Running watches?

Fbjm

Hi all, I'm planning on buying a running watch in the next couple weeks. I've no idea where to start. What are the best watches? What would people here recommend? I've heard good things about Garmin. But then that's only because it's the only brand of running watch I can name off the top of my head. What features are a must have? Which ones are unnecessary? Are Garmin overrated? I'm completely new to the idea of running watches.

I'd imagine the main things I'd want out of it would be the ability to tell the time, the ability to track my distances, and a GPS. I don't know what other features would be useful, though I'm sure there are some I'm unaware of that I'd love. I've been running for ~1.5 years and am currently in training for the DCM2016.

Thanks.

Singer

http://m.thesweethome.com/reviews/best-running-watch/

You probably won't regret getting a Forerunner 220/225/230/235. There are a few other options recommended above to suit a variety of budgets.

Seanie_H

Worth checking here too

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057603836

Fbjm

Cheers lads.

uvox

Suunto Kailash. Superb bit of kit and looks good in the office.

http://www.suunto.com/Watch-Collection/Suunto-Kailash-Collection/

Recommended. Well worth the grand it costs.

davedanon

uvox wrote: »

Suunto Kailash. Superb bit of kit and looks good in the office.

http://www.suunto.com/Watch-Collection/Suunto-Kailash-Collection/

Recommended. Well worth the grand it costs.

Classy.

Safrongirl

I have a Forerunner 220 - this is an old model now so you can probably pick them up at a good price now.
I love it because all the information you need is at a touch of a button - it has bluetooth so will automatically sync to your phone when in range - I wear it all the time and the battery is brilliant - it just plugs in to recharge and only takes about an hour

So it mainly give you on the watch - distance , pace and time running - once your finished your run you either save or discard it and you can go back and look at lap pace or pace per KM , calories , cadence

Once it syncs to your phone a map of you route comes up with more detailed information .

Tigerandahalf

Safrongirl wrote: »

I have a Forerunner 220 - this is an old model now so you can probably pick them up at a good price now.
I love it because all the information you need is at a touch of a button - it has bluetooth so will automatically sync to your phone when in range - I wear it all the time and the battery is brilliant - it just plugs in to recharge and only takes about an hour

So it mainly give you on the watch - distance , pace and time running - once your finished your run you either save or discard it and you can go back and look at lap pace or pace per KM , calories , cadence

Once it syncs to your phone a map of you route comes up with more detailed information .

Given that the 230 is the newer model why is the 220 £40 pounds dearer?

Isn't the 220 quite an old gps watch? Is it waterproof.

I am thinking of buying myself. Posted in the gear forum but it seems to be quiet.

Debating whether to go the full hog and buy a 920 or just the 230 which is about €100 cheaper.

The funny thing is that a lot of older watches like the FR110 have wifi and footpod option but they were never supported by Garmin. I guess they wanted people to buy the dearer products.

Safrongirl

Yes my 220 is fully waterproof as you can wear it swimming and track that too
I bought mine from eBay brand new for €170 last year

neasyerac

I can vouch for the Forerunner 220 also, I also use it as my daily watch (can last 2 weeks in watch mode). The only thing I would change about it is to add a multi-sport function so it wouldn't mess up my personal records. 10k on a bike is going to be much faster then 10k on foot but it has no way of knowing.

uvox

If you are in the U.S. or Canada, pop into the local McDonald's and order a Happy Meal. Comes with a STEP-iT activity watch. Ideal for most Irish runners. See here with a Fenix 3.



No, wait. My bad.

It's been withdrawn. Just eat the fries so. Also ideal for most Irish runners.

There'll be a LIDL running watch special soon...

Johnny_Fontane

Are there any chinese gps watches worth a look? Dont have a fortune to spend and I'll only wear it for a couple of runs a week!!

rom

Johnny_Fontane wrote: »

Are there any chinese gps watches worth a look? Dont have a fortune to spend and I'll only wear it for a couple of runs a week!!

