SUUNTO RACE || 6 MONTHS later

[@Aldinequeen]

I like the Race build quality as well. The GPS accuracy and the battery life is excellent. I wish it was easier to use like my Garmin. I do wear this watch and my Garmin Epix Pro on all my runs. Both watches are excellent at GPS tracking. I tried the Vertix 2S and sent it back because the gps accuracy was off. Great review!

[@Davercrooks]

Thanks for sharing your experience and thanks for watching. Cheers.

[@ChristianSlagter]

@Aldinequeen I'm looking at both watches, which one do you prefer? Also in regular day to day use? The price point for the Garmin Epix gen 2 (pro) seems a little high for me compared to the Race.

[@Davercrooks]

@@ChristianSlagter I have the Epix pro 51mm and it’s amazing but for the price, I’d take the Suunto any day.

[@Aldinequeen]

@@ChristianSlagter I prefer the Garmin Epix Pro.

[@lpeters2777]

This is interesting. I recently picked up the titanium version and am really enjoying it. It's big, no doubt, but wears well on my skinny wrists at its size, much more comfortable that I imagined. I believe they fixed the lag issue, I don't notice any. Compared to the newer Race S, no lag on either, I prefer the usability of the larger Race. HR has been fine, a touch bumpy the first part of a cold run, but good from there. Wore this along with my Garmin 955 and chest strap, HR was comparable once I warmed up for a couple minutes. Has been pretty good when just sitting around as well. Strap for me has been fine so far, but we'll see after a few months. If nothing else, it's comfortable.

[@Davercrooks]

@@lpeters2777 glad you are enjoying it! Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts. Cheers.

[@zacharykuhns6060]

Yes heart rate is terrible even at rest, i can't believe it. I really like the band and don't notice the lag at all. I really enjoy the build quality, price, fitness metrics, battery life and Suunto app. Great watch overall, but they absolutely have to get a new heart rate sensor (and maybe even charger) for future iterations.

[@Davercrooks]

Almost worth not even having it (hear rate) on the watch. Agree with the charger as well - very finicky. For the price, it’s a hard one to beat. Thanks for taking the time to watch and leaving a comment. Appreciate the support. Cheers!

[@vaseemmk]

Excellent Review. I bought this watch few weeks back. All the reviews I watched earlier complained about the slowness and heart rate accuracy issue. However Race build quality and looks were good enough for making those trade offs.

[@Davercrooks]

Thank you. Yes, the minor issues (hr, laggy interface) are easily overlooked when you consider everything you get for the price. Funny thing is, Coros released their new device (the Vertix 2S) and kept the price the same, but then Polar released their new Grit X Pro 2 and are asking almost $400 CDN for it. Not worth the extra $$ IMO. Thanks for taking the time to watch and leave a comment. Appreciate the support. Cheers!

[@blackhawk69100]

I've had the Race for just over a month now. For me personally I find the HR sensor not too bad depending on the activity. But really if you want accuracy, it's always chest strap paired. I find the sleep tracking pretty good. The mapping has been rock solid and I can't fault it. It's a good watch if all you want is good build quality, good mapping and good companion app. Things I don't like is the fact you can't pin more then 1 widget, but that's not watch specific with Suunto. BloodOX is way off for me personally...... But accurate on my Vertical🤷. The charger needs a new design to help it lock in place more firmly. And in my experience once you have bells and whistles going, battery really takes a hit unlike my Vertical. But overall I like it and it's a very aggressive price point compared to Garmin and Polar grit X 2 pro. I'd say if you getting into walking/hiking or trail and want something a little more serious then Apple watch or galaxy, this is a very solid choice.

[@Davercrooks]

@@blackhawk69100 thanks so much for your awesome feedback. I was thinking about the Vertical. Worth it in your experience?

[@blackhawk69100]

@@Davercrooks Yes it's worth it. It's the Race but with more battery. Obviously the screen is subjective. Screen is brilliant in sunlight and the backlight is good when it's darker. It's screen isn't like previous models like peak pro ect that are washed out and dim. I would say for a serious runner the vertical solar is a better watch. But don't be mislead about the solar part. It only reduces battery drain. It doesn't charge it. The best I got was not charging it at all over the summer for 3 months. I'm sure we can all agree that's insane. The UI is the same as the Race now with the latest update. But if your not begginer but not really serious either, the Race is fine. If you want true longevity and everything the Race has to offer and a screen that actually works better then more sunlight there is, then it's vertical. If I'm honest the Race for me was a wasted purchase over my stainless steel solar vertical. If anyone was to purchase a solar vertical, I would say save you money and just get the steel version as it's much cheaper then the titanium. At the end of the day nobody cares what you watch is made of, and the weight difference between titanium and s/steel when it's just a watch in everyday use isn't noticeable

[@Davercrooks]

@@blackhawk69100 perfect. I’d consider myself more than a beginner doing this for 40years. I’d agree on the screen for the race. AMOLED is nice to look at, but outside it’s not as good to look at. Might have to sell off my Race. Thanks again for your advice! Cheers.

[@LorBais]

Nice review, thanks! A question about the maps...but is it possible to see the name of the streets, cities...thanks!

[@Davercrooks]

@@LorBais thanks! No it does not have that kind of detail in mapping. More of an overview. Thanks for watching. Cheers.

[@martinstromberg9952]

The cons mentioned are pretty big IMO. 1. Inaccurate heart rate monitor, it's supposed to be a fitnesstracker 2. Noticeable lag. 3. The wrist strap pull tab coming undone! All of these problems have been pointed out by others too! I'm looking to buy the Suunto Race anyway because I like the look and size but it's frustrating that Suunto can't get these really simple problems fixed! Thank God for aftermarket straps, however the heart rate monitor isn't a software update is it? The lag issue may be due to inadequate memory/ram?

