Suunto T6c Heart Rate Monitor and Fitness Trainer Watch (Fusion)

I'm 54, I'm running twice a week (12 km each time) and was searching for tools that could help me to have a better training. I had a Polar for 15 years, but found wasn't sufficient. So I looked first for a new Polar and finally switched to Suunto because of it's ability to measure my tiredness after training and the global efficiency of my running, using all my personal parameters (for example, EPOC).
I found here in my Suunto a very good product, that could help. The belt is very comfortable and I was satisfied with all the measures I discovered. Surprising all what I got from the watch.
Drawbacks (to justify 4 stars versus 5) - To my mind, directions are not sufficient or could be clearer to exploit all the possibilities of this watch. I was also slightly disappointed with the software (training manager) as there is finally no direct coach function. "Just" showing you the results (details and summary are though excellent) but not proposing you something to have a better training and guide you.
You'll have to do your DD and go further than the pdf guide...

Not yet tried the foot pod though but I realized I was running too hard (over-training) and when I had to change my running.

Despite these details, you can go ahead with it, you will be satisfied, this is a very good watch for running.

Great watch, has an accurate measure of distance, temp, altitude, and heart rate. The GPS is reliable and works for me 99.9% of the time especially out in the sticks where I live.

My only complaint the lack of way point tracking or the ability to map out my runs. Why would I want this? Because it seems like a cool thing to do, else it is a very functional training tool.

I've had this HRM since Summer of 2008 and it's been a great fitness tool. I purchased two of the accesories for the watch, the suunto food pod (later edition) and the suunto bike pod. Both pods have worked flawlessly in sync with the T6c and I highly recommend them if you jog or mountain bike. The T6c has its pros and cons, i'll jump right in and explain them:

Pros:
- able to browse through 6 settings during your workout(For example, I use duration, Current Heart Rate, Calories burned in one screen and Distance, Speed, Avg Speed in the 2nd screen (using either one of the pods)). You can also browse to the Time interchangeably with the two aforementioned screens.
- amazing graphical software (Firstbeat ATHLETE) is available for purchase and compatible with the T6c. Also a con, which i'll explain.
- comfortable fitting heart rate strap makes it hardly noticeable during exercises
- Workouts can easily be uploaded to PC with included USB cable link.

Cons
- The backlight is useless. If you browse through the suunto forums, you'll find the backlight gives many people trouble. For my watch, it doesn't work PERIOD. If you workout at night and need to view the watch at night frequently, you may want to reconsider this watch if that is one of your purchasing factors.
- The software that comes with the watch Suunto Training Manager is subpar in my opinion. You can view line graphs and all of your uploaded stats, which is nice, but the layout and interface of the program is sloppy and unorganized. Firstbeat ATHLETE however, is beautiful compared to STRM. It has beautiful graphs and many combinations of results you want to see. The downside is that this program costs 80 dollars! There's a free trial that you should try out and see for yourself how much better it is. Hopefully Suunto will do some updates on their standard software!
- There are times where the HRM strap will have trouble transmitting to the watch. For example, i'll get a flatline during workouts where it won't output my current heart rate. I did find a solution that works well. Use electrode gel before you put it on your chest, this helps with the readings (much better than spit or water).
- Cost. The pods are $50-$100 = $150. The Firstbeat ATHLETE program is $80. The watch is about $300. That's $530 i've spent! Ugh.. Still, it's been worth it!

In all, as a prior owner of the Polar F6, i'm blown away by this heart rate monitor. I have yet to try the GPS pod, but i'm a little nervous as many have had trouble with signals. Since I have the food and bike pod, however, I won't really need it. I love the open endedness of the watch, and how you can customize what you results you want to see. It's definitely a breakthrough in heart rate monitors. Now if they can just fix that stupid backlight it'll be nearly perfect!

Great product when working. For me, the screen would spontaneously go blank. It is currently back with Suunto, waiting to be replaced, it has been two weeks so far and no word. Otherwise training was very educational experience, able to gauge hard or easy workouts. Advantage over the T3 and T4 are the beat to beat HR detection. Shows up especially with interval work.

This is the best heart rate monitor I've ever owned. I'm a physician and a triathlete and fitness nut. This is the best one I've owned thus far. It is by far the most durable in terms of build quality. I currently own the Garmin 405, T4c, and the T6c. The T6c is the most durable and reliable of the three. The build quality of the t4c is a joke. Having the GPS on the 405 is nice but constantly having to recharge the watch is a real pain. I travel a lot and its just plain inconvenient. Save yourself the money and get the T6c.