Customer Rating:  
Summary: Aesthetically poor but nice functions
Comment: Like many posts, the most disappointing thing about the Suunto T4 is the poor protection on the face of the watch. It is easily scuffed up and truth be told looks kind of cheap. It doesn't look like a high performance tool and is just not a nice looking device to wear as a watch during the day. The band is flimsy and awkward as well. Make no mistake, that if you use this for any consistent type of training/running that you will have to replace the watchband with something sturdier and more sweat resistant. However, if you are strictly in it for the features, this watch has it all. The Coach feature is the highlight, where it calculates how effective your workout is and plans out how hard you should go the next few days. It helps plan the intensity and makes sure you get enough rest and don't overtrain. The watch isn't very intuitive as there are lots of functions and the buttons you have to push to get to the right screen are confusing and sometimes maddening. However, with any device there is a learning curve. The manual isn't as straightforward as one would like but between that and experimenting, and some patience the payoff is great as this is a pretty sophisticated training tool once you get acclimated to it. I've had it for two weeks and everyday find something cool about the watch. If you can get over the aesthetics, it is worth buying.
Customer Rating:
Summary: This a whole training computer
Comment: This watch is a whole computer, it allows you to save your training, heart beat, calories consumed, distance you walk or run, etc. besides, it tells you what kind of training you have to do, and more, on the other hand, it is fragile, you have to be carefull to avoid damage on it.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Ok
Comment: The functions are great. The design needs some work. The buttons get inadvertently pushed all the time, and the cloth strap is awful.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Suunto T4 trainer
Comment: I rate this item with four (4) stars because it is fully functional and user friendly. However, the watch comes with a very cheap cloth band that doesn't stay tight (because the band is not secured to the watch with a seem or weld) and the face is not scratch-resistant or recessed. (on the second day wearing the watch I got a big scratch across the face). Overall, this watch is worth the buy with an additional strap (the rubber one) and a scratch-resistant face.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Good, could be better foir the $$$
Comment: My background: running since 1985, 8 yrs of XC, 9 marathons. I've been using HRM's for training for years and have tried Nike, Polar, Freestyle and Timex HRM's. I was intrigued by the buzz this watch was getting in some of the running and outdoors magazines, so I picked up the T4. Here are my thoughts:
1. The band looks cool, but that cool white stripe is grey and dingy two months later. It also constantly slips and requires readjustment. Nylon bands also get wet and stay wet until you take them off...a pain if you wear your watch all the time like me.
2. The crystal is not recessed/does not have a rubber buffer around it...as is typical on most running watches. This means the crystal is unprotected and the face is more scratched after two months than many of my older watches.
3. The "coach" function is neat, but it's not that much of a revelation really...probably some simple algorythm that comes up with a training progress rate based on how long you're working out at what heart rate. Good for a beginner, but nothing a serious athlete can't figure out on his/her own based on the principles of HRM training.
4. The HRM itself has been inconsistent...on my last several runs the HR reading has been way below where it should be (ie 90 when it should be at 130...) then, out of the blue, it pops up to a more reasonable reading. Then it freezes without explanation. Not something you want to deal with during an interval workout or hard run where your pace/HR matters.
5. After years of mostly Nike and Timex, it just isn't intuitive or easy to use. The menus are hard to navigate on the fly. This is my fault though, I guess I need to try harder.
6. The split display when the chrono is on is cool...you can choose between a variety of displays: calories burned, HR, time since last split, average heart rate, etc. My only beef with this is that if you stop during a split, and then restart, it shows you your time since you restarted, it doesn't keep tracking your split time. Kind of inconvenient when in the middle of an interval.
Anyway, for what it's worth, those are my thoughts. Nike remains probably the best for running features, although I've had reliability problems with Nike (short battery life and cheap bands), Timex is probably the most reliable for the bucks. I just don't think this one was worth the price tag. On race day I'll probably break out an older, more reliable HRM.
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