Comments on: Thinking about buying a Garmin: But which one should I buy?

By: James

James — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 14:35:53 +0000

Have you thought about a Polar? I have tried them all – most recent the 405 and Polar FT80.. 10 times out of 10 I would go with a Polar. i see them more like a training device – rather than navigational. The sw and interface is more exercise oriented. The 405 touch bezel was horrible – wouldn’t even work if it broke a sweat.

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 05:39:08 +0000

I surely enjoy using my Garmin Forerunner 305 .
It’s bigger on your wrist, but much easier to see day or night with a bigger screen. You can scroll through 3 screens with up to 4 sets of data on each one. Currently, I scroll through 2 screens with 7 sets of data. The 3rd screen shows me the time of day and elevation if I decide to check that.

So far, I haven’t ever lost a signal, like I used to when I owned the 201. It’s a keeper!

By: George - 13RunnerDude

George - 13RunnerDude — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 04:54:34 +0000

Last year when I had to replace my 305 due to a mechanic problem. I was taking to the Tech guy at Garmin, he really thought the 305 was better. I forget why now, but since I got such a good deal on the replacement, i did not work about the other at all after that conversation. You might give the tech guys a call!

By: Michael

Michael — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 03:16:02 +0000

I love my 405 and if you get a Garmin heart belt or the GSC 10 you can track your workouts on the iPhone.

By: John

John — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 01:42:25 +0000

Go for the 305. It’s durable, full-featured, and has big buttons that are easy to use while running. And get SportTracks for your training log. It’s the best. I have some info on my blog if you want to see how to use heart rate monitor and GPS for training.

By: Dirt Dawg

Dirt Dawg — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 00:17:53 +0000

Go with the 305. I have had mine for over a year and a half and have never lost a signal running on the trails in Michigan. I have small wrists but didn’t feel that it was too bulky at all. A couple of people i know have had trouble regarding the batteries on their 405.

By: ShoreTurtle

ShoreTurtle — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 20:16:14 +0000

I love gadgets too. I’ve thought about moving from my Polar footpod to a Garmin, though I will probably wait until my polar watch dies.

My friends that have used the 305 and 405 mentioned the same thing that Geoffrey commented–that the touch bezel on the 405 is more sensitive than the 305. One friend gets around it by locking the screen. I havent’ heard any complaints about the 305.

By: Amy

Amy — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 18:39:53 +0000

I love my 205 except for the battery life – it’s good for 5-7 hours which means I can’t use it during a century (or even during some marathons). I didn’t want a heart rate monitor. It is definitely clunky on smaller wrists, but the 405 isn’t very small either. My Nike+ never worked right, gave me different distances depending on my pace that day. If it broke, I think I’d replace the 205 with another 205.

By: Kathy

Kathy — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 18:30:25 +0000

I have the 205 and love it :0) It suits all of my needs, and I don’t think I miss having a heart rate monitor. Let us know what you get. I love it! There are so many things I didn’t know about at the beginning, like I just figured out how to set laps fir every mile so I know what pace I’m running each mile lol. Ah well, better late than never :0)

By: Count of Monte Christo

Count of Monte Christo — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 17:49:11 +0000

I cannot tell you anything on either the 305 or 405. My Garmin 205 does all I want it to do and I love it. Still, if you are interested in an integrated heart rate monitor, you will definitely go for one of the X05 series.

My 205 (same size as 305) is rather large-ish. That is fine if your wrists are wide, but it would be too large for the Missus’ wrist…
It might be wise to go to a store and try them both on your wrist.
I would think that comfort is very important, especially on long runs.

Good luck with your decision.