8,101
edits
Changes
From Fellrnr.com, Running tips
no edit summary
* The [[GPS Accuracy]] is looking really bad. It's way too early to release any figures as I only have ~150 data points, but I think the Spartan stands a reasonable chance of being the worst watch I've tested. Initial testing indicates it's just below the Garmin 10, but the lack of data means its scoring may improve with further testing. I normally consider 500 data points to be the minimum for [[GPS Accuracy]], though I know some authors that will make assumptions based on a few trial runs. It's possible that Suunto will improve the accuracy with software updates, but it's hard to imagine they can reach even a mediocre performance from here. I thought the [[Garmin 620]] had grim GPS accuracy when it was first released, and it was widely panned in the forums (though not by reviewers). To their credit, Garmin listened and managed to improve the 620's performance to a reasonable level. However, the 620's initial performance doesn't look so bad when I compare it to the Spartan.
* I found the Spartan to be surprisingly uncomfortable. It's a large watch by modern standards, but it's tiny compared with the old [[Garmin 310XT]] which worked for me nicely. The Spartan is lighter than the [[Garmin Fenix 3]] but feels a lot heavier. I think part of the problem is that the watch strap is not articulated where it reaches the body of the watch, so it doesn't conform to your wrist.
* The display on the Spartan has great resolution, the highest by far of any watch I've tested. This makes it sharp and allows for a lot of data on the screen. However, I find that the display is rather dim, with the lightest color a dingy gray rather than white. In most lighting conditions I find it hard to read, and it's worse than competitors color displays. I've found that color displays are attractive, but so far no one's used color to provide meaningful functionality. I'd much rather have a monochrome display than a color LCD. The back light makes it quite easy to read, but having to hit the backlight each time you want to check the display is a pain. (The Fenix 3 trick of turning the backlight on when you raise the watch to look at it is pretty cool, and badly needed on the Spartan.) <br/>[[File:WatchScreens2.jpg|none|thumb|300px|The [[Garmin Fenix 3]], the Spartan Ultra, [[Garmin 920XT]], [[Garmin Vivoactive]], and the [[Suunto Ambit3]].]]
* The price starts at $700 and goes up to nearly $1,000. That seems rather high for an outstanding and groundbreaking watch, and even if the Suunto worked perfectly and had more features, there's nothing that is likely to break new ground other than the price. Even there you could argue the Apple Watch has gone to even greater extremes of conspicuous consumption.
Normally I give a link to each product I review on Amazon, and I get a commission from the sales. I buy all the gear I test using the same outlets as any other runner, which allows me to write critical reviews free from the concern that the manufacturer won't give me freebies in the future. I don't review the products for the financial benefits, but it does provide the money to buy new gear to test. (I do buy gear to test that isn't available on Amazon, like [[RunScribe]]. There's no benefit to me, but it fits in with my goal of supporting the running community.) However, I can't in good conscience give a link for you to buy the Spartan Ultra. If you really want the Spartan, I'd recommend holding off for a while to see if they can improve things. If you've already got a Spartan, I can recommend a [[MilestonePod]] so that you'll have a better idea of how far you've run.
=Comparison Table=
{{:Best Running Watch-table}}
