• expired

Suunto 9 Baro Lime $297.50, Red $315 Shipped @ Suunto

150

Been looking around to replace my ageing Garmin. They’re generally hard to go by but for the price, these top of the line Suunto 9 Baros are a pretty sweet option. Sapphire glass and metal bezel in a Garmin and you’re looking for $500+ on sale (as there have been recently, and Fenix 6 Sapphire is still on sale at JB for $650).

You’re missing out on the music features you get with the Garmin, but I run with my phone anyway. From my research, this has an amazing battery life, a larger screen with a bit more resolution, but less of an ecosystem, smart features, etc. It’s also quite hefty on the wrist so if you dig bigger watches, this is a good one.

Still, for the price a top of the line watch that will last for ages. It’s a little bit old now, came out in late 2019 or early 2020. Suunto just announced the Baro 9 Peak which is a smaller/slimmer version of this watch so in my opinion it doesn’t really count as a replacement.

First post so go easy and if there’s any more info I can add, let me know. Including a link to a Desfit video looking at the Suunto 9 (not baro) but they’re essentially the same watch, just without the barometer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jH0pur_jP9k

Edit to say there are a couple of other watches on sale like the Suunto 7 but if you’re getting an Android Wear watch…my hat goes off to you.

Related Stores

Suunto
Suunto

closed Comments

  • +3

    Great watch but holy hell its 16.5mm thick!

    I'd be cautious about the futureproof-ness of the Suunto ecosystem, but it will probably continue to function independently regardless.

    • Yeah definitely a chunky boi and hear you on the ecosystem, but Suunto should be fairly reliable for years to come.

  • Great deal, always love the solid quality on Suuntos, especially Garmins are more expensive. What are the ecosystem we are talking about here for example? The only Suunto I own is an old diving watch and I got my mum a Fenix 5s+, so I maybe out of context here a bit.

    • I think it’s mostly to do with their app. As I understand it they discontinued their MoveScout platform a few years ago so you can’t load up your data easily through a browser. There’s still great integration with stuff like Strava and Training Peaks, but the app is a bit more basic than Garmin.

      You’re also never going to have music integration with Suunto. DC Rainmaker talks about it a lot and says that because Suunto is much much smaller than Garmin, they’ll never have the kind of deal-making power to go and get Spotify or whatever to let them into their service (however it works).

      Again, not an expert, just doing some reading.

      • Ohh thanks for sharing, my old diving watch even got its specialised cable to get data across to the computer, where you also need to install Suunto's software, no app connectivity those days, I have never been bothered to go through the troubles. I guess my mother's watch can do a lot more, but doubt she has done any of that.

  • great price, but switched to fenix after usung suunto for around 6~ months. The touch screen is cool tho however sometimes hard to use when wet.
    It was just my personal preference, found the all-button style more reliable for outdoor usage.

    • Agreed that the touchscreen is always a bit of a zzz on proper sports watches. Luckily there’s still plenty of physical buttons and it auto-disables in workout.

  • I honestly wouldn't touch another Suunto, after having two Cores fail on me.
    Which was a shame because I really wanted to like it, and after doing some research, found that it was a widespread issue.
    Ended up doing the opposite to the OP, and went to a Garmin from a Suunto, and wouldn't look back now.

    Anyway, this isn't just to gripe about Suunto watches, but would suggest you have a look online first and see if they have resolved the button sticking issue before you buy.

    • Good to know, will keep an eye on it. Should mention that Suunto have a 60 day return policy too. I got the red version so will check it out when it gets here (tomorrow?) and report back if people are keen. Little bit unsure as to how much bigger it’s going to feel…

  • +1

    Great find OP! This watch comes with caveats though

    first, it is THICC!
    I tried it and found the interface slightly laggy, hopefully Suunto fixed this in later firmware revisions

    also lacking blood oxygen sensor comparing to latest Garmin offerings

    honestly feels like a clearance and a new model is on the horizon

    Great price stil!

    • They just released the Suunto 9 Peak, which according to their marketing is "ultra-thin, small and tough".

      All their sponsored athletes are already running around with the Peak in the last few weeks, definitely feels like a clearance!

      • yea, thank you for confirming that,
        looked up the Sunnto 9 Peak after the comment, clearnce run confirmed haha
        Cheers mate!

  • My Suunto died 2 months after warranty ran out - no go on fixing it… My Samsung galaxy died 2 months after the warranty ran out - no go on fixing. I am now onto a Garmin so will see how that handles me… I do a lot of swimming so I don't know if this is why they don't last. The Garmin has been by far the most accurate lap counter for swimming - small pool, a little laps.

  • I’ve had suunto a for the last 10+ years - core, Suunto 3 Fitness and now the Spartan. I’ve only ever had one fault with the Suunto 3, warranty was fantastic - got overnighted to honk Kong and I had a brand new one the day after! This was during COVID last year too.
    For me they have always been solid - plenty of Spartan races and CrossFit workouts.

    • Where did you lodge the claim to? My Suunto 3 hrm is very sporadic and I cant get accurate hr reading. Even after reset and firmware update, it didnt do much.

Login or Join to leave a comment