Suunto app Forum Suunto Community Forum
    • Recent
    • Tags
    • Popular
    • Users
    • Groups
    • Register
    • Login

    New owner of Suunto Race - first feelings

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Suunto Race
    409 Posts 100 Posters 68.1k Views 85 Watching
    Loading More Posts
    • Oldest to Newest
    • Newest to Oldest
    • Most Votes
    Reply
    • Reply as topic
    Log in to reply
    This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
    • L Offline
      Luis Andés Olmedo Bronze Member @Guest
      last edited by

      @Fizzgig said in New owner of Suunto Race - first feelings:

      Hi Everyone

      Practicing running, hiking, gravel and mountain biking, I have been using GPS watches for quite a few years now.
      Fervent user of Garmin from the Fénix 3 to the Epix Ben 2 since the beginning with a 6 month infidelity with Coros following the breakdown of my last Epix.
      I have always looked with interest at Suunto watches. First of all, I have always loved design but I had never taken the time to change my training and usage habitudes.
      I was ready to take the plunge when the vertical was announced but not being able to create complex training sessions, I abstained.
      The race arrived and so I gave in at the beginning of December 2023 with the aim of doing my 2024 sporting season with this watch on my wrist.
      Since sleep and HRV tracking technology came out, I wear my watches 24 hours a day. (I replaced the watch to the other wrist when I stay at the office to let it rest)

      First of all, I immediately found the Suunto application very easy to use. The data is clear and easily usable, well done for the work! The sleep tracking worked well, the HRV too but it was always lower than on my other watches (Garmin 33 on average, for Suunto 48 and 46 for coros).
      During my running training sessions, I missed the beeps announcing the change of sequence as well as the repetition number. For the rest, everything was ok except the heart rate sensor.
      From the start, I encountered difficulties. He showed me completely crazy values ​​during the day. The night and sitting at my desk without moving, the value was ok (between 45 and 55). On the other hand, when moving, it is impossible to stabilize it with peaks at 120bpm. For training and sporting activities, I wear a heart rate belt.
      I tried everything, tightening the bracelet more (to the point of leaving a nice red mark), a soft reset, two contacts with the Suunto chat, nothing solved the problem.
      This generated completely false energy expenditure and recovery values.

      The watch returned to the store and they replaced it with a new one: same problem with the sensor.
      I made the decision to sell it with a strong feeling of disappointment.

      I don’t know what to do, continue with a new Vertical….

      Here is my feedback from the Race.

      I completely agree with your statements about the OHR… I had the vertical before the Race and the OHR behaviour is more or less the same (bad).

      In my opinion you have two options: use a chest belt or move to Garmin again.

      HighlandsH 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
      • HighlandsH Offline
        Highlands @Luis Andés Olmedo
        last edited by

        @Luis-Andés-Olmedo Used to have 9PP and the oHR never worked well for me. In November I bought the Suunto Race and recently gifted the 9PP to my brother. He said that the oHR doesn’t work well for him either. On my Race the oHR works even worse for me than the one of 9PP.

        L 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
        • L Offline
          Luis Andés Olmedo Bronze Member @Highlands
          last edited by

          @Highlands as I mentioned in my previous post, it’s a matter of being aware that the optical heart rate (OHR) sensor on the vertical/race doesn’t work well. For whatever reason, SUUNTO has decided to include that sensor, and we as customers can decide whether it’s not important (currently, the other advantages of the Race outweigh the sensor’s malfunction for me, and I accept it) or if it is. It’s true that the watch calculates many metrics based on heart rate, so all of them will be inaccurate. If that is important to you, either use a chest strap or switch to another brand with a good OHR.

          HighlandsH 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 5
          • HighlandsH Offline
            Highlands @Luis Andés Olmedo
            last edited by Highlands

            @Luis-Andés-Olmedo Agreed. I just wanted to mention here that I’m one of the users for whom the oHR doesn’t work well. Before I bought the SR I knew the sensor was the same, so I hadn’t had any positive expectations about it and still I bought the watch. More or less I like the watch. It’s a good product.

