Apple iWatch Opinions?

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.

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...