A stop watch, https://www.gmap-pedometer.com/ and a spreadsheet would the cheapest option.

davedanon

uvox wrote: »

If you are in the U.S. or Canada, pop into the local McDonald's and order a Happy Meal. Comes with a STEP-iT activity watch. Ideal for most Irish runners. See here with a Fenix 3.



No, wait. My bad.

It's been withdrawn. Just eat the fries so. Also ideal for most Irish runners.

There'll be a LIDL running watch special soon...

You're a cocky b*stard, considering what a crappy runner you are.

hot buttered scones

As far as Garmins go I think the Forerunner 10 is the cheapest most basic model. I know a good few that have them and they're happy enough with it.

mel.b

There's a new garmin 35 that is going to be released soon. Around £160 i believe. I'm tempted to move over to it from my polar m400

zulutango

Have the Garmin Forerunner 235 the last few weeks and it's blowing my mind. My training has been revolutionised because of it. Any questions about it specifically just ask!

_Tombstone_

zulutango wrote: »

Have the Garmin Forerunner 235 the last few weeks and it's blowing my mind. My training has been revolutionised because of it. Any questions about it specifically just ask!

revolutionised how?

Subzero3

No virtual pacer on the 230. I miss that since i switched to it. The good thing about the new forerunner smart watches is the apps that will become available down the line. Hopefully some smart ass makes a virtual pacer field

zulutango

_Tombstone_ wrote:

revolutionised how?

I have it linked to Strava so anytime I finish a run the details automatically get uploaded there and I can see what I've done. That doesn't sound revolutionary, but it is. It's the fact that it's no effort to do it and that it's all very visible. I kept training diaries in the past but they are cumbersome and more often than not I'd forget to write in what I'd done or I wouldn't look back over what I'd done and wouldn't have a great idea how my training was going. With Strava and Garmin that's all changed. There's no hiding. My mileage has gone way up and I'm much more enthusiastic and methodical about training than I used to be.

Subzero3

zulutango wrote: »

I have it linked to Strava so anytime I finish a run the details automatically get uploaded there and I can see what I've done. That doesn't sound revolutionary, but it is. It's the fact that it's no effort to do it and that it's all very visible. I kept training diaries in the past but they are cumbersome and more often than not I'd forget to write in what I'd done or I wouldn't look back over what I'd done and wouldn't have a great idea how my training was going. With Strava and Garmin that's all changed. There's no hiding. My mileage has gone way up and I'm much more enthusiastic and methodical about training than I used to be.

The flybys on strava are cool too.

Safrongirl

The 220 automatically syncs to you phone as soon as your run is finished too - giving you all the details of your workout

deisedude

hot buttered scones wrote: »

As far as Garmins go I think the Forerunner 10 is the cheapest most basic model. I know a good few that have them and they're happy enough with it.

That's what I have, cost me €89. Wanted a good entry level watch to track my runs training for my first half marathon. You've got GPS to track distance and beeps every mile/km so you know your pace and your history and records from previous runs. Means i can leave the phone at home which was the most important thing.

There is a virtual pacer too but I haven't played around with that yet

The battery life is decent if unspectacular. 5 hours if you leave the GPS on. Maybe seasoned marathon runners would want a bit more juice.

Donwnside is the GPS can sometimes take a few minutes to find you before you start running

All in all delighted with the purchase

RunRoryRun

I have the Polar M400 and love it. Easy to use, bluetooth upload to app & auto-link with Strava. Good for multi-sport too if you ever do some cycling and tracks daily activity levels when no tin GPS mode. A little bit more expensive than the Forerunner 10 but worth it.

BobMc

http://www.dcrainmaker.com/product-reviews

Ray does some super reviews and gives a comparison chart, I wont buy any watch that Ray hasnt reviewed

Johnny_Fontane

finally bit the bullet and ordered a tomtom spark runner 3 which is just being released. €200 and its on the way! will let you know what its like. went with the cardio version with HR monitor.