Suunto - Race S Titanium Graphite

You can pair both on the Race 2. You cannot on the Race 1 (only on sensor of each type).

I switched from Coros Apex to Suunto Race Titanium, while the Suunto is beautiful and has good gps functionality and battery life the HR is bad even for wrist based. Really disappointing the customization options and interface of the Suunto is way worse. If I had it to do over I would go Coros or Garmin.

I really like the Race 2 but man, the bugs and quirks are real…especially the data discrepancies between the watch and the app. After 9 days, I’m thinking it should go back. It just doesn’t seem like it was ready for prime time and I’m not sure I trust they’ll support it or fix it. Just as the title states, I have an offer to buy a brand new in the sealed box Forerunner 970 for only $630. I never thought I’d go back to Garmin but their reputation for activity tracking and support is strong. I want to love Suunto but I’m not there. I know this is a Suunto forum but I’m sure there are Garmin folks in here (current or former). What do you think?

Yeah… I get the Suunto love here lol. I really like what Suunto has going on and the Race 2 is very well built. I’m just not sure about the data discrepancies and Suunto’s reputation for device support.

I went back and forth 20 times on what to do. I was going to go back to Garmin and get the 970 but just told myself that I've been with Garmin for years and left them for reasons that have not changed. I really like the Suunto and want to give them the chance. I am staying with the Race 2 Titanium. I just hope they sort out the data discrepancies and bugs in near term firmware updates.

I agree about Garmin’s direction. Some of their product decisions don’t make sense (ie, Instinct 3 with gen 4 sensor). I ended up returning the Race 2 Titanium but will most likely get the stainless steel Race 2 and stick with Suunto. With a discount code I can get it from Suunto for $425…that’s a great deal. I just hope that Suunto will fix some of the data discrepancies and fully support the watch for years to come.

I posted something very similar to your dilemma. I’ve been in the Garmin universe for many years and looked at getting a discounted 970. After much contemplation and testing the Race 2 for a week, I’ve decided to stick with Suunto. While it has some noticeable flaws (some data discrepancies between the watch and the app, sleep tracking is questionable, Resources scores defunct etc.), I feel confident they’ll be fixed by future firmware updates. And honestly, tell me about a fitness tracker that doesn’t have flaws…especially when new. While the 970 is rated as a top running watch, I was ready for a change…I wanted something other than Garmin. I think the Race 2 is a fantastic device, it’s very well built and so far the activity tracking is spot on. The Suunto app is way better than Garmin Connect in my opinion. Yes, the Suunto Race 2 Titanium at $600 was about the same price as the discounted 970 but I’m happy staying with Suunto. I think it fits great, looks great, tracks great, and will be refined with future updates. Perhaps after using the Race 2 for a long period of time I’ll change my thoughts…time will tell.

When calculating whether or not to stay with Suunto, I figured it was possible some of the issues would never get resolved. I do see some occasional firmware updates here and there so I know they "fix things" but whether or not they actually track and dive deep into the bugs people are reporting who knows. I will say that I have never seen anyone from Suunto respond to or engage with people here on Reddit or Facebook. I see the complete opposite with Coros and Garmin. I am going to use the Race 2 for a few weeks, give it an honest trial run and make a final decision on what to do. I know more new watches are dropping this month. Garmin is still buzzing in my head...so is Coros.

Ouch…that’s a rough scenario. Garmin is known for exceptional mapping but I suppose they’re not perfect. Suunto maps on the Race 2 work very good. The GPS locks on fast and tracks well. The watch is quite fast, the maps load quick and you can zoom out quite far. The navigation seems spot on where I’m at but I’m definitely not in the jungle. The only downside currently is there are no labels. The climb pro feature works good.

From what I’ve seen in reviews and in my own experience, I’d say the Garmin Fenix line and 970 might be just slightly more accurate overall with heart rate and GPS but the Race 2 tracks really accurately. I think it’s prone to some cadence lock here and there but nothing crazy. In my runs and hikes the watch is quite spot on. I like it a lot. It’s very well built, it feels premium. The UI is totally unique and you have to be ok with learning all about the training peaks metrics. There’s a learning curve but I think the Suunto app shows your fitness, training, and recovery trends better than Garmin Connect.

If you're running in the dark, or under tree cover, then AMOLED is easier to read. I find it fine to read in open areas as well. But if I were running in the desert, I'd pick MIP. As for battery life, it's going to depend on how you use your watch, and which watch you're using. Suunto AMOLED models are really power efficient. Without going into a long explanation, my Race lasts longer than my Enduro 2 for my usage model (lots of GPS activities and map usage). Once again, if I were running a lot under full sun (not normal for me), I'd prefer MIP, but for everything else I like AMOLED. The latter also has higher resolution and better contrast. So if you're trying to see detail (on a map for instance) or your eyes aren't as good, then you're going to like AMOLED. If you're running under tree cover, especially in the winter months, you will want the backlight on if you want to read maps on a MIP display. This will negate much of the power advantage that MIP has. Ultimately people are in two camps here. Having used both a lot, I'm currently using an AMOLED watch. It fits my usage model better. YMMV.

