garmin indecision

mbaker566

My vivosmart HR is starting to not hold a charge for more than 24 hours. I've updated everything i can and no luck
so i'm looking at getting another Garmin product.
I'm cannot decide though. I've been looking at the vivosport, vivoactive, or the forerunner 235
i'm mostly a runner-trail and road
i wear it all day to track steps, HR, sleep
working my way up to a marathon and eyeing ultras
i do some hiking at the state parks (WI)
i plan on camping/hiking/trail running vacations in the next year or so.
i use the smart notifications

Do you have one? did you think about buying one and decide on the other? what was the deciding factor for you?

ladyflash20

I have the vivoactive3 and love it. I upgraded from the 2 because I wanted to be able to program workouts. I use GPS tracking for running, hiking, walking and biking, all day HR, steps, sleep, alarms, and smart notifications. Check out https://www.dcrainmaker.com/product-reviews for in-depth reviews of all kinds of wearables.

NorthCascades

Forerunner for the running features.

mbaker566

@NorthCascades they all have running features. is there one or a few features that you specifically found not on the "smart" products
@ladyflash20 i've read all the reviews and comparisons and still have found myself indecisive

jjpptt2

In GPS tracking/training mode, is there a meaningful difference in battery life between the devices you are considering? My old garmin wouldn't last the duration of some of my longer races (6+ hours). That was a key factor in my decision-making when I bought a new one.

That may or may not be a big deal to you now, but based on your goals, it could be at some point.

mbaker566

@jjpptt2
w/gps
the active 13, sport 8, forerunner 11 which i found surprising

smart
the active 7, sport 7, forerunner 9

also satellite connect times-i don't remember which review i read said that
active was fastest, then forerunner, then sport

i'm not looking at the active with music. i don't have bluetooth headphones and i don't run with music anyways

ritzvin

mbaker566 wrote: »

My vivosmart HR is starting to not hold a charge for more than 24 hours. I've updated everything i can and no luck
so i'm looking at getting another Garmin product.
I'm cannot decide though. I've been looking at the vivosport, vivoactive, or the forerunner 235
i'm mostly a runner-trail and road
i wear it all day to track steps, HR, sleep
working my way up to a marathon and eyeing ultras
i do some hiking at the state parks (WI)
i plan on camping/hiking/trail running vacations in the next year or so.
i use the smart notifications

Do you have one? did you think about buying one and decide on the other? what was the deciding factor for you?

for the ultras and camping, be mindful of battery life. (I know that when I bought mine, the triathlon and Fenix models had way, way, way longer listed battery life than the cheaper Forerunner series watches - those potentially would not last a full ultra or day of backpacking).

ritzvin

jjpptt2 wrote: »

In GPS tracking/training mode, is there a meaningful difference in battery life between the devices you are considering? My old garmin wouldn't last the duration of some of my longer races (6+ hours). That was a key factor in my decision-making when I bought a new one.
.

ditto.

TavistockToad

Have you looked at the size of the 235?

I have the 225 and while its perfect for running, i love it, i wont wear it as an activity tracker as its ginormous on my wrist.

ritzvin

TavistockToad wrote: »

Have you looked at the size of the 235?

I have the 225 and while its perfect for running, i love it, i wont wear it as an activity tracker as its ginormous on my wrist.

Yes. I get constant comments on the giant 920 on my little wrist.

mbaker566

@TavistockToad hmm, i hadn't really thought of that. 235 is 45mm in diameter, the active is only a bit smaller 43.4mm

jjpptt2

mbaker566 wrote: »

@TavistockToad hmm, i hadn't really thought of that. 235 is 45mm in diameter, the active is only a bit smaller 43.4mm

45mm is big. I'm a watch guy and wear a watch every day. I've got one that is 45mm and it's big, but not obnoxious, on me. 43mm is noticeably and meaningfully smaller. It may not seem like a big difference, but it could wear/feel/seem significantly smaller.

spiriteagle99

I have a Forerunner 35 and it does fit my wrist well, so I can wear it as my every day watch as well as my running watch. However, it wouldn't last long enough for all day hikes or ultras. it is supposed to have 12 hours of battery life, but I found with the 25 that they exaggerate the duration. With the 25 my 7 hour battery died after 4.25 hours.

