Review by Sugi Sorensen for Timex Men’s T5H591 Ironman Traditional 30-Lap Watch
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Over the years I’ve owned several generations of Timex Ironman watches, along with other competitor’s sports watches. This is the best so far and it is a pleasure to see that Timex is constantly refining and improving the Ironman brand in small and very useful ways. Small but extremely useful improvements over the last Ironman watch I owned include:

- The Flix feature. This is very useful at night when you only have one hand available. Just activate the night mode, flick your wrist and the watch face illuminates for a few seconds.

- When you press the Indiglo button, the face stays lit for a few seconds instead of only as long as you hold the button. Subtle change but big help.

- When you press the Set button in any mode, helpful flashing icons appear which let you know which of the five buttons does what function (e.g. “+” to advance a number.) This pretty much eliminates ever needing to refer to the instruction manual.

- The wristband curves where it interfaces with the watch for a better fit around your wrist.

- The plastic loop which secures the un-notched portion of the band to the other half of the band has a notch which fits into a special hole in the free end of the band. This keeps the loose portion of the band secure around your wrist so that it never snags.

The continual evolution in features, rock solid reliability, and excellent value for price will keep me a loyal Ironman user in the future.

Review by James Koenig for Timex Men’s T5H591 Ironman Traditional 30-Lap Watch
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I have purchased many Timex watches over the years and I am entirely satisfied with this watch. I always buy the sports watch, as I swim and do triathlons.

Things I like about the watch:

*Setting the watch is easy and the instructions are clear (although the printed instructions are very small!)

* The watch is not too big. So many watches have too many features and they are large, bulky, and heavy. This watch is sleek, has a low profile, and has a size that is ideal for average needs.

* The numbers are big enough to see easily at a glance.

* There are enough useful options, and this watch is not overloaded with too many options. Too many options are confusing to me. I like the simplicity of this watch and the ease of use of the options it has.

* I like the plastic watch band. I have tried the velcro strap bands and they wear out after a year or so of use. The plastic band will eventually break, but is fairly easy to replace.

* I like the price. At less than 35 dollars I have everything I need in a watch.

* I like and use frequently the Indiglo feature. I have even used Indiglo to find my way to the bathroom at night from bed! The light on the dial is bright enough to make your way through the dark for a short trip!

Things I don’t like:

There is not much I don’t like about this Timex watch. I suppose my biggest complaint about this watch and any Timex watch is the difficulty in changing the battery. The battery will eventually need replacement, and of course one has to take off the back of the watch to replace the battery. This is tricky and takes a steady hand. I wish Timex would make the battery more accessible so changing the battery would be as easy as sliding one in or out of a hinged door (like on a hearing aid).

Obviously, there is much more to like about this watch than not like. I do recommend it for a good sport watch. It will withstand chlorine pools, lake water, rainfall, high and low temperatures, but be careful not to scratch the dial window! I scratched the main window crystal and ruined my last watch. Avoid spraying any kind of bug repellant on the window as well, as this can mar (dull) the surface.

For me, this watch meets all my needs and I give it a 5-star rating. My needs are faily simple. There are certainly other watches that offer more features, but to me, the added features add complexity and are not worth the added bother.

The price is good. The watch is good quality. This is a good buy.

Jim “Konedog” Koenig

Review by Stef Maruch for Timex Men’s T5H591 Ironman Traditional 30-Lap Watch
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I bought this watch 15 months ago and I’ve worn it daily and used it for lap swimming weekly. It has worked flawlessly. I frequently use the countdown timer, the 3 alarms, and the chrono (laps) feature. The features are relatively easy to use although sometimes I can’t remember which button does what.

Another reviewer said the watch buttons shouldn’t be pressed underwater, but I do that while lap swimming and the watch has given me no trouble.

A few days ago, the rubber retainer clip that notched into the wristband broke off. Yesterday, the wristband broke off at the point where it was buckled. Since the wristband is an integral part of the watch, this renders the watch unwearable. I guess 15 months of daily use out of a watch that cost less than $35 isn’t too shabby but I’m a bit frustrated that now I have this otherwise perfectly good watch I can’t wear any more.

Update, September 09: I bought a replacement for this watch in February 08. The strap just broke in the same place. So this time it lasted 18 months. Someone commented on my review that you can replace the watch strap but I couldn’t find any replacement on the timex web site.

Review by R. Bianco for Timex Men’s T5H581 Ironman Traditional 30-Lap Watch
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This is the best watch for the money. This is my 3rd Ironman 30 Lap. They are virtually indestructible. I only upgrade when the battery gets low after about 4 years. I’ve tried other watches for a few months between 30 laps, but can’t find anything I like as much and keep going back. Thinner than most. Forward and backward setting of times and alarms- you don’t have to go ‘around the horn’ to set your alarm for 10 minutes earlier. Great features, accurate, and tough.

Review by Jimbo for Timex Men’s T5H581 Ironman Traditional 30-Lap Watch
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It does what they say it will. The 3 time zones are very helpful when traveling. It keeps good time. I like the countdown function – helps to remind me when time is up. The Ironman logo on the glass is distracting, but this is the only thing I can complain about.

I have had several Ironman watches and I love them. The main downside has been the loop on the watchband. They always break and the end of the band sticks out. This has a different design for the loop, so hopefully it won’t break as quickly.

Update May09

Well, the loop on the band broke a couple months ago. I still love the watch, but hate the band on all the Timex Ironman plastic bands.