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    Race vs Garmin Epix Pro

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Suunto Race
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    • C Offline
      craigeggleton Bronze Member
      last edited by

      Both are fantastic watches and in my opinion represent both companies at the top of their respective games. I own both along with Apple Watch Ultra 2. What I really like about Suunto right now is they have released 2 watches (Vertical & Race) which give them plenty of room to grow into next generations of watches. I think they are few tweaks away (new hr sensor and continue to get the processors a little snappier). Their app is hands down more enjoyable than any other plaform I use. Their designs are class leading and have such a premium look compared to…well everyone except Apple! Garmin is going to be tough to beat long term and not even sure that should be anyone’s goal short or long-term. The one thing keeping me with Garmin is golf features. Suunto has pretty much caught up with everything I care about on the fitness side which is outdoor running (Best in class GPS or at least tied with Garmin) and the seamless integration with Training Peaks. Only reason I keep Apple Watch is for a phone on my long runs.

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

        @Shuhite Sorry this happened to you and I can confirm the Race is 40h multiband and far, far better battery than the 47mm Epix2 Pro, which is the correct comparison. The two companies approach features very differently. I test drove an Epix2 for 8 months and it wasn’t for me. I do agree the OHR on the Race could be improved but I’ll use a belt no matter what. No watch I’ve tried has good enough OHR including Apple.

        Folks shouldn’t be so insecure and you are welcome here even without a Suunto watch. After all, it is a watch, more important you enjoy life, exercise and the outdoors.

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

        zhang965Z 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 13
        • ChrisAC Offline
          ChrisA Platinum Member @Guest
          last edited by ChrisA

          @Shuhite said in Race vs Garmin Epix Pro:

          I immediately got attacked by some of the OGs there and was interrogated about where Suunto states the 40 hrs is for multiband, and that it’s for GPS only, etc.

          Actually the community features Suunto offers in the app (following other people’s adventures) and in this forum here, are one reason for me preferring Suunto over all other brands. I find it motivating and enjoyable to see what other people do outdoors (and indoors 😅) and I learned so much here, making my own experiences much more enjoyable. I would still run with much too high heartrate chasing some unrealistic pace, and not really enjoy the running itself, if there wasn’t people in this forum who advised beginners to start slow, walk if needed and emphasised to look „how it feels“ and not so much what your metrics are. And for me that changed the whole experience.

          tazidenT 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 3
          • tazidenT Offline
            taziden Gold Members @ChrisA
            last edited by

            @ChrisA said in Race vs Garmin Epix Pro:

            @Shuhite said in Race vs Garmin Epix Pro:

            I immediately got attacked by some of the OGs there and was interrogated about where Suunto states the 40 hrs is for multiband, and that it’s for GPS only, etc.

            Actually the community features Suunto offers in the app (following other people’s adventures) and in this forum here, are one reason for me preferring Suunto over all other brands. I find it motivating and enjoyable to see what other people do outdoors (and indoors 😅) and I learned so much here, making my own experiences much more enjoyable. I would still run with much too high heartrate chasing some unrealistic pace, and not really enjoy the running itself, if there wasn’t people in this forum who advised beginners to start slow, walk if needed and emphasised to look „how it feels“ and not so much what your metrics are. And for me that changed the whole experience.

            🤗

            S9PP

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • zhang965Z Offline
              zhang965 @Brad_Olwin
              last edited by

              Brad_Olwin said in Race vs Garmin Epix Pro:

              I test drove an Epix2 for 8 months and it wasn’t for me.

