Help With Garmin

[Lexxiefern]

Hey WISH team, can anyone give me some advice on which garmin to get? I am looking at Amazon and I can get the older style forerunner 101 for $85, but it looks really bulky. Or the forerunner 205 for $162. Are either of these any good? Is there a different watch you like better? Thanks for any insight you can provide!

Becky

 

[Optimator]

Becky - We have 2 205's and really like them.

I can't really comment on the 101 but I think the 205 is supposed to be better for not dropping signals, especially in wooded areas.

I like the smaller size of the 205 as well.

Overall, I'd have to say that getting a Garmin was probably the best running gear purchase I've ever made (It didn't hurt that we got our second one for less than $10 between a Target clearance and a $50 rebate).

 

[ultramickeymouse]

I had a 101 and 201 and still use a 205. I live at Tahoe where lots of trees. The 101 & 201 would drop of walking the streets of the town. The 205 never loses signal, not even in my house. Much better and well worth the extra money. You won't be disappointed.

BTW, being able to upload the data and map your routes is a really cool extra.

 

[Lexxiefern]

Thanks Mike and Robert! Is the amazon price for the 205 good? ($162) Is there any other place I should check out? Btw, does the 205 automatically record your splits or does it have a function to do that? I hope it comes with an instruction manual....

Becky

 

[Tiger Lily 03]

Becky, I love my 205 for the same reasons about not dropping signal as said.

Yes, best toy I've ever expensed for thism "free" sport! You can set it to "beep" at every mile. It will also have a lap feature you can use. You can customize the screen to pick what it is you want to view.

When you download your date from Garmin into the training program, it will give you the mile paces and lap paces.

I think the Amazon price is good too.

 

[cdn_gal_eeyore]

The Amazon price is a good one. I picked mine up a few months back for about $192 from Amazon, so it looks like the price is dropping. I bought the 205 as well. I can't comment on the older models, but I like that the 205 is a bit smaller, the display screen is great, and I haven't noticed any issues with the signal dropping. It is definitely my favorite toy!

 

[scoolover]

I too have to give props to the 205. I got mine a few months ago and I love it. I do a lot of running in the woods and have not had any problems. If there is one issue it's that the pace never seems to be right. It always seems to be a minute or two slow. Seriously.
Scott

 

[ohMom]

does anyone have the 305? Costco has it for $220 which seems like a great deal? i like it b/c it has the heart rate monitor where the 205 doesn't if i'm researching correctly?

 

[ultramickeymouse]

I have the 205 and the heart reate monitor is the difference between it and the 305. The price is great for the 305

 

[scoolover]

In hind sight, I wish that I had gotten the 305 instead of the 205 so that I could play around with the heart rate monitor. If you are interested, go for the 305. The price does seem good.
Scott

 

[Lexxiefern]

I want to thank everyone for your help. I ordered my 205 from amazon a couple days ago (got free shipping!) and I cannot wait for it to come

Becky

 

[Tiger Lily 03]

Yay! You will have soooo much fun with it.

 

[bekkiz]

My FAVORITE thing about the 205 is the Virtual training buddy. His name is Esteban You set it for a particular pace, and there's a little graphic with two runners. It keeps you on track to see if you're going to fast or too slow.

Of course, I like beating my VTB, so I always set the pace pretty low

 

[scuba diver]

does anyone have the 305? Costco has it for $220 which seems like a great deal? i like it b/c it has the heart rate monitor where the 205 doesn't if i'm researching correctly?

I have the 305 and love it. As others have said, it is the same as the 205 except it includes the HRM. If you think you might ever use the HRM for training and race pacing then the 305 is the way to go.