TREKKING
Product 2018
Woman, Man

SUUNTOSPARTAN ULTRA

SHOULD YOU BUY THE SUUNTO SPARTAN (AGAIN)?

The aim of this test is to try and answer the question that we have been asking ourselves since we received the product in our hot little hands since spring 2016: should you buy the Spartan? The watch that has produced so much buzz on the airwaves, is it the ultimate for triathlon and swim/run? Hopes were high, especially because Suunto are renowned for their expertise in watersports products (their diving watches are the reference). Also right up there with their terrestrial data thanks to a range of watches dedicated to trail running and outdoor sports. But their know-how hasn’t prevented several hiccups since the Spartan was launched … Here is a rundown of testing it over the last year, with outdoor sessions every other day.

PROMISES OF AN OUTDOORS’ WATCH…

We received the very first examples of the watch in Helsinki, Finland. A watch that came right off the Scandinavian production line at the Suunto Headquarters. This was one of the very first in the world.

The Suunto Spartan is like its designers; on paper it offers very attractive promises, technically the range of possibilities is vast and the training perspectives shine brightly before you like a sparkling future.

 

When it gets down to the real nitty-gritty testing unfortunately there is often a big difference between what is written in black and white and genuine performance… Garmin and Polar suffer these same consequences.

 

Problems usually start when trying to synchronize the watch with your computer. A first step which is made even more complicated as the instruction booklet as we know it has practically disappeared into the ether and the online help is not always as crystal clear as you would like it, or even worse for some, the instructions are only in English!

 

 

THE FIRST SETBACKS …

The first Spartan we received was a total nightmare to synchronize (we’ll talk about other bugs later). To such a degree that we thought there was a problem with the cable: it is magnetic and likes attaching itself to anything metal that crosses its path. If you carry the cable in your sports bag you we suggest keeping it in a protective little bag (not included). With sweat and salty seawater the contact is less efficient, so you need to rinse off your watch with clean water on the contact zone. This cable is much better at connecting to the watch than the Polar V800 for example, which also oxides quickly. Once the synchronization was successful (nothing to do with the cable by the way), and other bugs sorted, Suunto chose to change our watch!

 

We were able to test a Spartan Ultra, but a model that came out in Oct 2016. We wondered if the Spartan had been launched too early under the pressure of Garmin bringing out a similar product? The Spartan suffered for months (and the buyers too!) with a product that wasn’t completely finalized, that revealed problem after problem, with various bugs and GPS blips. It would’ve needed a few months extra to iron out all these concerns to launch a product that would’ve been irreproachable, but Suunto submitted to pressure and launched it, planning to do things in stages, evolving the product along the way. Unfortunately the price remained the same.

 

 

THE FIRST VERSION

The first buyers discovered a superbly designed watch but with very poor functions. For 800 euros the pill was hard to swallow. For example, you had to wait for the 1.8.26 software update to be able to have interval training, which was updated in April 2017! Yet, the step-count and other lightweight information like “calories burned” were included in the first choices by the designers. Ok, Apple did the same thing, with all the usual “gadgets” but the Spartan is targeted at experienced sports people who couldn’t give a monkey’s about such details. The major objective is training, not being the latest fashion accessory in town.

 

Here lies a problem, the priority choices. This famous step counter is in the foreground yet the battery level isn’t even in view! You need to go and search for it at the end of the exercise mode to know if your watch has enough battery or not. It is strange because we met the Spartan designer during the factory visit, who is an experienced triathlete, not an amateur. So what happened? Didn’t the developers listen to his requests? Did the marketing team stick their nose into the choice of priority functions?

 

HOW DO YOU TEST THIS WATCH?

From our point of view we decided to wait for the latest software update before giving our opinion of the Spartan Ultra because it seemed aspiring, which had also been informally confirmed by a Suunto manager. The processor that they use, the development capabilities prelude the future of Suunto watches, even above the extremely successful Ambit Peak, the reference. No doubt that the Spartan will override the range of the Suunto models in terms of performance, it’s already the case in legibility with the color screen (compared to the Ambit 3), for example when you use the altitude profile navigation or the fast menu to go from one function to another using the GPS/POI tracking.

 

 

We must admit that we were pulling our hair out in frustration even with the Spartan October 2016: bugs, GPS problems, multiple errors when swimming, limited functions, haphazard functioning, practically impossible to have a GPS track…. Other irritating details for example: why is it when connecting the Spartan to the computer Suuntolink starts up automatically and then you have to unplug the Spartan to then plug it in again to launch the synchronization? Wouldn’t it be simpler if Suuntolink recognized and directly downloaded the data onto Movescount?

 

 

Anyway the temptation to change over to Garmin and adopt the 920 XT that in practically all domains comes out on top was pretty high. Ok the watch in itself is definitely less aesthetic, but the square screen makes it easier for reading the information in lists, and the Spartan, being round, wastes space to the left and right of the screen. But, its look is so sleek and classy both in town as well as out in the field, for this, the Spartan wins hands down. Like its colored screen, the Movescount interface and the general graphics, the Finnish brand certainly knows how to make a product sing.

 

 

 

EUREKA! THE 1.8.26 VERSION!

And then came the 1.8.26 update! Just a little remark: the updates will erase your data so make sure you register your data before doing the updates. You also need to reinitialize the watch when doing the updates; you press the top button for about 12 seconds. And as it doesn’t always work first time, you might need to do it again to restart the watch. Then Suuntolink can then update the watch.

