Forums >Gears and Wears>Garmin 310XT Review
IronMan ;)
I used this or the first time in a triathlon and am I glad I got it.
This thing worked very well. I was able to track each leg of my event swim, T1, Bike, T2, and Run and get everything I needed on my wrist with the exception of HR data during the swim. Thi HR signal evidently does not pass through the water, but it is not like I was going to look at it during the event anyway although it would be useful for post race analysis.
The plot of my swim course was pretty accurate for the most par, although at one point it shows me going backward for a second and I'm pretty sure I didn't do that. I oes show where I had to zig zag as I caught up and passed through a slower group of swimmers.
If anyone has any questions fire away!
Tri-Kev Here are my favorite links: My "kick @ss" running club ;) Swim 2.4 miles. Ride 112 miles. Run 26.2 miles. Then brag for the rest of your life. -Commander John Collins, Ironman Triathlon creator
You'll ruin your knees!
I have been pretty happy with my 310xt, however, it has a known flaw that sometimes requires a hard reset. I received mine in late June and it has gotten jammed 3 times now. I noticed it having a hard time keeping the distance during a run, but then it would "catch up"... this was OK until it failed to "catch up" and under recorded the distance of a run (1 mile short in a 4.5 miler!)... Then it locked up... each time I powered it on, it would shut down without warning 10-30 seconds into the startup routine. When I plugged it into the charger, it would cycle through powering up and shutting down. The only solution was a hard reset, which resets to factory settings. Two of the three times it did this, I lost all of the run data that was stored in the device and not yet uploaded....very frustrating.
The third time this happened, I realized you could answer no to a prompt about erasing all data and was successful in uploading the run that was not yet uploaded. I will give it a little more time before contacting Garmin, but these failures are pretty frustrating...
Otherwise, operationally, I love the 310xt! The extended battery life is AWESOME! I used it for 18 hours straight a few weeks ago and it was sweet. I think that the battery may last longer if I turn off the autolap feature.
Thanks for posting your review...
Lynn B
""...the truth that someday, you will go for your last run. But not today—today you got to run." - Matt Crownover (after Western States)
Hi Lynn,
There were known bugs with the earliest 310xts that shipped. Do you have the latest firmware version? You should be on version 2.4
Get Lost :)
Garmin email:
--->
Thank you for contacting Garmin International. I am happy to answer your question. I'm afraid that the Forerunner 310XT is unable to provide accurate information while swimming. Although the 310XT is a waterproof unit, the GPS signals are not able to travel through the water and the unit is only able to provide time data while in the water.Please let me know if you should have any further questions or concerns. With Best Regards,Product Support SpecialistOutdoor/Fitness TeamGarmin International913-397-8200800-800-1020www.garmin.com
Thank you for contacting Garmin International. I am happy to answer your question. I'm afraid that the Forerunner 310XT is unable to provide accurate information while swimming. Although the 310XT is a waterproof unit, the GPS signals are not able to travel through the water and the unit is only able to provide time data while in the water.
Please let me know if you should have any further questions or concerns.
With Best Regards,
Product Support Specialist
Outdoor/Fitness Team
Garmin International
913-397-8200
800-800-1020
www.garmin.com
<--
(Edited my post to remove phone #'s / name of employee. Just trying to share the info for those actually considering buying one... nothing else. Any quoters may wish to do the same.)
Mojo,
I did not experience the swim problem you had, but I've only used it open water once. I'll upload my swim map later, it was pretty close since I know I did not swim the straightest course. It had me a total of .02 miles off the advertised distance, and when I zoomed in on the map I can see where it tracked me doing a nice circle and I know I didn't do that but I'm still pretty happy with the performance.
I did not like the 405 since it is pretty useless once you work up a sweat. You have to lock the bezel and then your stuck with whatever three data screens you have showing.
Hi Lynn, There were known bugs with the earliest 310xts that shipped. Do you have the latest firmware version? You should be on version 2.4
That may be the issue... mine is 2.3! Can I download the latest firmware like the older models? Or do I have to contact Garmin?
Run like a kid again!
I just ordered this from roadrunnersports. It ended up being about $310 with shipping. I have no idea when it will come. My garmy died while I was in SC. Sad day. I had to use my wifes. She was very good about this. I need my own though. I don't like her screens. Really who cares about current pace.
I hope I like the new one. The old one was good to me but I will run in rain or snow and the rain is what I think finally killed it.
I realize that not everyone is an engineer (thank goodness), but i would be willing to bet you that the engineers at garmin have your letter and their response up on a bulletin board someplace.
