Suunto Core (Bushwalking bling)

[Ent]

Hi All

Thanks to those that helped on the Bushwalking watch thread. After much deliberation the winner was the Suunto Core Yellow/black ordered and delivered by RYDA for $309.00 AUD. Now the playing has started with some results in that I will post about in more detailed initial review. Also make my usual comments about gear reviews in general, especially the USA ones.

Cheers Brett

[ninjapuppet]

Hi Brett,

Bring along a separate thermometer, and tell us the difference between a your worn Suunto, and the separate thermometer.
Ive found up to a 8 degree difference between my worn casio, and a dangling mercury thermometer.

[photohiker]

Hi Brett,

Bring along a separate thermometer, and tell us the difference between a your worn Suunto, and the separate thermometer.
Ive found up to a 8 degree difference between my worn casio, and a dangling mercury thermometer.

Would you really expect anything else?

[Ent]

Hi all

First off in answer to the temperature question. It was a pleasant 28 degrees today in Devonport today according to my new watch Um? Err? Arh, what a load of rubbish.

In selecting a bushwalking watch I wanted a altimeter and compass that I could trust to be instruments rather than an indicator along with a normal time keeping function. I find with my GPS I tend to look at the altitude to get a guide of where I am and very rough guide to how long it will be before reaching a destination. In fact the only serious use of a GPS is in conjunction (as my is a basic Etrex) with a map. This is a good indication that I am either practising with it or seriously geographically challenged. A GPS can do this but hanging one around the neck is yet another nuisance. Also fumbling around for a compass is similarly annoying to me so the ideal solution appeared to be a watch with these functions. The Casio watches are good watches but my reading indicated that there were not particularly brilliant as instruments, more in the indicator class. The Suunto rated highly as been accurate within the practical range as compass bearings can be mucked up by geographical features and the altimeter by changing weather patterns.

The Core is a big watch at 50mm across but on me it looks about right. The model is the Black/yellow that has the reverse LCD screen. I was not impressed by the normal Suunto face and the pictures of the reverse screen looked so cool. Err? Our USA reviewers hinted at the lack of readability but waxed lyrical over the "hidden" function to adjust the contrast. Yes, it goes from pathetic to poor with this adjustment. In fact I find our USA cousins rather poor reviewers as the rave one about the good points and let the bad slide. The readability is boarder line and no where as clear as the pictures which are either of the dummy plastic shipping cover or Photoshopped. IMHO a critical point of a watch is readability and the Suunto Core fails at the first hurdle.

I was tempted by the All Black version that is allegedly "Military" grade but my reading suggest it is just a marketing ploy with Suunto playing with various cases as a fashion item to charge a premium for the latest fashion accessories. On Ebay a core in a plastic case can range over $150 based on colour with even further price premiums for Aluminium, Stainless and I think Titanium cases. The guts is all the same. The price premium for the All Black and bad reports of the high buttons been a disaster in the field by being easily bumped put me off though it is the sexist looking one in the range.

The Core copped a battering due to reliability issues that stemmed from the production been shifted to China. In fact it was so bad there is a strong recommendation to get the 2010 model as the older models, especially 2007 or earlier were considered junk. Sort of supports my view that even the best quality control companies wind up producing inferior products when production goes off shore.

Anyway, the compass feature appears to date accurate and sea level was within ten metres from morning to night so more than acceptable. Now, did I mentioned how hard it was to read

Cheers Brett

[photohiker]

Hey Brett,

If we ever meet we should compare. Mine is also reverse video (it's the all black version) and I have no problems reading it at all! Perhaps it has military spec LCD or something?

Guess the bottom line is people should have a look at the display before they order...

I prefer a traditional Silva compass, haven't bothered much with the Suunto one.

[Ent]

Hey Brett,

If we ever meet we should compare. Mine is also reverse video (it's the all black version) and I have no problems reading it at all! Perhaps it has military spec LCD or something?

Guess the bottom line is people should have a look at the display before they order...

I prefer a traditional Silva compass, haven't bothered much with the Suunto one.

Bit tricky with mail order but still a good point. I read glowing reports of the hidden contrast feature so figured this was the fix. The readability is very sensitive to the direction of the light. In some light it is very readable but in other light not so good. I have noticed with more reading the display is considered marginal on the reverse display models by many older posters. I think it might have something to do with aging eye site and my love of analogue watches as a good old fashion watch beats any LCZD hands down.

Cheers Brett

[corvus]

Brett did you have your new watch on your wrist when you checked the temperature??
have you checked the Altimeter at actual Sea Level and adjusted to suit,
what about direction did you check the digital compass against the magnetic one outside well away from interference from power lines etc.

My trusty Casio Pro Trek Tough Solar runs on FREE sunshine what battery life does yours have.

You will be interested to know that it is 29.2% on my wrist yet 19.3 % sitting on the table which corresponds to the digital thermometer on the wall in the same room.

Does this mean a Watch off!! Big yin

[Ent]

Good one Corvus

My watch is bigger than yours Actually the Core is a huge watch. Temperature on the wrist is normally around 28 degrees Celsius. The altimeter works a treat and can be set at sea level, by standard pressure or the most likely means, typed directly in from countor lines. Over three days it is about 20 metres out which is not bad given the varying weather we have had.

The compass is remarkablely quick and unfazed by needing to be exactly level so I can understand why people like it for being an instrument grade piece of kit but still would be nice if it was as clear as the pictures. Battery life is supposedly short but has user replaceable CR2032 batteries so not great issues.

Look forward to watching the watch shoot out.

Cheers Brett

[Ent]

Well after a lot of testing the verdict is in. Boy Bovine Byproduct

1. The compass can find north in any direction and goes out off whack quicker than you can set it.

2. The altitude meter in the dry is remarkably accurate but when it rains (and in Tassie that is a fair bit) it can record any elevation. Me think water blocks the sensor.

