Which tracker watch?
jorichards2
Posts: 100 Member
Looking for anyones experiences with tracker watches. I have a garmin vivofit looking to upgrade as I now cycle, swim and use the gym. It was great for increasing steps, but I now want a more detailed record.
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Replies
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Vivoactive 3. I have the HR version and am eyeballing it.1
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You cannot go wrong with the Garmin Fenix 5X. It is actually the only one I even considered.
Large display so I can read it without my glasses.
It has other useful features like topographical maps for hiking and guiding you back to start point should you, for some reason, go off the trail.
I can set the pool length to any one the standards or use a customer setting for odd sized pools. The one at the gym in China is only 22m.
Among the preprogrammed activities are indoor cycling for use in spin classes or just making your own spin class.
Weight training: It tracks your heart rate and extrapolates calories from that.
Walking and hiking.
Has GPS and Altimeter built in too.
Synch to web and phone apps.
Yes, the Fenix 5X is a bit pricey. But for me, it was worth it. I swim a lot. Enough to have noticed that it switches from yards to miles at 5300 yards
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I love my Fenix 5X as well. Works with my power meter on the bike, counts laps in the pool, has maps for skiing and hiking, looks good, it ticks every box.1
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FWIW, the Garmin 935 has the same internals as the 5 (not sure about the 5x and mapping), but a slightly better form factor (IMO) and a lower price tag. It's the first garmin product i've had that I can say is worth the money. For me, IMO.1
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The 5X has significantly different internals vs the other F5 devices. It needs them, to support mapping. Things like a faster processor, more and faster memory.
I don't know if this makes any difference in non mapping use. I bought mine partly on the speculation that it might be faster in general. Saving a several hour long ride (1 second recording) took an eternity on the F3 but was instant on a very old Edge unit. I was really tired of waiting. My F5X is very quick to save, I haven't used an F5 so I can't compare.
I love having maps (without cell coverage) but don't use them terribly often. And the map page drains the battery much faster than other pages.3 -
Jeebers, I just had a look at the fenix 5x.... It costs $800 up to $1000 for the "sapphire" here in Australia, it's probably half that price in the US??2
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You can buy it with mineral glass now?
I've scraped mine against granite boulders while cooking (rocks block the wind) with no ill effect. I'm a big fan of sapphire.
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I'm getting the Vivoactive 3. I have the first gen so this is my upgrade. The Fenix is an awesome piece of kit but not affordable or necessary to me.1
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One thing I'd just like to say is that I tried the Samsung Gear Fit2, and returned it after a week. I had been losing (for a few months) 1.5 pounds per week eating what it said was my TDEE. Utter waste. I wish Jawbone hadn't done away with the BodyMedia line when they bought it out. It was the only one ever accurate enough to be designated a medical device by the FDA.2
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VintageFeline wrote: »I'm getting the Vivoactive 3. I have the first gen so this is my upgrade. The Fenix is an awesome piece of kit but not affordable or necessary to me.
It still hasn't arrived? You're so much more patient than me!
For the OP - the Vivoactive 3 is definitely worth a look. Great looking watch with lots of features.FWIW, the Garmin 935 has the same internals as the 5 (not sure about the 5x and mapping), but a slightly better form factor (IMO) and a lower price tag. It's the first garmin product i've had that I can say is worth the money. For me, IMO.
935 has the exact same internals as the Fenix 5 and 5S - the 5X has more juice for the mapping stuff. I have the 935 also and love it. First thing I did was slapped a 9H tempered glass screen protector on it before it even went on my wrist for the first time. Second thing I did was download the "No Frills" watch face from the Connect IQ store.2 -
Athena98501 wrote: »One thing I'd just like to say is that I tried the Samsung Gear Fit2, and returned it after a week. I had been losing (for a few months) 1.5 pounds per week eating what it said was my TDEE. Utter waste. I wish Jawbone hadn't done away with the BodyMedia line when they bought it out. It was the only one ever accurate enough to be designated a medical device by the FDA.
How many sought approval?1 -
I see the 935 will work with the HRM-Swim so will it track open water swims?
I've got the VAHR and, to me, it's missing the VO2Max estimate (which the VA3 does) and ability to track outdoor swimming. Just don't know if the swim tracking is worth an added $300.
Does the 935 do golf? And, if it does, can it show distance in yards when the watch is set to metric? This annoyed me when I went golfing.1 -
Do any of the Garmin or Suunto watches/trackers integrate with Fitness Pal though?
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Christine_72 wrote: »Jeebers, I just had a look at the fenix 5x.... It costs $800 up to $1000 for the "sapphire" here in Australia, it's probably half that price in the US??
I have the older Fenix3 Sapphire. Beautiful watch, and really like it. You can buy refurbished ones from Garmin for low prices now.
Add to it that RoadID now has ID badges for Garmin devices (I pestered them for a couple of years to make them), it's even better. 1 -
VintageFeline wrote: »I'm getting the Vivoactive 3. I have the first gen so this is my upgrade. The Fenix is an awesome piece of kit but not affordable or necessary to me.
It still hasn't arrived? You're so much more patient than me!
For the OP - the Vivoactive 3 is definitely worth a look. Great looking watch with lots of features.FWIW, the Garmin 935 has the same internals as the 5 (not sure about the 5x and mapping), but a slightly better form factor (IMO) and a lower price tag. It's the first garmin product i've had that I can say is worth the money. For me, IMO.
935 has the exact same internals as the Fenix 5 and 5S - the 5X has more juice for the mapping stuff. I have the 935 also and love it. First thing I did was slapped a 9H tempered glass screen protector on it before it even went on my wrist for the first time. Second thing I did was download the "No Frills" watch face from the Connect IQ store.
No. Date got pushed back for Amazon some weird reason. I had it locked in at a lower price than RRP so was reluctant to ditch them but got fed up and have it arriving from someone else tomorrow! Back to being excited!2 -
Yep, open water swims are one of the supported workouts. In DCRainmaker's review, he discusses the issues with GPS accuracy from the watch going in and out of the water on every stroke (but that's inherent to any GPS watch when swimming), so accuracy isn't 100% perfect but close enough. If you check his review, he has a whole section on open water swims with videos and data graphs.Tacklewasher wrote: »I see the 935 will work with the HRM-Swim so will it track open water swims?
Yes, it does golf, and works pretty well (I've used it several times). Gives distance to front/middle/back of green (and you can adjust the location of the pin on the green), can show distance to layups/doglegs, track shots, keep score, etc. Don't know about displaying yards when the watch is set to meters, though - never tried that.Tacklewasher wrote: »Does the 935 do golf? And, if it does, can it show distance in yards when the watch is set to metric? This annoyed me when I went golfing.
I don't know about Suunto, but Garmin devices work fine with MFP.Do any of the Garmin or Suunto watches/trackers integrate with Fitness Pal though?0 -
Im looking to buy my spouse a new fitness watch thinking of Garmin this thread helps a lot -thanks ya'll0
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Huh. Just looked at a comparison of the VAHR, VA3 and 935.
I might be saving for the 935. It does look like it has some features I may want as I plan on doing a triathalon next year.
Table here if anyone is interested. I just picked the 3 to see a feature comparison.
https://www.dcrainmaker.com/product-comparison-calculator?type=watch&ids=72457,80396,56799#results0 -
Tacklewasher wrote: »I see the 935 will work with the HRM-Swim so will it track open water swims?
I've got the VAHR and, to me, it's missing the VO2Max estimate (which the VA3 does) and ability to track outdoor swimming. Just don't know if the swim tracking is worth an added $300.
Keep in mind the HRM-Swim is another $100 or so. But you can use REI's 20 % coupon on it.
HRM-Tri can be used for outdoor swims, but won't stand up to repeated use in the pool. HRM-Swim will.
I haven't swam outdoors in a while, all the places I'd like to swim are getting snow now. But here's what an indoor swim records:
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/21021978780 -
NorthCascades wrote: »Athena98501 wrote: »One thing I'd just like to say is that I tried the Samsung Gear Fit2, and returned it after a week. I had been losing (for a few months) 1.5 pounds per week eating what it said was my TDEE. Utter waste. I wish Jawbone hadn't done away with the BodyMedia line when they bought it out. It was the only one ever accurate enough to be designated a medical device by the FDA.
How many sought approval?
How many would make it public information that they sought it, and didn't qualify?1 -
Athena98501 wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »Athena98501 wrote: »One thing I'd just like to say is that I tried the Samsung Gear Fit2, and returned it after a week. I had been losing (for a few months) 1.5 pounds per week eating what it said was my TDEE. Utter waste. I wish Jawbone hadn't done away with the BodyMedia line when they bought it out. It was the only one ever accurate enough to be designated a medical device by the FDA.
How many sought approval?
How many would make it public information that they sought it, and didn't qualify?
Depends on whether you consider Class II assurance to be particularly meaningful. My partner's wheelchair has the same level of assurance given that it "works as designed".
What may be a more meaningful recommendation is that the device was extensively used in clinical research when it was on the market, although it wasn't up against much competition at the time.1 -
NorthCascades wrote: »Tacklewasher wrote: »I see the 935 will work with the HRM-Swim so will it track open water swims?
I've got the VAHR and, to me, it's missing the VO2Max estimate (which the VA3 does) and ability to track outdoor swimming. Just don't know if the swim tracking is worth an added $300.
Keep in mind the HRM-Swim is another $100 or so. But you can use REI's 20 % coupon on it.
HRM-Tri can be used for outdoor swims, but won't stand up to repeated use in the pool. HRM-Swim will.
I haven't swam outdoors in a while, all the places I'd like to swim are getting snow now. But here's what an indoor swim records:
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2102197878
No REI up here. And yeah, swimming outdoors in October in Canada is not on my list of things to do cuz I lost weight. 0 -
I have a Fenix 3, and would like to start using heart rate more, but I don't really like wearing chest straps...
What is your experience on the Fenix 5 / Forerunner 935 optical HRM - are they nowadays comparable to chest straps? I have read DC Rainmaker's reviews, but I am not yet completely sold. I am also considering the Suunto Spartan Wrist HR, which imho looks a bit better, is in between the Fenix and the Forerunner weight wise, tends to be a bit cheaper (and I have to support a Finnish company...), but there are fewer reviews.
My activities currently come into MFP via Strava, and that can be synced to garminconnect (which I do) and suunto movescount.0 -
Athena98501 wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »Athena98501 wrote: »One thing I'd just like to say is that I tried the Samsung Gear Fit2, and returned it after a week. I had been losing (for a few months) 1.5 pounds per week eating what it said was my TDEE. Utter waste. I wish Jawbone hadn't done away with the BodyMedia line when they bought it out. It was the only one ever accurate enough to be designated a medical device by the FDA.
How many sought approval?
How many would make it public information that they sought it, and didn't qualify?
All of them - this is public information and can be found on the FDA - specifically the CDRH site.1 -
tomaattikastike wrote: »I have a Fenix 3, and would like to start using heart rate more, but I don't really like wearing chest straps...
What is your experience on the Fenix 5 / Forerunner 935 optical HRM - are they nowadays comparable to chest straps? I have read DC Rainmaker's reviews, but I am not yet completely sold. I am also considering the Suunto Spartan Wrist HR, which imho looks a bit better, is in between the Fenix and the Forerunner weight wise, tends to be a bit cheaper (and I have to support a Finnish company...), but there are fewer reviews.
My activities currently come into MFP via Strava, and that can be synced to garminconnect (which I do) and suunto movescount.
My F5X seems pretty good with heart rate at rest, but not when I'm exercising. Apparently this is personal depending how you wear it, on your skin tone, etc.
When I'm out in the cold, I'll often wear the watch over my jacket sleeve, and then the WHRM is null and void.0 -
VintageFeline wrote: »I'm getting the Vivoactive 3. I have the first gen so this is my upgrade. The Fenix is an awesome piece of kit but not affordable or necessary to me.
It still hasn't arrived? You're so much more patient than me!
For the OP - the Vivoactive 3 is definitely worth a look. Great looking watch with lots of features.FWIW, the Garmin 935 has the same internals as the 5 (not sure about the 5x and mapping), but a slightly better form factor (IMO) and a lower price tag. It's the first garmin product i've had that I can say is worth the money. For me, IMO.
935 has the exact same internals as the Fenix 5 and 5S - the 5X has more juice for the mapping stuff. I have the 935 also and love it. First thing I did was slapped a 9H tempered glass screen protector on it before it even went on my wrist for the first time. Second thing I did was download the "No Frills" watch face from the Connect IQ store.
I did the same.
I've played around with a number of watch faces, but I keep going back to the stock garmin faces.0 -
The Apple watch is also a good option if you’re not hiking, Kayaking, etc, for long distances/duration. Its main limitation is battery life. I just replaced mine with a Fenix5 because I hike and had the AW flat-out die on me mid trip. But for other types of exercise, I think the AW is more intuitive and user friendly. Though I love the data reports from the Garmin ConnectIQ app.1
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Tacklewasher wrote: »Huh. Just looked at a comparison of the VAHR, VA3 and 935.
I might be saving for the 935. It does look like it has some features I may want as I plan on doing a triathalon next year.
Table here if anyone is interested. I just picked the 3 to see a feature comparison.
https://www.dcrainmaker.com/product-comparison-calculator?type=watch&ids=72457,80396,56799#results
You might want to look at the 735XT as well, it may be able to download golf functionality.0 -
MeanderingMammal wrote: »Tacklewasher wrote: »Huh. Just looked at a comparison of the VAHR, VA3 and 935.
I might be saving for the 935. It does look like it has some features I may want as I plan on doing a triathalon next year.
Table here if anyone is interested. I just picked the 3 to see a feature comparison.
https://www.dcrainmaker.com/product-comparison-calculator?type=watch&ids=72457,80396,56799#results
You might want to look at the 735XT as well, it may be able to download golf functionality.
Hmm. Looks interesting but I'm thinking the lack of a barometer would be an issue for xcountry skiing. Plus it doesn't do the fish time thing, but I can take my phone fishing. It was a surprise when I saw my VAHR did it.
Reading the full review on it now. Maybe I just want too much for cheap 0
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