Garmin battery question

[bunnyfoo]

For those of you who have a Garmin, how long does the battery typically last? During the WDW full, the battery on my 405 died before I finished the race. I noticed a low battery warning around mile 21 and then it died just before mile 24.

I'm pretty sure it was on a full charge because I'm thinking it would have died much earlier. I did a 5:22 full - so I was midpack I think. I know the watch is almost 4 years old but I know a lot of you have had your Garmins for much longer than that and still use them for fulls.

Has anyone had to replace the batteries on their watches yet? Maybe this is incentive to run faster

 

[FFigawi]

I've been able to get mine (Forerunner 310) to last for over 6 hours during a 50k, and the low battery alert never came on. I've never had to replace the battery, but I did get a refurbished unit in exchange for the one I sent back when the sound died. I think my sweat shorted out the speaker.

 

[K80K]

I've been able to get mine (Forerunner 310) to last for over 6 hours during a 50k, and the low battery alert never came on. I've never had to replace the battery, but I did get a refurbished unit in exchange for the one I sent back when the sound died. I think my sweat shorted out the speaker.

The 310 has a different battery than the 405 as it is designed for triathletes and can last up to 20 hours to support someone doing an Ironman.

The 405 lists as being able to last up to 8 hours in training mode. I am sure YMMV depending on if it was fully charged when you started and how much work the watch itself was doing to maintain its link to the satellites. When I ran Mickey 2008 my 305 crapped out on us around mile 22 when I was coming in for a 7 hr marathon.

 

[stitchfan18]

I've never had an issue with battery life during a marathon using my 205. My only problem, and I don't know if this is common with other generations or not, is the signal. It takes super long to find a signal sometimes, so I have to turn the watch on quite a while before the race starts to ensure that it finds a signal in time.

 

[fashionista311]

i would call garmin about it. i had the 405 too, and had a similar issue with it bonking out on long runs. at first i thought nothing of it (and that i was just too slow) but it steadily starting bonking earlier and earlier until i finally realized it wasn't just me. when i called garmin about it they had me reset it (it did nothing of course.) they said the battery should last around 10 years but they had this issue in many 405s. if you send it they should take care of you.

i ended up upgrading to the 610 though and i love, love, love it! it's just so much more user friendly then that damn bezel

 

[SAHDad]

My 305 lasts for at least 8 hours without recharging. I've used it on 8-hour ultras before, and it still was recording at the end - I think that I am supposed to get up to almost 12, although I have never run it that long.

The speakers on my 305 keep going out - it's a known design flaw, with the holes in the back, right against the skin and sweat. I have heard form other people that covering the holes with electrical tape works, and it has certainly kept mine from getting any worse.

 

[bunnyfoo]

Sounds like I should have gotten another 30-60 minutes out of the watch. I'll give Garmin a call tomorrow and see what they have to say. I have a feeling they might just say there's not much they can do because the watch is close to 4 years old.

fashionista311 - I'd love to upgrade to the 610 so I'm glad you like it. I'm stuck waiting until I get my tax refund though LOL Did you end up selling your 405?

 

[FireDancer]

Slightly OT but kind of related. I know my 305 can only keep about 3 hours of data if the Data Recording is set to "Every Second". For the full marathon I made sure to change it to "Smart Recording".

I know it isn't battery related but if someone does a 5 hour marathon and only has the last 3 hours in the history that is why.

 

[rubato]

I tested mine out a month or so ago and it made it almost 12 hours. I was trying to see if it would go the distance for the 9 hours I was planning for my ultra. No problem. I have the 305, by the way.

 

[cewait]

A couple observations on the 405...

First, the charger can at times not seat well and quit charging mid charge. This issue was resolved with the 610 release as the charger now has a small magnet to hold it in place.

As mentioned above, you may want to switch to smart data recording rather than second by second, if you are in that mode.

After 4 years, the battery may need replacing. That depends on how often you let the unit fully discharge. I read in some Garmin literature that the battery is good for about 1000 charges.

Finally, call Garmin. This batter is not one that is replaceable by the user.

 

[fashionista311]

Sounds like I should have gotten another 30-60 minutes out of the watch. I'll give Garmin a call tomorrow and see what they have to say. I have a feeling they might just say there's not much they can do because the watch is close to 4 years old.

fashionista311 - I'd love to upgrade to the 610 so I'm glad you like it. I'm stuck waiting until I get my tax refund though LOL Did you end up selling your 405?

Naw, I never sold my 405. I've heard you can't really get very much money for it and I didn't have any friends who were interested, so it's just sitting in the drawer. I guess it's a good backup if my 610 isn't available for whatever reason.

but yes, love, love the 610. the touchscreen works so well and it's just so intuitive to find all the settings.

 

[dcr]

Turn off ANT. That helps a lot. My wife typically gets 8 hours, no problem. Don't forget that the battery doesn't last forever. It might be time to send it in for a battery change.