 

With the 1.8.26 version Eureka! It’s almost Christmas! We finally have the interval training, an indispensable base for training. The presentation is straightforward and efficient: you just enter the number of repeats you want to do, the time intervals and recovery times. The bonus: you can adjust the intervals in time and register the recovery in distance. Although there isn’t a specific alarm tone: speed, heart rate… Coming soon in the next software update?

 

 

 

TRAIL RUNNING AND ORIENTATION

The Spartan Ultra does the job even if sometimes you aren’t completely sheltered from a GPS error or blip (make sure you always have enough battery left just in case the GPS is not telling the whole truth … ) When it works 100% there is nothing that tops it, you just let it guide you through using the arrow and the points of interest that you have registered beforehand on the computer’s map, if you make a mistake, you just start all over again!

The exercise can be a bit long and fastidious. The other big problem is the synchronization with the watch: downloading the track. The recording onto the watch is random, it works or it doesn’t, and you don’t really know why…

The heart rate belt is efficient. But be careful, if you have an Iphone (we haven’t tried with any other smartphones) you need to turn off the Bluetooth otherwise the transmission of the HR to the watch doesn’t work. We also noticed that the belt battery goes flat very quickly.

The touch screen is pleasant to use, like an Iphone. We have since tried out other touch screen watches by Casio and they are much less reactive. The three buttons are well proportioned.

 

 

THE SPARTAN, ISN’T IT A WATCH AIMED AT TRIATHLON?

Suunto, leader for software for diving watches possess a real expertise in this domain that we were expecting to see in the Spartan. The Finnish company took this knowledge and improved its power for triathlon, swim/run and swimming in general, which is now being used more and more as a recovery activity and cross over training. We used this watch practically every other day for almost a year. The rundown is contrasted; we notice numerous errors both in “swimming in the pool” and “open water swimming” modes.

 

 

IN THE POOL

The calculations of the many pool sizes and recognizing swim strokes are done thanks to a sensor integrated into the wrist strap. Before sliding into the water you just need to choose the pool length. Be careful when using this mode you mustn’t flick through too fast when choosing the screens because the screen can freeze and sometimes you have to restart the Spartan Ultra so that it works.

Recognizing the swim stroke it is pretty efficient especially the crawl and backstroke, it’s a bit more random with breaststroke and butterfly. So it’s difficult to do a full session without any calculation errors. Sometimes even the watch doesn’t start. The screen is easy to read and button usage is excellent. The touch screen has no problems during swimming, only in the shower. The colors are visible, pleasant and the menus well organized.

You don’t feel the weight of the watch and the mega comfortable and flexible wrist strap is great, only after several lengths does the surplus strap begin to escape the two loops… You never suffer from any pain in the wrist at any moment during wrist flexion (which is not the case with the Polar V800).

.

 

OPEN WATER SWIMMING

To avoid any huge tracking errors you must activate the “open water swim” mode two minutes before entering the water so that the watch connects the satellites.

Below we see a swim session in the Saint-Pierre lagoon on Reunion Island. The Spartan watch that we tested had a track that appeared to have been influenced by the local rum…. The zigzagging was so impressive!

We repeated this swim many times, particularly with the latest updates, and now all seems to have settled into place concerning satellite connections. Finally we are reassured!

 

In the water the wrist vibration mode is pointless because you can’t feel it. If Suunto wants to keep this indication for a swimmer they would need to increase the vibration (have different vibration intensities for different sports maybe? One for terrestrial sports and one for water sports?). But remember that the largest energy usage of the Spartan is the auto lap, the beep, the retro-lighting and wrist vibration modes. To improve the battery life a little you can modify the beautiful screen colors (and honestly it is still as classy), change the GPS precision mode (“OK” “Good” or “Best”). The ultimate solution is that you can turn off the screen completely. But sometimes you don’t even get the chance to do that – during a long 9hour bike ride, after 4hours the low battery icon was already activated and you could no longer change anything on the screen. The rest of the track was lost. Highly infuriating.

SO? BUY OR NOT TO BUY, THAT IS THE QUESTION?

If we base our months of use on the model used the verdict for the Spartan Ultra is mixed. Even if it improves with regular software updates the bugs and design errors are rather exhausting and confidence in the watch is reduced. If you do decide to buy it, make sure you get the very latest model and not the 2016 model that is still sitting in stock.

"Should you buy the Spartan? The watch that has produced so much buzz on the airwaves, is it the ultimate for triathlon and swim/run?"

Rating

  • 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
  • ERGONOMICS
    7
  • GPS PRECISION
    7
  • HEARTRATE MONITOR
    9
  • INTERVAL TRAINING
    8
  • SYNCHRONISATION PC
    5
  • BATTERY AUTONOMY
    5
  • INSTRUCTIONS OF USE
    6

Price : 799

Weight

73 gr

Overall Rating

6.71

LONG TERM TEST

We used this equipment over a long period of time
These are our thoughts after intensive use:

Since this test, Suunto reacted and improved the problems and established updates on this watch. Today, the Suunto Spartan is a product that works well, is stable, with a performant software. The version with a cardio belt is undoubtedly the one to recommend (the FC wrist sensors have not yet quite proven themselves in terms of accuracy).
Spartan no longer has syncing issues or bugs. We continue to wear it, test it, and after almost three years of daily use (training and professional outdoor activities), it has not shown signs of weakness in the watch face, buttons and waterproof seal. The battery is still powerful. On the other hand, we changed the watch strap once.

The Spartan Ultra is still in the Suunto catalog, its price has dropped considerably. This is now a good deal especially since it was alongside the Spartan Sport Wrist Baro HR, Suunto Spartan Trainer Wrist HR.
For gadget fans, the Finnish brand now offers the new Suunto 9 Baro that we tested: https://www.test4outside.com/produit/suunto-9-baro/

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