Garmin

[suzannews]

What model do you have? Love it? Hate it? Wish you had a different one? What features do you use and which do you not bother with? Easy to use?


Thanks to my fellow Super Goofs for all of their suggestions. I REALLY want one!

 

[runningjusme]

i just bought a 205. i already have a HRM and dont like wearing that one, so might as well not spend extra money on the 305. the 405 wasnt out when i bought mine.

i got it from Amazon, 149.65 total thanks to prime shipping.

i really like it, i only use it for running.

the negatives i have found so far though:
- sometimes the pace is really wonky. i will be going THE SAME pace and one second, its 14:12, the next its 26:15 ... i KNOW i didnt slow down that much in the course of a second... not sure if it has to do with satellites or what..

- i have yet to find a 'quick' start that you dont have to set a time / distance cap. my first long run, i set for 45 mins. 45 mins into my run, the garmin told me i was done. well that's fine, but i was about 8-10 mins from my house... wish there was a way to just GO... (maybe there is and i just havent figured it out yet???)

despite those 2 things, i love it and wear it every time i run...

if i had to do it again, i'd probably still get the 205 cause the wheel on the 405, i dunno .. reminds me of the iPod wheel which is really sensitive and i always pass what i want to select.

 

[Lynn G]

I have the garmin 205, and yes, sometimes the pace is screwy, but I pay more attention to my average pace when it does. I do have trouble with it in Orlando, I think because of all the trees - there are no trees where I am in Wyoming! I understand that the 305 and 405 have better satellite reception. I have never had a problem with it telling me my workout is over, but I guess I do not use that program, I just turn it on and go. I do have it alarm at every half mile and I run for .1 miles every half mile. I have wondered if I would train better with a heart monitor, but I am happy with the 205. I used it for bike riding the other day for the first time, it seemed to work well. It gave me the same milage that I get walking the same route, and also gave me my average pace in mph. I did not look at it while I was riding, it was my first bike ride in years, and I was busy getting used to the bike!

 

[cryssi]

I love my 205. I don't use a lot of features, but I have it set up with 4 windows - elapsed time, pace, distance, and time. It laps at every mile, so I can see how I've done. Really great on the long runs to see that I'm hitting my average goal pace. I really should figure out how to use the GPS though...

cons:
takes FOREVER to find a satellite...I've solved this problem by turning it on while I'm still in the house and warming up...by the time I'm ready to go outside, it's ready!

some may think it's bulky, but I've gotten used to it so it doesn't bother me!

I certainly couldn't train without it...it's great!

 

[Villains_Rock]

I also have the 205...and I love it! I use it anytime I run outside...basically like the PP that said they have the 4 split windows. I have mine set to alarm when I go 5 miles to let me know when to take Gu. I love getting home and checking my averages..it makes you feel really good about what you've just accomplished. It is really big though...so if you have small wrists I would recommend going to your local Dick's or whatever and seeing if they have one you could try on first.

 

[wfloyd]

- i have yet to find a 'quick' start that you dont have to set a time / distance cap. my first long run, i set for 45 mins. 45 mins into my run, the garmin told me i was done. well that's fine, but i was about 8-10 mins from my house... wish there was a way to just GO... (maybe there is and i just havent figured it out yet???)

If you don't use any training program, you can reset it (hit and hold the lap button for 3 seconds) and then hit the start/stop button and just go. I have mine set to beep every mile but it keeps going until I stop it.

I have the 305 and the 301. I have enjoyed both of them and I think the 305 does have better reception and lock capabilities. I don't use the HRM that much but it is interesting to see every now and then.

Bill

 

[wtpclc]

I have teh 204. Does teh job, but I have signal issues at times and it's huge. I am used to it, but am secretly prayign it will die so I can upgrade.

 

[Big Vic]

I have a 301 and like it very much. However, I have some pretty good intel indicating I may be receiving a 405 for Father's Day. ::cop:

 

[scoolover]

205 here also. Some issues. Long time locating satallites and I wish I had gotten the HR monitor. Other than that I love it. A charged battery lasts a long time.

 

[SamSam]

205 here and I love it! I always use when I'm outside, even if I'm doing a short walk. I don't use many of the features and I still love it. I have mine set to tell me when I go above or below a certain pace. The screen also always shows my distance, pace, time. In my area it always finds a satellite quickly so that's not an issue for me.

The only con for me is that my wrist is small and there are times on a LW that it bothers me quite a bit.

 

[Kira G.]

I also have a 205, and I love it. It does take a long time for it to find a satellite signal, but I have gotten in the habit of putting it outside on my steps while I'm getting my shoes on and then it works fine for me.

