Highgear High Gear Axio Max Stealth Altimeter Watch

I like this watch, but there are several features that are not as accurate as I was hoping/expecting. The altimeter can be significantly off after going on a hike with significant elevation change. With no noticeable weather change, it can be off several hundred feet (elev change of 2 or more k ft). Seems to be the case more often than not. The weather indicator can also be wrong, even when there is a pretty stable weather pattern. Still gathering data on these. Everything else works great. I got the stealth version, and no complaints about visibility. Love the compass. Was a little tricky to calibrate..... Just read and follow the instructions carefully.

I'm going to spend my money on a Suunto, and hope it works out....Sanchez PhillipCamp, Bagram, Camp PrattAfghanistan...

If you want a Suunto... Buy a Suunto. I bought this because it had the same options that the Suunto had for half the price but I ended up getting a 1/4 of the product. The weather option is almost never accurate, the compass is unreliable, and the altimiter is always inaccurate. The altimiter does give you a ballpark figure at least and I will give it this much it is a tough watch. My biggest gripe about the watch though is the buttons always get pushed therefore I have to push the button several times just to get the time of day. ( The primary purpose of a watch) The price I think is is good if you are just looking for a so so hiking watch. Overall I regret not spending the extra money to get a better quality product.

The Highgear Axio Max was extremely is truly a survival kit minus the heart rate monitor. It was a well prices quality product which surpassed my expectations and am truly satisfied with, not to mention the stylish model and negative display. It is simply a great watch and tool to own for any outdoor activity.Kudos.

All of the features are easy to use. The only thing that I had some trouble with was calibrating the compass. The instructions and online reviews instructed me to take it to a demagnetizer (at a library or store) to fix the problem. I thought that it was kind of ridiculous that High Gear would ask its customers to walk into a store and ask if they can swipe their watch over the demagetizer. Luckily, after numerous re-settings and much frustration, I was able to calibrate the compass. Since then I have had no trouble. I would recommend this product

So, I bought the Highgear Alti-XT ss earlier this summer and it is alright. My hiking/ climbing partner has the Suunto version -- we have put them head to head and the Highgear holds up. The Suunto is a little sleeker has a superior interface to flip-flop across the functions and both of company's compasses are wonky at best. The altimeter is perhaps the same sensor as our watches are always within ± 5 ft to each other. The difference is that the Suunto seems to have a constant stream of info and the High gear updates every 15 seconds or so. All-in-all, none of these make the Suunto worth twice as much. But there is a catch.After a week's stay in the deserts of Nevada, we were driving through Tahoe and thought we would take a dip. This was about a month and a half after purchasing the watch. Being that it is rated to 50m and I was going in maybe to my neck, I thought that this must not be a problem. After about 2 minutes, our body temperatures dropped below and we laid on the beach, when I noticed my watch face was foggy and beeping an error message. Once back home in Washington, I emailed Highgear asking for options and waited for a return email. After a week and a half of no response, I called them. After explaining the situation I was told that the watch was "not meant for swimming", despite the website stating specifically that it is made for "pool-side swimming". I was then again explained that poolside swimming does not mean swimming, apparently is means sunbathing. After inquiring why no one a responded to my email she said that she didn't know and there was nothing she would do for me. After having asked to speak with her supervisor I was told that she was unavailable and would have to call me. That was another week and a half ago, and still, no call. That being said, go for the Suunto, they may not be American, but I imagine that know what the word swimming means.

AaronM's review is quite misleading because the reviewer apparently does not understand how an altimeter works. Altimeters do NOT actually measure altitude, they measure atmospheric pressure. Atmospheric pressure changes with the weather (and altitude, of course). On a calm day the barometric pressure can easily change by a millibar, which can skew a barometric altimeter's reading by up to 26 feet. Thus, ALL barometric altimeters require frequent readjustment.We pilots do this every time before we take off, and when approaching an airport to land--because the barometric pressure is certain to have changed since takeoff and between locations.If you have a barometric altimeter, you'd better keep it adjusted, no matter how often it needs to be done. I should mention that this very point is included in the watch's instruction sheet as bullet #2 under the "Quick Tips" section. In addition, Highgear has provided a YouTube video showing exactly how to do this ([...])Perhaps the previous reviewer might be happier with a radar altimeter, which measures the height of the altimeter above the ground. Unfortunately, this would always result in an indicated altitude of 3 to 5 feet, depending on how high he was holding his arm!

7 yrs and still going strong. Great watch if you can still find one. Make sure to set it up CORRECTLY