Healthy Heart Rate: Suunto t6c Heart Rate Monitor and Fitness Trainer Watch (Fusion) Review

I have had the fusion for about a week now - perhaps it's premature to write a review, but I can't find any sticking points to keep me from loving this watch/HRM.

I am not a "pro" or even a "die hard", but I wanted to take my athleticism to a new level. I had dinked around with several Polar models, and even a Nike because that's what the local running store sells.It took me a long, long time and alot of reading to get up the courage to enter the market at this price point, but I gotta say I am glad I did.

I was considering the Forerunner but the idea that you had to charge it every couple of days was off-putting.Still, the Suunto was a big investment, especially given the ambiguous reviews here on Amazon. I swallowed hard and did it eyes wide open.

You know something? Not one single negative thing listed in these reviews happened. The backlight isn't that bad - I can read the watch clearly at night in bed.The software isn't that bad - I did buy the FirstBeat program and I like it better, but not to the detriment of the equipment. How much information can you really use? I'm not in that league. There is a seamless connection between all the pods I use (several at the same time if you include the heart rate belt - how DO they get that thing to be so accurate and so THIN and comfortable???). And when I run on the treadmill I can check my heartrate with the handgrips and they match to the beat.

There is only one minor caveat - I am pretty good with technology but not good at reading the instructions. I got stuck and decided to call customer support and was on hold for about 15 minutes - long enough for me to read the instructions (duh!) and solve the problem easily myself and hang up before somebody answered.But I knew that might be the reality before I bought the watch and you should too.Still, I got everything right without help.

And here is an irony - it's the watch and the excitment about going to the next level that inspires me to run even more, rather than vice versa.See, I was having a blast training hard but when I actually got to LOOK at what was going on, it turned out I wasn't nearly as efficient as I thought I was.So, I go home now, scope it out, and adjust my workout according to the results, and see what happens. I go in this stepwise fashion and my workouts are better.

All in all, it was really worth it to me. I hope I didn't jinx it by writing such a glowing review so soon, but in my experience, if things are going to go wrong with electronics they go wrong pretty fast. So far they haven't and I don't expect they will.

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Product Description:
Reaching your goals can be tough. It takes the right tools, knowledge, and guidance to improve with each training session. Enter the Suunto t6c heart rate monitor and fitness trainer watch, a professional-grade training tool for monitoring, analyzing, and optimizing your workouts. The t6c is equipped with a bundle of valuable features, but none is more valuable than its correspondence with the included Suunto Training Manager PC software, which provides a detailed analysis of seven physiological parameters with an accuracy previously available only in sports laboratories. This analysis breaks down nearly every aspect of your training, so you can make adjustments and train more efficiently in the future.
The t6c also tracks your real-time Training Effect, a quick and accurate measurement of how hard your body is working at any given moment. By knowing your Training Effect, you'll enjoy a more intimate understanding of your body's workout "sweet spot," an essential tidbit if you want to achieve your targets without setting yourself back by under- or over-training. The Training Effect works intuitively: The watch first notes the info from your personal fitness profile, and then analyzes your physiological progress and translates the data into a simple one-to-five scale. For example, if you want to improve your aerobic fitness at a moderate tempo, you should exercise until your TE meter reads between 3.0 and 3.9, two to four times per week. To improve your aerobic condition more rapidly--but without the risk of over-training--you should push yourself harder once or twice per week, so your TE meter reads 4.0 to 4.9, with a few recovery sessions in the TE 1.0 to 2.0 range. The Training Effect is relative to each individual. While a novice runner might achieve a TE of 4.0 on a four-mile jog, a professional runner might have to complete an uphill marathon to get the same reading. In other words, both runners will have to exercise hard to achieve a TE of 4.0.
The t6c includes a couple of additional features that put it above and beyond traditional heart rate monitor watches. For example, the t6c gives you a readout of your excess post-exercise oxygen consumption level (EPOC), letting you measure and adjust your training loads to ensure that your body is safely getting the most from each workout. And users will love the built-in altimeter, which lets you monitor your climbing or hill performance to know how your body will react when training at various altitudes.
Finally, the Suunto t6c offers interference-free digital ANT transmission, making it easy to pair your heart rate monitor with the included Suunto comfort belt. You can also use this secure connection to monitor your speed, distance, or cadence by pairing your Suunto t6c with an optional Suunto training pod. Training pods are small units that attach to such items as a running shoe or a bike to calculate your speed, distance, and even pedal revolutions per minute while you exercise. Pods are ideal for athletes who aren't satisfied with half-hearted training efforts, but really want to monitor their training routines down to the last detail.
Specifications:

Manufacturer's Warranty
Two-year warranty
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.

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