Sports Watch: Suunto Ambit3 Peak / Vertical, Garmin Fenix 3

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britdog
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Sports Watch: Suunto Ambit3 Peak / Vertical, Garmin Fenix 3

Post by britdog »

Hey Folks - I'm looking for some help here on choosing my next multi-sport GPS watch. I'm going to replace my Garmin 910XT with a watch with longer battery life. It's maxed out at 18 hours with all the bells, whistles and vibrations stripped down. Looking at the Suunto Ambit3 Peak and the Ambit3 Vertical and the Garmin Fenix3.
I do long hikes in the montains, run ultras and triathlons.
- The Suunto Ambit3 Peak is the winner from a pure battery life perspective, giving 20-40-200 hours across its various settings. But, it's still got that GPS antenna rigid plastic hump on one side.

- The Suunto Ambit3 Vertical gets rid of the hump, so it's a more streamlined design and probably a more comfortable. Its specs indicate 10-15-100 hours battery life. 100 hours is more than enough for any silly adventures I have on my radar at the moment, but I'd have to have it in that mode (1 minute between GPS data points vs. 1 second or a few in the other modes) for any 100 mile ultras. 15 hours would get me through 50 milers or 100 km races, at least for the time being. This one would be my easy choice if the settings provided something like 15-40-100 hrs.

- The Fenix3 is a nice design and I would like to have the built-in optical HR monitor, rather than the chest strap, but it's meaningfully more expensive and battery max is 40 or 50 hrs. That is fine for most of what I'd do, but for that pile of cabbage, I don't want to have to worry about switching out watches during the activity and then having to splice together tracks afterwards.

There are a ton of other great features that these amazing devices bring that may be valuable, but my 910XT really gives me everything I need with the exception of the battery life.
Appreciate sharing your opinions if you have experience with any of these, especially your experience running the Ambits in their 100 or 200 hour battery modes (1 min intervals between GPS pings).
Thanks a lot!
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Conor
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Re: Sports Watch: Suunto Ambit3 Peak / Vertical, Garmin Feni

Post by Conor »

I've got the fenix 3 hr, just picked it up over Thanksgiving for $399. I've found the optical hr to be spotty unless tightened down beyond what I like. It eventually creates more discomfort than I like and I loosen it up. I was running with it the other day loose and my heart rate kept jumping from 95 to 150 and back in the matter of seconds. I finally turned on my chest strap and it leveled out where I thought it should be, about 125. But, the optical is helpful for activity tracking, just not the finer resolution of second by second I like for running.

Also, my barometric altimeter has been wonky lately. Showing 60000 ft on my run the other day at about 6200 ft. I've got auto Cal on and recalibrated numerous times, but it still isnt correct. For instance right now it is showing 14750' when my home sits around 5800. I meant to call garmin yesterday, but ran out of time.

Coming from polar m440 though, it is a huge step up.
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Jeff Valliere
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Re: Sports Watch: Suunto Ambit3 Peak / Vertical, Garmin Fenix 3

Post by Jeff Valliere »

I have been using the Ambit3 Peak for about a year and could not be happier with it. Very reliable and accurate, long battery life and I never have trouble with the Movescount site/app.

I have heard mixed reviews on the Ambit Vertical, most notably accuracy and battery life.

Prior to the Ambit, I have had Garmin watches and like you, a 910xt most recently. I thought the watch was just fine, but had a terrible time transferring the data to Garmin Connect and many people I have talked to, have shared similar experiences (though many find it to work just fine). Not sure what it is that makes the difference here though (I had tried everything before giving up).

Not a single issue though since moving to Suunto. Good luck!
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Re: Sports Watch: Suunto Ambit3 Peak / Vertical, Garmin Fenix 3

Post by CreekRunner »

Have you ever checked out DC Rain makers reviews? He covers them pretty extensively, as in more than you will ever care to know. He also puts comparisons at the bottom.
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Re: Sports Watch: Suunto Ambit3 Peak / Vertical, Garmin Fenix 3

Post by Jeff Valliere »

CreekRunner wrote:Have you ever checked out DC Rain makers reviews? He covers them pretty extensively, as in more than you will ever care to know. He also puts comparisons at the bottom.
Was going to suggest the same, his reviews are over the top extensive and thorough.
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Re: Sports Watch: Suunto Ambit3 Peak / Vertical, Garmin Fenix 3

Post by gspup »

britdog wrote: - The Fenix3 is a nice design and I would like to have the built-in optical HR monitor, rather than the chest strap, but it's meaningfully more expensive and battery max is 40 or 50 hrs. That is fine for most of what I'd do, but for that pile of cabbage, I don't want to have to worry about switching out watches during the activity and then having to splice together tracks afterwards.
How fast do you think the fenix 3 will die ? I hear this worry a lot and it's kinda funny now that I have one.

