Heads up! Here’s your massive list of sports tech deals! This includes the Garmin Forerunner 965 for just $499, Garmin Epix for $449, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 Black Titanium for $735, the GoPro Hero 12 Black for $299, and plenty more! Go check out the full list here!
I’m DC RAINMAKER…
Here’s how to save!
Wanna save some cash and support the site? These companies help support the site! With Backcountry.com or Competitive Cyclist with either the coupon code DCRAINMAKER for first time users saving 15% on applicable products.
You can also pick-up tons of gear at REI via these links, which is a long-time supporter as well:
Alternatively, for everything else on the planet, simply buy your goods from Amazon via the link below and I get a tiny bit back as an Amazon Associate. No cost to you, easy as pie!
You can use the above link for any Amazon country and it (should) automatically redirect to your local Amazon site.
-
Check out my weekly podcast - with DesFit, which is packed with both gadget and non-gadget goodness!
-
5 Easy Steps To The Site
1
In Depth Product Reviews
You probably stumbled upon here looking for a review of a sports gadget. If you’re trying to decide which unit to buy – check out my in-depth reviews section. Some reviews are over 60 pages long when printed out, with hundreds of photos! I aim to leave no stone unturned.
2
Read My Sports Gadget Recommendations.
Here’s my most recent GPS watch guide here, and cycling GPS computers here. Plus there are smart trainers here, all in these guides cover almost every category of sports gadgets out there. Looking for the equipment I use day-to-day? I also just put together my complete ‘Gear I Use’ equipment list, from swim to bike to run and everything in between (plus a few extra things). And to compliment that, here’s The Girl’s (my wife’s) list. Enjoy, and thanks for stopping by!
3
Have some fun in the travel section.
I travel a fair bit, both for work and for fun. Here’s a bunch of random trip reports and daily trip-logs that I’ve put together and posted. I’ve sorted it all by world geography, in an attempt to make it easy to figure out where I’ve been.
4
My Photography Gear: The Cameras/Drones/Action Cams I Use Daily
The most common question I receive outside of the “what’s the best GPS watch for me” variant, are photography-esq based. So in efforts to combat the amount of emails I need to sort through on a daily basis, I’ve complied this “My Photography Gear” post for your curious minds (including drones & action cams!)! It’s a nice break from the day-to-day sports-tech talk, and I hope you get something out of it!
5
The Swim/Bike/Run Gear I Use List
Many readers stumble into my website in search of information on the latest and greatest sports tech products. But at the end of the day, you might just be wondering “What does Ray use when not testing new products?”. So here is the most up to date list of products I like and fit the bill for me and my training needs best! DC Rainmaker 2023 swim, bike, run, and general gear list. But wait, are you a female and feel like these things might not apply to you? If that’s the case (but certainly not saying my choices aren’t good for women), and you just want to see a different gear junkies “picks”, check out The Girl’s Gear Guide too.
But what does it do?
Yeah, I was waiting for the part that explained it a little more. I mean, did functionality change from the original post? Is it better/worse?
What Eric said
As mentioned in the post link to indiegogo.com seems to explain it
And the link to Ray’s original article: link to dcrainmaker.com
Hey Ray just hoping the girl and your friends are safe back at home. Let us know.
Important fact: socks only last for 35 washes and then you need to buy new ones. Pretty useless, would have been better to have a way of having separate sensor.
Or just stop washing your socks?
According to their FAQ they’ll last at least 45 washes, but that’s still not much. They’re not cheap either. Additional socks are $49 for 2 pairs. I’d need at least 6 pairs minimum to get through a laundry cycle in my house which would be an initial cost of $250 and another $100 about every year. no thanks
Seems like they’d be better off designing an insole cover with a strap to your ankle for the main unit. That way it would fit various sizes and not require frequent washing.
I wonder if the sock has been washed after every race for 45 times (i.e. 1 race, 1 washing) or just washed 45 times.
We must take into account that the textile sensor with the movement of the foot during race is subject to wear out, so I think that 45 (or 35…) is a very generous number.
I agree that the fact that u have to replace socks so often is a downer. I wounder If the same consent would work with something like a shoe insert. Of course here u have to worry about the number of different sizes of inserts u have to produce, but this way u definitely get a lot more user time vs 35 washes.
