asklarry99
2010-07-01 04:06:42 UTC
Hi Ray-
Seems like it has been a long time since I have had you as a test monitor! Anyway, below is my IR for the Highgear Axio Max watch.
The html is at: http://tinyurl.com/26fvt3m
Thanks in advance for the comments!
Cheers
-larry
----------------------------------------
Highgear Axio Max Watch
TEST SERIES BY LARRY KIRSCHNER
(Image courtesy of Highgear)
INITIAL REPORT - June 30, 2010
TESTER INFORMATION
NAME: Larry Kirschner
EMAIL: asklarry98 at hotmail dot com
AGE: 46
LOCATION: Columbus, OH
GENDER: M
HEIGHT: 5' 9" (1.75 m)
WEIGHT: 205 lb (92 kg)
I've been an intermittent camper/paddler since my teens, but now that my kids are avid Boy Scouts, I've caught the backpacking bug. I typically do 8-10 weekend hikes per year, and have spent time over the past few years backpacking the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico and canoeing the Atikaki wilderness of Canada. I like to travel "in comfort", but I've shrunk to medium weight, and continue to work toward going lighter and longer. With all of my investment into these ventures, I expect my wife and I will continue to trek long after the kids are goneĀ
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
INITIAL REPORT
June 30, 2010
PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS
Manufacturer: Highgear
Year of Manufacture: 2010
Manufacturer's Website: www.highgear.com
MSRP: N/A
Model Tested:Axio Max Steel
MSRP: USD $210.00
Listed Weight: 71 g (2.5 oz)
Measured weight: 106.5 g (3.76 oz)
Dimensions (listed and confirmed by measurement):
Case Diameter: 46 mm (1.81 in)
Depth 15.8 mm (0.62 in)
Visible LCD 26 mm (1.02 in)
Color: Black band/Steel casing/LCD face
Other model: Axio Max Black (Black band/Black nylon casing/LCD face, MSRP USD $150)
ITEM DESCRIPTION
The Highgear Axio Max Steel watch is part of the Axio line of Highgear products, which are aimed "for consumers looking for a light-weight straight forward altimeter for their outdoor activities". In comparison to the altimeter/barometer functionality of the Axio and the Axio Mini, the Axio Max (or just "the Max") provides the additional functionality of a digital compass.
The Max is an awesome looking timepiece that is awash in features.It has so many features that it actually has 5 buttons, with the spot for the 6th button being the speaker. The buttons are labeled on the bezel as follows (clockwise starting from the upper right): Recall/+, View/-, Mode, Light, and Adjust.
Because I seem to be hard on watches, I am testing the Steel version of the Max, which has a steel watch casing and a mineral glass lens. The band is plastic and fully adjustable with a brushed metal clasp that seems quite sturdy.
It has typical features of a digital watch, including the following features:
2 time zones
Automatic calendar
Day/month/weekday display
100 hour chronograph
2 daily alarms
Countdown timer (although this is called a "rest alarm")
In addition to these standard features, the Max has altimeter, barometer, and compass functions, which I will describe in some more detail.
The altimeter has resolution down to 1 foot or 1 meter, and it can display in either unit. In fact, tapping the "Recall/+" button briefly switches the display from one unit to the other, whereas holding the button makes the change permanent. The altimeter can be calibrated to a known reference using a fairly straightforward procedure. I think this should come in handy, as the watch displayed an elevation of -127 ft (-38 m) when I took it out of the box.(actual elevation 780 ft/ 238 m). I'm not sure I'll ever test its limits, but the altimeter is reported to have a working range from -2303 ft to 30045 ft (-702m to 9158m).
There is also a barometer, which can show either a local or a sea-level barometer. I am not exactly sure what is the difference between these two values, although they are quite close on the watch. As with the altitude, the Max can display results in either Imperial (inches Hg) or in metric (millibar/Hecto-Pascal, whatever that is) units. The barometer is also used to show a 12-hour weather forecast, which runs the gamut from "sunny" through "partly cloudy" and "cloudy" to "rain". The forecast icon is updated automatically every 12 hours, and is displayed on the watchface in time mode or in the altimeter-barometer mode.