I'm using a Race 1 and also have an Enduro 2. I use the Race 1 now. The two things that I miss from the Enduro are: contactless payments and the flashlight, although the race does have a flashlight mode for its display. It's also easier to get routes onto the watch, because Suunto imposes a limit on the number of courses, and course management is buggy. Conversely, Garmin course management is just clunky. I like the training load implementation on the Race, and love the display. The maps implementation also suits my usage really well. I find it to be very fast and responsive. I also like the form factor. The Enduro was a brick that would get caught on every sleeve. Also, for my usage, the Race gets better battery life. Garmin will provide many metrics - and I don't use many of them. I find some to be of dubious value, and I simply don't care about others. But some people like them - I'm just not one of them.

Gone from fenix 6 to 165 for lower weight, now Race S titanium and it feels so much nicer to the point I forget I'm wearing it. App wise Garmin has too much and Sunnto has too little for me. Only one watch face installed, but more can be downloaded but its limited No gear tracking Not real challenges or proper badges, good motivation for me Sunnto has so many activities to use where as my 165 was vastly limited for no good reason other than to get me to buy a more expensive watch. Love the "chores" activitie and makes more put more effort into stuff like gardening I will stick with Sunnto as I love the actual watch and the app does cover the essentials, also nice to give a big "F You!" to garmin for the paywall crap and overpricing!

Tried a polar vantage v3. Managed to break the glass within 3 days ( in the same way that merely left a few scratches on my Apple Watch 3).Luckily the retailer refunded it. Now have a Suunto race titanium and it feels much more solid. I went for Polar because of “buy from EU” but I’m much happier with the Suunto.

I have a Race S Titanium and LOVE it. It's an amazing watch for my needs, which are primarily backcountry-related as well as weight training and gym cardio work. The face size and thickness are super non-intrusive, build quality is superb, and with the right strap it can totally blend in to the background and look slick and not sporty. I use it as my daily driver, wear it to an office job, and love it. With that said, if your primary sport usage is road running and you like to closely track metrics, I would consider the Garmin. My understanding is the metrics and tracking on Garmins are a bit more detailed and exhaustive, especially for runners. You can then pocket the remaining 45 euro, or put it towards a proper HRM if you don't have one (or whatever). TL;DR: In my experience, Race S is excellent. For your uses, maybe 900-series Garmin good for running-focused training.

Had the 970, returned it and now very happy with the Race 2. Only thing the Garmin does better for me is notifications.

Honestly, I'm not a big fan of Garmin's current direction – especially with the higher prices, subscription model, and the idea of reusing old CPUs. The Race 2 is genuinely really responsive on the map screen! I went with the titanium one, but I'm honestly not sure if paying the extra £100 is really worth it.

Suunto Race (Ti version). Really enjoy it. Accurate, durable, long battery life, screen is easy to read and the navigation is intuitive and quick.

Above you said you just want to track your activities, primarily runs. For that, I think Suunto is great and I think the plethora of stats you get from an activity are better than Garmin. I also prefer the look of the watches and the simplicity of the user experience. They do have some quirks, but all of them do, just have to see what works for you. I personally use the Race Titanium and really enjoy it. While I usually use a HR chest strap, I find the OHR to work pretty well most of the time. It just requires you to wear it above your wrist and tightly synched. When it doesn't work, it's usually because it's not tight enough and has moved around, and at that point, it locks onto my cadence. If you're looking for the best interval training functionality, tracking of your reps at the gym, etc., then Garmin may be the better choice. They're somewhat filled with faff and once I used the 2 buttons plus the scroll wheel of Suunto, it cemented how ridiculous the 5-button layout Garmin uses is. That said, they do work well, and I've used them and found them to be accurate. I briefly had a Coros a few years ago, and while well made (Apex Pro), I didn't really get along with it. I suspect the new models are much nicer. As others have said, any of these options should do what you're after, depends on what specific functionality you're looking for, ease of use, customization, etc.

Really depends on your expectations. Garmin provides more detail in some cases and is probably better if you like all of the info you need plus more. It will be better with gym workouts, may be better with intervals and other little things that some users enjoy. It may be better with smart features as well, if that's of any imporance. Suunto provides a more streamlined experience. The buttons and interface are much nicer and more intuitive, app provides more pertinent info about your workouts, and the build quality is much nicer (though Garmin's quality is certainly more than good enough in most cases, just different design choices). I think most would say that the Suunto is much nicer looking as well. Either will do that job and do it well, both are overkill for most of us. Battery life is really a non-issue in either case, unless you have a specific need that requires every last minute of battery. I personally moved to the Race 1 Ti after trying the Race S and 965, moving from the 955. I much prefer the Suunto and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it, as long as the user has reasonable expectations. I really didn't care for the interface on the 965, though it sat well on wrist. I also don't care for the 5-button layout, seems ridiculously complex and unintuitive. It works once you figure it out, but needs to be rethought. Good luck with the decision, both are good tools and will get the job done.

I returned the Suunto after 3 days. I hated that I can't read my notifications, the GPS really struggled to connect, I missed a lot of Garmin features ...