Garmin Watches

seanom78

HI guys,
I was just looking for some feedback on the Garmin GPS watches? Are they worth the cash?

I was looking at buying the Forerunner 305. I cant but it from Amazon(they wont ship to ireland).Also the price on Amazon is 139 STG which is approx 180 EUR. I priced it yesterday in argos and it was 389 EUR!!!!! what a joke. where is the cheapest way to get these in Ireland???

holdfast

I will sell you one only bought it 2 months ago when i though i lost my polar found it since. only worn four times

Pherekydes

I bought a forerunner 305 on ebay only a few weeks back for €184, less than half price. I find it great, if a little bulky. Sometimes, I even wear it driving to check my speed. :rolleyes:

poh

They are a great addition to training.

You know exactly your distance, pace etc.
I use to think I did 5 miles on a route which turned out to be only 4.5

I got a 301 off amazon two months ago, had a friend in Co. Down who I got it delivered too.
I paid £98 great value

Peckham

I don't think Amazon ship electronics to Ireland (I think due to the producer recycling fund thing), so you would have to get it shipped to a friend in UK to send it on (if you have that option).

Ebay is a possibility. Although just be careful what you're buying. I know that there are quite a few Garmins on ebay that are "refurbished" - i.e. made up from parts taken from different broken ones - in which case it won't carry a warranty from Garmin.

Pherekydes

poh wrote: »

You know exactly your distance, pace etc.

Well, not exactly, but more accurately than guesswork or measuring on google earth or mapmyrun.

--amadeus--

There is a huge amount more to a Garmin than just pace & distance though. I've had mine for over a year and I'm only starting to really use all of it's functions now.

For example you can program specific sessions (1 mile warm up, 6 * 400m w/90 sec recovery, 1 mile warm down) and it'll beep at the right times for you (great if you aren't near a track and just easier than manual timing). The alarms are great as well - you can set it to tell you if you are going to slowly (during a race or interval session) or too fast (long run or if your HR is too high or low. If you are going to do it then def get the one with the HRM.

Only thing is that the new model (405?) is out, or out soon, and it's much more compact.

Canis Lupus

Was buying a normal digi watch on the weekend. May buy one of these instead if they are genuinely worth it.

Stupid_Private

I use your standard old school casio watch. Got it in argos for less than a tenner. Start, stop and a light - it's all you need.
My advice would be to just go and run and not get bogged down by the stats, speed, heart rate and what not.

I borrowed a friends garmin before and ran my usual routes once - the distances were about the same as mapmyrun.com - handed it back and use the reliable casio now. It has no satellite issues - the battery has been good for years and all!

SharkTale

Hi All,
I also bought one this year as a treat for myself Garmin 305 (€195 inc P&P) from the UK...best sports aid I have...no longer able to cheat on times,distance, pace or if I was really working hard(BPM). Great to see my progress over the months and how I am getting quicker, longer runs, building miles up per week and stronger heart.
Would never run with out it now.
You can programme the watch to do everything bar getting up early on the weekend for the long run!
Recently bought a scratch guard for the Garmin, which helps to keep it new looking and not so worried about looking after it in the end of running gear bag.
If you can afford it buy it,