Garmin ... Suggest!
BabyLovesToRun
Posts: 120 Member
Looking into getting a Garmin for my running adventures, rather than strapping my phone to my arm. Just wondering what everyone thinks of them? Which one do you have, any pros/cons with it?
Does anyone have a Garmin with a Foot Pod? Just wondering how it works on the indoor aspect ... just encase, ya know, we get a foot of snow and I decide to take my run to doing circles on the basement pavement.
Does anyone have a Garmin with a Foot Pod? Just wondering how it works on the indoor aspect ... just encase, ya know, we get a foot of snow and I decide to take my run to doing circles on the basement pavement.
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I have the garmin forerunner 210. I think they are replacing that with something else or I could be getting that mixed up with another one. At any rate I love mine. I had the 305 but replaced that with the 210 because it went all crazy and crapped out.
The only thing I don't like about the 210 is the way it charges. You have to be very mindful about making sure the connection is totally correct or it will not connect. I had a minor meltdown one race weekend but luckily the garmin people were at the expo and helped me out and told me the little hints about hearing the clicking sound to ensure it is connected and charging correctly.0 -
Following asking the same question myself I ended up with a Forerunner 310XT, which does me for running and cycling. The suggestion was to read some of the reviews at dcrainmaker.com, which is well worth it.
For me, it gives me a lot of value in terms of understanding my improvement, particularly when coupled with heart rate development.
That said, I'm not keen on the Connect platform, so export my data to Strava and Endomondo for analysis.0 -
I have a Forerunner 220, and I absolutely love it. It's cool looking, charges quickly, maintains a charge for 5+ hours (made it through my whole 4:40+ marathon with battery to spare), and it is very accurate. I upgraded from a Forerunner 405 (the one with the touch bezel) last summer and this one is definitely a zillion times better. Whatever you do, don't get a used 405 because the touch bezel is awful. I would get sweat or rain on mine, and it would beep incessantly and flash between screens and drive me crazy for the rest of the run. You most definitely want one with old school buttons, and I think those are the only type that Garmin manufactures currently.
Overall, a GPS watch is going to be more accurate than a phone, and the battery will last longer as well. However, I do run with my phone, usually in a zip pocket or spibelt, just for emergencies. But it's so nice not to have it hanging on your arm and weighing you down all lopsided-like!
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kristinegift wrote: »I have a Forerunner 220, and I absolutely love it. It's cool looking, charges quickly, maintains a charge for 5+ hours (made it through my whole 4:40+ marathon with battery to spare), and it is very accurate. I upgraded from a Forerunner 405 (the one with the touch bezel) last summer and this one is definitely a zillion times better. Whatever you do, don't get a used 405 because the touch bezel is awful. I would get sweat or rain on mine, and it would beep incessantly and flash between screens and drive me crazy for the rest of the run. You most definitely want one with old school buttons, and I think those are the only type that Garmin manufactures currently.
Overall, a GPS watch is going to be more accurate than a phone, and the battery will last longer as well. However, I do run with my phone, usually in a zip pocket or spibelt, just for emergencies. But it's so nice not to have it hanging on your arm and weighing you down all lopsided-like!
My husband had that it and he hated it from the minute he got it. I swear I am surprised it made it home from one of his runs.
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I upgraded from the Forerunner 10 to the 220--got the 220 for my birthday and gave the 10 to the giver, my mommy. I also got Mr. Catastrophe the 15. Here's a basic rundown:
The FR10 is the most basic. It displays two figures at once, like time, distance, pace. It takes a little while to acquire the satellite connection at the beginning of your run, and it won't even start the clock without acquiring the connection. (This is kinda a drag.) It claims a battery life of "up to" 5 hours. Practically, mine never lasted 4. (This is why I upgraded.) The "small" option looks relatively normal on my ridiculously tiny wrists.
The FR15 is a lot like the 10. It has a longer battery life. Its big selling point is that it can also be used as a basic activity tracker--counting steps per day.
