Apple iWatch Opinions?

Leadfoot_Lewis

I received some $ for Christmas & am thinking about using it for an iWatch, specifically the Nike+ watch. I'd use it mostly for cardio-running, rowing, Spin Class, & Sled Pulls and of course the cool factor of having an iWatch

Couple of questions-

I know it has workouts built in for running & indoor cycling. What about rowing & Sled Pulls?

How accurate is the HR monitor?

Does the face scratch easily?

Any other comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Leadfoot_Lewis

Oops-one more question-does it display your HR when you're working out?

CafeRacer808

I'm considering buying one too, as I hear it does a very good job with activity tracking.

That said, my primary form of cardio is indoor rowing. I did a lot of research into heart rate monitors on the Concept2 forum and the general consensus is that wrist-worn HRMs don't work well with rowing. There's something about the specific movement of your arms during the rowing stroke leads to inaccurate and/or inconsistent readings. I ended up buying a chest strap for use with the rower (I went with a Wahoo Tickr) and it works great.

Getting back to the Apple Watch, this thread might be useful for you:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10458829/apple-watch-users/p1

bcchast

Leadfoot_Lewis wrote: »

I received some $ for Christmas & am thinking about using it for an iWatch, specifically the Nike+ watch. I'd use it mostly for cardio-running, rowing, Spin Class, & Sled Pulls and of course the cool factor of having an iWatch

Couple of questions-

I know it has workouts built in for running & indoor cycling. What about rowing & Sled Pulls?

How accurate is the HR monitor?

Does the face scratch easily?

Any other comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Heart rate monitor works great, I actually compared it to one I wear around my chest and my Fitbit and it was spot on. it won't show that you were actually active much while lifting, but any vigorous movement such as running, walking, rowing, elliptical it works good for and heart rate tracks perfect for me. They sale screen protectors which I recommend, not that mine scratched easy but more because I spent so much $ on it that I didn't want to risk it. The stainless one scratches kind of easy but the brushed finish has been perfect. It will display whatever you want it to while working out and you can change the display backlight times custom as well. It also accepts most all your fitness apps as well. Only thing I found annoying is that it will act as if you're walking or running (counting steps) for certain exercises even if you aren't actually walking. Your movements throw it off, but since you can reset the daily counter or use a specific app to track your runs I don't mind it.

Misspinklift

I love mine. It worth it if you asked me. You get these bandages when you achieve a certain goal. It also has these holiday goals too. We had the turkey one. I didn't win that one

AnvilHead

My responses in bold below:

Leadfoot_Lewis wrote: »

I received some $ for Christmas & am thinking about using it for an iWatch, specifically the Nike+ watch. I'd use it mostly for cardio-running, rowing, Spin Class, & Sled Pulls and of course the cool factor of having an iWatch

Couple of questions-

I know it has workouts built in for running & indoor cycling. What about rowing & Sled Pulls?

- Things like rowing and sled pulls would have to be tracked under "Other" workouts.


How accurate is the HR monitor?

Depends on the activity. For steady state cardio such as walking/running, it's pretty decent. Occasional blips, but overall it tracks okay. For exercises where your hands/wrists are more active, not so much. I bought a Scosche Rhythm+ HRM band, which pairs quickly and effortlessly with the watch. I wear on my upper arm and it's even more accurate/consistent than the watch's optical monitor and hand/wrist movements don't affect the readings.


Does the face scratch easily?

I've had mine for almost 16 months, wear it all day, every day and still don't have a single scratch on the watch face. I use one of the rubber "armor" cases for the watch body (makes it look kinda like a Casio G-Shock watch), but no screen protector.


Any other comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I've considered changing over to a Garmin, something along the lines of the FR235, but in the long run I didn't want to give up several other aspects of the Apple Watch which I really find convenient - having my daily calendar displayed, being able to read/respond to texts (and even make/answer phone calls if you want), turn by turn navigation, being able to control my music (and even have music loaded on the watch itself), remote control for the phone's camera, a large number of useful third-party apps, etc.

Garmin has much more advanced running/fitness features on some of their models, but for many people the fitness features on the Apple Watch are more than sufficient. Another tradeoff with the Apple Watch is battery life - you'll be charging it every night - but I don't find that to be a major inconvenience since I don't want to wear it as a sleep tracker anyway, and my charging station is right next to my computer so it's easy enough to drop it on the charger before I go to bed. If you were inclined to wear it as a sleep tracker (there are apps available for that purpose), you could throw it on the charger in the morning while you're showering/getting ready and it would be fully charged in less than an hour.

