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Smart/Fitness Watches - Reviews, Opinions, and Recommendations

Lauren

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I wasn't sure where to put this topic, as it has to do with Biking, Skiing, The Great Outdoors, as well as general use. I decided to put it here, as biking would currently be my greatest use for one. I'm looking for recommendations on what people have used for smart or fitness watches. Likes/dislikes? What does your watch not do that you wish it does? Features you thought you'd use but don't?

- GPS is a must: GPS would mainly be used for everyday fitness tracking (mostly biking in the summer), and for navigation/tracking in the backcountry (hiking, skiing, etc).
- Good battery life: I would like to be able to go out for a minimum of a day and not worry about it dying on me...especially when using in the backcountry. Multiple days would be better (week+ would be best :ogbiggrin:)
- Durability: As mentioned, I'll be using this for hiking, biking, etc...fragile watches need not apply.
- Altimeter/Barometer/Compass
- Trail Maps: Visual maps would be desirable, but not required.
- Golf Maps: Preloaded/updatable golf courses would be desirable, but not required.
- Strava Compatibility: This is currently what I use as a fitness tracker, so I'm familiar with it, so it's a bonus if the watch is compatible.
- Bonus points if it doesn't look like a "sport watch", and I can wear it as an everyday watch too.
- I have small wrists (approx. 150mm around and 50-55mm wide)...so this limits the physical size

The Garmin Fenix 6S seems to check all of my boxes, but with a hefty price tag. The Garmin Forerunner 945 seems to check most, if not all of my boxes. Then there are offerings from Suunto, Polar or Cortos that all seem good. A few people have said to just go with an Apple Watch since the interface is easy, and it's much more than a "fitness tracker". I'm concerned about durability and battery life on this option.
 
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Plai

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You mention fitness. How serious are you about heart rate monitoring? I've heard good things in this respect about the garmins, not so much from the "smart watches".

I also find myself lazily looking for a moderate priced, multi sport, training fitness watch that doesn't look like a fitness watch. For me, the GPS and heart rate accuracy and battery longevity with Strava compatibility rate high too.

Garmin 245S music seems to fit (for some definition of moderately priced).
Garmin Fenix 5 (or greater) seems to be where "it's at", but it's price is steep.

As said, haven't pulled the trigger yet. So glad you started the thread.
 
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Lauren

Lauren

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How serious are you about heart rate monitoring?

Not super serious. It's not a "top of the list" item for me...would be nice to have some accuracy on that metric though.
 

zircon

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I think the Garmin Fenix 6S is what you're looking for. They're currently on sale, I think, but also see if you can get a group discount through your employer or health insurance. The FR 945 is a good choice as well. It is slim, but a bit on the larger side. If you're not married to the maps thing, the previous generation 935 might be a good and less expensive choice, but looks more sport watch-y.

I've had Garmin products for a long time and they've all had bombproof hardware. Currently waiting for my Forerunner 630 to die so I can upgrade, but then again I have a 7 year old Edge 800 cycling computer that's still going strong with no end in sight.

I've also got a friend with a Coros Apex and he ran Tor des Geants with it. No idea how many times he charged it, but I'm guessing that points to solid battery life. Pretty much any of these options will be compatible with Strava uploads, usually through their own software's automatic sync. All Strava does is take gpx/tcx/fit files and process them.

None of the options will have very precise heart rate monitoring with the optical sensor. There are just too many ways it's possible to screw up the measurement. They'll all be good enough for steady state low impact activities and have varying levels of success keeping up with big swings in BPM (e.g., interval training) depending on how much you bounce and how tight the fit is with your wrist. All will be compatible with an ANT+ or Bluetooth chest strap if you run into a situation where you really need HR accuracy.


@Plai the FR 245 is mostly a running watch with pretty limited multisport functionality if you're leaning that way. Probably a 93/45 or a Fenix of any generation would make more sense.
 