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 3
            • TieutieuT Offline
              Tieutieu Platinum Member
              last edited by Tieutieu

              @Luis-Andés-Olmedo @Highlands fully agree with you.
              I had no expectations on OHR except for daily and night tracking (where it works just fine).
              Anyone who choose any brand with hight OHR expectations propably expose himself to high disappointment.
              Even if OHR (of any brands) work sometimes “well” for some people, nobody that want to use HR for training should rely on OHR. It is never as precise as a chest strap, for now.
              I find boring that we have all the time the same feedback about OHR that “doesn’t work well”.
              But I guess it is the power of marketing that make us believe that OHR is “just greal all the time”…

              Suunto’s devices at home :
              Vertical titanium solar
              Suunto Race S
              S9pp titanium sand
              Suunto Wing
              S9B titanium Ambassador edition, A3P, X6

              ? 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
              • ? Offline
                A Former User @Tieutieu
                last edited by

                @Tieutieu

                The reliability of cardiac sensors is known not to be “reliable” data, a small margin of error is considered acceptable. In this case, it’s a complete crash. The data communicated by the watch are all incorrect when considering the heart values. I like the design of Suunto, the application is great but I can’t spend 550 euros on a sports tool that gives totally crazy values. Reading all the reviews, everyone is unanimous with the race and the vertical (myself included) These are excellent watches but the sensor is frankly not up to par.

                TieutieuT L 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 2
                • TieutieuT Offline
                  Tieutieu Platinum Member @Guest
                  last edited by Tieutieu

                  @Fizzgig you’re right, but not everybody has such trash values…also I have plenty of friends using other brands and very recent watches that have the same issues.

                  Suunto’s devices at home :
                  Vertical titanium solar
                  Suunto Race S
                  S9pp titanium sand
                  Suunto Wing
                  S9B titanium Ambassador edition, A3P, X6

                  TieutieuT 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                  • TieutieuT Offline
                    Tieutieu Platinum Member @Tieutieu
                    last edited by Tieutieu

                    Probably Suunto’s ohr are not the best on the market, but I don’t think there are any reliable statistics that prove it.

                    Suunto’s devices at home :
                    Vertical titanium solar
                    Suunto Race S
                    S9pp titanium sand
                    Suunto Wing
                    S9B titanium Ambassador edition, A3P, X6

                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • pilleusP Offline
                      pilleus
                      last edited by pilleus

                      I’m not a fan of OHR because when I’m cycling I want to have the watch attached to the handlebars and OHR is of no use. Likewise when kayaking, the watch is attached to the deck and I wouldn’t be able to read the values ​​on my wrist. Hence the old SSU, where I have to and can use an external source for the heart rate.

                      Nevertheless, I have to say that I don’t have any problems with OHR with any current watch. Suunto Vertical, TicWatch Pro 5, Garmin Fenix ​​6X Pro, Huawei Watch GT Runner, Oppo Watch, all work for me under all circumstances (I don’t swim) as well as an external device (Polar Verity Sense, H10).

                      But only on my right wrist. I keep getting unrealistically high readings on my left wrist with all models. Suunto is no better and no worse, at least not for me. ⌚ 📈

                      https://www.instagram.com/moves.are.life/
                      Suunto Vertical Black Lime
                      Suunto 9 Peak Pro Black
                      Suunto Spartan Ultra Stealth Titanium

                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 4
                      • L Offline
                        Luis Andés Olmedo Bronze Member @Guest
                        last edited by

                        @Fizzgig said in New owner of Suunto Race - first feelings:

                        @Tieutieu

                        The reliability of cardiac sensors is known not to be “reliable” data, a small margin of error is considered acceptable. In this case, it’s a complete crash. The data communicated by the watch are all incorrect when considering the heart values. I like the design of Suunto, the application is great but I can’t spend 550 euros on a sports tool that gives totally crazy values. Reading all the reviews, everyone is unanimous with the race and the vertical (myself included) These are excellent watches but the sensor is frankly not up to par.

                        Agree (although I did spend 400€ on the race 😊 ).

                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • seanvkS Offline
                          seanvk @Guest
                          last edited by

                          @Fizzgig I have the same experience. Crazy spikes that I see at my desk or when making sudden movements. I’ve even had my Garmin 7X on the other wrist just to note my heart rate was normal.

                          Suunto Race Titanium
                          Suunto Vertical Titanium
                          Suunto 9 Peak Pro Forest Green
                          Suunto 9 Peak Moss Gray

                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • Brad_OlwinB Online
                            Brad_Olwin Moderator @GiPFELKiND
                            last edited by

                            @GiPFELKiND I do not know, it works very well for me. If there are tattoos or dark skin I think a problem as well. I have shaved the area around the watch and that seems to help. You need blood flow close to the skin for this to work. The measurement relies on blood flow.

