Suunto t3 (Verdict: Warrior-Worthy)

When we started working with Suunto last year with their introduction of the Vector (Gizmodo) we knew that they were on to something hot. Sure, we’d seen their watches while skiing the slopes of Vail and windsurfing the waves of Cabo, but it wasn’t until we started using their watches that we were able to understand their technological power and that stopped calling them watches and relabeled them as wrist-top computers.

With the Suunto t6 (Spungle) we saw the introduction of an integrated fitness wrist-top computer. The t6 is great for the guy/gal that wants to drop a big buck on a watch with a big bang. However, while we love everything that the t6 stands for, we do have to admit that it’s a sizeable piece of machinery that may not be the most appropriate for everyone.


Behold, the new line of t-series watches, and our new favorite Suunto wrist-top computer, the Suunto t3. The t3 is designed for the t6-ish consumer. What does that mean? Well, we imagine that the guy who buys the t3 is the guy who wants to wear a sleeker thinner watch that’s less bulky yet able to calculate his every footstep and his every pedal. The t3 combines great features like heart rate, training zones, speed/distance(when using bike/foot PODs), as well as real-time calories burned (our new favorite feature).

But, what do we like about this watch above all the rest of the features that we’ve come to love from Suunto? We love the fact that this watch is intuitively designed with a simplistic yet powerful user interface. While the t6 is the crème de la crème, the t6 also requires an understanding of metaphysics and a minor in electrical physiology. The t3 requires none of that. The watch’s menus are quickly accessed by the large easy to push buttons, the different features tend to use the same pattern of buttons which makes switching between functions a breeze, and the overall setup is the exactly the way that we’d want a menu to be designed.

So, as you can see, we’re huge fans of the t3 and are quite excited by the launch of the new t-line; it’s affordable, stylish, and all in all, a great introduction to the power of the Suunto line of wrist-top computers. To sum it up, the t3 breaks the t6 apart-- creating a wrist-top computer that is designed for the weekend warrior yet powerful enough to train that warrior for his next battle!

NOTE:
Suunto t6 (40% off)
Suunto t3 (20% off)