Forums >Gears and Wears>Look for non GPS, non HRM running watch...
I'm looking for a reliable, good quality running watch with only a few basic but specific functions.
1. A stopwatch with lap counter/split recorder of say 50+ laps.
2. The ability to set target splits. About 15-20 years ago I owned an adidas watch that allowed to me set split alarms. So I'd take my previous runs first split of say 15:03 and program that in and the same again for the second, third, fourth split etc. I'd be using markers on route to set these splits. Then during the run, 10 seconds before I reached my first programmed split time I'd get a warning beep then when I'd hit that programmed split I'd get a long warning beep. Once I recorded my new split I'd get a read out of +/- of how far in front of behind I was.
That is it. I've looked and the only watches that have this function are no longer produced. I've looked at the Garmin watches and a couple have a similar ability but I'm far from impressed by their reliability. They may be the king of running watches but for the money I'd be laying down for one, I'd want to be very confident its going to last me long term. From what I've read, customers left right and centre are having problems.
I think I've seen some Casio watches for runners that have around 100+ splits even. I've also seen a "target value input" feature but I'm not sure if that's exactly what you're looking for.
Increase Speed and Stamina Blog
an amazing likeness
Should you wish to reconsider, I believe the factual evidence is that the Garmin Forerunners are very reliable and long-lasting...
Acceptable at a dance, invaluable in a shipwreck.
Agreed...wholeheartedly...
I would still be using my ForeRunner 205 of 5+ years had my own mechanical ineptitude not dammaged the watch irrepairably when I attempted to replace the battery.
I'd love to reconsider... The only information I'm going off is UK Amazon reviews. From there you can see a whopping 25% of people aren't particularly pleased with the 610, which is what I was originally looking at. People complaining of all sorts of problems/faults and devices dying on them after only a year or two.
Edit... Looks like the U.S Amazon is similar.
A lot of people have good experiences with them like yourselves. But there is too large a percentage for me that doesn't.
There have been two issues with the Garmin 610 - (1) The touchscreen interface is hard to operate with sweaty hands or gloves; and (2) the charging pins can get covered in gunk and not make a good charging connection. The 620 and the 630 have replaced the 610 and these issues have been largely fixed. I own a 610 and am satisfied with it.
There are many other Forerunner models that people are very happy with from the Forerunner 10 on up.
You also need to be aware that people are more likely to post NEGATIVE online reviews than POSITIVE online reviews. So the 25% negative reviews does not necessarily reflect that 25% of the owners have negative views of the products. I would recommend visiting the Dcrainmaker site for independent reviews of the Garmin line.
If one were to take their sample from a Doctor's office or hospital, a logical or likely conclusion could be that the vast majority of people are sick or injured. -shrug-
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Timex Ironman watch
Runners run
not bad for mile 25
I like my Ironman, but no target splits feature on it. Maybe they make a model that does them, though.
I know the FR220 from Garmin definitely goes up to at least 100 lap counts, and you can set target splits via the interval settings, but I'm not sure how they work on the go. And frankly the watch is remarkably durable, the USB connector cable is very secure, and if you simply take it off now and then to lay it out flat, it will definitely last a decent amount of time. The alternative is the Nike+ watch, where the stopwatch feature is very similar to what you're describing. There are no warning beeps or anything, but it does split a +/- indicator from the previous split. However, this watch is primarily a GPS watch.