Garmin Forerunner 620 Initial Impression

[CantWaitToGoAgain]

Can you share the 5% coupon link or code?
Running warehouse has the "wishraced" 15% discount, but does not apply to the Garmin's. Just thought I would remind fellow wishers and inform any new wishers of their great site and discount thanks to this board.

 

[RnbwSktles]

Can you share the 5% coupon link or code?
Running warehouse has the "wishraced" 15% discount, but does not apply to the Garmin's. Just thought I would remind fellow wishers and inform any new wishers of their great site and discount thanks to this board.

Sure. I ordered from PedometersUSA and used the code "789". I found the code just by googling.

 

[cewait]

Can you share the 5% coupon link or code?
Running warehouse has the "wishraced" 15% discount, but does not apply to the Garmin's. Just thought I would remind fellow wishers and inform any new wishers of their great site and discount thanks to this board.

That's huge. I only got an extra 5% by joining the outlet's running club. Happy to do it as I am changing shoe brands this coming year and think it's much better to try before you buy.

For those who are coming to the marathon, Fit2Run will have a booth at the expo and the store front in DtD.

 

[CantWaitToGoAgain]

Coach not to take business away from the running stores...but I tried on and was fitted for shoes. I went home to ponder the cost (gulp)! New runner, 1st pair of running shoes. Found the site thanks to this board and they had the exact shoes I was fitted for. They were slightly cheaper but with that wishraced discount applied it made the purchase easier to swallow!

 

[CantWaitToGoAgain]

Sorry, I should add, thanks to all of you and your input and feedback I am considering investing in a Garmin watch. The prices are scary since I'm a newbie!! Currently using a free app on my phone and curse it almost daily!! I really don't want to get the 110 (which I think is all I would need?), but at this time in my training do I really need/want all the bells and whistles??

I will say by reading these posts you all have me seriously contemplating.....My first thought 220 with HR would be the one, but then for only another $150 could have the 620 with HR.

Oh dear!!!!!

 

[cindy0519]

I really don't want to get the 110 (which I think is all I would need?), but at this time in my training do I really need/want all the bells and whistles??

I will say by reading these posts you all have me seriously contemplating.....My first thought 220 with HR would be the one, but then for only another $150 could have the 620 with HR.

Oh dear!!!!!

Sitting here shaking my head in a up and down motion as I read your post! So me about a month ago for excactly the same reasons...new runner...do I "need" the bells and whistles...do I really "need" to spend this much money...

I made exactly this same progression in thought process and talked myself right into buying the 620. I really do love it and the feedack it provides regarding my runs. I'm finding it an excellent tool, and I'm sure you will too, whether you get the 220 or the 620.

Good luck with the decision!

 

[cewait]

Coach not to take business away from the running stores...but I tried on and was fitted for shoes. I went home to ponder the cost (gulp)! New runner, 1st pair of running shoes. Found the site thanks to this board and they had the exact shoes I was fitted for. They were slightly cheaper but with that wishraced discount applied it made the purchase easier to swallow!

I have no issue at all taking advantage of discounts --- I am a RoadRunner.com frequent purchaser with 5 pairs a year. However, I would think that there is value in the service of fitting and working through the tens if not hundreds of choices in the marketplace. While shoes are an investment and we all should leverage our funds as best we can, I would submit that you never would have found the pair you ordered online without your local running store. These guys live on a very small margin yet offer a significant service to the sport. You probably received more than the difference in cost in service. I would hope that most runners would purchase the first pair from the running store then head to online land for the replacements. In the extreme, if the shoes do not workout in the first few runs, the local guys generally take care of the customer.

I do not mean to flame, but I think we as runners owe something to these small business owners. Again, I only purchase from the the local guys when I am using them as a consultant to the current state of the shoe industry then head to the best deal as I wear out the shoes. Just think of them next time.

With regards to your gulp... I agree. I am running in Newtons at $185 a pair retail x 5 a year.

 

[cewait]

Sorry, I should add, thanks to all of you and your input and feedback I am considering investing in a Garmin watch. The prices are scary since I'm a newbie!! Currently using a free app on my phone and curse it almost daily!! I really don't want to get the 110 (which I think is all I would need?), but at this time in my training do I really need/want all the bells and whistles??

I will say by reading these posts you all have me seriously contemplating.....My first thought 220 with HR would be the one, but then for only another $150 could have the 620 with HR.

Oh dear!!!!!

Sitting here shaking my head in a up and down motion as I read your post! So me about a month ago for excactly the same reasons...new runner...do I "need" the bells and whistles...do I really "need" to spend this much money...

I made exactly this same progression in thought process and talked myself right into buying the 620. I really do love it and the feedack it provides regarding my runs. I'm finding it an excellent tool, and I'm sure you will too, whether you get the 220 or the 620.

Good luck with the decision!

I would suggest reading the reviews on www.dcrainmaker.com. This a real unbiased opinion and review of most every unit in the marketplace.

With regard to a new runner who is looking at either the 110 or 220 let me offer one huge difference between the two. If one is a run walker, the 220 will handle the r/w interval by itself. No need for an additional alarm or gaming the repeats. So for the additional $20 retail, the 220 is a much better deal from that perspective alone. Add the 7-day forward looking satellite positioning the unit uses you have a less than a one minute boot up. From there, it's all about looking at how much of the additional bells and whistles you would use.

 

[cindy0519]

I read the reviews on dcrainmakers website for days (ok maybe weeks). Very good review!

I also found the comments to the review to be helpful especially once a few people actually had the watch in hand. I still check every couple of as I see something useful at each visit.

