I'm on the cusp of upgrading to one of the above. The Epix Pro Gen 2 Sapphire and Fenix 7X Sapphire Solar are both 400 quid in 51mm.
Which would you go for?
If you do a lot of outdoor or water sports, touch screens aren’t great
I’ve got an Epix Gen 2 nice watch but wouldn’t buy again imo it’s too bulky. Think I paid about £330 for it about 6 months ago
I've got an Epix and think it's ace! Huge upgrade over my old Vivoactive (and forerunner before that) and don't really have any complaints. Touchscreen works fine when exercising but you can do everything via the buttons anyway.
I'd get the Fenix as it's AMOLED and a bit brighter than the MIPS on the Epix - isn't everything ele identical? In return for that I get slightly less battery life.
Actually I got a Fenix 8 as it had a discount the week I was buying....
I think the Epix is the Amoled (brighter, higher res screen at the expense of battery life) and the Fenix is MIPS. But yeah, pretty much everything else is solar. Except I think the Fenix has solar charging, which is probably quite useless and may make the screen even dimmer.
No water sports, but a mix of biking, running and walking. I believe both can be fully button controlled if needed. The maps are a big draw, tbh.
I'd get the Epix for the AMOLED.
Assuming you've checked the Garmin deals via STW members area?
Yeah I have, nothing better than the deals I've already found. Most of the deals on there are for the Fenix 8 and Instinct, there are a couple of Fenix 7 but nothing particularly good.
Recently got a Fenix 8 Pro and went for the big beastie - 27 days between charges if you don't use it for tracking (and seems to be about a fortnight if you do track stuff) instead of 14 days between charges if you don't track on the smaller size.
I switched the touch stuff off as I've never got on with it with gloves or wet surfaces.
A long service reward, but still cost far too much!
I helped my wife look at a few options and she very recently got a Fenix 8 Pro Saphire solar.
She is very pleased with it so far and used it for an ultra and found following a gps track easy.
Some deals around just now, but still a fair chunk of cash.
We know others with them ,so that helped influence choice a bit as well.and we used Garmin for years on other units so have Garmin Connect already set up etc.
A pal of mine recently used same model on a 200 mile ultra run and the battery lasted well over 5ish days he was out there for.
I had to buy a mains adaptor for it as they only send a lead....the Garmin wall socket adaptor is £50!!! Having spent the cash on the Fenix we kept with the same brand for the wall socket, you can get them on Amazon etc as well much cheaper.
Not sure what's up specifically with the Garmin touch screen. Seems to work fine in the water on the wife's venu(swims alot)
Edit above , she got theb Fenix 7 not the 8 and the best price was with Blacks mail order.
Tough choice. I have an Epix 2
The screen on the Epix is fab
But I’m beginning to think the real cost is not charging more often. Which isn’t really much of a problem. I got a warranty watch after about 20 months and the new watch had better battery life. So I’m sure the Fenix will last longer as its battery will be charged less often.
On the other hand I’ve stood next to a Fenix owner in the side of a mountain with them saying”i can’t believe how much clearer the route is on your watch “ , although they haven’t got the zoom level quite right
I had the Epix and really liked it for most stuff.
I do a lot of outdoor pool swimming and it was absolutely terrible at keeping track of lengths.
I ended up giving it to my son and getting an Apple Watch Ultra 3 which is better all round for my needs.
Another thought.
It’s basically impossible to use an Epix mounted on your handlebars because it can’t be set to be permanently bright.
Have an 47mm Epix Gen2 from a PSA on here inevitably. I like it but it is quite heavy so sometimes the strap chafes whereas my Instinct never did so consider that. The screen is 50:50 on/off when I turn my wrist to look at it (it's supposed to detect and turn the screen on), a bit of a pain. So I would think about that as I think the Fenix is a bit lighter and screen is always on (if not as bright). I never use the touchscreen btw.
It is really nice though so I don't think you'll actually regret it.
Swimming not an issue 'cos I can't swim!
