Forums >Gears and Wears>Forerunner 305 $130 @ Amazon
Amazon.com Garmin. Interestingly, the bilingual version is 131 and change. It's a pretty good price for a new one.
Good price, indeed. Thanks for posting this!
One day at a time
I'm tempted to buy one as a backup, since I've had mine for awhile. Must resist...
Dave
With refurbs going for $79 directly from Garmin when you send in your old one, I'm not sure a backup makes sense.
I'm on my second one and when I got it, it felt just like brand new and is working great. My old one was very tired.
I ran a mile and I liked it, liked it, liked it. dgb2n@yahoo.com
Okay....it's a GREAT price, but that thing is MASSIVE. My dd wants a hr monitor, but she is pretty petite and that looks like it would take up 1/2 of her arm.
The 305 is definitely huge. And I am not really sure how "great" of a price this is. The 305 is 3 generations old now, and could be argued that it's 5 generations of technology old, with updates to both the 405 line and now the 110 and 210 versions.
Well, the 305 does what it is advertised to do for a price way cheaper than the 405 (which has the whole bezel-doesn't-like-to-get-wet weirdness) and the 310 (which is what I have and is fine, but more expensive... from a technology standpoint, the longer battery is nice). The 110 is also higher price for fewer features.
So, sure, older technology. But if older technology is good enough, why pay more.
It only took a full month to get used to running with a 305. Now, I hardly notice it. I probably use too few features to appreciate what the newer models would offer, whatever those features are. All I seem to care about is pace, time and distance, which the 305 does. So, if you can get used to running with an anchor, PC, whatever on your arm the 305 is ok. I got mine for about $130 so I'm happy.
Options,Account, Forums
The 305 is definitely huge. And I am not really sure how "great" of a price this is. ....
Probably in this thread we're using "great" price to mean "low" price.
It's a 5k. It hurt like hell...then I tried to pick it up. The end.
Yeah, I was just gonna post that I think we are just using "great" in different manners. I won't argue that to get a GPS watch for $130 is a "great" deal from the money standpoint. Just saying that I am not sure that $130 for a 305 is really that "great" of a price for what it is. It's really just how you define "great" I guess. But you can get a brand new Forerunner 110 with the latest GPS technology, and can actually pass as a "normal" sized watch and looks good on your wrist, for $170. So, I am just not sure that $130 for the 305 is really a "great" deal from that viewpoint. But it is still cheaper, so there is that viewpoint as well.
I guess if you are into a heart rate monitor, it's a decent price. But if you could care less about one, get the 205 for cheaper than that. That's what I've had for over 2 years. It does all I need it to do.
How's a 110 compare to a 305? Did they get rid of the bezel? (I just looked at the garmin site images, but couldn't tell.)
Consistently Slow
Well, the 305 does what it is advertised to do for a price way cheaper than the 405 (which has the whole bezel-doesn't-like-to-get-wet weirdness) and the 310 (which is what I have and is fine, but more expensive... from a technology standpoint, the longer battery is nice). The 110 is also higher price for fewer features. So, sure, older technology. But if older technology is good enough, why pay more.
+1
The 305 is larger but so are the readout numbers. I wish the readout numbers in the 4 sections could be enlarged.
Run until the trail runs out.
SCHEDULE 2016--
The pain that hurts the worse is the imagined pain. One of the most difficult arts of racing is learning to ignore the imagined pain and just live with the present pain (which is always bearable.) - Jeff
http://bkclay.blogspot.com/
Link to Forerunner 110:
http://www.runningwarehouse.com/descpage-GF110BK.html
Link to Forerunner 305
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&q=garmin+305&safe=off&cid=170030897710892709&ei=tyLhTIXeN5D6yAXxnaGyCA&sa=title&ved=0CJkBEPMCMAk4AA#p
The 110 is is a fantastic watch. For all those people who are of the "I just use the basic time/distance/pace" mentality, this is the perfect watch. It has all the latest GPS tech and is as simple to use as a regular watch, with none of the extra features that really started to complicate the Forerunner on the 405 series. There is no touch bezel on the 110, but the 305 didn't have the bezel either, so I am not sure if maybe you are comparing the 110 to the 405 and not the 305? Just on a style/size comparison, there IS no comparison. The 110 is a sharp-looking watch and is not much bigger than an average running watch. Most will not even know it is a GOS watch and you can actually wear it as a daily-use watch if wanted. The 305 however, is definitely not the same. The 305 is like strapping a big piece of equipment to your wrist, is quite ugly, and there is no way you can wear this as a daily watch. The 305 has better satellite reception than the original 201 did, but will still lose reception under trees or around tall buildings, and the battery life is not very good. With the latest satellite technology on the 110 series, it locks in really fast and never loses reception. It even stays locked in for quite a bit if you go indoors for a minute or two, and the battery life is fantastic. So, for $170 (with the available discount) I think the 110 is a far better deal than the 4 generation old 305 for $130. Since the 305, Garmin has intrduced 4 new generations of the Forerunner with mulitiple upgrades to each series. The Forerunner line went: 201, 205, 305, 405, 405CX, 110, 210, and now the 410.
ccowden, you seem really hung up on appearance/style. I'm into function, and the 305 offers far more features than the 110. Even at the same price, I'd go for the 305 for that reason.
FWIW:
I've transacted several times with Buydig.com (no financial interest, just a satisfied repeat customer). They have the FR305 for $139 and the FR405 for $235. Those are pretty much their everyday prices.
I've also used PCNation.com twice with no complaints (NFI there as well). They have the FR305 for $143 with free shipping.
"I want you to pray as if everything depends on it, but I want you to prepare yourself as if everything depends on you."
-- Dick LeBeau