3. Readability ranges from terrible to unreadable in just about any but perfect light.

4. Flashing back light on compass mode drives me up the wall as well as does the very short display time.

5. At random it will ask for confirmation of elevation if set in say watch mode and then switched to altimeter mode.

Basically an overpriced, under-performing piece of junk when used in winter Tasmania. Now in warmer and dryer parts of the world the opinion might differ but in Tassie it is a disaster. I was rather wary of the brand due to frequent bad reviews on reliability and readability plus the run and hide nature of the company to problems. My experience confirms the poor readability despite playing with the contrast settings. It has not "broken down" so the earlier production issues might have been fixed. The altitude meter is the biggest let down as it promised the most. As mentioned in the dry it can start a weekend walk and return within 10 metres of stated elevation which is fantastic but this goes to pieces in the rain. The compass is a joke. My old faithful Brunton has never let me down while the electronic ones very rarely can be relied upon unless constantly re calibrated.

Would not recommend the Suunto Core to any walker in Tasmania or a place where rain is a fact of life. Yet another item of over hyped junk

Cheers

[Nuts]

big yin

They are huge aren't they. I don't usually wear a watch but something possessed me to buy one of these, i think they are mean't for the 7'ft + ..like big ben
I tried it on then tested the GPS (core??), sold it the next week, even between position fixes it took forever..

I did notice the poking/hear deek say that many of the London marathoners had a GPS watch, there must be slimmer models available (watches).

[wayno]

so does anyone know what is a good watch to have? i've got an old axio, i'll have to pay more attention in the rain to see what the altimeter is doing.
have to reset the altimeter every time the weather changes, it doesnt always work out the difference between changing barometric pressure and altitude..
i picked the watch up half price for $180 so i'm not complaining too much.
i think air conditioning can mess with the watch barometer/altimeter,
i set the altimeter last week, i wear the watch all the time and now it's 30 metres out, i think you're supposed to leave the watches on altimeter setting when you are changing altitude a lot.so they correctly register the change in air pressure as a change in altitude and not as change in barometric pressure for a set altitude.,
given they use the air pressure to work out altitude if water blocks the sensor openings then i"d expect the altitude readings to become inaccurate in the rain...

[Ent]

Hi

Probably on the non GPS watches Casio ones look to be a better option.

Altitude setting is designed to treat changes in air pressure as variation in elevation. Barometer assumes that you are at the same elevation so air pressure changes are due to highs and lows coming in. The Suunto automatic mode figures if the pressure is constantly changing then you must be climbing or descending while slower changes are due to highs and lows. In the real world this appears to work ok. Except for rain.

I have ordered a Garmin Fenix which is a GPS watch so be interested how it performs. Me thinks battery life will be the bug bear with that one.

Cheers

[Dale]

Like Wayno I've had a watch purchase rolling around in my head and this was a potential. So thanks Ent for doing the hard yards of suffering for the rest of us At this stage I'm thinking just a hardy waterproof and shockproof watch might be the go. For functionality I might even just settle for telling the time.

[sthughes]

My $15 Kmart watch seems to do the job bush walking. Does loose time very gradually though. And its altimeter, compass and GPS are reliably non-existent

[corvus]

I can recommend the Casio ProTec Range I have been using a PRG-50YT for a number of years now and cannot fault it (when I properly calibrate it) especially like the solar re charge so no need for batteries
corvus

[Rob A]

What do you use the alitmeter for?

[Strider]

What do you use the alitmeter for?

Determining altitude one would think?

[wayno]

if you're not using a GPS they are pretty handy for helping to determine your location... someone i know found a hut in zero visibility, using one.... the ridge track was too exposed to bad weather so he dropped down to the altitude of the hut and kept at that altitude as he walked along the ridge until he came across the hut.
knowing your altitude can help pinpoint your location on a map especially if you can cross reference against a geographical feature with a compass.. also gives a good idea of how long it will take you to ascend or descend a mountain, if you've set yourself a time limit for ascending you can work out earlier whether you are likely to get to the top in time... and whether you need to try and speed up.

[Mark F]

I have a Suunto Vector, the forerunner to the Core slightly smaller but the same feature set (altimeter accuracy is 5m rather than 2). It has worked excellently for the past 9 years and I use the altimeter a lot, especially in Europe. Set the altitude at the bottom of a climb and you will know where you are on the climb much more precisely than any other method (apart from GPS) and it only requires a glance at your wrist - no need to stop and decipher the display or map. Check the barometer before you go to bed and again in the morning gives you some info about the weather. Take it off your wrist and you can check the temperature if you wake up cold in the night. Battery life on the Vector is about 12 -15 months.

[Robatman]

Like Mark F i have a 10yo Vector- I find the altitude useful in guaging how far you have to go before you rech the top of a hill/marker etc without getting the map out. However it can also be pretty demoralising looking at it and realising you still have xxx vertical metres to go and have only risen x vertical metres! As far as temp goes i take it off and hang it in order to get a feel for what the temp is doing.

The only time i actually use it to determine my path is when skiing/snowshoeing and we have decided on point x as a campsite and want to stay at that elevation while traversing some hills.

Depending on how quickly the barometric pressure is changing they do need regular recalibration from map/known point in order to be accurate but i find this to be quick and easy and at the end of the day not a critical tool in emergency, just a gadget to provide some fun and info along the way.
Robert

[Rob A]

Ah ok. I could see where the mountain climbers would use one. Im not in the snow much so I was wondering about the skiers. Most of the passes I go over arent likely to be more than a couple or a few hours to climb and can generally see most of the climb and pick out salient features before I go.