I have an old Garmin (can't remember the number, but it's the $200 model) and it's one of the best purchases I've ever made. I use the steps and heart rate constantly, and it's great for viewing texts while driving just to see who they're from without getting my phone out. And as a runner obviously there are huge benefits to the GPS. Highly recommend pulling the trigger if you're thinking about getting one but haven't, as I was for literally years lol.

The size increase would send me to a 2nd 945 if mine eats it. Love my 945, it’s light and the size of a normal everyday watch. With the right face, you don’t even know at a glance that it’s a smartwatch.

How's the sleep tracker?

Thanks for posting this. I'm a few months into my running journey and loving it. I played it safe and got a ~ $150.00 fitbit device, charge 5. It was a good enough introduction into the idea of data tracking, now I'm addicted to all the cool stuff it's been letting me do with my training. This Garmin watch seems like a huge step up. By the time my Birthday rolls around I'll have been running for 6 or so months. Seems like a nice present to myself :)

I have a Fenix 5s and I really enjoy the sleep tracker. I find it quite accurate regarding fall asleep/wake up times. Then it breaks down the time further into periods of deep sleep, REM, light sleep and awake - based on your movement

Love the watch HATE, HATE, HATE the software. Garmin Connect is an asshole.

I only used it for like the first month as I didn't want to wear my watch to bed every night. My takeaway was that it read a lot of downtime as sleeping that wasn't actually sleeping. I wake up at 4 a.m. or so all the time, for example, and just lay in bed scrolling my phone till 6 a.m. or so. But that time was tracked by the watch as REM/deep sleep, which was just inaccurate. The distance/GPS though is great, and that's my main use for running.

Meanwhile here I am with my Apple Watch Ultra and the 8 paid apps I needed to get close to the what garmin app does, thinking wow that Garmin app was pretty good and it was free.

The software is doodoo but everything else is great

Training status: Unproductive

<Runs today's surprise sprints suggestion >

Training status : Overreaching

Oh, and it's humid out so let's tack on a VO2MAX reduction for funsies.

... ... YOU ™~¿£€¥¢©®!

Ah that sucks, I hate that part about my Fitbit. Sometimes I wake up and watch Netflix in bed and the tracker thinks I'm asleep haha.

I feel like you’ve shot yourself in the foot in more ways than one by buying a $900 smartwatch without doing an atom of research into what it actually offers.

If they can afford a watch that expensive they can buy subscription apps.

Please pay me now daddy Tim Cook, sir.

I mean $900 for a professional use watch isn’t really that expensive, but at the same time the words “watch subscription” just scream idiocy to me regardless of wealth.

Are any of these good with true heart rate? I use the fenix 6, coming from the 5. On some bike rides I’d be going up a hill and my heart is beating out of my chest and it says my hr is 85 (that was on the 5). Same thing with playing hockey, will come off a shift absolutely exhausted, hr 90. Is there something with maybe sweat that’s not giving an accurate reading? I was hoping the 6 would have been improved, but same issues

I think mine is pretty accurate. I don't have anything else to compare it to, but I'd say it's at least consistent with its readings over time.

I just know when I can barely breath and it’s higher then it says haha. However, on the stair master it seems to be consistent to where I think it should be reading

Counterpoint: It is exceptional, this is nitpicking of sorts? Users don’t pay for it, and the long term data trends over time are outstanding. It’s not a coach or professional training software, and once that is internalized, I think you’ll better understand that what’s being voiced here is the assumption that it should be. It can be inconsistent in some of the conclusions it draws, but it’s exceptional for free software (and the complaints are irrelevant if you’re already drafting your own training plans, and modifying them based on the physiological data you’re able to collect with this level of Forerunner)

Mine is accurate unless my wrist is bent back. That screws with it a LOT. I know it makes a huge difference depending on how tight I have it. If it's really snug then it will say my HR is 52 when it's over 140.

I did plenty of research before I bought the Ultra. It wasn’t until I used it that I discovered that the way I use smart watches made it a poor choice for me. There are several design and user experience issues, the battery life as I’m experiencing is worse than reviews and official documentation made me expect, and the comfortability of the watch and it’s bands during certain activities that I do sucked. And unfortunately it took me about 4 weeks longer than the return window to hit critical mass of frustration. So now it sits in my watch case while I happily wear my Fenix 7.

Nope.

You work for them or something? I’ve had the opposite experience. Garbage.

They are ok. Not as good as a chest monitor or medical hook up though.

A lot of wrist heart rate sensors can get "cadence lock" where the HR reported is your running or cycling cadence. For me if the watch is tighter and above the wrist bone, this happens less, but I use a chest strap for running and cycling now. (I also have a fenix 6)

Which hr strap do you use?

Smart watches and their data are a huge reason I’m still running after 4 years.

