Garmin Instinct, thoughts and options please.

I am looking for a watch to track daily hr, steps, running ( well starting back), cycling, gym (weights/HIT/spin and rowing) and walking/hiking. Needs to be Bluetooth and link to Strava, will use a hr strap for MTB and probably gym). Needs to be robust.

Have had Garmin for a while, currently a 610 but it is a pain for uploading and I cannot track daily hr. SO has a 935 and it has been great in recording daily activities especially since she has had pulmonary embolism s.

Is the Instinct a good balance of things ( missing vo2 max – I have had five bouts of pulrisy since last November and have some ongoing lung issues – not sure if this would be a bonus?)

Or do I go for a fenix 3 over the Instinct or 5?

Other options? Suunto I discounted since I destroyed a core in 3 weeks, not robust.

Thanks

Mine hasn’t arrived yet but I was looking for G shock or a rugged smart watch for outdoors use.  DC Rainmaker has a good review, and I decided to pull the trigger after that.

As a point of difference I prefer to wear a proper watch during my working and social time and not be constantly distracted by notifications, but for its useful to have those at weekend rides, races and campsites so to keep a shiny phone clean and to avoid stopping during a ride to work out if its a family call.  I’d have no issue throwing an Instinct a la g shock in a bag when it’s time to get on the starting grid, on the turbo or at a gym, and a Fenix was more money for all of that – those were my justifications anyway, not sure if that helps!

Spec wise im going to take a punt as i think theyre bit of a bargain at the current discounted prices so for me its just down to colour choice now…the graphite is quite dull although is a ‘safe’ colour but can’t decide if the tundra looks too white!

Hi, I’ve had an Instinct Flame Red for a couple if weeks now, having used a fenix 3 Sapphire before. Got some blue straps so it’s in the Gulf colours!!

The only thing I’d ask for on the instinct that was on the fenix is Multisport (Triathlon etc) modes. Don’t do triathlon but do multi activity gym training, that said the net result on connect is the same with separate events….

Other than that,  it’s great. Display amazingly clear, loads of software improvements over the 3-they’ve made it have the ability to reply to texts etc- as they’ve stopped updating the 3’s software.

I got it for its inbuilt HR as I was fed up travelling with loads of devices for HR etc and it’s proven to be a superb value full featured device. It was a stop gap until I get a 5x+ or 6 but it’s excellent in its own right.

the graphite is quite dull although is a ‘safe’ colour but can’t decide if the tundra looks too white!

Ha ha. I went for graphite.  I decided the Tundra might look grubby after a while, although now the flame red looks ok if used for sports only…

😂😂

I went for the flame red precisely because is wasn’t safe or dull! With a grey strap it’s fine at work. Orange strap it looks great and with blue strap, I’m all bright and retro!

Whichever colour, it’s a superb watch for any money let alone £200!!

The wife has got me the safe graphite Instinct for Christmas. I like the tundra but thought it would grubby up too much as an everyday watch. The red definitely isn’t me!

Thanks, any other options folk would recommend?

Well, mine has arrived and I’ve been wearing it for a few hours, including during a Turbo session.

I am impressed.  It’s light, not overly large, clear display and quite g shock like.  It connected to my phone / the app in seconds (unlike my Vivosmart 3) and the Trueup has worked well.  It’s very easy to use and configure, charged from 1/4 to full in 30 mins from my laptop USB. HR was within 1-2bpm of my HR strap during the turbo session after about 5 mins, it recorded within 4 cals of TodaysPlan within which I was using HR and Power

Frankly, if you wanted a good looking robust outdoors watch with notifications/responses and fitness tracking I’d find it hard to look elsewhere, add the tracking, compass and directional content its a great device.

I’m still unsure which colour is best 😀 The gray is quite stealth/military and IMO the flame red says “sports” to me.

Cheers Kryton

Good to hear kryton

…i went ‘safe’ 😎

Looks like I’ve sold my Fenix 3. I bought the instinct to hold me over until I get a 5x+ or 6 (as and when) next year,  but I really rate it. Think I’ll stick with this for awhile….

Flame Red (orange) is clearly the sportsman’s choice…😎

I have a fenix 3 ,thinking of changing to an instinct. Can you choose which data fields the watch displays during an activity like you can with a fenix 3? Does it have the same fields available?

You can disable all notifications Kryton, only one o have on is a running one to mark every mile, and only use that when ‘racing’.

@julians

Yes it’s fully configurable and apart from VO2 and run metrics (L/R Balance etc)  I think it displays everything the 3 can.

It DOESN’T do Multisport,  however,  so if you’re a triathlete look elsewhere.