 

[Raenstoirm]

my 220 HR is due to be delivered tomorrow (was supposed to be today but don't get me started on Fedex ). I did a lot of research and I am newish to running (couple 5ks and 10ks and 2 half marathons under my belt) and I went with the cheaper of the two to replace my 210. Some of the bells and whistles looked appealing, but not $150 appealing.

 

[disney minnie]

I mentioned to my husband that he might want to order one for me from REI. We are members so we will get at 10% dividend at the end of the year. We wouldn't get money off upfront but will get store credit or a check for $45 later in the year

 

[cewait]

So far the only real issue with the unit is it refuses to find my home wi-fi. This would be a 620 issue, only. My next option is to do a factory reset of the router to see if there is something hidden in the initial set up that is creating issues with the handshake.

Other than that, the unit is sweet. Turn on the GPS and you are ready to go within 15 seconds. No more turning the GPS on, leaving the unit in the drive then going back into the house for my water bottle, hat and last bath break and hoping I get back out before it powers down.

 

[RnbwSktles]

With regard to a new runner who is looking at either the 110 or 220 let me offer one huge difference between the two. If one is a run walker, the 220 will handle the r/w interval by itself. No need for an additional alarm or gaming the repeats. So for the additional $20 retail, the 220 is a much better deal from that perspective alone. Add the 7-day forward looking satellite positioning the unit uses you have a less than a one minute boot up. From there, it's all about looking at how much of the additional bells and whistles you would use.

I am upgrading from the 110 to the 220. The 110 was my first watch and it still works great. I use it for run/walk intervals, I just have to remember the time myself since the watch doesn't tell me. Not a big deal, but I am looking forward to this ability on the 220.

As far as the satellite signal, sometimes my 110 works instantly and sometimes it takes forever. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to it. I did a 5k on Thanksgiving, and didn't realize until the gun went off that I hadn't turned my watch on! I was so flustered I was even pushing the wrong button By some miracle it had located a satellite by the time I crossed the line. I would have survived a 5k without the watch, but I feel better with it.

 

[cewait]

I am upgrading from the 110 to the 220. The 110 was my first watch and it still works great. I use it for run/walk intervals, I just have to remember the time myself since the watch doesn't tell me. Not a big deal, but I am looking forward to this ability on the 220.

As far as the satellite signal, sometimes my 110 works instantly and sometimes it takes forever. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to it. I did a 5k on Thanksgiving, and didn't realize until the gun went off that I hadn't turned my watch on! I was so flustered I was even pushing the wrong button By some miracle it had located a satellite by the time I crossed the line. I would have survived a 5k without the watch, but I feel better with it.

I travelled a lot in my previous position so it was always hit and miss with the initial boot up in a new location.

A Reminder for ALL GPS users....

When you arrive here in a month, one of the first things you should do in town is turn on the GPS unit and let it locate itself. Depending on cloud cover and then current position of satellites as well as your distance from the last boot, it can take some time for the unit to start. The one place you do not want to experience this failure is as you are crossing the start line on race weekend. When I fly, I wear the unit as my watch and boot it up once on the ground and taxiing to the gate.

I would also suggest booting the unit once you arrive in the Staging area, if not while heading out the resort door for the bus/car. Then all one needs to do is boot the unit as the national anthem is playing or you see a wave 3-4 waves in front of you leave.

 

[cindy0519]

A Reminder for ALL GPS users....

When you arrive here in a month, one of the first things you should do in town is turn on the GPS unit and let it locate itself. Depending on cloud cover and then current position of satellites as well as your distance from the last boot, it can take some time for the unit to start. The one place you do not want to experience this failure is as you are crossing the start line on race weekend. When I fly, I wear the unit as my watch and boot it up once on the ground and taxiing to the gate.

I would also suggest booting the unit once you arrive in the Staging area, if not while heading out the resort door for the bus/car. Then all one needs to do is boot the unit as the national anthem is playing or you see a wave 3-4 waves in front of you leave.

Great suggestion! Thank you!! I would have been one of those experiencing failure at the starting line without this suggestion.

 

[MouseDogMom]

Coach, curious as to how the battery life compares to the 610? Husband and I both have 610's, and that's our biggest complaint with that model. I've ordered a 620 for him for Christmas. Wondering if he'll get better results with it than its predecessor?

Thanks for your great review, btw.

Jackie

 

[cewait]

Coach, curious as to how the battery life compares to the 610? Husband and I both have 610's, and that's our biggest complaint with that model. I've ordered a 620 for him for Christmas. Wondering if he'll get better results with it than its predecessor?

Thanks for your great review, btw.

Jackie

To date I have not pushed a run that would challenge the battery. As advertised, the 620 has an approximate 10 hour life while the 610 an 8 hour life. I will say that the battery bar on the face of the unit seems to indicate that 10 hours is the norm. Though, I would think that if one were to turn on the bluetooth and upload position live to the net via a smart phone while running, the 10 hour life would be a pipe dream.

 

[MRS AR]

I have the new 620 and have run 16 with the live feature on and had not seemed to
Compromise the battery life. I love being able to sync with my iPhone to upload the garmin to garmin connect. It doesn't take long to find satellites and i run in several rural (tree lined) locations. I had a 410 before so this was a big improvement for me.

 

[cewait]

I have the new 620 and have run 16 with the live feature on and had not seemed to
Compromise the battery life. I love being able to sync with my iPhone to upload the garmin to garmin connect. It doesn't take long to find satellites and i run in several rural (tree lined) locations. I had a 410 before so this was a big improvement for me.

I found the same thing on a shorter run. I just need to make sure the spectator side is user friendly by heading letting my DW walk the dog with the 620 and watching. That is always a risky venture as I may end up with 2 units.

 

[MRS AR]

I just ran a longer run today 4 1/2 hours and I still had 56% battery remaining when I put the charger on.