Garmin 910 xt Tri Vs. Bryton Cardio 60R

[Garfield2010]

Koegies

 

I cannot speak for other watches but here is why I like the Garmin

 

- Very cool and easy to use software

- GPS is very accurate

- HRM is very accurate

- It gives you real time feedback for pool sessions - it basically measures you efficiency so you can lterally try different things in the pool all by yourself and see if it works without just timing yourself. It takes into account the speed as well as number of strokes and calculates a SWOLF figure

- It gives you a training rating from 1 - 5 (1 lazy arse and 5 being over trained)

- Its battery lasts 20 hours (so if it dies and you are still on the course in PE you have very likely missed the cut off)

- It is customisable - you choose what stats you want to see when doing different sports

- I measures a whole event so in a Tri you only hit one button when entering/existing transition - you don't have to change exercise type manually

[Thug]

I agree with Garf's assessment. Nothing comes close to the 910XT in my opinion.

[koegies]

Koegies

 

I cannot speak for other watches but here is why I like the Garmin

 

- Very cool and easy to use software

- GPS is very accurate

- HRM is very accurate

- It gives you real time feedback for pool sessions - it basically measures you efficiency so you can lterally try different things in the pool all by yourself and see if it works without just timing yourself. It takes into account the speed as well as number of strokes and calculates a SWOLF figure

- It gives you a training rating from 1 - 5 (1 lazy arse and 5 being over trained)

- Its battery lasts 20 hours (so if it dies and you are still on the course in PE you have very likely missed the cut off)

- It is customisable - you choose what stats you want to see when doing different sports

- I measures a whole event so in a Tri you only hit one button when entering/existing transition - you don't have to change exercise type manually

thank you for this very useful feedback. I like your style of writing :-). I think you have touched on some points which is the ones i needed to make a decision. Thanks !

[Weight Weenie]

Look closely at the batterylife between the units, Garmin 910XT is way ahead. Recently got mine and love it!

[shawnvan]

After agonising between 910xt and the Suunto Ambit 2/2S for weeks (and reading DCRainmaker's reviews on each like 17 times) I finally went for the Suunto.

Main reason being that the 910xt is about 2 years old now, and the app functionality on the Ambit 2 was really intriguing - just seemed to be more scope for customisation, future functionality and software upgrades compared to the Garmin. I also already had a Suunto and just liked their products.

 

Ultimately I went for the Ambit 2 (over 2S) only because I wanted the longer battey life for Ironman races. If I wasn't going to do full Ironmans i would have just gone for the 2S, which is more than enough watch.

 

So far I've had it for two weeks and it is awesome - the ability to customise all your settings and screen views is fantastic. Haven't tested extensively in the pool but so far so good.

 

So I can recommend the Ambit 2...

 

As for the Bryton, no experience but the DCRainmaker review isn't very positive...

[reteid]

whats the difference between the xt and the xt tri bundle?

[Garfield2010]

whats the difference between the xt and the xt tri bundle?

 

The tri bundle includes

 

the Watch

A full carbon Time Trial Bike with a disc wheel

Wetsuit

Running shoes

An IM SA entry

 

[travisza]

CRC has a special which also includes a skin suit and Aero helmet, an obsession with drag and telling people at work all about your last brick workout

[reteid]

The tri bundle includes

 

the Watch

A full carbon Time Trial Bike with a disc wheel

Wetsuit

Running shoes

An IM SA entry

 

do you have a tri bundle for sale at the same price as the xt if yes let me know.

[silvertemplar]

I'd say its between the Garmin 910XT and Suunto Ambit 2. The 910XT is not very day-to-day friendly, whereas the Ambit 2 is. Garmin even stated on their forums (after alot of queries) that the 910XT is not a "watch" but a "device" . So if you are looking for something that can double as a day to day watch, then 910XT is not it.

 

The 910XT for example got no "power save mode", like the cheaper Garmins. So just like a cellphone, you'll be recharging it at least once every 3 days (whether you used the GPS or not), of course it also lasts 20 hours with the GPS on. The Ambit 2 does have a "watch mode" and also looks more like "watch" with the chrome and circular look.

 

However i'd say the 910XT is the best in it's class when it comes to a GPS/HRM based device for multi sports (especially swimming).

 

 

Anyway as for the 910XT Tri bundle vs. normal bundle. Not sure if the people above are being sarcastic, but last i checked, the main difference is the Tri bundle includes a Cadence sensor and bike mount and that's about it. You can buy those seperate too.

[Daxiet]

I know this is a very old post, but in the event someone down the line poses a similar question, allow me to provide feedback on my Bryton Cardio 60. I have also owned 2 Edges, own a store that retails TomTom's and one Polar RCX3, just some background.

 

I took the gamble with Bryton, looking for a true multisport watch, but not keen to pay the high premium for a Garmin. I got the Cardio 60 for R2750, so by far cheaper than the Garmin.

 

Rough review of the Cardio 60:

It is safe to say the finish is by no means up there with Garmin, TomTom or Polar, feels like what you would expect from a device located on Alibaba. Lap/OK button is not responsive in the water. Functionality is brilliant, it is a true Multisport watch, offering full Tri mode, swim (gps works in water), T1, bike, T2 and run. Picking up sats can be a bit slow and sometimes just doesn't pick them up for minutes. Brytonsports website is a shocking site, I have never been able to upload directly from the device, always have to save to disk then upload. Sometimes when editing an uploaded record, it fails to save the change. Reports available on the site, to be be blunt, are pretty uselss, not much value offered here.

 

First watch got water in it on the swim leg of a triathlon, continued to work, but lines on the screen and misting took place (~6 months old). The watch was seamlessly replaced under warranty by BrytonSA, had a new watch in my hand within a week. So impressive support from the local importer. I gather the water entered due to the buttons. With the amount of force required to press the LAP/OK button, I suspect whatever is behind the button to keep water out gets cracked or torn.

 

The old watch froze on me and could not be used until the battery drained. The new watch has done the same, so you can't rely on these devices. I have heard the same complaint about the Rider 40, so appears to be a Byrton party trick.

 

All in all, I would not recommend Bryton, if you need a true Multisport watch go for the Garmin. TomTom's Multisport watch is not a true multisport watch in that it doesn't have a triathlon mode nor is the GPS enabled on an outdoor swim. One day the TomTom developers may cotton on and add this functionality to the software as the hardware is ready for it.

 

I have endless issues with the RCX3, so Polar is off my shopping list. If I was just a cyclist or runner, I would go with the TomTom Cardio Multisport based on price and integrated HR monitor. Battery life however is far greater on the 910XT. The new Bryton Amis claims to have 14hr battery, but it is a Bryton and I wouldn't risk spending the money to only find it has the same quality/reliability issues as the Cardio 60.

 

For cycling I use an Edge 510, no complaints, before that it was an Edge 705 - until that was taken during a bike jacking.