As noted above, the Max comes with a digital compass. From a quick look, the compass looks reasonably accurate out of the box, despite the fact that I was using it next to my computer. In any event, the compass setting can be adjusted for magnetic declination, and the procedure for recalibrating the compass seems fairly straightforward. In the photo below, the North end of the compass is indicated with the single bar, whereas the South end is the 3 bars around the end of the watchface.
The Max also has interesting alarm features. In addition to 2 daily alarms and a countdown timer, it has 2 altitude alarms, which can be set to notify me when I either reach certain milestones (I might set it at 10,000 feet/3050 m for example) or if I'm getting dangerously high or low. It also has a "hydration alarm", which is just an automatically resetting countdown timer that flashes "drink" on the display when it goes off. It's sort of like having my Mom there all the time on the trail reminding me to drink water before I get dehydrated!
In addition to these features, the Max comes with a Data mode, which stores information from 10 trips, including starting altitude, maximum altitude and total exercise time.
An additional feature of the Max is water resistance. It is rated to 5 atmospheres, equivalent to 164 ft/50 m.
INSTRUCTIONS AND WARRANTY
The Max came with a 2 instruction booklets, one containing the instructions in English, French, Spanish, Chinese, and Japanese, and the other in German, Italian, Dutch, and Swedish. Instructions for all the features are reasonably detailed, and the instructions run 27 pages in each language. Fortunately, most of the features are manipulated in a fairly common sense fashion. For example, the "Mode" button switches between features, the "Adjust" button allows me to adjust the values, and so on.
The instruction book comes with 2 pages of product care cautions, notes, and warnings. One of the warnings cautions against using the watch for snorkeling, which makes me wonder if the 5 atm depth rating has any meaning. Most of the cautions are reasonable, such as recommendations not to wear the watch in soapy water, in a hot tub or in an extremely hot shower or bath. The watch can be rinsed as needed in clean water, but solvents should be avoided.
The booklet also contains instructions for changing the battery, which appears to be a fairly easy procedure using a coin to open the back of the watch.
TRYING IT OUT
When I pulled the watch out of its packing, I was struck by how large the watch appears. It is quite a bit larger and heavier than my "regular" Timex Ironman watch. However, when I compared it to another watch with an electric compass (the Freestyle Navigator 2.0), I was surprised to find that the watch casing is just about the same size in both dimensions. The difference is that the Axio Max also has an altimeter and barometer, but also carries quite a bit more weight (105 g/3.76 oz vs. 61 g/2.15 oz).
The watch itself is stylish with a shiny steel casing and black band, which is easily adjustable and fits comfortably. I also like the watch face itself. The light background with dark letters/numbers is highly visible and easy to read. Even the small numbers or letters at the top or bottom of the display are easily read. The light is good, providing a few seconds of illumination to the watchface.
I spent several minutes playing with the buttons, which work well. It was easy for me to adjust the timing and the altimeter to accurately reflect my current elevation. I like the fact that pushing the Recall/+ button changes the display units-very handy for BackpackGearTest.org!
I wore the watch around for 2 full days to see how I liked it. To be honest, I did not really notice the extra weight until I took the watch off at night. Of course, when I compared it to my other timepieces, the difference in weight was quite obvious.
INITIAL IMPRESSIONS and EXPECTATIONS
I am really looking forward to testing this watch on the trail. It looks great and has a ton of features. I requested and received the steel watchcase because I am hoping for excellent durability, and I will see how it holds up during the test. The other question I will need to answer is if the extra weight of this A/B/C (Altimeter/barometer/compass) watch provides enough functionality to make it worthwhile. Stay tuned for my thoughts on that question
THE STORY SO FAR
Impressive
Excellent functionality
Easy to read display for all features
Watch is stylish and fits comfortably
Concerns
Seems rather heavy for a watch-are the extra features worth it?
This concludes my Initial Report on the Highgear Axio Max watch. Please check back in 2 months for my Field Report on this item.
Thanks to Highgear for providing this timepiece for testing, and to BackpackGearTest.org for giving me the chance to participate in the evaluation process.