              Screenshot_2023-09-25-10-54-16-84_40deb401b9ffe8e1df2f1cc5ba480b12~2.jpg

              It looks like someone cannot recognize its watch, again…

              Winners Wear Winners

              tazidenT 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote -10
              • tazidenT Offline
                taziden Gold Members @zhang965
                last edited by taziden

                @zhang965 said in Race vs Garmin Epix Pro:

                It looks like someone cannot recognize its watch, again…

                Seriously man, …

                S9PP

                Brad_OlwinB 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 8
                • pavel.samokhaP Offline
                  pavel.samokha
                  last edited by

                  @zhang965 muted for 30 days for systematic trolling and inappropriate behavior towards other forum users. Next time it will be half a year

                  Opinions expressed are solely my own and do not express the views or opinions of my employer

                  Todd DanielczykT 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 31
                  • Todd DanielczykT Offline
                    Todd Danielczyk Gold Members @pavel.samokha
                    last edited by

                    @pavel-samokha I honestly don’t get it. Time is the one asset I have that I can’t get more of. If I buy a product or service and am unhappy with it, I don’t buy it again. Cut my losses and move on. Complaining about it rarely (if ever) solves anything and just is a waste of my time.

                    Why I choose Suunto is why I buy most electronics

                    1. build quality
                    2. battery life
                    3. future proofing

                    One thing that I always thought was cool about Suunto over the competition is that they will pass along updates/features as long as the hardware supports it. The same cannot be said about the competition. The forums have been a great asset to me to answer questions and resolve issues (yourself included; thank you very much!)

                    The trolling just reminds me of the girl that got stood up at the dance and wants to take anger out on anyone in her path. With that attitude you won’t get invited next time! 😉

                    Seriously thank you to yourself and all the forum members that make this a great place. It is a platform that is full of great resources/information and makes it easier to get the most out of our products.

                    Jamie BGJ 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 3
                    • Jamie BGJ Offline
                      Jamie BG Bronze Member @Guest
                      last edited by

                      @Shuhite

                      Not sure why they don’t get longer battery life than 38hrs (aod off / 30hrs AOD on) - doubt they can get anymore in multi-band as with all the garmins, suunto, polar etc I have seen I only ever seen an increase in gps battery life once - and that was the Suunto 7 - but not a true increase as was changing gps fix from every second to every 10s.

                      With Race training modes: Training mode with GPS 40h / 50h / 70h / 120h - what happens with each mode to adjust out the battery life. Also is that 40h with AOD on or off - no mention, cause if its with AOD off then 40h isn’t much different to 38hrs?

                      Cause with Epix its (all AOD off wrist gesture on) its 38hrs multi, 62hrs all systems, GPS only 82hrs before you start hitting the ultra trac 125hrs or expedition modes which can extend gps time out to 27days. Of course all this battery life is based on standard settings i.e. bluetooth on, HR continuous every second etc (mention that due to how apple ultra watch extended modes work - no idea if suunto extended modes the same) - as can adjust some of those settings and extend battery life even more.

                      Re forum issues - sorry to hear about that - its just wrong, but are you sure it was the Garmin Epix forum https://forums.garmin.com/outdoor-recreation/outdoor-recreation/f/epix-2
                      as I don’t remember that post and its super unusual for anyone to be banned there. At the most they might just lock the thread - but not for someting like that. And sure like every forum there is the odd muppet, but usually its pretty friendly and Chris the garmin employee/mod is usually super solid.
                      Are you maybe thinking about the Garmin Reddit - as that wouldn’t surprise me as those mods are complete and utter muppets (been banned numerous times for nothing).
                      If it is the Garmin reddit -try GarminWatches reddit - much more friendly and where I lurk - given up on the muppets on the Garmin Reddit (mods are supposedly gamrin employees but serioulsly doubt it the way they behave); or the actual Garmin Epix forum.

                      EgikaE ? Brad_OlwinB 3 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • Jamie BGJ Offline
                        Jamie BG Bronze Member @Todd Danielczyk
                        last edited by

                        One thing that I always thought was cool about Suunto over the competition is that they will pass along updates/features as long as the hardware supports it. The same cannot be said about the competition. The forums have been a great asset to me to answer questions and resolve issues (yourself included; thank you very much!)

                        sorry but is that a fair comment to companies like apple watch (which is competition in some ways) and to Coros - they seem really good at pushing down features to all their models.