Am I understanding this correctly...you say the max is 30-40 hours but your worried about switching out watches during an activity ? What kind of a exercise freak are you ? You plan on working out for 30 hours at a time :shock:

I've had a fenix 3 since they first came out and the battery has never died on me. For example, yesterday I skied 3 miles came home walked a mile to the grocery store and forgot to turn GPS off until this morning battery is still 3/4 full and it wasn't fully charged yesterday. The longest I've done with it so far has been 3 day backpacking trip and the battery didn't come close to dying. It will last weeks on single charge if I'm not tracking a lot of activities. I've ridden my bike to clear creek then climbed for a few hours and rode back to Denver with no significant battery loss.

I would highly recommend the watch, it definitely looks better than most out there too. I have not had tracking issues that most talk about. Mostly it's new users I think, read the manual people this is a computer for your wrist. Garmin connect is kind of a pain but it gets the job done.
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Re: Sports Watch: Suunto Ambit3 Peak / Vertical, Garmin Fenix 3

Post by ezabielski »

I had the Ambit2 and now I have the Ambit3 Peak. I think the Ambit3 Peak is definitely the best watch right now. The antenna hump doesn't bother me at all. The 200 hour mode I would say is mostly for backpacking type scenarios where you aren't moving very fast, but you want to keep a somewhat accurate record of distances and your route. I've used the 200 hour mode to navigate against a preloaded GPS file for backpacking trips. For running events it would not be very accurate to only take a GPS sample every minute. The medium 40 hour mode is fine for running ultras and would get you through almost any 100 miler (except HR100). The battery life is very reliable. I should note that you can charge the watch while using it. I ran my Ambit2 in the old 24 hour mode for 45 hours straight without pausing, charging it while I slept.
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Re: Sports Watch: Suunto Ambit3 Peak / Vertical, Garmin Fenix 3

Post by Brimstone10 »

I would highly recommend the watch, it definitely looks better than most out there too. I have not had tracking issues that most talk about. Mostly it's new users I think, read the manual people this is a computer for your wrist. Garmin connect is kind of a pain but it gets the job done.
+1 to all of this. I've got a fenix 3 (w/o the hr sensor) and love it. It tracks everything I need and gives me the stats I want while hiking / climbing. I've never had an issue with battery life and even when climbing with GPS running for a full day on the weekends and going for short runs during the week. I may charge it once a week if not every other week, and it charges up quick. It sounds like The Suunto and Fenix 3 will both give you what your looking for, so it really just comes down to personal preference.
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Re: Sports Watch: Suunto Ambit3 Peak / Vertical, Garmin Fenix 3

Post by I Man »

I just received my Suunto Ambit 3 Peak Sapphire today. Intimidated by getting started with it!! Looking forward to using it on many expeditions and for training, etc...
You can touch the void, just don't fall into it.

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Re: Sports Watch: Suunto Ambit3 Peak / Vertical, Garmin Fenix 3

Post by britdog »

CreekRunner wrote:Have you ever checked out DC Rain makers reviews? He covers them pretty extensively, as in more than you will ever care to know. He also puts comparisons at the bottom.
Yep, famliar with DCRM and his reviews. He provides awesome detailacross every parameter you might be interested in, and then some. I've reviewed his posts on these watches and was just looking for some more real-world experiences from you all to help me choose one from this short list.

Thanks to you and to everyone who responded with your input!! Much obliged.
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Re: Sports Watch: Suunto Ambit3 Peak / Vertical, Garmin Fenix 3

Post by britdog »

gspup wrote: How fast do you think the fenix 3 will die ? I hear this worry a lot and it's kinda funny now that I have one.

Am I understanding this correctly...you say the max is 30-40 hours but your worried about switching out watches during an activity ? What kind of a exercise freak are you ? You plan on working out for 30 hours at a time :shock:
:-D Ha Ha, yeah, I know. I do run 100s and have been trying to get into Hardrock, so that one may take me more than 40 hours. Not sure. It would be a bummer to have the watch die during the event and not be able to relive the pain and glory through the lens of that data when I'm no longer able to do these things. I've also given Nolan's a go and have not ruled out subjecting myself to giving it another shot and that's a 60 hour time window. So, I do have a "legitimate" need, from time to time, for really long battery life.

Thanks a lot for your response!
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Re: Sports Watch: Suunto Ambit3 Peak / Vertical, Garmin Fenix 3

Post by britdog »

ezabielski wrote:I should note that you can charge the watch while using it. I ran my Ambit2 in the old 24 hour mode for 45 hours straight without pausing, charging it while I slept.
Thanks a lot for your response. You've got me leaning toward the Ambit3 Peak at the moment. I recall reading about people charging while using it. Can you tell me a bit more about this?
I don't foresee a need with the Peak's battery life, but if the same option is available for the Vertical, it would be something to consider.
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