zippofan
3T WIS
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Hi All,
As you may have guessed, I have been on an ABC (altimeter/barometer/compass) kick since the summertime. There has been a buzz on another forum about the offerings from Highgear, "wrist computers" marketed to outdoor enthusiasts. Now that I am an Assistant Scoutmaster with our Boy Scout troop I figured I deserved a new watch to celebrate :D (Plus, the new Boy Scout catalog has a Highgear model listed)
Anyway, I checked out all their offerings on their website and really liked the Altis, but I prefer a negative display LCD. Highgear has a "tactical" line, not even on their website yet, marketed towards police and military users. I saw a catalog sheet posted online and immediately fell in love with the tactical version of the Altis. At first I was leaning towards the black IP/negative display, but thought that might be a bit too much black so I decided on the titanium case/negative display version:
The Altis is Highgear's top of the line watch, with functions and logging similar to Suunto but for a much lower price. I did some shopping around and found it for ~$170 shipped, a big difference from my Core at $350, and even my Vector, both of which have all or mostly plastic cases. This baby is titanium, my favorite watch case material, and IMHO is very well built for the price. Supposedly the module is Swiss made though I don't know where the case is made or the watch is assembled. Doesn't matter anyway, since the Suunto Core is made in China.
Besides functionality and a cool cushion case, the main appeal of the Altis to me is that it isn't totally massive like the offerings from Suunto, Casio (Pathfinder), or even Nike. I wore it to work last week and it easily slipped under a dress shirt cuff hand6.gif Of course this wouldn't matter if it wasn't accurate, and I can happily say that it is! Of all my ABC's, the Suunto Core wins hands down, but the Altis is close, a very very close second. Plus it has some nice features like preset altitudes, so when the setting drifts because of weather (and they all do), a couple of button presses brings the reference altitude right back to where it belongs. Plus the resolution is 1', as opposed to the Suunto's 4', the Nike's 5' and Casio's 10'. The barometer is dead on with my local airport, and the compass has a unique display that is cool, similar to the round ball type compasses sold for car dashboards.
The only downside for me is that the strap is integrated (like the Nike Alti-Compass), so an aftermarket bracelet or NATO/Zulu won't work.
If you are interested in an ABC watch and have been considering Suunto, Casio or Nike, give this Highgear a look, I really like it!
Cheers,
Griff
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