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Lauren

Lauren

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Thanks @zircon. Maps are definitely a bonus for me, not a deal breaker if they're not there. I'm happy to hear the feedback that you've had good luck with Garmin as far as longevity goes. The Coros Apex looks like something that checks the vast majority of my boxes, after a quick Google search. I'll be digging into this one more...it's got a more palatable price tag than the Fenix...just need to figure out exactly what I'd be giving up.
 

zircon

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I believe the guy I know with the Coros Apex switched to it from a Fenix 3. It seems like a nice, solid product for an attractive price. DC Rainmaker apparently did an in-depth review. Looks like it doesn't support map navigation or downloading structured workouts.
 
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Lauren

Lauren

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Looks like it doesn't support map navigation or downloading structured workouts.

That's exactly what I'm seeing too. Structured workouts aren't a big deal to me, but map navigation is considered a downside in my eyes (though not a deal breaker). But the battery life is reviewed really well, and actually better than the Fenix 6.
 

Jilly

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I had a Garmin, not sure which one. Not the Fenix. I found the whole thing bulky under long sleeves, aka winter...and the strap didn't stand up. Pick up a Samsung which works with my phone. The only difference in read outs was, no stairs.

Last night I did a walk along our Bayshore trail...It gave me a map, stats etc. I know I can share to What's app and Facebook....
 

luliski

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I have the Fenix 6S. I’ve had various fitness watches over the years, but the Garmins have seemed to last longer. I run, bike and swim, and I was using a Forerunner for running, an Edge 200 for cycling, and a Fitbit for swimming. Then the Fitbit died. I thought about an Apple Watch, because sometimes I’m on-call for work when I’m swimming. Having my cell phone on the pool deck and having to look at it between sets was getting annoying. But then my brother started telling me about his Fenix (5), and I researched and thought that might be more useful.

Some of he features I enjoy:
1) Notifications (if phone is nearby)
2) Heart rate monitoring seems to work quite well. I had a Tomtom watch with wrist based heart rate monitor, and that never worked until I was warmed up, but this one seems accurate ( although I have no scientific way of knowing that for sure)
3) Workouts can be loaded onto watch. I’m doing a running training plan through Garmin Connect, and I love that my workouts load onto my watch. I just follow the instructions for each workout while I’m running.
4) Pulse oximeter seems accurate (I’ve been checking it with the oximeter at work)
5) Tracks fairly accurately for pool swimming. Would like to test in open water.
6) I’ve been using for cycling too, and I’m enjoying not always seeing my speed in front of me (where I had the Garmin Edge). Not sure if it works with power meters, but I think it does

I haven’t used the music or map functions yet, but it has those.

It was spendy for me, but I bought it at REI and used a discount plus my dividend, which softened the blow. I also use it as my everyday watch, and it’s comfortable and appears sturdy enough. Battery seems to last about 5 days when I’m using it for working out, longer if I’m not.

I also have small wrists. It’s a little big, but not uncomfortable. I wear it to sleep without a problem.
510FB6EF-9A89-46EA-BAF7-51A1104B6D94.jpeg
 
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Lauren

Lauren

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Thank you @luliski, extremely useful feedback, especially knowing you've tried a number of other watches in the past. Love your color choice too :)

I agree it's on the spendy side...I have an Amazon gift card that I plan on using to soften the blow, I don't think I'd be considering spending quite that much otherwise.
 

luliski

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Love your color choice too :)
I'm not sure I had much choice, but I was happy it wasn't all black. The band can be changed and comes in a bunch of different colors and materials. I really liked the titanium version of the watch, but it was more even more expensive (but probably more durable).
 

Tony S

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Stumbled into this thread. Clicked on the DC Rainmaker link, thinking it was a PugSki user. Mistake. So I read and read and read and still didn't get to the end. OMG, I really had no idea how many circles of consumer electronics hell existed out there. Totally made my head hurt.

That said, it all made me realize how dissatisfied I am with my own bike electronics setup. Since I'm not interested in wearing a "watch" - though I'm sure even the smaller Coros would look more like a kitchen wall clock on my wrist - I'm off to start a new thread!
 

luliski

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Stumbled into this thread. Clicked on the DC Rainmaker link, thinking it was a PugSki user. Mistake. So I read and read and read and still didn't get to the end. OMG, I really had no idea how many circles of consumer electronics hell existed out there. Totally made my head hurt.