[@Davercrooks]

They are big cons for sure. The heart rate is not a software problem and it is frustrating. The lag is most likely due to the processor. Not as big of a deal because with daily use, it’s just annoying. For the price, battery and build, nothing out there compared imo.

[@martinstromberg9952]

@@Davercrooks thansk for the input and quick response. I'd just hate to get me one now and 6 months later they release Suunto Race 2 where all the problems people have been complaining about are fixed! Have a good day.

[@Davercrooks]

@@martinstromberg9952 my pleasure. It’s hard to say with anything tech as far as when they will replace something. Aside from Apple, most companies don’t have the same update cycle. And even they didn’t update the iPad on a regular cycle this time. The longer I have this, the more I do appreciate it. And as I said in my video, this is the longest I’ve had a watch for quite some time.

[@martinstromberg9952]

@@Davercrookslast question and im done lol. Where did you purchase the watch from? You mentioned you are in Canada? You guys have Amazon (I know its offered via Amazon here in the states) also via the Suunto website?

[@Davercrooks]

@@martinstromberg9952 no worries. I ordered direct from Suunto.

[@ukaszrozmysowski9871]

My main concern is: can you control the media with physical buttons as well?

[@Davercrooks]

@@ukaszrozmysowski9871 you can control Music with the buttons to my knowledge. I have not used it, though, as I don’t listen to music when I run. Everything else though is working quite well. I’ve had it almost a year now and for the price it’s a hard device to beat. Thanks for watching!

[@ukaszrozmysowski9871]

@@Davercrooks Thanks for your reply! And yes, i've been researching some watches and i have tried Garmin and Apple but Garmin app and overall synchronization with the phone sucked to me and i had few other problems with Garmin and with the apple watch the main problem is the battery and no physical buttons which i need and use pretty often to control some stuff like media without having to remove my gloves etc.

[@ZVEZDARAful]

​@@DavercrooksNisi koristio muziku?! Ako radite recenziju, onda probajte sve!!!

[@emin-altan]

Thanks for your opinions 🙏

[@Davercrooks]

My pleasure. Thank you for watching! 👍

[@wurf5336]

awesome video.

[@Davercrooks]

Thank you! Appreciate the support.

[@Running-j5v]

one question please, it has been mentioned that there is a lot of lag when using the menu when you are looking for activities, this if true can be fixed with some software upgrade and one last thing even for the oscilloscope, I have also heard that it was not the best thank you

[@Davercrooks]

Hi there. Since my last review, the software/firmware has been updated and it is more responsive. It could be a processor limitation but overall, having the lag is not a big concern when you are using it in an activity. Could it be more responsive? Yes. Is this a deal breaker - for me, not. I can’t comment on the oscilloscope as I am not that concerned with things like this. Thanks for watching !

[@rpgeraltofrivia4626]

Hey Dave.. has the heart race accuracy on Race improved since updates? I am looking to buy this one over the Race S because of better battery life?

[@Davercrooks]

@@rpgeraltofrivia4626 tbh, I don’t use it as I use a chest strap. I don’t think it can be fixed in a software update as it is a hardwear issue. Sure, software might be able to help smooth things over, but it’s not a permanent solution. That being said, I sent the Race S I bought back as the Race is a very nice device. The software update helped some with the lag, and the UI on a workout has improved. All the best!

[@rpgeraltofrivia4626]

@@Davercrooks I placed an order for Race!!!

[@Davercrooks]

@@rpgeraltofrivia4626 let us know how you like it. Battery life has really impressed me 👍

[@rpgeraltofrivia4626]

@@Davercrooks Surely I will 👍

[@rpgeraltofrivia4626]

@@Davercrooks I have been using the race for 4 days now..and its an absolutely great watch, especially at the price.. everything is working well.. and I estimate the battery life of about 8 days with 4hrs of running in that period. HR is working fine, no issues. Everything is perfect.

[@benmason3941]

Anyone having problems with the display turning off when in performance sport mode?

[@Davercrooks]

That’s a good question to ask of the viewers. I have not… so far. 🤞

[@angrychilimango630]

I have owned the Suunto race for 6 months as well and the HR on the race is on par with my old garmin fenix 6 pro.

[@Davercrooks]

That’s awesome. Mine is very hit and miss but overall it is very nice.

[@angrychilimango630]

@@Davercrooks yes overall it’s a nice timepiece!

[@mistigeweersbesie]

I want to like the Race but the lugs destroy my wrist bone :(

[@Davercrooks]

@@mistigeweersbesie oh that’s not good. They came out with the smaller version which I will be putting up on the channel soon. I’ve had good luck with mine.

[@stevendeckert6373]

Longtime polar user contemplating next purchase, which will be a watch with maps. Polar is not going to be the answer there, looks like suunto race or pay more for FR965 with worse battery life. Fenix and Epix and Enduro are even more cash than the 965...

[@Davercrooks]

My OG fitness tech was a Polar Pacer circa 1989 or so 😊The new Grit X pro 2 looks beautiful but not when it’s $400 Canadian more than this. The 965 is a very nice device but costs more, worse battery and no sapphire. Suunto is going for the fences with this one imo

[@bpotato3310]

wherre to get that strap?

[@Davercrooks]

Just off Amazon. Works a lot better than the original for me.

[@emin-altan]

Thanks for your opinions 🙏

[@Davercrooks]

My pleasure