I'm erring towards the Fenix for the longer battery and simpler screen tbh. I guess the screen is a double edged sword really!
It’s basically impossible to use an Epix mounted on your handlebars because it can’t be set to be permanently bright.
Seems like a non event as that would be a silly place to mount an optical hrm.
Yep handlebar mounting not an issue for me.
I got the Epix Pro Gen 2 Sapphire three weeks ago and zero regrets after having the same internal debate vs Fenix.
There is an in depth review here
dcrainmaker 2022 Epix Vs Fenix comparison
It is a little out of date as the battery of the Epix seems to have been upgraded a little. Apparently the Epix Amoled display is a little thinner than the MIPS screen, so the extra case space has been filled with a bigger battery. I understand the appeal of the solar charging, but extra battery life of the Fenix just wasn't enough of a benefit for me.
The main decision point for me was the higher resolution screen as highlighted in the above review. The battery life seems to match the claimed 11 days between charges. I have the display in always on mode - normally a little dimmed, brightens when you tilt the watch to view, or press a button. It claims the battery life will more or less double if the screen is allowed to turn fully off rather than dimming, but the 11 days is plenty for me.
The size and weight of the 51mm case (which I have) could be an issue, but is Ok for me - even with my somewhat dainty wrist. The strap has to be done fairly tight to stop it bouncing on the MTB, but this is also a benefit to the HRM accuracy.
I've nothing bad to say about the Epix and no regrets. I find it a considerable upgrade from my Mk 1 Venu which I had thought of as all the wrist tech I needed.
I've got an epix but in 42mm which is a great size. No idea why people go so huge.
I like a big watch. But also the 51mm is a proper bargain at the moment. If you can call 400 quid for a watch a bargain.
The Epic charges really quickly so even if it doesn't last as long (still well over a week) it's not really an issue.
I have a Fenix 7x solar(with TalkyToaster maps, don’t know what’s included as standard now) given the choice I’d get the Epix.
That choice really just comes down to whether you prefer the AMOLED or the MIP screen as other than that they are pretty much identical.
Most people prefer the more vibrant colours and higher resolution of the AMOLED display and that’s even becoming the default option on the newer Fenix. Being the contrarian that I am I personally prefer the MIP screen. I like a watch to look like a watch rather than a small mobile phone on my wrist and much prefer a passive screen that doesn’t glow on a watch. I also occasionally do long enough events that the extra battery life is useful. But it would seem that I’m very much in the minority on this one.
I’m also talking about the 47mm options as 52mm was too big on my slim wrists.
Garmin have effectively discontinued the Epix line and folded it into Fenix - there is a Fenix AMOLED - however I don't think functionally there is much in it and there are some Epix bargains about. I have an Epix on an old PSA and very happy with it.
I changed the display settings from turn your wrist to display, to tap screen to display, this means it only lights up when you actually want it. I didn't find wrist flick 100% reliable and this setting extends battery even further. Display is on all the time (and touch locked) during activities.
Wrist turn works fine on my Epix 2 Pro (51mm) - I have skinny wrists and don't find it too big either. Battery life comes up as 30 something days when charged, but in reality it's probably about 20 something. I don't really use it for tracking as I use an oder Epix 2 (47mm) to get bashed about on the bike.
The top pic is the bigger one, even though you'd think the other way from the pics
I'm currently using a Fenix 7S - the 42mm version - because I don't like large watches.
Battery life is obviously compromised by that size restriction, though being MIPS it's not that bad.
I can see my choices of "upgrade" being very limited if not impossible as AMOLED becomes standard and Garmin likely avoiding a 42mm case.
I do a lot of outdoor pool swimming and it was absolutely terrible at keeping track of lengths.
I found similar when I was doing a fair bit of pool swimming.
I found that you had to purposely keep your arms moving until the turn, then glide for a bit. THEN it would correctly register a length.