I bought one planning to replace my 405 with it and use for Triathlons. I had been floating the 405 in a bag tethered to my leg when I wanted swimming GPS data (I know... I'm weird), so I thought this would be perfect.... I returned it after a couple days. Example: The GPS read 2 miles on a .5 mile swim (maybe because my arm goes forward AND backwards), so I emailed Garmin. Here's their response: ---> Thank you for contacting Garmin International. I am happy to answer your question. I'm afraid that the Forerunner 310XT is unable to provide accurate information while swimming. Although the 310XT is a waterproof unit, the GPS signals are not able to travel through the water and the unit is only able to provide time data while in the water. Please let me know if you should have any further questions or concerns. With Best Regards, Troy K Product Support Specialist Outdoor/Fitness Team Garmin International 913-397-8200 800-800-1020 913-440-8280 (fax) Att: Troy K www.garmin.com <-- Maybe it would be more accurate if I was a more efficient swimmer... but even so, I think Garmin should be more up front about this in advertising... or maybe I just didn't do enough homework. I probably should've realized that it's not really made to track swimming data, but just made to be waterproof so that you can track time while you swim and THEN track distance/etc. during bike/run. Other than the swimming part... I was pretty impressed with it... satellite pickup is even faster than the 405. Battery life is amazing. I love the 405 though... and I can get away with wearing it like a normal watch (the 310XT is a little big for my taste). The 405 is good enough... I just won't be able to bring it on a Tri.
Example: The GPS read 2 miles on a .5 mile swim (maybe because my arm goes forward AND backwards), so I emailed Garmin. Here's their response:
Thank you for contacting Garmin International. I am happy to answer your question. I'm afraid that the Forerunner 310XT is unable to provide accurate information while swimming. Although the 310XT is a waterproof unit, the GPS signals are not able to travel through the water and the unit is only able to provide time data while in the water. Please let me know if you should have any further questions or concerns. With Best Regards, Troy K Product Support Specialist Outdoor/Fitness Team Garmin International 913-397-8200 800-800-1020 913-440-8280 (fax) Att: Troy K www.garmin.com
Troy K
913-440-8280 (fax) Att: Troy K
Maybe it would be more accurate if I was a more efficient swimmer... but even so, I think Garmin should be more up front about this in advertising... or maybe I just didn't do enough homework. I probably should've realized that it's not really made to track swimming data, but just made to be waterproof so that you can track time while you swim and THEN track distance/etc. during bike/run.
Other than the swimming part... I was pretty impressed with it... satellite pickup is even faster than the 405. Battery life is amazing.
I love the 405 though... and I can get away with wearing it like a normal watch (the 310XT is a little big for my taste). The 405 is good enough... I just won't be able to bring it on a Tri.
You should be able to do this over the web at:
https://buy.garmin.com/shop/store/fr310update.jsp
I just ordered this from roadrunnersports. It ended up being about $310 with shipping. I have no idea when it will come. My garmy died while I was in SC. Sad day. I had to use my wifes. She was very good about this. I need my own though. I don't like her screens. Really who cares about current pace. I hope I like the new one. The old one was good to me but I will run in rain or snow and the rain is what I think finally killed it.
I'm pretty sure you didn't get the 310XT at that price, perhaps you got the 405 without HRM?
Unless he's doing events greater than 10 h, the 305 is probably a much better value, especially since it includes the HRM. I love training with a heart rate monitor, by the way, since it allows me to quantify my effort in a reasonable way and be smart about listening to my body.
Agreed, especially if he doesn't care about looking at his swim time on the 310 and tracking swim + T1
hi - my boyfriend is a triathlete, and i was thinking of getting him a garmin 310xt for his birthday. but maybe i'd be better off getting him a 305? the 310 is pretty pricey, and is it really worth it especially if it has dicey results recording swim info? also, really basic beginner question, but does one really need the heart strap? thanks!
I just ordered this from roadrunnersports. It ended up being about $310 with shipping.
You are getting slightly different prices from me. I just loaded up a 310XT in my rrs cart and the price was $349 for the no-HRM version. With my VIP 10% discount, I can get it for $315 with no shipping.
Of course, I pay them every year for this goofy membership, so unless I buy a bunch of crap, it's hard to say whether it is worthwhile.
(with a HRM, it is 399, which means I could get it for 359)
Yayyy!... insulted on the interweb!
Just trying to help out. I'll leave the reviews to the experts.
You should be able to do this over the web at: https://buy.garmin.com/shop/store/fr310update.jsp I'm pretty sure you didn't get the 310XT at that price, perhaps you got the 405 without HRM? Agreed, especially if he doesn't care about looking at his swim time on the 310 and tracking swim + T1
I just got the 305 with HRM for $175 new (about 3 months ago).