Shoe insert you say? link to kickstarter.com
I didn’t back that one, I did back sensoria and runscribe. The limited number of washes makes me think the socks backing may have been a waste but guess I’ll see, runscribe looks more promising.
The whole “special sock” bit has always been a non-starter for me. I’d be interested to see if RunScribe (another foot-based running metrics wearable – closer to a foot pod) is at CES…..Ray?
Sadly, I don’t see RunScribe on the vendor list.
Combine this with “mop a sock” and then have something here.
Sadly, they appear to be lagging in shipments. I ordered a set in September, last received an email from them in November, and still have not received the socks. Good, bad, or otherwise, they got my cash but I have not received their product.
Still waiting on my socks as well. But I think some of you are expecting that you would wear the sock 100% of the time. And I guess you could, but IIRC it was meant more to be used every so often to check/evaluate. At least that was how I plan on using it.
Socks arrived! Now on to use. Here is what I have noticed so far. The app displays Calories, Distance, Pace, Speed, Ascent, Descent, Altitude, Foot Landing (Heel or Ball of the Foot), Foot Contact Duration, Steps, and Cadence.
The sock mounted transmitter doesn’t have an on-off switch and appears to draw a fair amount of power. Like the Garmin 405, the transmitter runs out of charge quickly — in my case, within 24 hours. Therefore, it needs to be charged prior to every run.
Second, the pressure sensors appear to be quite rudimentary and limited in number — there are three sensors (one under the heel, and two up front under the left and right side of the ball of the foot). The app displays which end of the foot the runner lands on with each step — ball or heel. In theory that sounds interesting, but in practice for most runners it will translate into “heel”; in fact, even on a long run, almost 100% heel. There are no incremental pressure metrics, or distribution between front and back or left and right. No way to see how much of the landing is on the heel vs the ball for mid-foot runners, how quickly the runner rolls onto the ball, nor pressure distribution between the inside and outside of the foot. In addition, there is no way to compare the pressure on the left foot to the right foot (relevant after injuries or those with one longer leg). So, for those with the newer Garmin heart monitor that tracks running efficiency, the socks bring little to the data party.
Have you imported or uploaded the data collected by the app to their website? I am thinking we’ll get better metrics that way. I got my socks as well, but had to go out of town and wasn’t able to do any testing. Also just a note for Android users the app needs to come off Sensoria’s website as it is not on the Google Play store yet.
Hmmm, I could have sworn they had a website to go along with the app. Guess not :(
All I see is link to help.sensoriafitness.com
Tried mine out yesterday, the Android app was not working correctly so it did not save any useful data. But even if it did I’m pretty underwhelmed so far.
Ray, I do have an extra pair of unused socks I’d be willing to loan you to do one of your full on tests of the setup if you want.
Just tried mine out yesterday (stress fracture kept me from using it earlier), the metronome worked well but the other feedback I got didn’t seem to work. Seems like if the socks are left right specific the wiring could be done in a way that you don’t have to care which unit is for which leg.
Hi there. I’m Paolo from the Sensoria team and i would like to address few concerns/issue related the Sensoria smart Socks.
First of all thank you all for your question and interest on our product.
Since January the washability has consistently improved. As today we guarantee 60 washing cycles, however our tests results seems very promising and that number could be higher. Therefore let’s suppose that you run one washing machine a week and run 4 time a week. By buying a Bundle plus an additional pair of smart socks (total cost $248), you should be fine for 15 months more or less. Of course is very important a little bit of extra care by following the washing recommendation.
Moreover the the Sensoria socks are technical running socks made 100% in USA.
We do apologize for the ones that have been waiting more than expected to receive their socks. However as today each one of our backers that have confirmed their address have received their order.
Most of the issues reported were due firmware/software issues. Now most of them have been fixed (battery life, connectivity, data visualization,virtual coach feedback notifications, data accuracy). Mobile app bugs for both iOS and Android are now minimal and we continiuosly work to fix them all.
In few weeks we will release new features in the app based on customer feedback and technology improvements.
If you have any questions feel free to email us at customerservice@sensoriainc.com .