Running Watch

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lisawilkes20
lisawilkes20 Posts: 138 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
For the runners on here. Which do people prefer, Garmin Frontrunner 235 or Garmin Frontrunner 625 or TomTom??
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  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    Key questions become around how much running you do, and what other sports.

    Personally I'd suggest the 235 as a reasonably priced, good watch. The 630 doesn't bring a huge amount more to the event.
  • lisawilkes20
    lisawilkes20 Posts: 138 Member
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    I'm new to running, started a beginners class last May, so I dont need an all singing & dancing watch. I bought a tracker watch not realising I needed GPS which it does'nt have, so I take my mobile out with me, which I would prefer not to do. I'm with a group of runners not alone so I dont need my mobile on me really. Thanks for reply
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
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    Personally I run marathons and ultras with a Forerunner 310xt, about £90.

    Perfectly adequate
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    I have the 225, which I love
  • lisawilkes20
    lisawilkes20 Posts: 138 Member
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    MeanderingMammal wrote: »
    Personally I run marathons and ultras with a Forerunner 310xt, about £90.

    Perfectly adequate

    Great! Thanks.
    I wish I could run alone, as I'm finding it hard to be motivated with the dark cold nights, but I could find time during the day, but I just seem to give up with no one to chat to
  • lisawilkes20
    lisawilkes20 Posts: 138 Member
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    TavistockToad wrote: »
    I have the 225, which I love

    Great. Thanks for that
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
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    I'd be inclined to think the 625 may be a bit of overkill unless you're a serious data wonk (it tracks metric that would really be of interest to really competitive runners)

    Personally I'd probably get the 230 over the 235 as I don't mind chest straps but the reviews on the 235 are pretty solid too...

    https://dcrainmaker.com/2015/11/garmin-fr230-fr235-review.html
  • lisawilkes20
    lisawilkes20 Posts: 138 Member
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    BrianSharpe wrote: »
    I'd be inclined to think the 625 may be a bit of overkill unless you're a serious data wonk (it tracks metric that would really be of interest to really competitive runners)

    Personally I'd probably get the 230 over the 235 as I don't mind chest straps but the reviews on the 235 are pretty solid too...

    https://dcrainmaker.com/2015/11/garmin-fr230-fr235-review.html

    I'm not sure if I need the heart rate bit, so I'm more likely to go with the built in one rather tban another piece of equipment to wear as well. Thankyou
  • lisawilkes20
    lisawilkes20 Posts: 138 Member
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    BrianSharpe wrote: »
    I'd be inclined to think the 625 may be a bit of overkill unless you're a serious data wonk (it tracks metric that would really be of interest to really competitive runners)

    Personally I'd probably get the 230 over the 235 as I don't mind chest straps but the reviews on the 235 are pretty solid too...

    https://dcrainmaker.com/2015/11/garmin-fr230-fr235-review.html

    Just read all the info! Thanks for that link
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,689 Member
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    I am very happy with my Garmin Forerunner 15. It has a HRM, which I rarely use, and has enough battery to get me through a marathon, but is very basic and simple to use, which I like. I just need to know my pace and distance. The GPS maps my runs. I don't need much more. It's also much cheaper than many of the others.
  • unrelentingminx
    unrelentingminx Posts: 231 Member
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    I have a TomTom runner. Doesn't do everything under the sun but it tracks my distance, speed, cadence etc and will connect to some HR monitors so it's good enough for my needs. Battery life is amazing and always quick to find a GPS signal.
  • dewd2
    dewd2 Posts: 2,445 Member
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    The 235 is a solid choice. If you don't care about the HRM, the 230 will be cheaper.

    I have the 630 and have a love/hate relationship with it. Had I known how sensitive the touch screen was going to be I'd have gotten the 230.
  • pomegranatecloud
    pomegranatecloud Posts: 812 Member
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    I love my 235
  • Ryokat
    Ryokat Posts: 168 Member
    edited January 2017
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    I have the Garmin Forerunner 201, so old school, haha! Not particularly helpful to you except that I think Garmin is a good brand. My Forerunner 201 still works and it's from 2003.
  • bshedwick
    bshedwick Posts: 659 Member
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    I'm pretty partial to Garmin. Although I have the Vivoactive HR, if I was looking for just a running watch, I would go with the 630.
  • z4oslo
    z4oslo Posts: 229 Member
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    I have 735xt with extra pulse belt.
    It was a little overkill, as I dont do triathlon, but I got a good deal on it, and I also wanted Strava live segments.

    I use the watch only when running on a treadmill, and pulse belt when running outside.
    Easy to use, and it uploads to just about everything, like strava, trainingpeaks, sporttracks etc.
  • _NMW
    _NMW Posts: 30 Member
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    I had the FR35 - basic model with optical HRM, but upgraded to the FR235 as my fiance stole my FR35 and I decided I wanted more features. Both are great.
  • ritzvin
    ritzvin Posts: 2,860 Member
    edited January 2017
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    Depends which features are important to you. I remember opting for the 920XT over the next model down (600-something)(I would go with a Fenix if I was buying today since I would love to be able to load basemaps and has other features that are better for hiking/mountaineering) because of longer battery life and better screen visibility (the other was a touch screen). I also wanted to be able to load custom interval workouts and a map course (at least one of these features wasn't available on the next next model down (200-something)). (Note-Models have changed several times over since I bought mine).
  • irandamay
    irandamay Posts: 929 Member
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    I like my 220, and would probably go for the 230, because I really like my Scosche Rhythm+ armband HRM. I got it because I had the 220 and didn't want a chest strap, but it's really comfy and I forget it's there. My watch always is sliding around on my wrist, and I don't know how accurate that would make the wrist based monitor.
  • lisawilkes20
    lisawilkes20 Posts: 138 Member
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    spiriteagle99 wrote: »
    I am very happy with my Garmin Forerunner 15. It has a HRM, which I rarely use, and has enough battery to get me through a marathon, but is very basic and simple to use, which I like. I just need to know my pace and distance. The GPS maps my runs. I don't need much more. It's also much cheaper than many of the others.

    Thanks, I'll read up on that one

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