I have not tried many of the features yet, but I did use for bike riding the other day and it worked great.

It's one of the best toys I ever got!

 

[Cruella de mom]

305 and I love it. I even use the heartrate monitor too. I have used it for running, biking, and walks.

I even used it in the parks at WDW when I was doing Goofy. I just wanted to be sure I wasn't spending too much extra time on my feet. Plus it was fascinating to see how (NOT) far apart all the attractions are from each other.

It does have a little lag time on the pace but if you are running less than 15 or so miles you can set it to check the satellites more often and then the pace is closer to true time. This drains the battery though so you can't use it for a 20 mile run but you aren't supposed to worry about pace on those runs anyway.

I highly recommend one if you plan to train for more races.

 

[twoWDWfools]

Another one here with the 205. Love it even with the satellite issue.

I bought the bike mounting kit ($15 on Amazon) and it comes with a velcro wrist strap you swap it to and that makes it fit better.

 

[Caseydilla]

I have the 305 as well. I really like it and use it every run and race that I do. Sometimes it takes a bit to connect with the satellites but it's not too bad. I usually just try and remember to turn it on right as I'm starting to get dressed so that it's ready in time when I leave. I honestly don't use the heart rate feature but use quite a few of the many features. I have become so used to running with a Garmin, I feel lost without it.

 

[funwalker]

I have the 305 and really like it. I use it all the time for all my walking & biking.

I like the size, route mapping, and the seperate sports tracking features. Have not experienced problems losing connections in this area.

The HR monitor: Have not used it.
I take BP meds and was told it would not be accurate… I know I should find what is accurate for me but I haven’t.

 

[jam217]

I have the 205 and love it as well. I do agree that the pacing can get a little screwy especially when I'm going through an area with a bunch of trees. Rather than waiting for it to find a satellite, I set it by an open window while I'm stretching. By the time I'm done stretching, the Garmin is ready to go.

 

[CarolA]

I have the 205. I want the 405, but will have to wait since I gave up waiting on them to produce the thing and bought the 205.

I have discovered the secret to getting the thing to find the sattelites is to take it outside and NOT move it. Trust me it takes just a minute if it's sitting still outside. If you walk around, strech etc, it takes FOREVER! It also struggles inside so I don't even try that!

 

[Duanerice]

I have the basic, the 101. Never run or bike without it. The biggest drawback is I can't download into the computer. Yea it takes AAA batteries, but I use rechargeable so it's not an issue.

I too start it up while I am getting dressed. I also get a pace that jumps all around. I have it set based on all the advice I read and it still jumps around. When I review once finished my pace seems accurate but while running it's a crap shoot. Luckily I pretty much know what my pace is so it is not a big issue.

Wish I had the 305 for a couple of reasons. It is supposed to obtain a satellite a little faster, it has heart rate monitor and I can upload it into my computer. I'll get one eventually.

enjoy,
Duane

 

[skfulkers]

the negatives i have found so far though:
- sometimes the pace is really wonky. i will be going THE SAME pace and one second, its 14:12, the next its 26:15 ... i KNOW i didnt slow down that much in the course of a second... not sure if it has to do with satellites or what..

I'm not sure if you have tried this, but if you go into the settings, you can set "Pace smoothing." It basically changes the intervals in which the Garmin attempts to calculate your pace (ie--every second as opposed to every half second, etc). It really helps to eliminate the problem of weird pace readings due to arm swing, etc. When I first got my 201, I had the same problem and it drove me nuts until I figured out the Pace Smoothing option.

I have the 305 now and I love it. I will admit I'm having new toy envy over the 405, but anyway.... Yeah, I do like the 305. I use the heart rate monitor about 50% of the time. Mostly on shorter distances so I can train the appropriate HR zone. I use it for both biking and running. I'm guessing it's water resistant enough to use for swimming, but I'm scared to try just in case it's not. Anyone tried this?

Steve

 

[runningjusme]

If you don't use any training program, you can reset it (hit and hold the lap button for 3 seconds) and then hit the start/stop button and just go. I have mine set to beep every mile but it keeps going until I stop it.

I have the 305 and the 301. I have enjoyed both of them and I think the 305 does have better reception and lock capabilities. I don't use the HRM that much but it is interesting to see every now and then.

Bill

ohhh, nice! thanks!!

I'm not sure if you have tried this, but if you go into the settings, you can set "Pace smoothing." It basically changes the intervals in which the Garmin attempts to calculate your pace (ie--every second as opposed to every half second, etc). It really helps to eliminate the problem of weird pace readings due to arm swing, etc. When I first got my 201, I had the same problem and it drove me nuts until I figured out the Pace Smoothing

thanks for the pace options guys, i appreciate it!!