AnvilHead

mbaker566 wrote: »

My vivosmart HR is starting to not hold a charge for more than 24 hours. I've updated everything i can and no luck
so i'm looking at getting another Garmin product.
I'm cannot decide though. I've been looking at the vivosport, vivoactive, or the forerunner 235
i'm mostly a runner-trail and road
i wear it all day to track steps, HR, sleep
working my way up to a marathon and eyeing ultras
i do some hiking at the state parks (WI)
i plan on camping/hiking/trail running vacations in the next year or so.
i use the smart notifications

Do you have one? did you think about buying one and decide on the other? what was the deciding factor for you?

If you haven't already, you may find it helpful to go to dcrainmaker's site (dcrainmaker.com) and read his reviews of each of the devices you're considering. He does the most thorough reviews I've ever seen anywhere.

mbaker566

3rd post, yes, i've read dc's, and wareables, and all other reviews in the first few pages of my google search

i don't think i want the 235 because there isn't a barometer thingy. and that is kinda important

MeanderingMammal

mbaker566 wrote: »

i don't think i want the 235 because there isn't a barometer thingy. and that is kinda important

What makes you say that barometric altimetry is important?

Tacklewasher

mbaker566 wrote: »

3rd post, yes, i've read dc's, and wareables, and all other reviews in the first few pages of my google search

i don't think i want the 235 because there isn't a barometer thingy. and that is kinda important

I've got a Fenix 3HR. Kinda big as well, but suits me fine.

But I notice from the Garmin forums that the barometer can have issues. I've not really needed it, so I've not seen what the issues are.

What is your need for the barometer?

AnnPT77

I have a Vivoactive 3, but I've only had it for a couple of weeks, and it's my first pseudo-comprehensive fitness tracker, so I doubt I can say anything helpful (not that that will stop me rattling on). (I've used a Polar chest-strap plus watch HRM for years (it died recently), and a very old Garmin Forerunner to record distance/speed/pace kind of data, both of them mainly for training guidance/motivation, used only during relevant activities.)

I like wearing a watch (I'm old ), and the Vivo is smaller than the sport watch it replaced. I use an Ant+ chest strap HRM for workouts, having read that the wrist-based monitor does a patchy job with on-water rowing (my main thing) - I think maybe the amount of arm action is disruptive to the wrist-based HRM?

Appearance-wise, it's OK, but I may be saying this because I'm used to a larger watch, I do have big hands/wrists, and it has a very simple, clean design that makes it visually less imposing IMO. It doesn't scream "fitness device" (I don't know if that's a pro or a con).

As a long-term techie by career, I kind of understand the limitations of these things, so my expectations are pretty low. I'm getting heart rate results pretty consistent with what I saw with the Polar, which I'd occasionally wear for longer periods just for funsies, to see what my heart rate did in normal activities. HR results for workouts are consistent. Resting rate is consistent. Etc.

I've used it alongside the Forerunner on quite a few rows already, and am seeing fairly comparable pace/distance/speed results. (I attach the Forerunner to the boat, not my arm.) To the extent there are differences, I think I can attribute them to the way I used auto-pause on the Forerunner. The maps look sensible, but rivers are kind of GPS-friendly open areas. The miscellaneous data it estimates for rowing (like strokes per minute, stroke length, etc.) can be . . . imaginative, occasionally. On at least one occasion, I've notice odd few-bpm differences between my activity maxHR and my all-day maxHR (activity max > daily max!) which I assume might have something to do with the sampling frequency intra-activity vs. routine sampling. NBD, but odd.

Satellite connect time for GPS so far has been very good - few seconds (better than the old Forerunner by a lot). I've found I need to consciously make sure the watch acquires the Ant+ HRM signal, by the way. It happens fast, but happens more reliably if I'm attentive about it.

I've only used it to track one exercise-type walk at around 4mph (wanted to set the VO2max estimate), and that, too, produced data pretty consistent with the Forerunner. (I don't/can't run.)

I have absolutely zero confidence in the sleep tracking. It has seemingly missed awake periods in the night when I literally got up and walked around (albeit briefly), and once showed me in REM sleep when I was awake in bed and texting (I have the timestamps to prove it ). From what I've read, sleep tracking with any of these devices is iffy, but it's not something I care deeply about so I haven't gone out of my way to research. I already know I sleep for cr*p.