The FR220 is a runner's watch. It has an internal accelerometer for indoor use, so you don't actually need the footpod! (Although you can if you want--I have one. The watch acquires the footpod connection automatically). You just have to make sure to disable GPS hookup at the beginning of your run. (You hit the "up" button from the home screen.)
It displays three statistics at once, and has more options than the FR10, like lap pace, average pace so far, and so forth. (Or at least, I never used this on my 10, although it may have them). It "remembers" satellite pickup, so is SOOO much faster than the 10. It will also start going even as it's locating the satellite, which is convenient.
It has a couple of really cool programmable workout features--you can set it to alert you (vibrate and beep) at certain distances or times for intervals and other speedwork. It's bigger than the 10, but not terrible. (Like I absolutely cannot wear the 910/920 triathlon watches. Really, really uncomfortable on my wrists.)
It will also start and stop automatically if you have to stop at traffic lights and so forth. This is a big bonus for me, because I am *terrible* at remembering.
If you want super in-depth reviews, check out dcrainmaker.com!0 -
kristinegift wrote: »I have a Forerunner 220, and I absolutely love it. It's cool looking, charges quickly, maintains a charge for 5+ hours (made it through my whole 4:40+ marathon with battery to spare), and it is very accurate. I upgraded from a Forerunner 405 (the one with the touch bezel) last summer and this one is definitely a zillion times better. Whatever you do, don't get a used 405 because the touch bezel is awful. I would get sweat or rain on mine, and it would beep incessantly and flash between screens and drive me crazy for the rest of the run. You most definitely want one with old school buttons, and I think those are the only type that Garmin manufactures currently.
Overall, a GPS watch is going to be more accurate than a phone, and the battery will last longer as well. However, I do run with my phone, usually in a zip pocket or spibelt, just for emergencies. But it's so nice not to have it hanging on your arm and weighing you down all lopsided-like!
I had the 405 and had the same rain/swear problem. I asked a few other people and they didn't seem to have that. I still liked the watch, it just wasn't my favourite.
OP - I am on Garmin #4 and I love them (one lost to puppy teeth, one lost at a race and just upgraded my second hand one I had bought. This is over the course of 10 years). The phone GPS is doable but the dedicated watch is so much nicer.
Currently I am using the 920xt. It's a bit of overkill for someone just looking for a running watch but I completely love it.
I also second Dcrainmaker site for reviews.0 -
I have the Garmin Forerunner 310XT, upgraded from the Forerunner 301. Love(d) both. But I'm a data geek, so live for stats. I used mine indoors when I'm on the treadmill by turning off the GPS. I want the latest 920XT as I heard it has extra features like cadence, which sounds very cool. But I will wait until mine starts to do whacky things. I think my first one lasted about 6 years before it started to act up a little. I've had the 310XT for about two years. I have had to replace the chest strap on both, but I sweat a lot and it's only $35.0
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I have the Forerunner 410. I stopped using the HRM long ago, April marks 3 years with it. I have the foot pod, I love that.
the 410 is discontinued now. I hate the bezel so much since it flips between screens and more recently, other menus.0 -
Thanks for the input everyone, much appreciated! I think I've narrowed it down to which one the hubs can get me for my birthday in a few weeks
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I've got the 310XT. Low price for the value. I like that it is multisport compatible - particularly swimming. It has a long battery life, and so far has held up well.0
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920XT is super expensive but oh-so-nice! It's weighs much less than previous version and they've really worked out a lot of the little issues we've seen in the past:
- Buttons are large and only depress when you want them to
- Buttons are easy to feel without looking at your wrist
- The charging dock has a solid connection - the old cables used to stop charging if your watch wasn't at exactly the right angle
- USB and WiFi options for syncing -- no more praying the watch notices your ANT stick...and no more searching for the ANT stick which looks suspiciously like a normal thumbdrive!
