In relation to selecting the best look ahead to working, the choices can really feel overwhelming. There’s no one-size-fits-all reply as a result of the watch relies on your particular person preferences and coaching objectives. I’ve been loving the COROS Apex 2 Professional, and I’ve to confess, it’s dusty pink shade is what first caught my eye. However is it the improve you want?

Past the aesthetics, what really stands outs about this watch is it’s spectacular battery life and the totally different metrics it gives to maintain me on observe with my coaching.  As a marathon runner, who every so often will practice for a triathlon, the Apex 2 Professional helped me to do all of the issues.

Let’s check out the COROS Apex 2 Professional after which we’ll bounce in do a comparability of the Apex 2 Professional vs Tempo 3.

COROS Apex 2 Professional Assessment

Over the previous couple of years I’ve skilled with the wide selection of COROS watches from price range pleasant all the best way to excessive finish, which has given me a vergy good sense of the totally different options and match.

The Apex 2 Professional is taken into account the final word out of doors sports activities watch, nevertheless it doesn’t have that tremendous cumbersome or heavy look like different multi-sport or journey watches (i.e the Garmin Enduro which we do love, however is a hunk!).

This watch was constructed to go on adventures within the mountains and be capable of face up to the temperatures and tough terrain. As COROS described it, the Apex 2 Professional balances sturdiness and performance.

This watch may very well be an ideal match whether or not you’re hitting the roads for a marathon or the paths for an extremely. However let’s dive extra into the options earlier than you make that ultimate resolution.

Customary Apex 2 Professional Options

The COROS Apex 2 Professional actually does supply the entire bells and whistles doable, so right here’s a fast overview of what to anticipate.

As all the time, you’ll have simply the one dial on the aspect for controlling entry to screens and knowledge.  I personally discovered this straightforward to make use of, however as famous I’ve worn a ton of Coros watches. Others discover it complicated to not have your normal 4 aspect buttons for begin, cease, laps, and so forth.

• GPS for run, bike, swim, path run and extra
• Choices to trace different sorts of exercises
• Twin-frequency GPS
• Step monitoring, sleeping monitoring
• Wrist based mostly HR monitor
• Music controls- play offline music when paired with Bluetooth headsets
• Water-proof
• Treadmill calibration
• Capacity to program exercises and threshold zones
• Night time mode
• Altitude Mode
• Touchscreen-enabled map management

COROS Options

There are loads of coaching options which can be accessible throughout all COROS gadgets. The Apex 2 Professional being on the upper finish of their watches does have just a few additional options like an extended battery life, a much bigger exercise library and an additional button.

Right here’s a breakdown of some of the options that will help you make the choice about that $449 price ticket.

Wrist Primarily based HR

This has been fairly correct however I did discover that within the colder months right here in Colorado cadence lock was extra more likely to happen. I nonetheless will pair my watch with both a chest strap or arm coronary heart fee monitor in order that it’s constantly correct.

This is among the huge drawbacks for Coros, they haven’t nailed HR readings. Not that any watch is ideal, however their tech appears to be fairly far off. So if you wish to practice by HR, you completely want an exterior monitor.

I’ve used the Coros Armband a ton and really feel actually good with it, Coach Amanda tends to favor the Polar HR Armband, so it’s actually a private choice. They’ll all sync as much as nearly any watch.

Exercise Modes

This watch was designed with the athlete who needs to do all of it in thoughts. There are alternatives for something from working, to triathlon to out of doors climbing, the checklist goes on.

You possibly can even create a customized exercise to trace your whole exercises for extra correct metrics.

Treadmill Mode

It doesn’t matter what watch you might be utilizing it’s by no means going to be correct on the treadmill. It could actually’t use GPS and it will use your stride fee or arm actions however even that’s only a guess.

There are just a few choices when utilizing the Apex 2 professional:

• Calibrate characteristic to replace your ultimate distance earlier than hitting save
• Setting the velocity in your watch earlier than hitting begin. You may also hit the pause button and alter all through the run. The one destructive factor about that is that it solely improve each .5 mph
• Including a foot pod to assist get a extra correct studying

Time beyond regulation when you use the calibrate characteristic the watch ought to begin to get nearer to being extra correct along with your treadmill runs.

