Bin thinking about one for a while, mainly to record shorter runs when I won't have my phone with me, may also get used on bike rides* possibly swims. While bells and whistles are attractive, I'll have my phone on longer runs (and *) so music, taking calls probably not that important, moreso stuff that phone doesn't do eg HR, HRV and other stuff I don't even know about?
Any thoughts/experiences to share? The choice is overwhelming...BiL loves his Corus Pace 2.
Garmin of some kind.
Fenix if you want loads of gadgets
55 if you want something basic but functional.
Polar vantage M2 does bikes, runs, has SWOLF data that automatically records swim lengths. HR/HRV/recovery and sleep metrics
Allows you to control your music from your wrist so you don't need to dig your phone out to swap tracks.
Garmin of some kind.
Fenix if you want loads of gadgets
55 if you want something basic but functional.
+1 to this. More or less what we have. I have the Fenix 6 which does everything and does it really well but is probably overkill from your wish list. Great bit of kit, if I lost it I'd buy another tomorrow. Wife has the 45 which is super cheap and does the basic tracking well, she is very happy with it.
If I was a rufty tufty expeditionist, I'd have a Fenix.
I'm actually a soft, southern project manager so I've got an apple watch obviously...
Garmin 255, or if you want to spend a lot then get a Fenix 7.
Im just here to make sure noone recommends fitbit.
The fitbit sys ive done 10,000steps, when my samsung phone says its 1,600, and i havent walked anywhere
Though to be h nest i only got the new Inspire 3 to record sleep, but it failed miserably,*not being able to get a reading* for most of last month
I've said it before but I really like my FR255. Works really well and connects to my phone seamlessly.
What you want is a second hand VivoActive 4. Funnily enough, I know someone selling one 🙂
I have a Fenix (5 plus) I'm a rufty-tufty office worker, I am northern though so that counts for something.
Pros.
It's very good at what it does, battery life is OK, menu is OK once you get used to it, if you can think of something you'd like it to do, it probably can. I've just loaded Komoot onto it so the choice of routes that you can download is more than you could possibly need. You can easily change watch faces, mess about with all the data fields, listen to podcasts/spotify...it's pretty comprehensive. will play nicely with Strava if that's your thang
Cons
Battery life when you're using it as a GPS can be pretty short, it's not mega accurate about things like elevation and so on (but that's true of all these devices), the wrist HR can be all over the place. The associated Garmin programs to update the watch software (on some of the lower spec models) can be frustrating to use.
For swimming some are better than others regarding pool length and turns. Also GPS if doing open water swims. Again on swimming I think less rather than more make a good first of using the optical HRM.
Cheap Garmin would be my choice. That's what I did a few years ago and have now just upgraded to a cheap Fenix 6 pro that was on offer.
The fitbit sys ive done 10,000steps, when my samsung phone says its 1,600, and i havent walked anywhere
working from home?
I have an Instinct V1 I keep meaning to put on the classifieds, doesn't do swimming though AFAIK.
My 245 Music is currently in the Classifieds, I am open to offers.
working from home?
I think that first word may have a speeling mistake!!
As a cheaper, lighter and longer battery life option…
Coros ?
I got a Pace2 to replace the Garmin Fenix I had and much prefer it.
Biggest wow moment for me when I got the Fenix 6x Pro was Music.
Being able to run, ride and walk with a playlist from your watch and not worry about your phone is great.
Granted, running is the biggest benefit here as I tend to have my phone on rides and walks.
Complement with a pair of After Shokz and you have the perfect match IMO.
Using Keepa for Amazon and a bit of patience I ended up paying £310 for it.
The fitbit sys ive done 10,000steps, when my samsung phone says its 1,600, and i havent walked anywhere
That's definitely a furious w**k
Just noticed you didn't walk.....
I can't justify a Fenix, but my mid range Garmin Instinct 2 is pretty impressive for the money. It does everything I want and more and has a phenomenal battery life - 30 days in normal mode and 30 hours in GPS mode. It doesn't store music, but I'm not bothered about that. Waterproof to 100m supposedly, so fine for swimming. It does HR, HRV, Pulse Ox, VO max and sleep monitoring. The HR function seems more accurate and stable than on the Vivoactive 3 I had previously.
I'm happy with my Instinct Solar, mostly cause I'm lazy and don't want another device that needs charged every day or two.
I'm a big fan of my polar grit x. Got it because it seemed like the cheapest option that had a decent navigation function. It links really well with komoot, you can plan a route on komoot app then it makes a line to follow on the watch. Not a detailed map but better than just instructions, works well on mtb and road bike.
Charge it about once a week or two, with maybe 5 hrs of gps use. Otherwise >24 hr's of gps use I think.
