I've used the Swimovate watch for a while, and it's okay. The display is dying, despite only wearing it in the pool maybe 10 times in the six months I've had it. But on my two hour Saturday swims, I'll wear it so I don't have to count the laps.
But a few times when I've done smaller sets, I've noticed that the watch doesn't count as many laps as I've done. And that is for a small set, like 200. I can count the laps required to do a 200 (6 in my stupid pool). Yet, the watch will tell me I've only done 4. (And yes, I have the watch set to my pool being a 33.3 yard lap.)
Finis's Swimsense (shown above) sure looks a lot better. With the Swimsense, you can do everything the Swimovate does, but more. It not only tells you your stroke count, distance swum, pace time, distance per stroke...but also lets you upload all of that data into the computer so you can geek it. The watch has geekometers inside that identify the stroke you're doing, and that's saved also in the computer. You can break your IM down into the specific strokes. Sounds awesome.
But I've been bitten by the Swimovate. I want someone else to buy it first and tell me how it is. The Finis website doesn't do itself any favors: I clicked on Zoom image, and the zoom tool doesn't even focus into the face of the watch. That scares me. 200 clams is a lot to spend on a watch you wear an hour or so a day. Now, in Finis's favor, I have their Swimp3 and love it.
Any of my two readers out there tried this yet?
I haven't tried one out personally yet but my buddy Glenn has one and digs it so far.
Posted by: Rob D. | 12 January 2011 at 19:40
Damn, dude, you get the prize for the fastest comment. I literally just finishing it two minutes before you read it!
Posted by: IronMike | 12 January 2011 at 20:06
Yeah, I've been craving one of these too. I got the Oregon Scientific swim watch a few months ago. Chose it over the Swimovate because the UI seemed simpler and it didn't look so much like... I don't know... something out of Star Trek? Anyway, big mistake. The lap & stroke counts are totally unreliable. Will post a review on the blog shortly.
Posted by: evan | 13 January 2011 at 00:20
Boom! I'm fast like a Cheetah Mike, watch yourself :)
I used to have a far more technologically advanced counting device... the sportcount finger lap counter thingie! (http://robaquatics.com/2009/07/sportcount-combo-review.html) Ok so maybe it wasn't that advanced, and it was kinda weird, but it worked pretty well... only problem is I lost it at some point and never replaced it
Posted by: Rob D. | 13 January 2011 at 00:35
Your review won't come up Rob. But if it is like the one I had years ago (small, slips on your finger like a ring), then I had the same one. I lost mine pretty early on. I think it fell outta my bag.
Evan, look forward to reading the review.
Posted by: IronMike | 13 January 2011 at 02:22