Suunto Spartan Ultra
I'm still using the watch every day during my training sessions, work and everyday life . I take it off just when I sleep! Well, there is a sleep tracking functionality, but I don't use it mainly because I don't need a watch that tells me that I don't sleep enough! I know it already! Than again, I would hate me if I'd hit my wife's face with it while sleeping! That would hurt.. a lot! The integrated sleep tracker is not really the best one on the market anyway. It sometimes gives incorrect information and the app doesn’t include your sleep patterns. I tried it a few times....
The Suunto Spartan is designed to cope with multiple sports, so it’s really simple to switch instantly between disciplines. This device can also be used for tracking swimming although the metrics are quite limited. I noticed an issue while swimming. It works fine if you swim fast crawling, but if your arms are much under water the GPS signal will interrupt, there will be a problem with the watch and the data will be... unusable! I noticed that I can swim with an accurate reading but my arms need to be near the surface. Perhaps it's just my watch that does this. I washed it after each swim and this gets really important after a swim in the sea - you don't want the salt to ruin the product.
I use the watch mainly for running, which is by the way my main training activity. I use it as well while cycling and swimming as mentioned before and even during those few gym sessions. I created a few layouts that suites my needs but nothing too fancy. I just like to see the data that I need to see while running.
Why I purchased this product?
• Nice design. I bought the copper one and I love it!
• Accurate heart rate monitor
• Heatmap of local popular running routes and easy usage of routes.
• Good app that is getting better in quality, design and data usage. I used it to mage my own routes as well and plan my long runs/events as well.
• Waterproof. You can use it for swimming. It's not a diving product! Yeah, I went down to 5-15mt and the product is fine but don't push your luck! It's simply not designed to support that amount of pressure!
• Tracks a wide range of sporting activities.
I was a bit sceptical those first months of usage because the watch needed to be connected to my windows PC in order to get the updates, sync the change of settings, update my routes etc. Nowadays things are much better with the Suunto app. The only thing that I don't line is the lack of the Linux support for the device!
There is another thing that I like a lot about Suunto Spartan Ultra. The battery life is really good. I managed to get 19hrs during a 100 mile race (5 months after the purchase of the product) and I just had to connect it with the power bank to recharge it on the run.... while running! I could stil use the watch while recharging! This was amazing! Something that I missed with some Garmin products. After 45-ish minutes I could disconnect the cable and run the rest of the course without any issues whatsoever.
The data analysis after your session is quite accurate. The watch can display maps that show you the details of your run including where you went, the elevation, when your heart rate, and your fastest times, the calories etc. The data is well displayed in the app. I don't need a deeper analysis od my training. I know what I need to work with in order to improve, but if you need more information you might as well connect your device with Strava and use everything that that platform offers (I use it from my first days of training back in 2013 when I had my Garmin 110).
Feel free to contact me if you need more information about this product. I can surely recommend it!
More info:
https://www.suunto.com/en-gb/Products/sports-watches/Suunto-Spartan-Ultra/Suunto-Spartan-Ultra-Copper-Special-Edition/
