Anyone else out there use one? What has been your experience with manufacturing quality?
I am already on my second unit. The first one lasted for a year when it started to take in moisture and mist up. I put it down to the fact that I had dropped it on the shower floor a few times and figured it had developed hairline cracks. However, prior to it taking on moisture the buttons also started to seize up and I had to push harder and harder in order to get any reaction.
My second unit has only lasted a little over three months. I have been extra careful with this one: I haven't dropped it once, always rinse thoroughly after use and have been as gentle as possible when pushing the buttons. Last week, the left button seized completely. I could turn it on, but I couldn't turn it off. Fortunately, it has a saftey feature that ensures that it will turn itself off after four hours if no buttons have been pushed, so it didn't waste too much of the battery power. However, yesterday when I tried to turn it on, it was stuck in the off position. To make matters worse, I notice that the screws in the back are rusting and there is a very small amount of moisture inside the screen! And, no, I have never attempted to open it at all.
I train on my own and the pool I train at doesn't have a pace clock. I use my Tempo Trainer mostly on Mode 2 to give me sendoff intervals. It is an invaluable tool and I am completely reliant on it now, however I am loathe to keep on handing out money for something with such unpredictable quality. Anyone else have this experience or has it just been my bad luck? Are there any similar tools on the market that I might consider?
Anyone else out there use one? What has been your experience with manufacturing quality?
I have had 6 units over the last three years. Seems no way out: no alternative. If within warranty, Finis will replace it according to my experience.
I tried quite a few other possibilities. Swim watches are too unreliable (and GPS is not working for small distances like a pool). And it's a pain to look at
the watch ...
Tools for swimming are in bad shape. Only small enterprises, which do not produce according to current standards.
By the way, I mostly use it in Mode 1/3: for shorter distances counting the beeps is more precise; while with Mode 2 especially the start is unreliable (they should have a mode with some form of countdown, so that you know when to start).
Have you considered something like the Garmin Swim watch? (sites.garmin.com/.../). I haven't used it but I've read about it in other forums. It costs around $150 (USD) and works indoors, counts length/laps for you, set/interval start alarm, and even detects what stroke you're swimming. Not sure, but I presume that it also has GPS functionality so you'd also be able to track open water distance too.
Dan
Thanks, I have a swim watch, though. It is very useful for counting laps and keeping a stroke count too. It also doubles as stopwatch and if you press it after each repeat, it will keep count of those as well. I guess I could use it for interval send off, but my eyesight isn't great and it is difficlut for me to read it, especially when I am out of breath. That is why I love the tempo trainer: it gives a loud beep and then I know it is time for the next repeat. It is also great for setting pace: on function 2, you can set your pace for, say, a 200M and you need to get your feet to the wall on or before that beep. It gives you instant feedback and you know exactly if you are hitting your target time or not. It is an awesome tool and particularly good for 200's and up. It is also great for setting stroke rate. However, it doesn't seem that rugged/reliable. I have had two units fail on me now. While they aren't super expensive, they also aren't that cheap that you are able to replace them every six months.
I have had 6 units over the last three years. Seems no way out: no alternative. If within warranty, Finis will replace it according to my experience.
I tried quite a few other possibilities. Swim watches are too unreliable (and GPS is not working for small distances like a pool). And it's a pain to look at
the watch ...
Tools for swimming are in bad shape. Only small enterprises, which do not produce according to current standards.
By the way, I mostly use it in Mode 1/3: for shorter distances counting the beeps is more precise; while with Mode 2 especially the start is unreliable (they should have a mode with some form of countdown, so that you know when to start).
Mine was still under warranty so I sent it back and received a replacement this week. While I am pleased I have a new one again, I am not so happy with the reliability of the product: three in 18 months and I don't even swim everyday. I only swim three to four times a week. I doubt it would last 6 weeks if I swam everyday. I don't hold out much hope for the new one, either, but I am taking extra precautions this time. I now have it in a small sealed ziplock bag as extra protection from moisture. This might solve the taking on water problem, but it isn't going to do much for the buttons seizing up. The buttons aren't durable at all and after a certain amount of pushing they just don't spring out any more. It is rather frustrating, because it could be such an awesome tool if only it were built a bit more ruggedly. I agree with you though: would be great if it had some kind of a countdown signal to let you know when to start.
Any word on whether the Tempo Trainer will come with a countdown feature at some point? Something like a beep-beep-beeeeep seems like it would be pretty easy to add to the "interval" mode.