Garmin HRM-Dual, though if I were buying a new one I might go for the HRM Pro because it gives you some additional cool running dynamics stuff (how much are you bouncing up and down, how long are you in contact with the ground, etc)

Interesting, I’m not a runner and would probably only use it for hockey and cycling (wrist sensor is fine for the other activities)

I have a fenix 6 and it’s been a long time since I tested it but it always came up good. I would look when I checked my BP or I’d use those grips on the treadmill machine. Which probably suck but they always matched so maybe not

I have a polar fs1 and still use it. Do I win a prize for the oldest?

Toggle the Wi-Fi for us.

I’ve been a staunch apple user since the original iPod touch and one day with my Forerunner 45 was enough to make me never pick up another Apple Watch again without some type of redesign. The out of the box experience for me personally was leaps and bounds better to get me up and moving. Suggested it to my wife who swore she’d never run unless she was being chased and now she’s running more than she ever had and ENJOYS running now.

If you’re interested in sleep trackers, https://youtube.com/@TheQuantifiedScientist has a decent YT channel explaining sleep trackers and their effectiveness. I swear by my Forerunner 45 for it being a great watch for the price but I do believe, the Apple Watch Ultra was the top sleep tracker when it came out from his tests.

My last Garmin from several years ago was like half an inch tall off my wrist lol. It was like a brick.

To be fair, it's the only GPS watch I've used for running, but in the past I've used a) my car odometer, which obviously has accuracy issues, particularly when you get to tenths of miles or less, and b) my phone GPS, which works OK but it sucks to carry and my apps would always glitch halfway through a run. The Garmin solves all these problems and is at least consistent run over run. And I generally run 100+ miles per month, so I spend a lot of time with it and it's important to me that it's accurate.

For me, when the Forerunner could display a text from my iPhone, it was over. That piece of convenience is what I liked about the Apple Watch, but nothing else. I’ve been on the feature rich, rugged, long life Forerunners since 2018, and I can’t consider looking back. Apple worked too hard to compartmentalize features into different apps (many that are pay-for to do it well) for a fragile watch that I broke twice. After all, I’m very active and the Apple Watch simply isn’t durable enough, the features are fragmented across apps, and the cost is not inline with competitors.

Oh Ive seen his videos but I didn't see any in-depth analysis about Garmin sleep tracking, only saw ones for Fitbit, apple watch and the rings and that one strap.

Luckily mine is just like a digital watch that does hrm. The chest strap is kinda annoying in that if it stops working I am not pulling my shirt off to fix it.

I agree with this. I’ve changed from Apple to full Garmin and what Connect does and aggregates is awesome. I have Fenix 7x, Index S2 smart scale, Vector 3 dual sided pedals, Edge 1030+ and HRM Pro+, the ability to combine all the data from each device in one area, track weight and BF% as well as FTP and Watts per kilo is very cool.

Edit: and Neo 2T trainer (doesn’t connect with Connect App)

I gotta get on your level! Daaaamn, that’s a sweet ecosystem of tools!

I also have the Tacx Neo 2T.

I will say, Garmin has incredible service. I’ve bought the vector 3 and fenix used. I got both of them replaced under warranty through Garmin. Don’t be afraid to buy used, it’s saved me a ton of money.

How do you like the Vector 3?

Great pedals. Very happy with the information regarding power phase. Really happy with them.

just get a 265 it does literally everything even triathlon now, then with the extra money leftover get a stryd footpod and run by power and threshold test based plans. It will change your life! Best out! I mean I could go on for hours about how it will save your life on heavy hill courses and windy days(it takes real-time wind into account) but I'll let you deep dive it on your own. Palladino Power Project google that for a dive from an MD/coach who makes the best Power based running plans out right now. He also has a facebook page that is pretty popular.

Dear reviewer, I and quite large percentage of active amateur and recreational cyclists prefer larger display single instrument right in front of us on handlebar or on extension, so we do not have to look onto side onto tiny screen, take palm off handle and get distracted on road or on mountain trail.

So most of us use Edge or any equivalent of it from Polar or other producers.

So no, it is not "king for cyclist", far from it.

But it is good instrument for all sports where taking look off way is not a problem.

Sincerely, greybeard cyclist.

Garmin (and Polar too imho) makes excellent sport watches with some smartwatch functionality, while Apple makes fashionable quality smartwatch with some sport functionality.

They are allright, wrist and chest strap are quite near, wrist hrm takes a few seconds longer to follow HR changes compared to chest HRM.

But!

Wrist HRM are not that good for using on cycling because hand when grips and flexes around will make wrist HRM logic off balance while chest HRM will do job without problem. Add into that dust and sweat and you have slow reading and strange numbers you are experiencing.

So for all kinds of cycing , chest HRM is better choice for accurate readout.

Have Edge for cycling (road, mountain, climb) and exclusively wear chest HRM, but for everything else I use Instinct2 with wrist HRM.

Because you need sport watch (garmin,polar,amazfit) with some smart watch features not smartwatch with some sport features (apple).

I even ditched Fenix in favour of Instinct2 (light, rugged, long battery life, straight plain display, minimum of smart functionality) - so more lumberjack type of sports watch.

Good point about the wrist movements, maybe that explains it for hockey