-larry kirschner
------------------------------------
Seems like it has been a long time since I have had you as a test monitor! Anyway, below is my IR for the Highgear Axio Max watch.
The html is at: http://tinyurl.com/26fvt3m
Thanks in advance for the comments!
Cheers
-larry
----------------------------------------
Highgear Axio Max Watch
TEST SERIES BY LARRY KIRSCHNER
(Image courtesy of Highgear)
INITIAL REPORT - June 30, 2010
TESTER INFORMATION
NAME: Larry Kirschner
EMAIL: asklarry98 at hotmail dot com
AGE: 46
LOCATION: Columbus, OH
GENDER: M
HEIGHT: 5' 9" (1.75 m)
WEIGHT: 205 lb (92 kg)
I've been an intermittent camper/paddler since my teens, but now that my kids are avid Boy Scouts, I've caught the backpacking bug. I typically do 8-10 weekend hikes per year, and have spent time over the past few years backpacking the Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico and canoeing the Atikaki wilderness of Canada. I like to travel "in comfort", but I've shrunk to medium weight, and continue to work toward going lighter and longer. With all of my investment into these ventures, I expect my wife and I will continue to trek long after the kids are goneĀ
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
INITIAL REPORT
June 30, 2010
PRODUCT INFORMATION & SPECIFICATIONS
Manufacturer: Highgear
Year of Manufacture: 2010
Manufacturer's Website: www.highgear.com
MSRP: N/A
Model Tested:Axio Max Steel
MSRP: USD $210.00
Listed Weight: 71 g (2.5 oz)
Measured weight: 106.5 g (3.76 oz)
Dimensions (listed and confirmed by measurement):
Case Diameter: 46 mm (1.81 in)
Depth 15.8 mm (0.62 in)
Visible LCD 26 mm (1.02 in)
Color: Black band/Steel casing/LCD face
Other model: Axio Max Black (Black band/Black nylon casing/LCD face, MSRP USD $150)
ITEM DESCRIPTION
The Highgear Axio Max Steel watch is part of the Axio line of Highgear products, which are aimed "for consumers looking for a light-weight straight forward altimeter for their outdoor activities". In comparison to the altimeter/barometer functionality of the Axio and the Axio Mini, the Axio Max (or just "the Max") provides the additional functionality of a digital compass.
The Max is an awesome looking timepiece that is awash in features.It has so many features that it actually has 5 buttons, with the spot for the 6th button being the speaker. The buttons are labeled on the bezel as follows (clockwise starting from the upper right): Recall/+, View/-, Mode, Light, and Adjust.
Because I seem to be hard on watches, I am testing the Steel version of the Max, which has a steel watch casing and a mineral glass lens. The band is plastic and fully adjustable with a brushed metal clasp that seems quite sturdy.
It has typical features of a digital watch, including the following features:
2 time zones
Automatic calendar
Day/month/weekday display
100 hour chronograph
2 daily alarms
Countdown timer (although this is called a "rest alarm")
In addition to these standard features, the Max has altimeter, barometer, and compass functions, which I will describe in some more detail.
The altimeter has resolution down to 1 foot or 1 meter, and it can display in either unit. In fact, tapping the "Recall/+" button briefly switches the display from one unit to the other, whereas holding the button makes the change permanent. The altimeter can be calibrated to a known reference using a fairly straightforward procedure. I think this should come in handy, as the watch displayed an elevation of -127 ft (-38 m) when I took it out of the box.(actual elevation 780 ft/ 238 m). I'm not sure I'll ever test its limits, but the altimeter is reported to have a working range from -2303 ft to 30045 ft (-702m to 9158m).
There is also a barometer, which can show either a local or a sea-level barometer. I am not exactly sure what is the difference between these two values, although they are quite close on the watch. As with the altitude, the Max can display results in either Imperial (inches Hg) or in metric (millibar/Hecto-Pascal, whatever that is) units. The barometer is also used to show a 12-hour weather forecast, which runs the gamut from "sunny" through "partly cloudy" and "cloudy" to "rain". The forecast icon is updated automatically every 12 hours, and is displayed on the watchface in time mode or in the altimeter-barometer mode.