That said, it all made me realize how dissatisfied I am with my own bike electronics setup. Since I'm not interested in wearing a "watch" - though I'm sure even the smaller Coros would look more like a kitchen wall clock on my wrist - I'm off to start a new thread!
You've never seen DC Rainmaker before?
 

Tony Storaro

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Just go with the Apple Watch.
The only downside is the battery life, you can always buy a tough protective case.

As for Garmin-I have had almost every imaginable gadget from them starting with car navigation, Zumo, Oregon, Fenix, Edge 1030 and they all suck.
Garmin software is the epitome of half-baked, ill conceived, laggy, unstable, incomprehensible, non-user friendly mess.

It boggles the mind how a company so bad at software could be a leader in whatever electronics related industry.
The success of Wahoo and suchlike is not because they are so good, it is because Garmin is so bad.
And I fear what would now happen to Tacx, since they have been bought by Garmin. I am not installing any new firmware update to my trainer any time soon, that is for sure.
 

Tony S

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You've never seen DC Rainmaker before?

No. And - revealing even more ignorance - I don't really get the name. Looked briefly for an "about" page with no luck. What's the "DC" part? District of Columbia? Direct Current? Dumb Consumers? :huh:

Not a gadgety guy, I guess.

EDIT: I found the about page. Link is at the bottom, and since I didn't make it the twenty miles down to the bottom of the review I didn't see it. :)
 
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zircon

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I've been relatively unimpressed with the Wahoo products I've seen. Particularly for maps and on the fly routing, Garmin is king. Wahoo depends too much on being able to connect to your smartphone. There seems to be a split between people from a cycling background and people from a running background on the Garmin vs. Wahoo (or in the case of running: Polar, Suuntu) where we lowly runners are perfectly happy with our Forerunners that Just Work^TM

On size, here's a picture of a 45mm case Garmin FR630 on my wrist, which is very small—I use a small fitbit strap on the second to last hole and wear my cycling gloves in a women's medium-large because men's smalls are too voluminous and flappy. It's notably larger than my old Seiko 5 (RIP) that I loved to death. I'd probably be perfectly happy with 42mm for everyday wear.
IMG_9543.JPG

Also, DCRainmaker is a guy named Ray Maker who reviews fitness gadgets for a living. He's generally pretty thorough with using empirical evidence and not feelings and well respected by the manufacturers. A few devices out there have had changes made because of his feedback before they hit the market. I think the DC is because he lived in Washington DC back when he started the blog.
 

Tony S

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Also, DCRainmaker is a guy named Ray Maker who reviews fitness gadgets for a living. He's generally pretty thorough with using empirical evidence and not feelings and well respected by the manufacturers. A few devices out there have had changes made because of his feedback before they hit the market. I think the DC is because he lived in Washington DC back when he started the blog.

Thank you!
 

zircon

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Additional off topic complaint: I wish we tiny people wouldn't have to make aesthetic or functional compromises on smart watches. I don't want to have to make peace with a comically huge watch. I don't want them to dumb down the features of the big watch when they give me a wearable sized one.

I understand that making small electronics is hard, but while I describe myself as a "tiny guy" I'm about the size of the average American woman. So... why are they okay with giving a full half of the population a subpar product?

Edit: before the obvious "well, the demand isn't there so why should they?" More than half of runners are women, so it should be their target audience.
 
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Lauren

Lauren

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The success of Wahoo and suchlike is not because they are so good, it is because Garmin is so bad.
I've been relatively unimpressed with the Wahoo products I've seen. Particularly for maps and on the fly routing, Garmin is king. Wahoo depends too much on being able to connect to your smartphone. There seems to be a split between people from a cycling background and people from a running background on the Garmin vs. Wahoo (or in the case of running: Polar, Suuntu) where we lowly runners are perfectly happy with our Forerunners that Just Work^TM

Could someone give me a short couple sentence Cliff Notes on what Wahoo is? I just went on their website and it looks like they specialize in sensors for your body/bike and bike computers...which would generally be more accurate than just a GPS or a wearable watch...but not exactly what I'm looking for? Also zircon, you mention being connected to your smart phone for Wahoo? Definitely NOT something I want (I'm trying to ditch my phone on rides).
 

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