Leadfoot_Lewis wrote: »

Oops-one more question-does it display your HR when you're working out?

Yes. The workout screens are configurable with several different metrics and HR is one of the metrics which can be displayed. For running, I have mine configured to display elapsed time, HR, distance and current pace.

gemdiver00

Leadfoot_Lewis wrote: »

Does the face scratch easily?

Any other comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I received a great deal on my iwatch and I don't baby it, it only has 1 small scratch and scuff marks on the side.

lemonychild

@AnvilHead I'm coming from a Fitbit and I'm not exactly happy with the tracking of Apple watch and that may be because I don't understand it yet. Where do I read HR reading which I've been trying to find for a while now

AnvilHead

lemonychild wrote: »

@AnvilHead I'm coming from a Fitbit and I'm not exactly happy with the tracking of Apple watch and that may be because I don't understand it yet. Where do I read HR reading which I've been trying to find for a while now

@lemonychild - When you're working out, it should display on the workout screen along with whatever other metrics you've selected. If you want to see it at random times during the day when you're not actively logging a workout, push the lower button on the right side of the watch to bring up your dock and scroll to the Heart Rate app, which should be in the dock (if not, you can put it there using the Apple Watch app on your phone). Tap on the Heart Rate app and it will show your current heart rate.

If it's not showing in your workouts, go into the Apple Watch app on your phone and choose Workout > Workout View > Multiple Metric. Once you're there, it will let you configure each individual workout with what metrics you want displayed while you're doing that workout, and in what order.

If you want to see what your HR has been at various times throughout the day, go to the Health app on your phone (not the Activity app), and choose Vitals > Heart Rate > Show All Data, then choose which day you want to view - it will show you all heart rate data for that entire day.

MelanieCN77

Leadfoot_Lewis wrote: »

I received some $ for Christmas & am thinking about using it for an iWatch, specifically the Nike+ watch. I'd use it mostly for cardio-running, rowing, Spin Class, & Sled Pulls and of course the cool factor of having an iWatch

Couple of questions-

I know it has workouts built in for running & indoor cycling. What about rowing & Sled Pulls?

How accurate is the HR monitor?

Does the face scratch easily?

Any other comments would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

There is a rowing setting. For sled pulls you'd choose "other" and keep an eye on it. I find it quite accurate for workouts where your heart rate is above a brisk walk, which is what "other" defaults to.

As accurate as any consumer HRM.

I have had mine for 6 months and twice a week I skate roller derby while wearing it. I cover it with a cut up sock or sweat band at that time because it is a full contact sport and I'm not made of money. I also do a lot of yard work and animal chores. I have yet to scratch it and it's always on. I did however get Apple Care because I know one day I'm gonna slap it against the tile floor working out or something.

I love it, it's changed everything about how I work out and how I feel about it. I ran my first 5k this Thanksgiving because of how motivated the data it collects makes me. No regrets. I barely use it for anything but health and workout tracking, and just that has been worth it for me.

MelanieCN77

Also, just because I'm Type A, it's not an iWatch, it's just Apple Watch.

AnvilHead

MelanieCN77 wrote: »

There is a rowing setting. For sled pulls you'd choose "other" and keep an eye on it. I find it quite accurate for workouts where your heart rate is above a brisk walk, which is what "other" defaults to...

You're right, there certainly is a rowing setting. Don't know how I missed that! I guess it's because my rowing usually consists of 5-10 minutes as a warm-up before my weight workouts, and I just let it fall under the "Other" time I use for strength training.

MelanieCN77

AnvilHead wrote: »

@lemonychild - When you're working out, it should display on the workout screen along with whatever other metrics you've selected.

If it's not, the metrics you see for any given workout are all customisable in the Watch app on your phone. They are all a little different and have alternately useful detail. If you press the crown once from the watch face, you can see all your installed apps and the HRM will be there too. The Watch isn't an independent device, and almost everything is set from within the phone app.

Savagedistraction

No. I like old school mechanical watches. Also, having fit bits and tech stuff for workouts doesn't make you lose anything except your money.

MelanieCN77

JoyMaillet wrote: »

No. I like old school mechanical watches. Also, having fit bits and tech stuff for workouts doesn't make you lose anything except your money.

OK.