UKC

Thinking of replacing my sunto core with an ambit 3. It's main use will be in the mountains rather than any other sport.

What do people think? Any particularly good/bad experiences? Or any great alternatives I should consider.

The positives for me really are decent battery life and actual buttons rather than touch screen plus sub £200 price tag.

In reply to Nbrain:

Really like mine, I’ve got an Ambit3 Peak HR.
Cracking bit of kit which adapts really well. I got mine primarily for climbing (it does this very well) but since getting into Triathlons have found it very useful, especially for open water swimming and cycling.

The battery life is great, on a 3 day outing in the alps this year it was still going while my climbing partners Garmin died.

In reply to Nbrain:
I've got an Ambit 3 Peak. The watch itself is a great bit of kit. Simple, adaptable, reliable and accurate. However, I've had a number of minor niggles with the interface (Movescount) and customer support. Probably not enough to put me off Suunto but still annoying.

Some examples: difficulty pairing it with a phone, can't be paired with a tablet, poor maps in some of the Movescount screens, inability to edit tracks and customer service who's English doesn't seem to be up to the job and who's stock answer is 'you can't do that and there are no plans to offer that service in the future'. I'm told that Garmin are better on some of the above but have similar minor niggles of their own.

Oh and look at dcrainmaker for reviews if you haven't done so already.

In reply to Nbrain:
I actually have this model.

Generally very pleased with it.

There are some limitations of GPS accuracy compared to the peak.. The GPS aerial is under the face rather than being in the extra blip.

Now very reliable in synching with phone, but with computer is still faster.

More limited function compared to garmin, but happy enough of you don't want an activity tracker. Its a sports watch, not an activity tracker. Hr very reliable..
.
The Wiggle special with orange strap had a problem with early versions. There was no metal sleeve inside the strap where the fixing pin goes through. This meant the silicone strap stuck to the pin and released it. Check the one you get either had the metal sleeve OR has the less flexible std strap.

Learn the GPS reset combo for that very occasional fault - once in 12 months use.

Any qs, do ask.

Might be tempted by the spartan cheap model now though

In reply to Nbrain:

Thanks v much. Really helpful info...not sure the spartan is worth the extra cash!

In reply to Nbrain:

I've got a Core and a Vertical. The Vertical is a far more useful tool.

In reply to Nbrain:
The spartan trainer is 200. The vertical is about 180... No barometric pressure, but it's a modern device that'll get updates.

I'm not changing mine currently. Too many issues with optical heart rate.


No storm warning on the vertical, sadly. (not on the spartan trainer.)