Suunto Core Multifunction Watch - All Black

Comments about Suunto Core Multifunction Watch - All Black:

Everything about this watch is top-notch. All the functions seem to be pretty accurate, it needs recalibration periodically, but it's not a hassle. I'm constantly getting compliments on it.

Comments about Suunto Core Multifunction Watch - All Black:

This watch has been an excellent addition to my outdoor gear. Very comfortable and stands up to the demands of outdoor activities.

Comments about Suunto Core Multifunction Watch - All Black:

The watch is easily the MOST comfortable I have worn to date. I have a few luminox watches and have tried casios in the past. But I have always wanted a suunto. I do like the watch, but...

The GOOD:
Comfortable
Easy to use
Awesome Backlight
very accurate

The Bad:
Battery Life - 6 -8 months with heavy use
Button Disease (see below)
The all black display (see below)

For those not aware, suunto has 2 different types of buttons. On some models the older style gaskets get dirty. When the button starts to stick or not be as friendly you simply put your watch in a glass of warm water for a few minutes and then dry it off and push the button a few times. This cleans out the button. However some have the issue that the button will stop working completely.... Suunto will repair it, at a cost to you, and send it back to you. Thankfully you purchase from REI who will guarantee everything. Thats why I continue to love REI.

I have owned 2 versions of the core. My first one was the standard display, my second was the all black. I found the all black was very hard to read, mirrored when light hit it just right from overhead, and was very hard to read in low light. I returned my original standard display core due to a button problem, after owning the all black for just a few days, I returned it again and got the standard display version again. The best way I can sum it up is imagine trying to wear sunglasses while driving at midnight.... You look cool.... but it makes it that much harder to see.

Comments about Suunto Core Multifunction Watch - All Black:

The features and style of the Core were perfect for me. Unfortunately, this watch has fatal quality issues.

The start/stop button failed on two different Cores that I used. I owned both watches for one week each before the start/stop button suddenly stopped responding. They were used very lightly--worn around home and office. I hadn't even taken them on any outdoor adventures.

Reviews regarding button failures are surprisingly and disappointingly true. It's a shame. The Core is too nice a watch to be undermined by poor reliability.

Comments about Suunto Core Multifunction Watch - All Black:

The Core watch from Suunto was designed with the adventurer in mind. We have tested this watch and we show you some of the cool features in this video gear review. Know your altitude, the barometric pressure... even a storm warning alarm. Check out our video below.

Comments about Suunto Core Multifunction Watch - All Black:

I have had 2 Suunto watches and both met the same fate. About a year after I got both of them, they died. On both of them, the screen fogged up for no apparent reason and then the watch proceeded to die. For that reason I would not recommend this product. I will admit though that while they worked, however brief it may have been, they worked very well. But, the reliability of this watch is terrible. I plan on switching to a new watch brand in the hope that I find a better watch.

Comments about Suunto Core Multifunction Watch - All Black:

I have wanted this watch for about two years, however, it was always just a little more than I was willing to spend for what it does. I spend alot of time running, riding mountain bikes/motorcycles and backpacking in the N. Georgia mountains so it semed like something that would be neat to have during those activities but not entirely necessary. Well, this past Christmas I got an REI gift card so I decided to take the plunge and get the Suunto Core regular black. I must say that before buying the watch, I did extensive research trying to decide if this particular ABC watch would suit me best and I decided it was the best ABC watch on the market for my price point and that REI carried. Upon purchasing the watch, I did even more extensive research learning how to use it properly and I must say that after learning how to use the watch it's going back to REI. There's two problems that I've found with this watch. The first is that none of the featurs that make this watch anymore interesting than an everyday Timex work accurately. I'll start by saying that I've spent a great deal of time studying barrometric pressures and learning about Mean Sea Level Pressure and the Absolute Air Pressure which are what the watch use to get an altitude reading. Unfortunatley, this watch has always been off by at least 500'-1000' in altitude and when I set the correct Altitude Reference Value it gives me an incorrect Absolute Air Pressure. The thermometer is fairly accurate, however, it takes almost a half an hour to adjust to a new temperature to give you an accurate reading after walking outside or inside (while not wearing the watch on my wrist). Then there's the compass, this this thing is usually off by as much as 90 degrees, certainly not accurate enough for anything that you would need a compass for.

