HighGear Altiware Gets High Marks

Introducing a new line of products at the PC Coach store.

In general, we try to stick to our charter, which is helping people with training, mostly focusing on endurance sports. Sometimes, though, the situation seems right for us to veer off. Summer is a good excuse because we’re all taking vacations or long weekends for some outdoor action that might be outside the ‘standard weekly mileage’ approach to the rest of the year. The truth is, the line of altimeter/compass watches by HighGear is so good at such a great price, that we went looking for a reason to include them in our store.

The Altiware line includes five great-looking, proven altimeter/compass watches that range from $125 – 160. The features of these five models are similar across the line: all include a barometric altimeter or barometer. Normally it acts as an altimeter, but you can indicate that the altitude is fixed, and it reports changes in the barometric pressure. They also include a stopwatch, thermometer, weather forecasting feature, and user-replaceable battery (in the field – open it with a dime). Most include a digital compass and rotating bezel with the compass points. One model includes a heart rate monitor with chest strap.

All of the models feature a physical design that incorporates the band into the watch, creating a shape that conforms to your wrist. There are some differences in the features, and we’ll go into all of that, but you may end up choosing your favorite based on look and feel. Here’s an overview with our own comments:

Aerial

The Aerial is their least expensive model, because it leaves out the compass. It has the same accurate altimeter, however, and is just as rugged and good-looking. To spice it up, they included a nice set of features to support skiing. It comes in either charcoal or yellow, with black trim and black plastic (fixed) bezel.

Axis

The Axis is a good basic compass/altimeter. New this year, it is slightly smaller and lighter than the others, which may contribute to its popularity. It has a plastic bezel that rotates for compass work.

Alterra

The Alterra is my personal favorite. It is also new and includes all the features of the product line: compass, ski features, altimeter alarm, logbook and more. It comes in either graphite or Xterra orange, with stainless steel bezel and trim. The bezel is knurled for a better grip as you rotate it for taking bearings, and it has a positive click feel as it rotates.

Summit

The Summit is a very large display alti/compass, with a rugged steel bezel (painted black). The face is very large, great for reading through ski goggles or in adverse conditions. It is very comfortable to wear everyday, but the extra size might look out of place on small to medium wrists. If your focus is on high visibility in extreme conditions, consider this one. It was released last year, so some of the new bells and whistles, such as the ski package, are missing (check the chart below for details), but it is massively rugged and visible, and the black on black color scheme has a definite no-nonsense appearance.

Loft

The Loft substitutes a heart rate monitor (with chest strap) for the compass. They have done great work on the look and feel of this unit. It is just slightly smaller than the others, and the bezel is stainless but fixed (since is lacks the compass). The black, gray and silver color combination (with accents of burnt orange) and better fit and finish create a more sophisticated look than the other models. Compared to the other heart rate monitors we carry, the features are pretty sparse, but you can enable/disable the hrm feature, enable/disable the audible alert when above or below a zone, and set the zone either in bpm or % of max HR. The unit will also report calories burned if you enter your age, weight, sex, max HR and (estimated) V02max.

Think of it as a great-looking sports watch, very comfortable to wear everyday, with a rugged build and good design – and when you get out on an adventure, you’ve got a very accurate altimeter and compass with you. If your main choice for a training tool is too cumbersome to serve as your regular watch, one of these might fit. There are other models of altimeter in our store (from Polar and Suunto) that will be a better choice if you are climbing Denali. But for the average weekend adventure, at about half the price, these models have a lot of appeal.

Whichever model fits your needs best, we think you’ll be impressed with the quality, appearance and features of these tough little travel companions. If you're looking for a Father's Day gift idea or a graduation gift, consider a Highgear Altiware watch!

Comparison Chart:

Altiware Feature Comparison	Alterra	Summit	Axis	Loft	Aerial
Suggested Retail / Our Price	$170 / $159.99	$160 / $149.99	$150 / $139.99	$150 / $139.99	$135 / $124.99
Altimeter Log Book Manually stores 20 entries w/elev, time, date	---	Yes	Yes	Yes	---
Advanced Altimeter Log Book Begins tracking ascent and descent upon starting log book	Yes	---	---	---	Yes
Altimeter Alarm	Yes	No	No	No	Yes
Accum. and Max Alt. Readings	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Ski Chronograph Mode / Vert Speed	Yes	No	No	No	Yes
Bezel	Stainless Steel	Stainless Steel	Plastic	Stainless Steel	Plastic
Water Resistant	50m	30m	30m	30m	50m
Dot Matrix Technology	Yes	No	No	No	Yes
Mineral Glass LCD Screen	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes
Backlight (The "Smart" Backlight stays on as you continue scrolling through other modes.)	"Smart"	3 Second	3 Second	3 Second	"Smart"
Barometer	Inches of Mercury or Millibars	Millibars only	Millibars only	Inches of Mercury or Millibars	Inches of Mercury or Millibars
Digital Compass	Yes	Yes	Yes	No	No
Heart Rate Functions	No	No	No	No	Yes

 

One of the great things about searching out the latest training gear – going to the shows and testing new products – is that sometimes you find a diamond in the rough. HighGear is one of these. They are launching a new brand on the world, which is never easy these days. They seem to be taking the approach, ‘Let’s put our effort into engineering and design and make a great product. Gradually the word will spread. When the spotlight does shine on us, the high quality in our products will be apparent, and we will bask in the intense scrutiny and have a lot of business.’

That is so old-school that it’s almost quaint, but it just might work. We hope so, and we are happy to be a part of spreading the word. We are now an authorized dealer for HighGear. We feel that their unique line of outdoor watches offers exceptional quality at an affordable price, and it deserves to be included in our lineup.

Based in North Carolina, HighGear takes their products through extensive testing for durability, accuracy and reliability. Then they take the next step to improve the design and function of the watches and make them intuitive to use. We feel that they have succeeded very well at this.