Which Garmin please?

sibeen99

Hi Guys,

Sorry to post another Garmin thread but I have finally decided to invest and can't make up my mind which one to go for. Up to now I have been using a bog standard stop watch nut want to get something that has greater functionality. I have narrowed it down to the 210, 410 and 405CX I think. What do you guys think? Which would be better. I am happy to spend a little extra if it is going to be worth it. I don't want anything too bulky.

I have looked through the other Garmin threads but am still at a loss as to which one to go for so I would be grateful for your insight.

Thanks

Dr.Sanchez

The 410 and the 405CX are more or less the exact same. Iv'e the 405CX, no problems with it. It's taken a good few knocks and bumps and even took a spin in the washing machine and its still going strong!

rom

405CX is probably best value for money. the 410 is much more expensive than the other two. The 210 "Doesn’t allow the user to change data fields" which is a big con if you ask me. Also 405 better waterproof. http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2010/12/garmin-forerunner-210-in-depth-review.html

huskerdu

Before you decide, or ask for advice, you should be clear what you want the watch for ?

Do you want it for running only, or also for cycling ?
Do you need it to be fully water-proof ?

Do you need it for simple functions like tracking your pace/distance/HR or do you want to do interval training or more complicated training ?

I dont know the exact differences between the 405Cx and the 410, but the 210 is smaller with less features.

someone mentioned that the 410 is much more expensive than the 405Cx. currently they are almost the same price on amazon

sibeen99

Thanks for the input. Looks like the 405CX may be the winner. Thanks for the review of the 210 rom, its fairly indepth. The 210 looks to be a little neater but I think I would prefer greater functionality! I think im afraid ill make the wrong decision :-(

sibeen99

Hey Huskerdu,
I will use it mainly for running but would like the option of using it on the bike too. I think they are all compatible with this. Also I would probably go for one with greater training options rather than end up regretting it later on.
Can anyone say how much bigger the 405/410 is in comparison with 210? I don't want it to look like I stuck a satellite on my wrist!
Thanks again!

Krusty_Clown

sibeen99 wrote: »

Can anyone say how much bigger the 405/410 is in comparison with 210? I don't want it to look like I stuck a satellite on my wrist!
Thanks again!

A picture paints a thousand words:




Top picture, the 405 and 410 are 2nd and 3rd from the left. Bottom picture they are 2nd and 3rd from the right. Bigger than a standard watch (and the 210), but honestly, you should be more concerned about what it does than what it looks like. These pictures are from DC Rainmaker's website, which should be the first port of call for anyone looking for GPS training watch reviews. Photos here of the 210 stacked against the 405.

sibeen99

Thanks Krusty, not much in it size wise really and while I know I should be more concerned with functionality I am but a mere girl and if it can look good at the same time it's a bonus. For this reason I would be swayed towards the 405CX. Or would the 410 be the better buy? Aghhhhh, this is not an easy decision!

rom

sibeen99 wrote: »

Thanks Krusty, not much in it size wise really and while I know I should be more concerned with functionality I am but a mere girl and if it can look good at the same time it's a bonus. For this reason I would be swayed towards the 405CX. Or would the 410 be the better buy? Aghhhhh, this is not an easy decision!

410 when the price is so similar I'd say

Krusty_Clown

sibeen99 wrote: »

I am but a mere girl

Ahh, you're a girl. That changes things. You should probably go to a shop and try out the various watches, just to make sure they're a good fit, particularly if you have a narrow wrist. My OH uses a 405 and has no problems, but your mileage may differ. The 410 has two extra straps included in the box (including a soft strap) which should offer better fit opportunities.

sibeen99

Thanks again guys. Looks like it could be the 410 so but I will take Krustys advice and try some on first.

Phew, this is hard work :-)

huskerdu

I am a girl and have a smallish wrist.

My 305 is a bit uncomfortable. I bought the soft strap and I often wear a wrist band underneath is to stop is rubbing on my wrist bone.

sibeen99

huskerdu wrote: »

I am a girl and have a smallish wrist.