Battery Life

Like with the entire COROS watches, they’ve an unimaginable battery life. Whereas there are such a lot of options on the watch, the battery life might be on the prime of my favourite checklist. I don’t have to fret about needing to cost my watch every day and even weekly.

For the Apex 2 Professional you’ll be able to anticipate:

• 21 days of normal use
• 66 hours of full GPS

I’ve gone by marathon and triathlon coaching cycles with their watches and am all the time impressed with how far I can stretch the time between fees.

Coaching Options

There are two newer options to the COROS ecosystem that will help you practice and even carry out higher on race day and they’re each accessible on the Apex 2 Professional.

Digital Pacer
In case you’re focusing on a purpose time for a distance that’s 5k or longer, you’ll be able to arrange the Digital Pacer earlier than you toe the beginning line.

You’ll be capable of see in your watch face all through your race how you might be doing along with your pacing to hit your purpose goal.

• Open Run mode in your watch
• Choose Digital Pacer
• Set goal distance and time

The factor I like greatest is that the watch is just not going to continuously beep at you when you’re in or out of vary. I’ve had a structured exercise arrange up to now throughout races and that fixed beeping simply made me an increasing number of anxious!

Extender Function
As a substitute of getting to look down on the small watch face throughout a exercise, you’ll be able to have actual time knowledge in your telephone display screen to maintain observe of the place you might be. That is tremendous useful when indoor coaching on the bike, rower and even a power exercise!

Customise Information Screens

In case you love knowledge, you’ll recognize the limitless metrics accessible proper in your watch throughout any exercise. But when an excessive amount of knowledge feels overwhelming and takes away from having fun with your runs, you’ll be able to customise your watch face to maintain it easy, displaying solely the small print that matter most to you.

It’s tremendous straightforward to customise the info in your screens by totally different exercise profiles and even your every day knowledge.

• Distance and Elevation
• Tempo, Lap Tempo, Effort Tempo, Velocity
• Coronary heart Fee, Avg HR, Max HR, Lactate HR
• Energy
• Working Type (cadence, stride, floor time)
• Coaching Load
• Time

When you end a exercise, you’ll be able to pull up your post-run knowledge and see what your Effectivity Rating, Coaching Load and different metrics have been. It’ll even present you what your greatest mile and common tempo was for your entire exercise.

You possibly can scroll by the abstract screens instantly after your exercise or go to your exercise historical past to overview a earlier exercise from that month.

Who’s the Apex 2 Professional Greatest For?

This watch goes to cater to a variety of runners. It may be an ideal choice for newbie runners however take into account that the entire additional options and metrics may very well be overwhelming.

Because of this we regularly advocate the $149 entry stage watch to a ton of oldsters. Paying additional received’t make you a greater runner. 😉

The watch is fairly straightforward to make use of proper out of the field however the app or coaching hub might take a while getting used to. However I feel that’s going to be the case with no matter watch model you utilize.

In case you’re a multi-sport athlete, triathlete or an adventurer this shall be an ideal watch alternative! 

On the flipside, when you’re actually used to utilizing a Garmin or Polar with the 4 aspect buttons, it may be actually difficult to modify to only a dial on the aspect. Coach Amanda has examined a variety of GPS watch and simply by no means fell in love with Coros as a result of navigation on display screen and HR monitoring.

COROS Apex 2 Professional vs COROS Tempo 3

The standout distinction between the watches is the value tag, what the watch is made out of and battery life. However here’s a aspect by aspect comparability to place it on paper for you!

The place to purchase the COROS Apex 2 Professional and Tempo 3?

Discover the COROS Apex 2 Professional right here >>$449 at each REI and Amazon 

Discover the COROS Tempo 3 right here >> $229 at each REI and Amazon

There may be our overview concerning the COROS Apex 2 Professional and the way it compares to the Tempo 3. We hope that this helps along with your resolution if you’re on the fence about what watch to get!

Nonetheless fascinated about your choices? Right here some additional information to assist: