Hugely tempted to buy a Garmin Vivoactive 3

Jthanmyfitnesspal
Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Probs without the music feature, since I mostly stream stuff off my phone.

But, my self-doubt comes from the question: If I don't mind running, cycling, and even swimming with my phone, then why do I need a sports watch? I pair it with a chest-strap HRM most of the time.

(I sometimes lake-swim with my phone in a dry pouch in my safety buoy. I don't feel that it's essential to have a tracker in the pool, since I typically know exactly how far and fast I swam.)

But, the watch is a tempting piece of bling... a mere $270...

Replies

  • 2GirlsANDaGuy
    2GirlsANDaGuy Posts: 15 Member
    Sometimes a new tech toy can spur new enthusiasm in your fitness training. They are fun to play with and give nice detailed feedback and stats for people who enjoy seeing that stuff. I have the Garmin Fenix and I love the connect app. The most recent update to their app was really nice and it works seamlessly with MFP. Nothing wrong with spoiling yourself from time to time. :smile:
  • gcconroy29
    gcconroy29 Posts: 85 Member
    See, I do not like having my phone on me when I run, so I love mine.

    Do you have any tracker at all now. Because if you're just looking to upgrade, I think its great. I can't help it, I live for green check marks telling me I'm doing something. So, these little notifications on my wrist really help keep me going. It just had an upgrade and for some reasons all my counts are whakadoo. The last two days has me at going up 35+ flights of stairs. I mean, I'm trying, but I'm not trying that hard.

    I also really like the rep count for strength work. And the more lifting I do with it, the more it recognizes the move and labels it correctly.

    And it is cute, I have the all black one and I love the look. I know people have insane watch faces, I just went basic analog watch face.

    But if you really don't need it, why not just pick out a nice watch for yourself?
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
    I definitely don't need it. I can monitor literally anything I care about using my phone. I use the Wahoo fitness app to record all applicable sensors. The phone works best on the bike, where you have wheel speed, GPS position and speed, cadence, and HR (chest strap). For running, I use the chest strap. For swimming, I can get speed and distance, but Wahoo has a glitch when moving that slow, so I have to record it with another app. Apparently, the watch doesn't work for swimming unless you put it under your cap on your head, in which case it doesn't count your strokes! Ah, life is complicated!
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    I would carry on with what I was doing and put the $270 towards a trip to go swim somewhere I've never been, or wanted to return to- like the Caribbean Sea.

    That's just me though, I am the most un-stats tracker on MFP I think. (Even my lifting logbook is scraps of paper in a plastic bag)

    Cheers, h.
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
    I still want one...
  • FL_Hiker
    FL_Hiker Posts: 919 Member
    edited July 2018
    Want mine? It's sitting in my bag unused... that thing is so uncomfortable I couldn't stand wearing it!!!! I had the same problem with the fit bit surge. The VIvo is really good at counting laps though.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »
    I still want one...

    Put it in your birthday/Christmas list. If you still want it by the time the first of those comes around, get it.

    cheers, h.
  • TrishSeren
    TrishSeren Posts: 587 Member
    Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »
    I still want one...

    Hehehe that's so something I'd say.
  • kd_mazur
    kd_mazur Posts: 569 Member
    I wanted one and so I bought it:) I have had it for a few weeks now and I really like it. I had a Forerunner 220 and the vivoactive3 replaced that item. I like having all the data that I didn't have with my forerunner.
  • gcconroy29
    gcconroy29 Posts: 85 Member
    Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »
    I still want one...

    Do it, do it, do it, do it
  • RunnerGrl1982
    RunnerGrl1982 Posts: 412 Member
    I've got one as well. I honestly can't complain, though I didn't have a tracker before - so it's still a very 'shiny new toy' to me. It definitely gets the job done for what I'm looking for. :)
  • aokoye
    aokoye Posts: 3,495 Member
    Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »
    Apparently, the watch doesn't work for swimming unless you put it under your cap on your head, in which case it doesn't count your strokes! Ah, life is complicated!

    Just for clarification, this is the case for open water swimming, not lap swimming.

    But yeah - I personally have a Garmin watch but I track just about everything I do with it. I do agree that preserving your phone's battering on a bike ride is important for safety's sake and unless your phone has a good handlebar/stem mount using the watch to look at stats is significantly easier. That said, if your rides aren't particularly long and what youre doing is working with you then more power (and money) to you!

    Given that you are fine with using your phone for everything I doesn't seem like there's any need for you to get the Garmin.
  • chris_in_cal
    chris_in_cal Posts: 2,520 Member
    edited August 2018
    Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »
    For swimming ... Apparently, the watch doesn't work for swimming unless you put it under your cap on your head, in which case it doesn't count your strokes!

    The Vivoactive has a "Pool" mode that works perfectly. stroke, turnover, distance, time, blah blah...

    It isn't designed natively to track open water swimming but there are two options that are available, for using the watch on your wrist.
    There is a native "outdoor rowing" mode. It tracks stroke, time, distance.
    There is a free "swimming pro" app for the VA3, it tracks all your swimming stats....though GPS mapping isn't perfect, everything else is top notch for open water swimming.

    Lastly, you may be addicted like most of the worlds population, but once you start biking, swimming, running with out your Iphone life becomes freer and more easy.... I like my VA3, it is my third Garmin and I didn't really like the first two....Garmin centerpunched everything good with the VA3. Though not perfect, it does many many many things very well in a cheap, lightweight, unobtrusively looking wrist watch.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,204 Member
    I'm having fun with my new one. (I use a paired chest strap for actual serious workouts.)

    Its guesses on some things are laughably charming. GPS-based rowing splits seem plausible, but some (not all) stroke rate data is . . . Imaginative. And it always seems to think I went down way more stairs than up (though occasionally the reverse). Um, no. Sleep tracking is surreal to absurd - recently it had me in REM when I was awake and texting (and have the timestamps to prove it).

    Don't get me wrong, it's a good and useful device, if you keep in mind what it's actually doing. Good toy.

    I'd buy it. ;) (Did.)

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