                            Vector/T6c/Ambit 3 Peak/S5 Copper/S3/S7 Ti/S9 baro Ti/S9P Ti/S9PP Ti/Vertical Ti/Race Ti/RaceS/Ocean/Wing

                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                            • Brad_OlwinB Online
                              Brad_Olwin Moderator @Guest
                              last edited by

                              @Fizzgig Your wrists are quite thin from the photo. The wristbone may interfere with the readings. You could try moving the position of the watch and see what happens. The reliability of the OHR will vary by individual and it does not matter the brand! My wife, who is very small cannot get an Apple Watch OHR to work either sitting or exercising, she uses a belt for exercising.
                              For me when exercising Suunto, Garmin are not good; Apple Watch Ultra is ok if low intensity. For not exercising Suunto, Garmin and Apple work equivalently.
                              I do think Suunto’s sensor is more sensitive to position and movement but I see reports from testers where it works well for some even exercising. I think one has to be careful to generalize quality based on a single individual and their experience.

                              Vector/T6c/Ambit 3 Peak/S5 Copper/S3/S7 Ti/S9 baro Ti/S9P Ti/S9PP Ti/Vertical Ti/Race Ti/RaceS/Ocean/Wing

                              ? 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 3
                              • ? Offline
                                A Former User @Brad_Olwin
                                last edited by

                                @Brad_Olwin

                                I tried a Garmin Forerunner 965 today in the same conditions as the Race. This is what the HR gives in the afternoon with two peaks going up the floors and the rest of the trips to site meetings at work. We also clearly see the return to seated calm at the end of the afternoon.
                                The data collected is overall much better and consistent.

                                IMG_1042.jpeg

                                Brad_OlwinB 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                • Brad_OlwinB Online
                                  Brad_Olwin Moderator @Guest
                                  last edited by

                                  @Fizzgig As I said in my post, OHR will vary from individual to individual, just because one brand works for you does not mean it works for everyone. For me, Suunto 9PP and Garmin Epix gen 2 were about equal.

                                  Vector/T6c/Ambit 3 Peak/S5 Copper/S3/S7 Ti/S9 baro Ti/S9P Ti/S9PP Ti/Vertical Ti/Race Ti/RaceS/Ocean/Wing

                                  ? 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • ? Offline
                                    A Former User @Brad_Olwin
                                    last edited by

                                    @Brad_Olwin

                                    I wore 6 Garmin, 2 Coros (pace and vertix), Apple S5 and S8), a Fitbit bracelet and all measured accurately. It would still be strange if Suunto was not compatible with me…
                                    Being on a dedicated Suunto forum, I suspect that a moderator will not recognize the failure of the HR sensor. I am still interested in a copy of your daily HR statement. With certainty, we will obtain the same uncontrolled variations.

                                    Brad_OlwinB 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote -1
                                    • Brad_OlwinB Online
                                      Brad_Olwin Moderator @Guest
                                      last edited by Brad_Olwin

                                      @Fizzgig Here is today, nothing unusual. Run in the morning has normal HR with belt. No spikes.
                                      ffd77eb7-7682-442e-9088-0d4a7ae24669-image.png
                                      And the watch
                                      242def96-7262-416f-a8a6-b8ef06ef4c6c-image.jpeg

                                      Vector/T6c/Ambit 3 Peak/S5 Copper/S3/S7 Ti/S9 baro Ti/S9P Ti/S9PP Ti/Vertical Ti/Race Ti/RaceS/Ocean/Wing

                                      ? 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • ? Offline
                                        A Former User @Brad_Olwin
                                        last edited by

                                        @Brad_Olwin

                                        Thanks ! all the day with belt ? Or only the small running?

                                        Brad_OlwinB 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • Brad_OlwinB Online
                                          Brad_Olwin Moderator @Guest
                                          last edited by Brad_Olwin

                                          @Fizzgig only running for 45 minutes at 07:15 with belt

                                          Vector/T6c/Ambit 3 Peak/S5 Copper/S3/S7 Ti/S9 baro Ti/S9P Ti/S9PP Ti/Vertical Ti/Race Ti/RaceS/Ocean/Wing

                                          David lD 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                          • David lD Offline
                                            David l @Brad_Olwin
                                            last edited by David l

                                            My HR for the day via OHR. Very up and down but this corresponds with my movement around the classroom and school. The slide down @ 6pm is where I get home and have a brew……

                                            762ba9a0-4a35-49b2-b774-080a2b246526-image.png

                                            I do think it comes down to how you wear your watch. I’ve looked at the last 3 months worth of data and it is very similar to my previous Fenix 6X. As others have stated, use a strap if you want accuracy and precision. The Race works well, if used correctly.

                                            As for saying that a moderator wouldn’t say there was an issue, I think that’s actually a tad out of order. Of all the forums I use or have used, the mods here are pretty good and switched on.

                                            ? 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                                            • First post
                                              Last post

                                            Suunto Terms | Privacy Policy