Sportline 345 Electronic Pedometer

The Sportline Electronic Pedometer 345 is has the dimensions of 2.25 x 1.25 x 1 inches. It is a lightweight, easy to use pedometer that measures distance, steps, and calories burned. It also has a nifty feature of a clock on it. You can adjust stride length (since we all have different walking strides) for a more accurate distance measurement. Adjusting the stride length is easy to do as the instructions are clear. Batteries are included. The Sportline Electronic Pedometer 345 ranges from $15 – $20 and is available at sporting good stores such as REI.

My Experience
The Sportline Electronic Pedometer 345 has been long retired for the Omron HJ-112 Pedometer. The Sportline 345 lasted only about two months before it snapped into two pieces.

The Sportline 345 is great in that it is a smaller sized pedometer. It has a clip that clips onto the waistband of pants. The clip is very tight and holds the pedometer securely onto the waistband. On the top of the pedometer is a tab with the word “Open” and an arrow that points forward. The pedometer flips down to reveal the digital display screen and three buttons. The pedometer is able to flip down because it is on a hinge that connects the back plastic panel to the pedometer. To use the pedometer, it has to be flipped back up and closed. The three buttons on the pedometer are: Reset, Set, and Mode. Reset allows one to “reset” the pedometer to 0. The set button allows one to enter step length, weight, and time/clock. The mode button allows one to switch between step count, distance, calories burned, and time/clock.

Size and Wear
The pedometer is small and lightweight and can be worn discretely. Since it is not bulky, it doesn’t stand out when worn. The Sportline 345 is a typical pedometer in that it needs to be worn on the waistband. I find that having to wear a pedometer on my waistband fairly annoying, particularly because the clip pushes against my skin (mostly when sitting down). My shirts and sweaters usually cover the pedometer so you cannot see the cheesy picture of six stick people walking, hiking, and jogging in pairs. Though it is a small picture, it packs a lot of cheesiness punch.

Price
$15 - $20 is a moderate price range for a pedometer.

Time/Clock
If you are not one to wear a watch, then the clock feature of this pedometer is quite convenient as it has a clock. However, having to open up the pedometer to check the time can be somewhat inconvenient. Imagine this: A stranger walks up and asks, “Excuse me, but do you have the time?” To check the time, I start fumbling about my waistband to open the pedometer …

Noise
Click … click … click .. click . clickclickclick! This pedometer is very loud in terms of the sensor bobbing up and down. Every bob of the sensor is accompanied by a loud click. I can hear the clicking of the sensor as I am walking, even when I am outdoors! Other people can hear the sensor as well. My co-workers have asked if I was the one producing the “clicking” as I walked about with this pedometer.

Durability
The Sportline 345 pedometer lasted only about two months. The hinge that connects the pedometer to the back/clip section broke when I opened the pedometer to check my step count. What was disturbing was that I did not use any more force than usual to pop open the pedometer. I was very, very disappointed at the lack of durability. The pedometer could still be used despite being two pieces because I could still snap the pedometer onto the tab, but it was very difficult to snap back in place when the other piece is on my waistband. The hinge component of the pedometer needs to beefed up in terms of strength for the Sportline 345.

Accuracy
Accuracy is the most important aspect of a pedometer. I like that I am able to program my individual stride length into the pedometer; this is a nifty feature for calculating distance walked. However, I do not ever believe the numbers for distance walked and calories burned for several reasons: 1) My stride length changes throughout the day; sometimes I am in a hurry and sometimes I walk at a leisurely pace, all of which will affect my distance. 2) If I march in place, this also gets the sensor of the pedometer to register steps, so this will also give a false sense of actual distance achieved for the day. 3) Calories burned. Everyone is always so obsessed with calories. The pedometer has no ability to judge if the 1,000 steps I took were on a level surface or if it was at a very steep incline. Walking on a level surface and walking on a steep incline will have an enormous impact on the amount of calories burned. Calories burned is also dependent on weight. A 200 pound person burns calories at a different rate to that of a 110 pound person. I view distance walked and calories burned as an estimation, knowing full well that the numbers are not accurate.

Step count is the most important measure for me when it comes to pedometers. Studies have suggested that 10,000 steps a day is needed for a healthy lifestyle. For weight loss, achieving between 12,000 to 14,000 steps a day is suggested. The whole purpose of purchasing a pedometer for me is to have an accurate step count. Unfortunately, the Sportline 345 does not yield an accurate step count. I will admit that I am a bit fanatical when it comes to needing an accurate step count from my pedometer. I will walk through the mall, counting my steps, and then checking my pedometer. I will count many, many steps to determine the accuracy of the pedometer. If you see a person walking around a mall mumbling numbers, please stop me and say hello. With the Sportline 345, I found that the pedometer would have a high tendency to register more steps than actual steps taken. For example, I would walk 1,600 steps and stop. The pedometer would register 1,900 steps! An extra 300 steps out of nowhere! I would stop, reset the pedometer to 0, and count again. Each time, I would find that the pedometer would register more steps than I had actually taken.

Overall Recommendation
The Sportline Electronic Pedometer 345 is not an effective pedometer to use if step count accuracy is desired. Though it has neat features such as its convenient small packaging, time/clock, it performs poorly in terms of accuracy and durability.

Tags: Sportline 345 pedometer,

Article Source: http://www.pedometerhk.com
Author: pedometerhk