                        Tend to agree fair comment in relation to Garmin.

                        But then again if you are paying for features why should a £200 watch have the same features as a £1k watch - why buy the £1k watch…But yes there are certain features that should be rolled out better, and especially agree in regards to health features - where the garmin hardware can support see no reason why can’t be rolled out. Got to remember though that garmin crunches 98% of all their metrics on the watch - and that could potentially be limiting some feature set from being ported as not sue how different the hardware inside is.
                        It is really interesting to see that the Venu 3 in its latest beta is getting wrist running power and is getting wrist running dynamics (but can only see post activity in app). This is a masive change to how the venu 3 has been previously positioned and seen in garmin. And you have to wonder what this may potentially mean going forward…

                        Todd DanielczykT 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                        • Todd DanielczykT Offline
                          Todd Danielczyk Gold Members @Jamie BG
                          last edited by

                          @Jamie-BG 100% agree with your comments. I didn’t want to name -the-names but my reference was certainly pointed at specific brands of both smart watches and fitness trackers. Companies like Fitbit, Garmin and Google Pixel push their base to buy the latest tech versus rolling updates out.

                          When I was cross shopping brands, I considered Garmin as their build quality and battery life is comparable to Suunto (which I value). The fact that they steer buyers to models based off features or paid subscriptions (like Apple) is a game I am not willing to play.

                          Overall I have been happy with Suunto; starting with a Baro 9, to a Peak 9 to now Vertical Solar. The Peak 9 is a great watch but was a bit small for my liking so I moved to the Vertical.

                          Jamie BGJ 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • EgikaE Offline
                            Egika Platinum Member @Jamie BG
                            last edited by Egika

                            @Jamie-BG said in Race vs Garmin Epix Pro:

                            @Shuhite

                            With Race training modes: Training mode with GPS 40h / 50h / 70h / 120h - what happens with each mode to adjust out the battery life. Also is that 40h with AOD on or off - no mention, cause if its with AOD off then 40h isn’t much different to 38hrs?

                            Race in Performance and Endurance mode has an always on data display. Only the map is switched to a breadcrumb view when lowering the wrist. So 40h with AOD and Dual Band GPS. Here is an overview:

                            e413c450-2ea7-47a4-8558-4cb60a79f105-image.png

                            …plus in reality the battery calculation after a longer activity is usually higher than 40h for me.

                            t6, S6, Elementum Terra, Ambit 3 Sapphire, Spartan Ultra Copper, Traverse Alpha, S7 Graphite LE, S9B Ambassador, S9P Granite Blue Titanium, S9PP Titanium Sand, Vertical All Black, Race Titanium Charcoal,
                            Race S All Black - TI Canary - Titanium Courtney

                            Dušan KovićD ? 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 1
                            • Dušan KovićD Offline
                              Dušan Ković @Egika
                              last edited by

                              @Egika In Endurance mode with Maps - off, does it show at least breadcrumb trail on the black background, and can it load route and navigate?

                              SR
                              SA latest beta
                              Polar Verity Sense
                              Pixel 6

                              EgikaE 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • EgikaE Offline
                                Egika Platinum Member @Dušan Ković
                                last edited by

                                @Dušan-Ković yes! It is only about the map. Not about following a route or breadcrumb trail on the watch screen.

                                t6, S6, Elementum Terra, Ambit 3 Sapphire, Spartan Ultra Copper, Traverse Alpha, S7 Graphite LE, S9B Ambassador, S9P Granite Blue Titanium, S9PP Titanium Sand, Vertical All Black, Race Titanium Charcoal,
                                Race S All Black - TI Canary - Titanium Courtney