- Setting up custom screens and workouts is SUPER easy
- The chest strap HRM has an accelerometer built into it. I did several treadmill runs using this watch and HRM while visiting MN this winter - after correcting the distance on the first run, all subsequent workouts were clocked within .02 mile accuracy. Can't say I've tried the foot pod with it, though.
I'm pretty much in love with this new watch. The only issues I've had are with Garmin Connect and I'm thinking that's not so much a hardware problem...0 -
For all the reason above I really want the 920XT......but bloody hell it's expensive. Whilst I wait for the price to drop I will keep going with my 310XT. That is a great watch and it has most of the features of the 920 for a fraction of price since it is a last-generation product.
Some great positives with this watch and I think everyone probably has their own list based on their needs. For me the top ones are:
- you can configure a number of different screens that you can scroll through depending on your workout preferences with up to 4 items displayed at once. I LOVE this and wouldn't choose a watch that didnt allow me to see at a glance my Average Pace, Current Pace, Heart rate % of max and distance travelled.
- battery life is superb. I don't know how often I charge my watch but I think it's about once every 2 weeks - even during marathon training where I was doing 30-40 miles a week.
- ability to do interval workouts customised to your requirements for the interval, rest and warm up, cool down
- ability to do multiple sports
The main negatives of the 310 would be the size compared to the newer watches and the struggle I sometimes have grabbing a satellite when travelling overseas.
Size - you get used to this in about 30 minutes and it never again seems large. It's just normal. I really wouldn't let the size put you off.
Satellite caching - If you travel overseas a lot this can be a pain in the bum. The trick to prevent yourself standing outside a hotel waiting 20 minutes for it to figure out you aren't at home anymore is to switch your watch on when you get into the taxi from the airport and let it figure itself out whilst you relax.
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For all the reason above I really want the 920XT......but bloody hell it's expensive. Whilst I wait for the price to drop I will keep going with my 310XT. That is a great watch and it has most of the features of the 920 for a fraction of price since it is a last-generation product.
Some great positives with this watch and I think everyone probably has their own list based on their needs. For me the top ones are:
- you can configure a number of different screens that you can scroll through depending on your workout preferences with up to 4 items displayed at once. I LOVE this and wouldn't choose a watch that didnt allow me to see at a glance my Average Pace, Current Pace, Heart rate % of max and distance travelled.
- battery life is superb. I don't know how often I charge my watch but I think it's about once every 2 weeks - even during marathon training where I was doing 30-40 miles a week.
- ability to do interval workouts customised to your requirements for the interval, rest and warm up, cool down
- ability to do multiple sports
The main negatives of the 310 would be the size compared to the newer watches and the struggle I sometimes have grabbing a satellite when travelling overseas.
Size - you get used to this in about 30 minutes and it never again seems large. It's just normal. I really wouldn't let the size put you off.
Satellite caching - If you travel overseas a lot this can be a pain in the bum. The trick to prevent yourself standing outside a hotel waiting 20 minutes for it to figure out you aren't at home anymore is to switch your watch on when you get into the taxi from the airport and let it figure itself out whilst you relax.
I like mine as well. The size, for me, was a deliberate choice. I can see the readout without my glasses. LOL.
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Another vote for the 310XT here. I wish I had just gotten it to start with instead of the 210. I use it with a foot pod and an optical HRM (no more chest strap), it works great, no issues for me. The only issues I have are with the Garmin Connect software, but that's a different story. You do need to calibrate the foot pod but it seems to be pretty accurate for indoor use once you do.0
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I have the 610 and I like it when it works. I believe there was a time zone update that messed the whole world up but I've found workarounds and am able to use it again for more than 2 miles..... yay. I suggest staying away from the 610 for now.0
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That's my watch. Pros - Everything that Kristine mentioned. Cons- I never need to carry my phone and occasionally I want to take a cool sunrise picture.kristinegift wrote: »I have a Forerunner 220, and I absolutely love it.
