Discussion: Which GPS watch to buy

Are Garmin still the best GPS-enabled watches? Is ther eany reason not to go for the Forerunner 305?

I can only speak to my decision process on whether to upgrade my Forerunner 305 to a Forerunner 310XT (which I finally did). The 305 is a really good deal for what it does. Buy it if:
1) You don't plan to swim.
2) You're OK with 10-hr battery life. (310XT is 20 hrs and that's what sold me but most people don't need that.)

Although the 310XT is a little smaller, it's not enough smaller to be worth the huge difference in cost.

Having used the FR 305 and the 405, I see very little reason not to get the 305. The 405 is smaller and seems to acquire sattelites much more quickly, but the interface stinks. It is not as user-friendly while on the run, and the ANT+ computer transfer is unreliable. And it costs a lot more. The price difference really isn't worth it, to me.

I just bought my 305 after saving for months, and I adore it. Very happy with it, and have yet to explore most of the features.

The 305 is fine for swimming....as long as you don't mind a slightly interesting interpretation of your ability to swim in a straight line. :)

As Bash said, the only real difference is the 10-hr battery life.

I'm not sure but I thought the 205 & 305 could be set to record at 1 sec intervals but the 405 is 5 seconds.

Be careful about the swimming - a friend had a problem. The 305 is designed to meet the standard of "waterproof in the event of accidental immersion in 1 meter of water for 30 minutes". You might get lucky - but if you don't, the warranty might not cover you.

This discussion forum includes some different experiences triathletes have had with it.
http://www.trifuel.com/forum/11337/is-the-garmin-3...

Yeah, the 305s are notoriously un-waterproof. However, I've heard many good stories about Garmin being very good about replacing waterlogged watches.

I'm not sure but I thought the 205 & 305 could be set to record at 1 sec intervals but the 405 is 5 seconds.

The 205/305 have 1s or 'smart' recording, the more recent ones all have 'smart' mode only. I'm a big fan of 1s recording, I only switch to smart mode if I'm going to fill the memory before getting back to my PC. Smart mode isn't so much '5s interval' as 'only record a point when the GPS decides you've done something interesting.'

Costco in Calgary has 305s for $149Cdn - a fraction of what I paid 3 1/2 years ago... My main complaint is that it is heavy and if I don't fasten it tightly on my wrist I end up bruised. And I have experienced the early high heart rates in cold weather as was discussed elsewhere. But having heard others discuss the 405, it seems that the 305 is way easier to use.

The 310XT certainly seems a better unit to me than the 305 (I've used both for over a year each). It feels lighter too, whether it is or not I'm not sure, but it is definitely more watch-like in feel rather than anchor-like.

If cost isn't a consideration, go for the 310XT. The price difference is huge - it's more than double here. And if you want a heart rate monitor strap, it is not included with the 310XT so you need to budget a little more. I'd agree that the 310XT feels more watchlike but the specs aren't different enough to justify the upgrade for that reason alone - unless money truly is no object. I upgraded to get 20 hrs of battery life. If that is important to you, the 310XT is much better.

305
weight = 77 g
2.1" x 2.7" x 0.7"

310XT
weight = 72 g
2.1" x 2.2" x 0.8"

The HR measurements by GARMIN aren't accurate for everyone. I like the 310XT for the battery life/comfort, but never use the HR monitor because I don't get reliable readings from it. (for that I actually use a Polar). It is nice not to stress that the battery will run out during most basic events (unless doing long ultras/ironman/rogaines, etc.)

As everyone else has said, if battery life isn't an issue you can go for the 305 -- I would add you could even go for the 205 if you don't care about the HR monitor part (and if you can even find one). I have to say as the others mentioned, I miss the 1s measurements from the 205/305s as well.

I would not go for the 405, as watch like as it is. I like being able to read several pieces of information on a single display.

The ANT+ with the 310XT is sometimes 'quirky', but I must admit to liking the 'automatic' uploads to connect.garmin.com.

And yes, not having to worry about 'rain' is a bonus with the 310XT!

