Forums >Gears and Wears>Looking for a new running watch...
Half Fanatic #846
(they should all be running, right?) with GPS, wrist-based HR - AND it would be especially convenient if it had the capability of displaying time, distance, & pace on one screen (HR too would be perfect!). Is there such a thing out there that I missed? Admittedly, I'm impatient and got tired of reviewing various watches and checking owners manuals to try and figure this out. I don't like scrolling through screens while doing speed work to check my stats, and when my fingers were sweaty I couldn't do this anyway. My Fitbit Surge broke after 2 years and it didn't have time, distance, & pace available on one screen.
Thanks,
Bill
"I don't always roll a joint, but when I do, it's usually my ankle" - unk. "Frankly autocorrect, I'm getting a bit tired of your shirt". I ran half my last race on my left foot!
an amazing likeness
I believe you just described the Garmin Forerunner 235...
Acceptable at a dance, invaluable in a shipwreck.
Bacon Party!
Garmin 35 will do what you've asked for and display 3 data fields at once.
Garmin 235, 735, and 935 will do it all and display up to 4 data fields at once.
An older model Garmin 225 will also do as you've asked and display up to 4 data fields.
I am perfectly happy with my 225, and have recently added a 935 to the mix (quite deluxe and totally overkill, unless you're looking for longer battery life for ultra-duration events and other gee-gaws).
Liz
pace sera, sera
RoadRunner
Watches that take your heartbeat from you wrist are notoriously unreliable. I use a Garmin Forerunner 230 with a heart rate monitoring strap.
The 235 heart rate works very well for me. I think the technology was greatly improved with this watch. I've used the annoying straps forever and this is a welcome change. I find it to be very accurate- I've compared it.
Out there running since dinosaurs roamed the earth
That Guy
TomTom doesn't get nearly the amount of attention that Garmin does, but you can get the Spark 3 in several flavors. The Spark 3 Cardio will show all 3 stats you mentioned, and has wrist-based HR monitoring. You can use it for biking and swim too (or just wear it in the shower after your long run). If you upgrade to the Cardio + Music, you can pair bluetooth headphones with your watch and leave your phone home. I'm not hating on Garmin, but save some money and look at TomTom.
I appreciate the quick responses. I'm checking out the Garmin 235 right away and the Spark 3 too. (And, I'm tired of glancing at that white place on my wrist where the old watch used to be!)
Thanks again!
I was looking for a watch last year. The 735 and 35 were mentioned to me. I found that the 735 was, like you've mentioned with the 935, total overkill. I had the 910xt (and previously, the 310xt) which worked fine; but wanted bluetooth.
I have a 35 which I'm happy with. I've had a Tomtom runner, which I wasn't too keen on - it's the touchscreen that I didn't like.
This questions comes up quite often on various Facebook groups. You'll always get different answers. I'll always see if I can have a look at a few models before deciding. I usually just want something small enough (my wrist is tiny) with a decent battery life. When I started running, I found the 205 was a tad too big. After I started half marathon training, I decided I need something with a better battery life than the 10.
Some local runningg stores offer a Garmin rental program. You rent a current model Garmin for 7 days for $50. This gives you an opportunity to try it out and see if you like it. If you elect to buy during or at the end of the rental period, they will apply the $50 to your purchase. They give you a brand new Garmin in the box if you purchase.
SMART Approach
+1. Wrist HR works perfectly fine as long as watch is not too loose on wrist. Sure is nice to not have that strap around the chest.
Run Coach. Recovery Coach. Founder of SMART Approach Training, Coaching & Recovery
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All About that Pace 2024
Go to DC Rainmaker- Best and fair reviews available.
https://www.dcrainmaker.com/?q=dc+rainmaker&form=EDNTHT&mkt=en-us&httpsmsn=1&refig=ad6ce6373366442cc4f129c4425a23c7&sp=1&ghc=1&http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dcrainmaker.com%2F=
Thanks all for the information!
I ended up ordering a Garmin 225 which seemed to be the best fit for my needs. I was scanning the owner's e-manual and believe the 225 has the capacity to have screens adjacent to each other, each containing at least 3 programmable functions such as pace, time, and distance and possibly a 4th standard data field on each screen. Actually the choices are quite numerous for which functions you want to have showing on the screens (related to running at least).
I forgot about DC Rainmaker, who is great for gear reviews. For detailed and impartial shoe reviews, I always check out www.runblogger.com.