Really it needs to be 'sensible' and realise that if you're in a 50m pool, it's highly unlikely that fat old me is going to be knocking out 4 second lengths amongst the plethora of 50 second ones!!
DrP
Really it needs to be 'sensible' and realise that if you're in a 50m pool, it's highly unlikely that fat old me is going to be knocking out 4 second lengths amongst the plethora of 50 second ones!!
you have to set the pool length in the submenu or it gets very upset.
oh i do! i usually train in a 50m pool!
I actually just made an 'idea submission' to garmin!
DrP
I was trying to make the same decision as you a year ago. In In the end I went with the Enduro 3. Main benefits are the lighter weight which means it feels better on my skinny wrists than the Fenix 6 47mm I had before, along with the increased battery life.
Whilst the shorter battery life of the Fenix/Epix may not be an issue now, as the battery starts to degrade, it may be a problem 3 years down the line. My battery may degrade by 25% and I'll still get a fortnight out of it, if the smaller batteries degrade by 25% you'll struggle to get a day of GPS tracking and the batteries aren't really replaceable. Hopefully this means the extra cost of buying the thing is offset by a much longer usable life! We will see...
you have to set the pool length in the submenu or it gets very upset.
yep, did that, it was still shockingly inaccurate. By contrast the Apple Ultra has never miscounted a length in the 10 months I have had it, with around 5k a week, over 2 sessions, in a 25m outdoor pool.
I was trying to make the same decision as you a year ago. In In the end I went with the Enduro 3. Main benefits are the lighter weight which means it feels better on my skinny wrists than the Fenix 6 47mm I had before, along with the increased battery life.
Whilst the shorter battery life of the Fenix/Epix may not be an issue now, as the battery starts to degrade, it may be a problem 3 years down the line. My battery may degrade by 25% and I'll still get a fortnight out of it, if the smaller batteries degrade by 25% you'll struggle to get a day of GPS tracking and the batteries aren't really replaceable. Hopefully this means the extra cost of buying the thing is offset by a much longer usable life! We will see...
The Enduro 3 does look lovely, but an extra £300 is hard to justify (for me!). I'm swaying towards the Epix, I think. What I really want is to roadtest each one for a month but that's not really practical!
Whilst the shorter battery life of the Fenix/Epix may not be an issue now, as the battery starts to degrade, it may be a problem 3 years down the line. My battery may degrade by 25% and I'll still get a fortnight out of it, if the smaller batteries degrade by 25% you'll struggle to get a day of GPS tracking and the batteries aren't really replaceable. Hopefully this means the extra cost of buying the thing is offset by a much longer usable life! We will see.
Good points. I like my Fenix 7 Pro but I'm hoping that the EU will force them to make the battery user replaceable before it gets to the stage where I need to change. Selling a watch for nearly a grand that is guaranteed to become unusable for the task it was sold for after a few years seems obscene. Having said that, mine is a couple of years old now and I haven't noticed any degradation. There is also not a scratch on it despite wearing it all the time. So, I should have a good few years yet before I have to think about replacing it.
It's also worth mentioning, when discussing battery life for activities, that satellite mode makes a far bigger difference than the screen type. My battery is currently on 77% and it reckons I could do a 27h event in my normal "Auto" GPS mode (which switches depending on signal strength) but this would rise to 43h if I was in the marginally less accurate "GPS only" mode.
Touch screen and water is a non-issue as you can enable/disable the touch screen globally or by activity. So, for example, have it on for day to day use, but disabled for swimming and cycling...
even though I use the buttons mostly, I've found the touchscreen on my enduro to be pretty effective even when wet.
the one on my apple watch I have previously was pretty much unusable in the wet.
Well, a decision has been made. Thanks to a good offer from @robbo1234biking of this very parish I will soon be sporting an Epix Pro on my wrist. One that's done the Leadville Traill 100, no less. So I'd best get some big rides planned...
Assuming you've checked the Garmin deals via STW members area?
Thank you. Forgot about that and just saved myself 30% or thereabouts.
