Forums >Gears and Wears>Refurbished Garmin 610
I am in the market for a new gps watch, and specifically looking at the 610 since the reviews for the 620 that I've read haven't been that great. I've seen some great deals on refurbished 610's. So, my question is does anyone owns a refurbished 610, and what pro's and con's do you have vs purchasing a new 610.
The Phoenix has risen! Recovered from my injury, and kickin' serious asphalt once again!
delicate flower
I had a 610 for about eight months. For the most part I was happy with it, but it started locking up and the screen would freeze mid-run, rendering the device useless (it would still collect data). Resetting it didn't help. Other times, it would take a very long time to connect to satellites. I got tired of it and returned it to Costco, using the money to "upgrade" to the 620. That device has it's own set of issues but it pisses me off less.
If it weren't for the freezing screen on the 610, I'd have kept it. It has a bike mode that is easy to toggle to, which is something the 620 does not have.
<3
Seems like you have a 2 part question here. Feedback on the 610, and thoughts on the refurbish. I don't own a 610, however, I bought a refurbished 305 nearly two years ago from Garmin. The refurbished unit has worked perfect and I have never had a single issue with it. It was almost 1/2 the cost of the new 305 at the time, and it still came witha full 1 year warranty from Garmin.
Thanks for the replies. The refurbished units seem to be available at a good price compared to new. I have a Garmin Legend hand held gps that I purchased several years ago as a refurbished unit. Still works great.
On the flip side when my just out of warranty 210 died, I purchased a refurbished unit as a replacement. 1st one lasted almost a week, returned it for another, that one lasted one run, returned it and finally got a good one. Been using it sense last fall with no problems. It took almost a month and a half of farting around before I got a garmin that worked. If I had it all over to do I would skip the refurbished unit and and stick with new.
Lover of New Shoe smell
I have a 610 and have grown to hate it. I've also had it freeze up mid run. The touch screen isn't particularly great either and it takes forever to connect to satellites. Uploading to RA is a problem too. The biggest and most important problem I have is that it is almost always 3/10 of a mile over. I noticed it on a few runs and then started wearing my old 405 at the same time. The measurements were always different with the 405 being closer to the distance expected. I would not recommend the 610.
"Grey Hound Pub 5k" held every Monday night at 6:30 pm in scenic Kelley Square Worcester Massachusetts regardless of rain, sleet, snow, thunder, lighting, hookers, car chases, elephants, bums, road construction, horse drawn carriages etc. (yes we've experienced all of the above) Free run and everyone is welcome to participate!
Thanks for all the replies.
I decided to go with a new 610 and support my local running store and still received a great deal on the price. So far its lived up to all my expectations:
1. Connects to gps in less than 1 minute.
2. The upload to GC is fast. I sat down at my computer and felt the watch vibrate and instantly the data was transmitting.
3. The accuracy is great. I ran a route through the city and into the woods, and it held very well to the course distance, speed, etc...
4. I like the cycling features. And again, gps provided accurate route info.
5. Stylish enough to wear in my office environment.
6. No steep learning curve.
7. Easily make and adjust workouts and training plans.
8. Virtual Racer and Pacer has been fun to setup and run against.
9. The touchscreen responds without problems.
10. The fit on my wrist is comfortable.
Only time will tell how well it holds up to long term usage and the winter weather. Again, thanks to all that replied. I appreciate the pros and cons of the 610 and new vs refurbished.
Just for what it's worth (and to probably jynx myself), my Garmin 610 is two months shy of its third birthday with no significant problems. Band is a bit worn but functional. I've had to factory reset it once. Back casing is worn (old style metal back showing copper color through the gray in spots) but no issues.