Looking for a watch for running with GPS that will read a HR chest strap, and let me upload the file to Strava for walks and runs. I keep my phone in a backpack or pocket so its a pain to access for a quick look at my pace or distance. It’s a big phone too so don’t want it on my arm.

Any recommendations? Cheap and simple would be ideal.

Garmin Forerunner 35 or 45.

Both have built in HR so no need for strap.

I’d even look at the new garmin FR55. Quite a lot more featured than the 45. Also, for accurate heart rate readins, particularly for things like intervals, a chest strap is a must really. The one built into the watch is fine for background HRM readins and the like but they struggle when doing actual exercise.

I have the Forerunner 45.  It does everything you want, works very well and was (relatively) cheap I think I paid about £120?.

I use it for cycling, running and walking.  The garmin connect phone app is really quite good and can be set to automatically upload to Strava (and other services) if you want.

I’m very happy with mine.

as above, garmin 45 would be my punt. They’re compatible with most (all?) ant+ heartrate straps, so you don’t need to splash out on a garmin one. I have a coospo one, think it was £25 or so. Works great.

The watch will also give you notifications from your phone (it does allow simple responses to messages, but its fiddley AF), and the best feature is ‘find my phone’ which makes your phone flash/ring super loud as long as its within bluetooth range

Can I connect my Polar chest strap to the Forerunner 45/55?

Can I connect my Polar chest strap to the Forerunner 45/55?

if it is ant+, almost certainly. If its some extremely old protocol, probably not.

my wife has a garmin venu thing. looks like a nice watch as well as being gps.

I got a Garmin vivoactive 3 last year. Does what you need it to do.

There were some refurbed Garmin 45s on eBay @£70. Bargain. I bought mine for £100 and it’s brill

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Garmin-Forerunner-45-GPS-Running-Watch-black-Case-Size-42mm-/384352771861?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

If I can find a size small I’ll go for one.

the best feature is ‘find my phone’

I didn’t know my Instinct could do that! Thanks!

Garmin stuff is really cheap (save 30%+) if your employer is signed up through Perks at Work.

Otherwise for running, go for the Coros Pace 2. Running with power is the future.

Moved away from a chest strap HRM to the Polar optical one which I put on my bicep.

I don’t like the elastic round my chest when I’m breathing hard.

Works about the same as the chest HRM (reviews and personal experience), stays put better than a chest strap.

I had an old Garmin Vivosmart HR+ but the GPS was slow and not that accurate. I then just used it as a HR monitor with Strava (and my phone doing the GPS), then Strava stopped supporting ANT+. Also the battery life diminished so it was only lasting a few days between charges.

I’m looking at other options now. The Garmin Vivosmart 4 looks ideal in some ways. I think it can use GPS from your phone, then upload from Garmin Connect to Strava. Also I like wearing normal watches, so the Vivosmart could go on my right hand as it looks quite slim.

You can get running shorts with waistband pockets for your phone

Garmin stuff is really cheap (save 30%+) if your employer is signed up through Perks at Work.

I get student/education discounts through work. Not yet found anywhere that offers a student discount for garmin though.

If you’re already using a polar chest strap just use a Polar GPS watch like the M430…..

Moved away from a chest strap HRM to the Polar optical one which I put on my bicep.

I’ve not tried their arm strap one, but when I cycle with my Polar chest HRM and my Polar optical watch, I get a big difference, the optical watch under reads high heart rates by a lot eg I can be at 180 bpm on the chest strap and only 110 on the optical reader. The watch seems much worse in the rain, in the dry it’s a bit better eg 180 vs 140.

Might just be me though, I’m on my third Polar Vantage watch (two new ones under warranty) as the HR LEDs burn out. I wonder if it can’t read my HR very well and runs the LEDs at max brightness causing them to die in under a year…..

NB Their warranty service is gob smackingly good, I posted off my watch on a Tuesday, 1st class. Had a new one on my wrist by lunchtime Thursday!

Doesn’t fit cheap/simple but Amazon had Fenix 6s for £370 earlier.

I had an old Garmin Vivosmart HR+ but the GPS was slow and not that accurate.

I generally find the gps on my watch (instinct solar) to be more accurate than that on my phone, it can use glonass or galelao as well as gps. Its quick too if you’ve used it in the previous week

it can use glonass or galelao as well as gps

I would have thought most modern phones do as well. A watch might have a better signal as it’s not in a pocket etc. GPS signals etc are pretty weak, so it doesn’t take a lot to attenuate the signal to the point where it struggles.

@footflaps – me too on watches doing strange things. But the arm strap optical got good reviews and my experience is that it isn’t reading any lower than I’d expect.
Apparently blood flow in the small vessels is what the optical areas and it is temperature affected particularly at the extremities. The same sensor type in a warmer area under your clothes closer to the centre is more accurate. Tallies with what I’m seeing.

I’ve gone for the Garmin Forerunner 45. It ticks all the boxes, and quite like that t has 2 differwnt sizes (I ordered small) and that it has proper buttons to press instead of touch screen.

Second hand Garmin Fenix 3 on eBay for c£80 with heart rate strap. Bought mine in response to a similar thread 9 months ago and its rock solid and bombproof.

Aye, they’re pretty cheap on ebay, I’ve a vivoactive 3 that I was gonna sell but I’d get so little for it I’ve just kept it as a spare.