My 305 is a bit uncomfortable. I bought the soft strap and I often wear a wrist band underneath is to stop is rubbing on my wrist bone.

Just had a look at the 305 and I'm not surprised its uncomfortable! Its really big! While I would be slightly price conscious I would rather pay out now for something that Ill still be happy to use in a few years and not want to upgrade. I think Ill just have to go and try some on.

spurscormac

I'm here to throw a spanner in the works...

I'm male but have slim wrists. I tried the 405cx on for size & it annoyed me, due to the solid shape of the watch & start of the wristband.

Ended up going for the Timex Run Trainer, bought from US.
Its still chunky enough in comparison to the 210, but doesn't have the annoying bezel of the Garmin 405/410.

Anyway, the spanner I'll throw in is the new Timex Marathon Trainer which is a slimline gps watch, but doesn't (officially) have downloadable capabilities.
At the price range its set, it has limited configurability, but check it out on DC Rainmaker to see if it might be suitable for your needs.

Jasonw

I bought the 410 from amazon recently. cost delivered approx 210 euro (with the heart rate monitor). If you're marathon training I would definetly reccomend the HR monitor version especially as most of your marathon training should be related to keeping your heart in the correct training zone.

All in all very happy with my purchase. Love playing around with the garmin connect and comparing runs etc. Good luck with the marathon.
J

Edit: just read your OP and realised that you never mentioned marathon training.

sibeen99

Thanks Jasonw,

I have still to make up my mind. I tried a friends 610 last week but I felt it was really big so I'm waiting to try a 410 another friend has. I will def be getting the HRM even though no marathon training yet . The 410 seems to be what I'm looking for if only it was a little smaller

I vaguely considered the 110 just for the size but I think I may regret it down the line. I really just want the watch now so wish I could make up my mind.

Thanks again for the input and good luck with your own training!

rom

sibeen99 wrote: »

Thanks Jasonw,

I have still to make up my mind. I tried a friends 610 last week but I felt it was really big so I'm waiting to try a 410 another friend has. I will def be getting the HRM even though no marathon training yet . The 410 seems to be what I'm looking for if only it was a little smaller

I vaguely considered the 110 just for the size but I think I may regret it down the line. I really just want the watch now so wish I could make up my mind.

Thanks again for the input and good luck with your own training!

If you think the 610 is big then you ain't gonna get much smaller than that tbh.

sibeen99

sibeen99 wrote: »

Thanks Jasonw,

I have still to make up my mind. I tried a friends 610 last week but I felt it was really big so I'm waiting to try a 410 another friend has. I will def be getting the HRM even though no marathon training yet . The 410 seems to be what I'm looking for if only it was a little smaller

I vaguely considered the 110 just for the size but I think I may regret it down the line. I really just want the watch now so wish I could make up my mind.

Thanks again for the input and good luck with your own training!

you're only going to be wearing this for running / training. it's not a fashion watch. I have the old 305 and I don't notice wearing it.

sibeen99

rom wrote: »

If you think the 610 is big then you ain't gonna get much smaller than that tbh.

Thanks rom, I had thought this may be the case!

Glasso, I know its only for running but my wrists are really small and I don't want something that is going to annoy me.

Any other girlies out there, what do you use?

Krusty_Clown

Well, you could go back to the 210, which is smaller. There is just some functionality that will not be available to you. So it's a case of choosing form or function. The alternative is to get a soft strap and see how it fits (I presume the 610 you tried on had the hard strap?).

sibeen99

sibeen99 wrote: »

Thanks rom, I had thought this may be the case!

Glasso, I know its only for running but my wrists are really small and I don't want something that is going to annoy me.

Any other girlies out there, what do you use?

410 then as not much in size really to 210. 410 is 140 sterling with HRM and free delivery at the moment on amazon. good price indeed.

rom

Most of the garmins are big. I got small wrists also so I got the velcro strap fro the 305 when I had one. It made a big difference as the other one just digged into bone. I'd go to a shop if I were you and try a few of them on.

sibeen99

Thanks again guys.