As far as battery life, I'm finding it gets through a day/night and maybe one (1-1.5hr) activity on about 25% of its charge (while brand new ). I haven't run it down much below 75% so far before charging, which is very quick - haven't timed it, but putting it on the charger when I get in the shower usually gets it from maybe 85% to full by the time I'm done. The special charger connection to the watch is a little touchy (easy to knock loose). I haven't tried charging it from a power pack, but it's a standard USB on the other end, so I don't see why not. (Not an option for ultras, could work for hiking/camping.)

Steps tracking may be OK, but that's hard to evaluate because it's my first step tracker. The differences between a walk-y and non-walk-y day seem reasonably proportionate, subjectively. I'm underwhelmed by the stairs tracking. My living areas are on the 2nd floor (full flight), so I'm up and down stairs several times a day, plus tend to take stairs in buildings. So far, it has rarely registered more than a couple or three flights all day, and usually a materially different number of up flights vs. down flights, which is Just Wrong.

Sorry for the ramble, that's all I've got, unless you have a question.

fishgutzy

I held off buying any device for years.
When I finally did, i jumped in the deep end and got the FENIX 5X.
As much as i swim, i needed rugged abd waterproof. Many of the cheaper ones are neither.
Fortunately there are choices to suit just about every need and budget.

scorpio516

If you are a runner, get a Forerunner 230.

Does everything you need and nothing you don't. 645 is probably overkill if your asking the question

jjpptt2

scorpio516 wrote: »

If you are a runner, get a Forerunner 230.

Does everything you need and nothing you don't. 645 is probably overkill if your asking the question

Isn't "overkill" a synonym for "perfect"?

TavistockToad

jjpptt2 wrote: »

scorpio516 wrote: »

If you are a runner, get a Forerunner 230.

Does everything you need and nothing you don't. 645 is probably overkill if your asking the question

Isn't "overkill" a synonym for "perfect"?

i like you....

mbaker566

the 235 does not have Barometric altimeter

(i already have the smart hr+)

jjpptt2

mbaker566 wrote: »

the 235 does not have Barometric altimeter

(i already have the smart hr+)

Does that really matter, or are you overanalyzing?

solieco1

I have a Garmin Fenix 5s and love it!

ritzvin

Main issue with the 235 for the OP will probably be the battery life (it's on the low side for someone planning to do ultras/backpacking). Not sure the altimeter will be too useful in most of Wisconsin.

mbaker566

since the halfs i do usually involve a lot of elevation change, i like to train with it. scuppernong blue trail and lampham black, nashotah, high cliff, devils lake all are hilly and challenging. plus i don't stay in WI and am usually in the mtns in the nw. one of my dreams is to do the columbia gorge dog leg and to do moab races

so, yeah, it's kinda important

mbaker566

i've heard good things about the fenix but it's not in the top three as it is way out of my budget @solieco1

jjpptt2

mbaker566 wrote: »

since the halfs i do usually involve a lot of elevation change, i like to train with it. scuppernong blue trail and lampham black, nashotah, high cliff, devils lake all are hilly and challenging. plus i don't stay in WI and am usually in the mtns in the nw. one of my dreams is to do the columbia gorge dog leg and to do moab races

so, yeah, it's kinda important

It'll still track elevation changes with the GPS/satelite signal. I've seen some debate about which is more reliable, but nothing overly conclusive (to me).

jjpptt2

Just to come at this from a different angle...

What about buying the cheapest one that meets your needs right now, then buying something more suited to marathons and, more aptly, ultras if/when you get to that point?

mbaker566

i'm in the process now of the marathon training and it would look like i'm looking at 5ish hours
we have ultras in spring and fall in my area
i would like to be doing the fall ones next year.
the sport is the cheapest, but the active has the best battery life and can help with a little bit more customization for workouts.
i do also teach yoga so it would be nice to track that too. active does that i think
the sport would really be the bare minimum, active gives me a little room to grow. FR235 seems nice but for the same price i can get more battery life with the active. the FR has more training aspects but i don't know if i'm that technical.

at this point i'm leaning at the active