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Another vote for the 310XT here. I wish I had just gotten it to start with instead of the 210. I use it with a foot pod and an optical HRM (no more chest strap), it works great, no issues for me. The only issues I have are with the Garmin Connect software, but that's a different story. You do need to calibrate the foot pod but it seems to be pretty accurate for indoor use once you do.
Tell me more about the optical HRM (please) - sounds interesting.......
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I got the "Scosche Rhythm+", it goes on your forearm and is Ant+ so it pairs with the Garmin fine, and it doesn't seem to be affected by things like static, and it doesn't need to be wet to work. It's also rechargeable and supposedly lasts 8 hours on a charge. More info here: http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2014/05/scosche-antbluetooth-optical.html
The company's service seems good, once you get someone on the phone at least... don't bother emailing! They replaced my first unit quickly (problem with calorie burn calculations, older firmware, would say I burned 17 calories or something after a run) and also replaced a charger for free when the contacts got stuck. Mio makes one too, but I'm not familiar with it.... same kind of thing though. I hated the chest straps, they never seemed to work consistently, and I have 4 or 5 of them. The ONLY issue I have is that it sometimes reads my cadence as my heart rate when first starting out, so it will say 175 for a bit, for example. The chest strap was way worse as far as random spikes go though.0 -
thanks Chris0
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Yay, hubby got me the 220 for my Birthday! So far I love it. It's about 1/2 off on the indoor track, but I read where I need to calibrate it outdoors a few times via GPS to fix that. With all of this snow .... that's a bit difficult right now. Would much rather be able to run than be laid up with a broken ankle, so, the trail needs to melt about 3 more inches of snow/ice, I can still run on top of 2" LOL
Anyhow, if anyone wants to add me to Garmin Connect my info is Username ABell10910 or Email HoneysuckleRains@yahoo.com. Would be nice to have some connections on there to follow!0 -
I've a 910xt and it's good. Probably far too much for what I need - though the swimming does come in handy.
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If I didn't do triathlons I would go with the 220.0 -
I got the 920 for myself after reading the reviews by DCRainmaker. It's awesome and knowing all my stats keeps me motivated. If you go to DCRainmaker website, he has a link to clever training.com. Join the vip club for $5 then you get 10% off your first purchase. Plus this website charges no tax so it's like saving another 9%0
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I added you on Garmin Connect.AmyMarie10910 wrote: »Yay, hubby got me the 220 for my Birthday! So far I love it. It's about 1/2 off on the indoor track, but I read where I need to calibrate it outdoors a few times via GPS to fix that. With all of this snow .... that's a bit difficult right now. Would much rather be able to run than be laid up with a broken ankle, so, the trail needs to melt about 3 more inches of snow/ice, I can still run on top of 2" LOL
Anyhow, if anyone wants to add me to Garmin Connect my info is Username ABell10910 or Email HoneysuckleRains@yahoo.com. Would be nice to have some connections on there to follow!0 -
AmyMarie10910 wrote: »Yay, hubby got me the 220 for my Birthday! So far I love it. It's about 1/2 off on the indoor track, but I read where I need to calibrate it outdoors a few times via GPS to fix that. With all of this snow .... that's a bit difficult right now. Would much rather be able to run than be laid up with a broken ankle, so, the trail needs to melt about 3 more inches of snow/ice, I can still run on top of 2" LOL
Anyhow, if anyone wants to add me to Garmin Connect my info is Username ABell10910 or Email HoneysuckleRains@yahoo.com. Would be nice to have some connections on there to follow!
I've already added you on GC, but I know you'll be happy with the FR220! Congrats! That's what I had before I upgraded to the 920XT and I loved it 0 -
I have the 15...but now i'm a little sad I don't have the 220...i'm so cheap....
I'm veganbettie on there as well if anyone wants to add me i'd love the connections. 0
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