I recently got a 305 with HR monitor and it's amazing! From what I've read the 310XT doesn't seem to offer much over the 305 considering the price. Wouldn't mind being able to swim with it though.

Just got a 405 with hrm (Birthday pressie), only used it twice but I found it, and the ANT+ software very easy to set up and use. As I'm unlikely to use it for more than 5 hours or so in one go I'm not too fussed about the battery life. I would have gone for the 305 if buying myself to save the cash, but I was even offered the 310 for my present, but I don't need the battery or swimming capabilities that has.
The one downside is that it doesn't turn off.

ANT system is quirky at best here. Unreliable would be a more accurate description.
Smart recording is dumb. 1 second is much better.
The cheaper interface is better as well.

Have a 405 which I love, fast satellite detection, good battery life, and I'm ook with the ANT system.

Challenge I have is with being able to separate activities if I haven't had a chance to download between events. I.e. doing a double header sprint, I'd like to tell the system that those are to be logged as separate events. They get downloaded onto Training Center as a single activity.

I can save the route and crossload to Quickroute, save a duplicate and go through the drill of cutting the track to get an overlay on the map of the route I took, but I can't find a way to separate the distance, HR, etc data for download into A/P. If each activity is on a single lap, I have the data, but that's not always the case.

So - question is, is there a way to tell the 405 that I'm done with one event and that what happens next is to be kept separate at download?

Jim, if you press and hold the lap button for a few seconds after stopping the watch, it will reset to a new activity. It doesn't erase the completed one, just stores it.

In addition you will know its resetting as when you hold the lap button (after the timing has been stopped) a screen will open saying RESET in 3- 2 - 1 then goes away. Your activities, and up to eight can be stored, can be downloaded at your convenience on different lines of your Garmin Connect page.If you are using Quick Route or a similar program you can also select the proper log for the proper map in each's drop bar.

I bought the 305 for about $125 US from an AP link - so price is hard to beat. I'm not interested in nuances of function. Battery life is of interest but probably does not apply for me unless I were to do a rogaine and then maybe one would need 2 such devices. My limited experience says satellites can be acquired in under 90" if the device is left sitting on a car hood or some equally stationary situation. What I admire is when one clicks on the globe, one can see where the user was, the climb/descent, pace etc. One can armchair via Sat view anywhere on the planet! - a run thru London or Timbuktu (read about it today in recent Nat'l Geo.), a hike/jog in NZ, a walk in China, a climb in Antarctica, a swim across the Dardanelles (provided the 305 survived:-), everywhere.

Rogaines don't allow GPS units, at least ones that have displays...

I've decided to go for the $50 solution . . . .

Maybe I'll buy one of those too - too cheap to pass up. Lucky you on that Score O event on 1/1/11.

While the $50 solution is an option it actually costs around US$90 from what I can find. If I can chase up a 305 for less than AU$200 I think the additional cost warrants the additional functionality that comes with the watch ie training functionality.

I've user Polar for about ten years. Very reliable and robust. Garmin 305 I've had for two years for orienteering. Superior GPS + easy to transfer the data pc + get the route on the map (with Quickroute utility). Nice package. The little problem with Garmin is the lack of reliablity I've used to with Polar. The kind of user interface Garmin is offering by 305 may not be as "battle field proof" that is often needed "out there"...

In the UK, the cost of the i-gotU from Maplins is £30.
http://www.maplin.co.uk/module.aspx?moduleno=22762...
The Garmin 405 from Amazon is £180 . . . . .

405 worked okay so far with ant+ behaving decent on vista. It is a pain having to boot into vista every time I need to upload a run but I see no way around it. I got a refurbished 405 with HRM for about $220 a year ago.

Have a look at Global Sat. We have been using them for at least three months and big complaints. GPS works fine. The only disadvantage is the uncoded signal of the heart rate monitor. But as far as I know they are about to lauch the new version of GPS watch with coded signal and upgraded processor. The updates for the watch are available on the net and easily uploaded to the watch.
http://www.globalsat.com.tw/products-list.php?menu...

Thanks for all your feedback. Have decided on a Garmin Forerunner 305 which I got on ebay for AUS$200. Should arrive in the next week or so.