Reviews and videos

[DMytro]

@mikekoski490 reading these reviews I have an impression that these people really don’t know what they are talking about - just your average Joe who read the spec sheet and used the watch very lightly for a couple of days.

[isazi]

@DMytro that is most of the reviewers. You can easily spot them when they copy/paste material from the press review and/or website. And also good reviewers are so tight on time, having to review tens of products at the same time. And even among good reviewers, it is so difficult to find one that uses the watch the same as you do, for the same sports or with the same goals.
In the long run, I prefer reports from real users and friends.

[Bj Fi]

@mikekoski490 yeah read this gearjunkie-review and he def does not know what he is talking about. Suunto somehow does not find the good reviewers. There’s a small Finnish one (Seppo Moilanen) who has done good reviews. Also Chase the Summit is quite good and is on a really strong growth path on YT. Matt LeGrand does nice reviews and his review vids get decent views over time although his subs are low. Not to speak of DesFit.

Really disappointed Ray is not getting a video out. The 9PP seems to be at priority nil for him. I was really just waiting for a proper review to decide whether to pull the trigger and get it or not. Now I’ve lost the momentum and probably will stick with the 5P or a Polar that I have.

Had I the time, I’d start a new review channel. Like to write watch reviews, have compared a ton of watches over the past few years and I’m the friend people come to with watch questions

[mikekoski490]

@Bj-Fi My guess on why DC Rainmaker is holding off on his full review because he is having some beta software issues, and is giving Suunto time to update his test unit? Just my own opinion though. You should buy a Peak Pro asap and do your first YT review! Sounds like it would be up your alley.

[TonyG]

@mikekoski490 said in Reviews and videos:

@Bj-Fi My guess on why DC Rainmaker is holding off on his full review because he is having some beta software issues, and is giving Suunto time to update his test unit? Just my own opinion though. You should buy a Peak Pro asap and do your first YT review! Sounds like it would be up your alley.

I personally think its a business decision, dc utilises affiliate links to the likes of Amazon as part of the business model and as Youtube most likely has more traffic than his website (which does carry a review of the S9PP) and Amazon and other retailers have very little stock to buy theres not much point posting until stock is freely available.

I have no evidence of this so don’t jump on my thoughts from a great height; its what I would do if I had a business like this. just an opinion / theory.

[mikekoski490]

@TonyG Oh. Never thought of the business angle and affiliate links. You are probably right!

[matthinsh]

@TonyG I’m noticing a lot of Garmin bias creep into Ray’s site over the past year or two. Is it any surprise given his relationship with the company? He may not be on payroll, but he certainly does well by them.
His watch and bike computer reviews stack up much in favour of their devices over the competition, which to be frank are nowhere near as behind as he likes to make out. Garmin may be winning feature count, but there is so much more to it than that, software quality is not really a thing it seems. And his obsession with visual maps on a 1.2 inch screen is simply bizarre.

[A Former User]

Hmm, most known Youtubers holding back. Maybe they got instructed to wait for a further SW Version. Many here have issues with current production SW version… not beta.

Tbh watches improve often great over time. How much weight from technical standpoint has a fast review at the beginning… it is more marketing thing if you get a good review.

@mikekoski490 said in Reviews and videos:

@Bj-Fi My guess on why DC Rainmaker is holding off on his full review because he is having some beta software issues, and is giving Suunto time to update his test unit? Just my own opinion though. You should buy a Peak Pro asap and do your first YT review! Sounds like it would be up your alley.

[Bj Fi]

@TonyG It’s not a full review, a preview, as he says himself on it. And no vid.

[Bj Fi]

@matthinsh can’t say I’d disagree. Happy to see other channels and blogs be prominent in this space these days as well.

[Bj Fi]

@TonyG valid point. Could be. He’s been hinting between the lines that the GPS performance is bad. I’d be surprised, since I get crazy accurate GPS with the 5P even when making tight turns on a bike. But then again I’m not between tall buildings in Espoo.

[mikekoski490]

@mountainChris FYI Im not having any issues. My first run was right on track. I actually did a quick route on my phone minutes before to try it out, and checked turn by turn directions, and all good. GPS track was very good - way better than my COROS.

[altcmd]

@mikekoski490 How are the turn-by-turn notifications on the S9PP? I found it hard to understand on the S9B so stopped using it. The notification would be turn coming up in X meters but not at the point.

[freeheeler]

@altcmd
it’s been like that (in x meters) in S9B already…
afair 99m ahead

[TrailEyes]

In his review of the Coros Apex 2, DesFit includes the S9PP in his testing batch. I’m colorblind, so I have a tough time seeing where the 9PP line is compared with the others, but at least you can get an idea of how it stacks up against the Apex 2, Apex 2 Pro, and the Enduro 2.

https://youtu.be/A8xmu2ptsCI

[mikekoski490]

@freeheeler Yes. Still does that I guess - I didn’t use the S9B or the navigation on the S9P for the few weeks I had, so can’t compare, but it only took me a few ‘turns’ to figure out on the Pro that yes, it was saying the next turn/direction is coming up in ‘X’ meters. I found turn by turn good and referring to the actual track/breadcrumb to get the bigger picture all I needed. Compared to the Vertix 2 map, I found the Pro easier to read with simple black against white, as opposed to a dull map with roads and trails all over the place, and a barely readable route.

[freeheeler]

@mikekoski490
for what I know so far, it was improved, compared to S9B with indication arrows rather then text?
if this is so, input from surveys is considered indeed

[mikekoski490]

@freeheeler Its a directional arrow. Seemed pretty straightforward.

[freeheeler]

@mikekoski490
… exactly what some of us have requested in surveys! excellent

[DMytro]

@freeheeler still junctions are problematic I suppose. I need either maps or some precise junction turn notification.