This may be a minor thing – I discovered you can turn it off.    If you don’t wear it 24/7 therefore you can happily leave it “off” without the green HR “light” glaring / beeping notifications from inside a drawer.

Thanks for that.I have no need for vo2 max ,multisport stuff or run dynamics, so it looks like a veritable bargain then when compared to the fenix 5 range.

I’ve read the dc rainmaker review too, but thought I must be missing something, as it looks virtually identical to a basic fenix 5 in terms of functionality, just missing the multisport stuff , the vo2 max  and run dynamics. I suppose those are big deals to some people.

Might have to pick one up soon as the fenix 3 is looking pretty battered.

Just to update – still very happy with mine. Did a bit of walking / tracing and a faux “get me home” as a trial, all good.

Now on day 14 an although the battery is showing 1/5 bars, I haven’t had to charge it yet – daily use, alternate daily 1hr turbo sessions, all day notifications and a probably an hours GPS.

Good to hear, I’m looking forward to getting mine.

Does WhatsApp work with it? Have you bothered with a screen protector?

No screen protector.

WhatsApp works fine. You get the notification and a bunch of short responses should you want to use them.

When it comes out of the box you link it to your phone and – voila, everything is taken care of. Its one of the things I enjoyed, there relatively little setup. Put the Garmin app on your phone, link phone, add device to Garmin app and 5 mins later you’re off.

“Now on day 14”

Do you turn it off every so often, or have Garmin improved their uptime reliability?

I turned it off one for 6hrs – about day 2 I think. I turned it back on in the morning and its been on ever since.

Great updates, thanks.

Santa is bringing mine, hopefully notin tundra colour

I’m tempted by one too. Do they link to Strava? I want a watch for running (distance/pace/HR and a beep after each mile). One that can be used for biking, nothing fancy, just total distance from strava at the end. And to be used for hill walking/runnin, GPS grid ref, altimeter and barometer.

On paper the instinct looks like it fits the bill and is under £200? I don’t want a colour fancy map on screen, it is a watch!! Is there anything not to like about the instinct?

Father Christmas is bringing me a Tundra one (bloody Kryton 😉 ) and I’ll be downgrading from a 935, but it’s time for a change, so I’m looking forward to it 🙂

Do they link to Strava?

Indirectly uploads through Garmin Connect yes. The Strava app sends notifications through your phone which do show on the Instinct. Bear in mind the instinct does not have “apps” like a true Smart watch.

Not to like? Our use case seem very similar and the only very minor bug bear I gave is that the button functions seem to be in a slightly unnatural location, but you soon get used to it. That could be me though!

The

Where are you all finding the instinct for 200 quid? I’m looking in Spain and struggling to find cheaper than 280eur/250gbp. Might as well take advantage of the weak pound (chortle) and save a few bob.

It dropped to £200 during black Friday week. Keep an eye on Bkacks, it’s currently £225 but they seem to rotate discount codes.

£220 at Millets…

Also worth checking Go Outdoors, they have the Instinct bundled with the Tempe temperature sensor. Currently £230, but was a bit cheaper last week.

Still a big chunk of saving even at 220. Going to the UK on the 28th, might be cheaper then? No rush, currently running with an Edge 520 in my pocket, works alright 😀

Do you turn it off every so often, or have Garmin improved their uptime reliability

Not sure I know what you mean, but my 935 is used all day and night, side from a brief break once a week or so to charge, and I’ve had no problems with it at all for nearly a year now.

( Yay! Cut and paste worked on Chrome/Android! )

£220 at Blacks too plus extra 15% off if you’re a new customer using ‘NEWSU’ 🙂

Well, i’m officially 15 whole days in now… when will it run out!

Thanks Nobby. 55eur cheaper than I found in Spain, code expires tonight so I panicked and pulled the trigger. Orange of course!

You could also get gooutdoors to price match and then save an additional 10%. Not sure they would match a voucher on a voucher?
I wonder if you could get them to match the reduced Blacks price, take another 10% off and then take another 10% for being part of the scouts???? £151…

I’ve got one and like it, it is a bit clunky to navigate and the screen doesn’t really lend itself to reading messages etc but that’s not what I want it for.
A couple of things could be improved in my opinion:-
Would be much nicer to edit custom screens from the app rather than the watch.
Also the strap could do with being a bit longer, it fits but looks a bit daft with a stumpy bit sticking out the end. Admittedly I have that issue with most watches so tend to go for metal bracelets normally.

anyone got that NEWSU code to work ?

oh well, punt taken on an orange one from Blacks at £220 – Happy Christmas to me 🙂