As noted above, the Max comes with a digital compass. From a quick look, the compass looks reasonably accurate out of the box, despite the fact that I was using it next to my computer. In any event, the compass setting can be adjusted for magnetic declination, and the procedure for recalibrating the compass seems fairly straightforward. In the photo below, the North end of the compass is indicated with the single bar, whereas the South end is the 3 bars around the end of the watchface.
The Max also has interesting alarm features. In addition to 2 daily alarms and a countdown timer, it has 2 altitude alarms, which can be set to notify me when I either reach certain milestones (I might set it at 10,000 feet/3050 m for example) or if I'm getting dangerously high or low. It also has a "hydration alarm", which is just an automatically resetting countdown timer that flashes "drink" on the display when it goes off. It's sort of like having my Mom there all the time on the trail reminding me to drink water before I get dehydrated!
In addition to these features, the Max comes with a Data mode, which stores information from 10 trips, including starting altitude, maximum altitude and total exercise time.
An additional feature of the Max is water resistance. It is rated to 5 atmospheres, equivalent to 164 ft/50 m.
INSTRUCTIONS AND WARRANTY
The Max came with a 2 instruction booklets, one containing the instructions in English, French, Spanish, Chinese, and Japanese, and the other in German, Italian, Dutch, and Swedish. Instructions for all the features are reasonably detailed, and the instructions run 27 pages in each language. Fortunately, most of the features are manipulated in a fairly common sense fashion. For example, the "Mode" button switches between features, the "Adjust" button allows me to adjust the values, and so on.
The instruction book comes with 2 pages of product care cautions, notes, and warnings. One of the warnings cautions against using the watch for snorkeling, which makes me wonder if the 5 atm depth rating has any meaning. Most of the cautions are reasonable, such as recommendations not to wear the watch in soapy water, in a hot tub or in an extremely hot shower or bath. The watch can be rinsed as needed in clean water, but solvents should be avoided.
The booklet also contains instructions for changing the battery, which appears to be a fairly easy procedure using a coin to open the back of the watch.
TRYING IT OUT
When I pulled the watch out of its packing, I was struck by how large the watch appears. It is quite a bit larger and heavier than my "regular" Timex Ironman watch. However, when I compared it to another watch with an electric compass (the Freestyle Navigator 2.0), I was surprised to find that the watch casing is just about the same size in both dimensions. The difference is that the Axio Max also has an altimeter and barometer, but also carries quite a bit more weight (105 g/3.76 oz vs. 61 g/2.15 oz).
The watch itself is stylish with a shiny steel casing and black band, which is easily adjustable and fits comfortably. I also like the watch face itself. The light background with dark letters/numbers is highly visible and easy to read. Even the small numbers or letters at the top or bottom of the display are easily read. The light is good, providing a few seconds of illumination to the watchface.
I spent several minutes playing with the buttons, which work well. It was easy for me to adjust the timing and the altimeter to accurately reflect my current elevation. I like the fact that pushing the Recall/+ button changes the display units-very handy for BackpackGearTest.org!
I wore the watch around for 2 full days to see how I liked it. To be honest, I did not really notice the extra weight until I took the watch off at night. Of course, when I compared it to my other timepieces, the difference in weight was quite obvious.
INITIAL IMPRESSIONS and EXPECTATIONS
I am really looking forward to testing this watch on the trail. It looks great and has a ton of features. I requested and received the steel watchcase because I am hoping for excellent durability, and I will see how it holds up during the test. The other question I will need to answer is if the extra weight of this A/B/C (Altimeter/barometer/compass) watch provides enough functionality to make it worthwhile. Stay tuned for my thoughts on that question
THE STORY SO FAR
Impressive
Excellent functionality
Easy to read display for all features
Watch is stylish and fits comfortably
Concerns
Seems rather heavy for a watch-are the extra features worth it?
This concludes my Initial Report on the Highgear Axio Max watch. Please check back in 2 months for my Field Report on this item.
Thanks to Highgear for providing this timepiece for testing, and to BackpackGearTest.org for giving me the chance to participate in the evaluation process.
-larry kirschner
------------------------------------