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

                                  @Jamie-BG It was on the Garmin Forums where I’ve been a member for the last 3 or so years. I happened to request my data the day I posted that, so I have a record of the exact post name and my posts.
                                  https://forums.garmin.com/login?ReturnUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fforums.garmin.com%2Foutdoor-recreation%2Foutdoor-recreation%2Ff%2Fepix-2%2F350847%2Fmultiband-battery-life-estimates
                                  That link doesn’t work for me anymore, and I don’t see my post. As I said, all my bug reports on the beta forums are gone too. I can’t log in, just get this everytime I try:
                                  4ec16a2f-76b8-4cba-b384-696b10cb599d-image.png

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

                                    @Egika Yea I can confirm, during the couple runs I did with the Race, the display was always on, properly without dimming. I was running in rain so it was weird having it on while it was under a layer as I wasn’t used to it. But, on the Garmin forums some people should switch to Suunto, because they want their Garmins to do this and Garmin refuses due to burn-in and battery-life concerns (their (Garmin support) words).

                                    ? wmichiW 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                    • ? Offline
                                      A Former User @Guest
                                      last edited by

                                      Could anyone enlighten me as to what these two metal circles are at the bottom of the Race?
                                      bc3b3599-8ad4-45bd-a0e2-b5d50da6128f-image.png

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

                                        @Shuhite They are for Suunto access and not for consumers. For example when watches are bricked.

                                        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
                                        • Brad_OlwinB Offline
                                          Brad_Olwin Moderator @Jamie BG
                                          last edited by Brad_Olwin

                                          @Jamie-BG said in Race vs Garmin Epix Pro:

                                          @Shuhite

                                          With Race training modes: Training mode with GPS 40h / 50h / 70h / 120h - what happens with each mode to adjust out the battery life. Also is that 40h with AOD on or off - no mention, cause if its with AOD off then 40h isn’t much different to 38hrs?

                                          Cause with Epix its (all AOD off wrist gesture on) its 38hrs multi, 62hrs all systems, GPS only 82hrs before you start hitting the ultra trac 125hrs or expedition modes which can extend gps time out to 27days. Of course all this battery life is based on standard settings i.e. bluetooth on, HR continuous every second etc (mention that due to how apple ultra watch extended modes work - no idea if suunto extended modes the same) - as can adjust some of those settings and extend battery life even more.

                                          This is not an appropriate comparison as you are comparing the 51mm watch with a much larger battery. As you can see in the table included by @Egika the battery estimates are for AOD on. The 47mm Epix2Pro is the appropriate watch for comparison.
                                          Smartwatch: Up to 16 days (6 days always-on)
                                          Battery Saver Watch Mode: Up to 21 days
                                          GPS Only: Up to 42 hours (30 hours always-on)
                                          All Satellite Systems: Up to 32 hours (24 hrs always-on)
                                          All Satellite Systems + Multi-band: Up to 20 hours (15 hrs always-on)
                                          All Satellite Systems + Music: Up to 10 hours
                                          Max Battery GPS: Up to 75 hours
                                          Expedition GPS: Up to 14 days

                                          So 15h for Epix2Pro and 40h for Race…amazing battery for Suunto. I had an Epix2 not an Epix2Pro, although the battery specs are identical. With a route loaded and maps on I could not get more than about 30+ h for GPS only. I recently ran a 100 mile race with the Suunto Race with maps on and a route loaded on Performance mode (Multiband, All satellites 1 sec), finished at 35h 27 min and had 6h 30 min of GPS run time left!
                                          Stellar is all I can say!

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

                                          Brad_OlwinB ? 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 1
                                          • wmichiW Offline
                                            wmichi @Guest
                                            last edited by wmichi

                                            @Shuhite I use my SR only in performance mode, and my watch dims a little bit when I am not looking at it, exactly like a FR965 or Epix. It dims enough, that it’s hardly readable. Only when raising the wrist, the screen lights up completely. And in this state it’s perfectly readable in every lightning situation. That’s not a complaint, that’s how AMOLED screens work, as far as I know. The Apple watch is a little bit different. On the AW there doesn’t seem to be a dimming during training.

                                            ? 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
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