Yeah it was the hard strap on the 610 I tried Krusty so maybe the soft strap as you and rom suggest is the way to go. Unfortunately there is no shop locally to try them out so I'm trying to find people that have them to let me try them!

Thanks glasso, I think I will go ahead and order the 410. Was looking at it on handtec but I'll check out amazon too.

Thanks

Krusty_Clown

The 410 comes with a soft strap in the box (I believe) so may be the best bet.

tHE vAGGABOND

How come no one here has considered the 600 series Garmin, the successor to the 410?

Does it have some flaw Im not aware of which is turning folks off?

Krusty_Clown

tHE vAGGABOND wrote: »

How come no one here has considered the 600 series Garmin, the successor to the 410?

Does it have some flaw Im not aware of which is turning folks off?

Nope. Supposed to be great, if it's within budget. I have the 910, which is in similar price bracket, and love the fact that it doesn't have any touch-screen or bezel features. It's all hard buttons, which is great, but it's a big beasty!

rom

tHE vAGGABOND wrote: »

How come no one here has considered the 600 series Garmin, the successor to the 410?

Does it have some flaw Im not aware of which is turning folks off?

It is very overpriced. I have the 610. Paid 250 Euro with HRM. It's in a shop locally and for 440 Euro. One missing feature is that it does not support breadcrumb trails which would be nice for when I got off-road. But the 910 is a tad ugly for me. I like touch screen. Vibrate on the newer watches. Now I don't know if the 410/405 supports it but its great to tell you of alerts like HR etc when listening to music. Great watch but threads like this are normally people buying their first watch and paying 250+ at least is overkill for most people.

tHE vAGGABOND

Ordered myself a 610 - from the States and thus saved a fortune - as I like a number of the new features it has, and just cos I want one

I have a 18 month old 405cx with HRM and ANT Stick which will be getting sold in a week or two in that case - if anyone wanted to buy it second hand. Works just fine, Im just a sucker for a new model of these things

tHE vAGGABOND

Garmin gone -sorry

huskerdu

tHE vAGGABOND wrote: »

Ordered myself a 610 - from the States and thus saved a fortune - as I like a number of the new features it has, and just cos I want one

I've love one, for exactly the reasons you outline, but really, really can't justify the cost at the moment.

I predict I'll have a bit of disposable income in September.....

sibeen99

Cost was definitely the biggest reason I didn't even consider the 610. You have to draw the line somewhere

gnu

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Nope. Supposed to be great, if it's within budget. I have the 910, which is in similar price bracket, and love the fact that it doesn't have any touch-screen or bezel features. It's all hard buttons, which is great, but it's a big beasty!

Would you recommend the 910 Krusty? I was impressed by DCRainmaker's review but I seem to remember you (or maybe someone else) had a few issues with it?

Krusty_Clown

gnu wrote: »

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Nope. Supposed to be great, if it's within budget. I have the 910, which is in similar price bracket, and love the fact that it doesn't have any touch-screen or bezel features. It's all hard buttons, which is great, but it's a big beasty!

Would you recommend the 910 Krusty? I was impressed by DCRainmaker's review but I seem to remember you (or maybe someone else) had a few issues with it?

I still have a few issues with it, but love it just the same. Massive improvement on the 405. It's an expensive piece of kit though, so you'd want to make sure that you'd use all of that functionality (cycle, swim etc) for it to be a worthwhile investment.

gnu

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

I still have a few issues with it, but love it just the same. Massive improvement on the 405. It's an expensive piece of kit though, so you'd want to make sure that you'd use all of that functionality (cycle, swim etc) for it to be a worthwhile investment.

Yeah, that's exactly what's putting me off. There's no way I can justify the cost as I've no plans to train for a tri any time soon. It would be a cool toy rather than a useful training aid for the small bit of swimming and biking I do. And I'm mananging with my Xperia Active and apps for the running. Need to get an Ant+ chest strap for to go with the phone though, it doesn't recognise the strap from my Lidl HRM. It's nice to know it's good though, just in case someone insists on buying me an expensive pressie. .

rom

gnu wrote: »

Yeah, that's exactly what's putting me off. There's no way I can justify the cost as I've no plans to train for a tri any time soon. It would be a cool toy rather than a useful training aid for the small bit of swimming and biking I do. And I'm mananging with my Xperia Active and apps for the running. Need to get an Ant+ chest strap for to go with the phone though, it doesn't recognise the strap from my Lidl HRM. It's nice to know it's good though, just in case someone insists on buying me an expensive pressie. .