Does the standard hr , sleep monitoring etc
With a leather strap it doesn't look too Action Man which I appreciate
Another Garmin 5s vote here. I was quite cynical of the product until my wife brought me one (had to for Vitality Health Insurance).
Pro's
Reasonable battery life
Pairs to phone and After Shocx very easily
Pairs with other blue tooth products (power meter etc) when needed
Map is actually easy to follow based on the screen size
Great to tailor front screen to show what you want/need
Easy to navigate around the watch menu, far easier than the Suunto
Cons
Pretty expensive- there are deals so shop around. Mine came through SportsPursuit
Initial set up was fiddly
Garmin app is still feels irritating to use
The misus has a Coros watch which she uses mostly to record runs and bike rids - one of the mid-range models - and loves it. I've used one too and found it had a much more intuitive user interface than Garmin or Suunto watches I've tried, good battery life and did all the basic stuff well. Also it's a 'normal' size - ie looks like a watch - rather than a bloated convict-tracking ankle bracelet. My take on Garmin is that the hardware is good, but the software and UI are invariably annoying to use.
It doesn't do HRV if that really matters to you.
Garmin instinct / instinct Solar.
Tough, takes the odd hit and shrugs it off.
Great battery life - can record all day.
Can even follow a breadcrumb map if needed.
Cheap(ish).
One downside is pool swimming is fairly inaccurate, but most watches are. Open water is fine as it uses gps
If you go Apple Watch use an app called ‘work out doors’ http://www.workoutdoors.net/
I bought the Fenix 6 solar from John Lewis as recommended here.
Currently stalking it in the kitchen and trying to justify it as a buy!
As regards Open Water Swimming, GPS tracking is very much affected by where you "wear" your watch and what stroke you are doing. If you're not needing HR data and don't need to see the watch while swimming then attaching it to a goggle strap, wearing it under a swim cap, or attaching it to a tow float all work well. Several ladies I know attach it to the shoulder strap of their swimsuits.
Following on from Scotroutes the problem being that the gps signal cannot penetrate salt water. So the watch only can only work with strokes where your hand comes out of the water. Even then it needs a program that uses the accelerometers to turn the gps on when your hand is out of the water
Stupid Garmin Instinct/Fenix question. Is the display always on. Or is the huge battery life only if you press a button to tell the time?
Oh and sport pursuits have a Fenix 6 pro solar for £360
Stupid Garmin Instinct/Fenix question. Is the display always on. Or is the huge battery life only if you press a button to tell the time?
It's always on. There is a backlight for night use but in the day it's readable all the time. It's a transflective display. There are some new models that are oled, not sure what they do
I have both the Forerunner 245 and a Fenix 6x Pro.
I bought the Fenix for the mapping, specifically when micro naving when hill bashing.
For running, the 245 is ace. I've had it ~ 3 years and run 1500 miles p/a on average so more than some and less than others but enough to know what works. It's not for navigating as there's no mapping though you can follow a breadcrumb trail. It's brilliant for tracking training runs, cycling and general wear. The Fenix is a big beast and makes my wrist hurt but the 245 is fine. IIRC, Al also has skinny wrists like me so may have the same 'problem'.
The 245 is the old model, 255 is current and has a music option if that's yer thing.
IIRC, Al also has skinny wrists
They only look skinny because his arms are so long.
They only look skinny because his arms are so long.
Is that comment looking for the 'short pockets punchline...? 🙂
The fenix 6 pro solar was dirt cheap on John Lewis on another thread and would snap that up quick.
Had mine a year now and love it, looks good (I think) battery lasts at least a week if not more for runs, MTB, commutes on bike.
The screen does stay on but same tech as a Kindle screen, uses very little power. Can be read during the day and you can set it to back light with the right flick of the wrist.
Garmin instinct / instinct Solar.
Tough, takes the odd hit and shrugs it off.
Great battery life – can record all day.Can even follow a breadcrumb map if needed.
Cheap(ish).
One downside is pool swimming is fairly inaccurate, but most watches are. Open water is fine as it uses gps
Another Instinct solar fan here.
Can be read during the day and you can set it to back light with the right flick of the wrist.
Was about six months until I realised the Instinct does that too while riding home in the dark one evening.
I ended up with a Suunto 9 peak (was very close to buying a Garmin). It’s been brilliant and it’s also very slim line. Far better than my old bulky GPS watch. Monster battery life too, I used it for the L100 last year.
Another Instinct solar fan here.
And another one here. Bought a reconditioned instinct solar from Amazon a year ago for £100. Been really reliable. It’s locked up twice in that time, but just needed turning off and back on again. Super happy with it b
Thanks all, decision now made.
