Salford University reviews Coxmate SX

Regarding the Coxmate cox box SX

My thoughts:
Service was really good, and arrived in good time. The package came with everything that was needed for the trail. Came with a laminated instruction book, however I though it lacked detail, and I was unsure of some of the ports, and the features of the cox box.

The screen was a good size and showed a lot of information which would be great to see how the crew progresses over a number of weeks, and can be used to diagnose problems in the boat. Initially we did keep the a standard cox box with us just in case there were any technical errors. I feel that more information would have enabled use to use the cox box to its full potential, as some of the calibrating could have been better conveyed.

I personally believe they the coxes preferred the to stay with the NK coxbox, as they were very familiar with the functions, and can easily set the functions within seconds on the water, as they struggled with the features.

The battery life was good however as there are more functions and screen space, it would be expected to run out of batter faster than conventional cox boxes. I think the coxbox would be best suited for a bow loader, as the screen is easier to see, and the location of the wires makes it easier in a bow loader.

Coaches thoughts

Was impressed at the speed, as prior a Garmin gps watch was used in order to calculate the speed, retrospectively. With a read out on the screen, instant feedback could be relayed back to the coach in real time, in order to see where speed could be found, instead of waiting after the session to find out speed etc.

The coxbox also showed features such as bounce, with was good with the novices.

Coxes thoughts

They would have preferred more information about the cox boxe as they are used to the simple features of the NK cox boxes,.

The cox box was used in all outings over the two week period with a standard NK coxbox also just in case. The location of the input ports could do with re thinking as in an VIII the feet position had to be moved in order to accommodate the wires.

The coxes weren’t really a fan of the attachment of the cox box. The high density foam which fitted into the the (hole usually used for an NK cox box) was a good idea, however during race pieces the magnets failed to keep the cox box in place. They thought a more secure connection was needed, such as hook and loop, or was screwed into a piece of wood.

The head set microphone was good, and could be changed to accommodate different coxes more easily, and could be pointed in a way to negate the effects of wind and rain.