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=78834279&postcount=4

Krusty_Clown

gnu wrote: »

Yeah, that's exactly what's putting me off. There's no way I can justify the cost as I've no plans to train for a tri any time soon. It would be a cool toy rather than a useful training aid for the small bit of swimming and biking I do. And I'm mananging with my Xperia Active and apps for the running. Need to get an Ant+ chest strap for to go with the phone though, it doesn't recognise the strap from my Lidl HRM. It's nice to know it's good though, just in case someone insists on buying me an expensive pressie. .

In my case it was a 40th birthday pressie, so thankfully I didn't have to worry too much about whether I'd use it for swimming and cycling (which I'm hoping to do more and more). The older model (310xt) should be significantly cheaper and offers much of what the 910 can do, with some exceptions (vibration, indoor swim, barometric altimeter (crap)), though it's slightly bigger and heavier. And it's orange.

gnu

rom wrote: »

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=78834279&postcount=4

What are you trying to do to me Rom?! It really wouldn't take much to talk me into this! That's interesting though - I haven't had any wibbles like that on my phone using Sportstracker and Cardiotrainer. Have Runkeeper but it annoyed me and haven't gone back to it yet. On my old Nokia, Sportstracker lost the signal occasionally and underestimated my run but it hasn't happened on the android (yet!).

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

In my case it was a 40th birthday pressie, so thankfully I didn't have to worry too much about whether I'd use it for swimming and cycling (which I'm hoping to do more and more). The older model (310xt) should be significantly cheaper and offers much of what the 910 can do, with some exceptions (vibration, indoor swim, barometric altimeter (crap)), though it's slightly bigger and heavier. And it's orange.

Nice pressie! Damn, I could have done the same for my 40th but I couldn't think of anything I wanted, same for Christmas so I reckon I might be due a treat! I think the vibration sounds really handy. Bigger and heavier not ideal as I've small wrists but I'm sure it'd be fine. Pity about the barometric altimeter - I thought that sounded cool too. What's the battery performance like? I could live with orange but can't talk myself into spending a fair bit on the 310xt when I could spend a bit more and get extra features. :rolleyes: Anyway, I'm putting it all on hold for a while, would be great if it got cheaper while I I make up my mind!

rom

gnu wrote: »

What are you trying to do to me Rom?! It really wouldn't take much to talk me into this! That's interesting though - I haven't had any wibbles like that on my phone using Sportstracker and Cardiotrainer. Have Runkeeper but it annoyed me and haven't gone back to it yet. On my old Nokia, Sportstracker lost the signal occasionally and underestimated my run but it hasn't happened on the android (yet!).


Nice pressie! Damn, I could have done the same for my 40th but I couldn't think of anything I wanted, same for Christmas so I reckon I might be due a treat! I think the vibration sounds really handy. Bigger and heavier not ideal as I've small wrists but I'm sure it'd be fine. Pity about the barometric altimeter - I thought that sounded cool too. What's the battery performance like? I could live with orange but can't talk myself into spending a fair bit on the 310xt when I could spend a bit more and get extra features. :rolleyes: Anyway, I'm putting it all on hold for a while, would be great if it got cheaper while I I make up my mind!

You'll give in eventually. Using a phone is a gateway drug, soon you will want more

sconhome

I know you're asking about Garmin but I'll throw a spanner in the works.

Polar RCX 5 or RCX 3 are great watches with bundle options on the GPS, stride sensors, bike sensors and so on. Well worth having a look. I've the RCX5 for the past year and use it as a daily watch and training computer.

Trouble free HRM with a 2 year warranty good online training program / diary.

gnu

rom wrote: »

You'll give in eventually. Using a phone is a gateway drug, soon you will want more

I'll consider myself warned!