easy to exceed what it asked for (as I am in fairly bad shape, and even low intensity exercise shot my heart rate way up... of course this is not the watches fault). I expect that with time, it will help me improve in a better fashion than if i did not have this tool, will post an update in a few weeks/months.

The watch interface is fairly simple, although it does have all the basic functions necessary. Its got the normal time, dual time, alarm clock, day, date display (it only shows the time and one other thing at a time),and the alarm clock has a snooze function, which I had never seen on a wristwatch. It does not have all the extra functions that Suunto's normally do(altimeter, compass, barometer), but this is not expected, as this is geared towards fitness.

As for heart rate belt reception, I have not had a dropped signal in any use. When I first got it and tried it, the signal kept dropping, but after reading the instructions, and placing a small amount of water on the electrodes,this problem disappeared.

The watch has a slightly steep learning curve, as there's 3 different training measures that it uses (activity class, program level, and training effect), but again, after reading the instructions, it became clear what these mean and how they work (TE is the main workout measurement, the others are set up at the beginning, and you don't have to modify them or monitor them on a day to day basis). Again, I have had it for a week, and have been using it effectively, so the learning curve is manageable.

As other people have mentioned, the materials the watch is made out of are not necessarily the best, specially considering the acrylic vs crystal face, and the band, as I would have preferred an elastomer one(easy to fix with 19 USD). Nonetheless, it does not look bad.

In conclusion, its a nice enough watch with some very nice fitness functions, and at a very good price. I definitely recommend it.

AN UPDATE A FEW MONTHS LATER:

My only complaint is the band. I like the way it looks, but I have to adjust it about once or twice a day. Will definitely get the elastomer strap.

Coach function has helped!

1 out of 5 stars

Disappointing January 28, 2007
7 out of 18 found this review helpful

Having been a serious triathlete who has used heart rate monitors for the past 10 years, I was excited about the description of this product. When I opened the box, I was immediately disappointed in its appearance. It looks like an incredibly cheap watch that you would buy at a dime store. The watch itself looks like it would break apart with any jarring, and the watch band is nothing more than a ribbon that is adjusted by pulling it through a flimsy bracket attached to the watch. This causes the "end" of the band to stick out when the watch is on. I did not use it once, put it back in the box, and am sending it back. It may work just fine, but I'm not going to pay this kind of money for a heart rate monitor that looks like something you got out of a vending machine. Pathetic.

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