The second problem with this watch is that even if all the functions worked accurately, it's really not as interesting as it sounds. I thought when reading reviews about this watch that it would be such a neat thing to have but after having it for a couple weeks I'm somewhat embarrased that I spent so much money on this watch that's so extremely unnecessary. I knew it was unnecessary from the start but thought it would be a fun "gadget" to have, however, I've quickly changed my mind, others may have different opinions and to each his own but I'm returning this and only giving it two stars becuase the functions that work properly on this watch can also be found on any average Timex or any other digital watch. Reasons such as the ones I just stated are the reason that I always buy from REI because there's no hassle to return a product when it doesn't pan out.

Comments about Suunto Core Multifunction Watch - All Black:

This was a gift for my nephew and so far he loves it.

Comments about Suunto Core Multifunction Watch - All Black:

im a hiker in all seasons at varrying altitudes and temps. I wish i couldve afforded the ambit it is the perfect outdoor watch. I use the the thermometer for when im sleeping and not wearing the watch so while im in my bag i can check the outside temp as it will not read the temp correctly when its on my wrist this is typical but not a problem for me. the compass is very acurate. the only problem i have with it is i have to calibrate it often. i also have used the sleep function when im not wearing it at night at home to save battery. ive also been complemented on the watch at functions by people saying things like where can i get one or wow thats a nice watch which it definately is

Comments about Suunto Core Multifunction Watch - All Black:

I struggled w. the decision to buy this watch as I was preparing to do a week of hiking via the Yosemite HSCs. The price was just high enough to put this into a category of maybe I can live without it.

But living near the coast in southern California, I was concerned about getting in shape and then being able to complete the 50+ mile HSC loop at altitude. So I really wanted to get in some training with significant elevation changes before heading off to the trip this summer. To keep track I wanted some sort of altimeter and was debating the barometric versions like this watch, versus a GPS model. I was also looking for a tool for the actual trip that would help me determine my progress on the trail each day. I really wanted to be able to know, for example, that if I was at 8900' that I had an additional 500' to go to the next camp. I thought a GPS watch would be the best answer to that until I learned that battery life was really an issue with those models. Not to mention that they can get even more expensive.

I also was hesitant to commit to strapping a bulky contraption on my wrist as I am pretty heat sensitive (I have MS) and normally don't wear a watch. But after doing a bunch of research and reading other reviews of tons of competing products I picked the Suunto - and could not be happier that I did.

Several points are key to my really high level of satisfaction.
1. The watch has a learning curve - because it has so many functions - and I took the time to experiment and use it for dozens of training hikes before heading off to Yosemite. At first I was picking up new features haphazardly - like finding out how to use the logs, reviewing the results of a hike's elevation gained and lost against a time scale - in a graphical display. Pretty cool. and turns out easy to use.

2. Calibration of the altimeter to a reference altitude - is of course the major step required to get accurate results from this watch. And it is really easy. And after using the watch for multiple hikes it has become natural. On the week long Yosemite trip I would calibrate the Core every morning before taking off on the trail - at the same time starting a new log for that day to record the elevation gained and lost. At the end of the hike that day I simply "stopped" the log and would then have a record of that days total elevation gained, lost, Net elevation gained, lost, as well as the chrono record of the times corresponding to those intervals.

3. Having a topo map handy on the trail really complemented the watch for me. You might wonder why did I need the altimeter if I had a topo map - but for me it is simply that without knowing exactly where I was along a stretch of trail, the map was not precise enough to pinpoint my location. With the altimeter and the topo map I could pretty much pin down my location to within a few hundred feet. That was really helpful to me as I needed to find a way to pace myself ('cause of MS) to complete each leg of the loop.

As for the watch design, the strap and case is large but I found it to be very comfortable and unobtrusive. It is also rugged. On a training hike I did some scrambling thru heavy brush that was striking the watch and I had though I was going to end up scratching the crystal. When I got through I found that what I thought was a scratch was just debris that wipe off without leaving a trace. Today after using it for a couple of hundred miles over the past 6 months, the watch still looks brand new. Amazing.

All in all I could not be happier that I chose this watch.

The only minor things that I could possibly think of to improve would be really minor but are,
A) the backlight feature works great if you are in a very dark environment, like in your sleeping bag. Then the watch reads clear as day using the backlight. In less dark settings I needed a flashlight to read it - but I think that has something to do with my wearing glasses, and needing more light to make out the dial without them.

B) The alarm tone is in a frequency range that is hard for my 56 old ears to hear. Once someone had to point out that my alarm was beeping. I couldn't hear it.

But those are both really minor and again - I loved the fact that at the end of the week I was able to relive each day's hike via the logs on the watch. Great for capturing