I know we aren’t allowed to swear on here but bloody heck I keep looking at Garmins, I want GPS but do I want music? I currently carry my phone
I’ve been looking for weeks and it’s driving me mad.... I currently have a fitbit charge 2 with a cracked screen that won’t last forever
Any suggestions gratefully received
As you know, I’ve only had my Garmin 645 music for less than I week but, I have to say, I bloomin love it 😆 It’s a very nifty bit of kit and, like you say, being able to go out without your phone is liberating. It’s honestly the best thing ever 🤩
Thank you
Keep your eyes on the sales 🤪
Did notice 645 music is on sale at Argos for £199.99
Personally very happy with Forerunner 235, though I picked it up for £130. Dunno if I would have been prepared to stump up £200 for my first running watch.
Young lady on Youtube Running Channel very happy with her 235, says it almost never comes off her wrist. 235 doesn't have the shiny steel bezel of the 645 so a bit more low key I think.
I have a Garmin forerunner 35. Gives loads of stats, map of route, link it with other family members so we can track eachother or set challenges,links to phone. Has a nifty option to find your phone if you've misplaced it. About £100. I dont run with music but do carry it with me incase I need to phone a friend😉 and as it has my ICE details for others if needed.
Thanks I might miss my phone if i didn’t take it oh i love wanting things and looking at them but i’m just not sure, is it very chunky? i used to wear man size watch but don’t want anything too chunky
I'll post a photo, it's pretty big but I was surprised how quickly I got used to it. I only take it off for charging one a week which takes an hour or so.
I don't run with music but I have a Vivoactive 3. Touchscreen, colour display, can control MP3 devices or even videos!
Thank you i still can’t decide lol
A lot of headphones also have pause/play skip features so I guess you want a Garmin that has memory for a few hundred tracks so you can run with just a watch and headphones?
That’s the idea but my dilemma is do i need one?
😃😅🤣😂 want maybe 😁
Yes, it wouldn’t be worth it if it didn’t do a lot more than my fitbit so GPS a must but music? can’t quite decide
I have a Garmin Forerunner 235 but still carry my phone in case I need to contact someone (injured etc). I t gives me loads of stats much easier to read in daylight than my Fitbits also handy for run walking as it’s got an interval type timer. It does give me notifications from my phone too but I don’t use it as it drives me crazy. I love it. 😊
Thank you that sounds good, if i fall over i’m sure Willow will go find someone to pick me up ( old joke)
It also have live tracking so my hubby can see where I am which is quite a good safety aspect when I’m in the mood no where. Lol.
sounds good
I've been having a similar dilemma... as much as I really like the idea of not taking my phone when I ran that past my husband he wasn't happy about that so think I'm leaning towards the forerunner 35
It’s so hard to choose isn’t it? Willow comes with me so i’m not alone
I went for the forerunner 35... first run tomorrow at parkrun! Hope you manage to make a decision!
Woo hoo enjoy your new tech let us know what you think of it, I’m still dithering
I will do!! I think it will be telling me I'm slow.... my nearly 8 month old is 2 weeks into teething... he's now got 4 teeth but it looks like there's still more coming... which equals tired mummy 😴 although I will feel energised after my run this morning 😁
Enjoy your first run of 2020
So difficult... Vivoactive 3 music can be found quite cheap as there is a new version (4 and 4s, if you want something small you might want to look at the new ones), forerunner 645 is also on sale in many places and there is a version with music... I have a 245, and I'm very happy, it also has music, but it's a bit more expensive. I still take my phone with me when I'm out just in case, but I carry it in a back pocket and don't worry about anything else, I use the music on the watch. I use it in the gym and I leave the phone in the locker (or home, there is enough people there to help me if I need). I definetely like the music option 
I feel i would get a kick out of the music option, for an oldy i’m a techy and love new things
It all depends on how much tech you want/need. Mine’s the Garmin Forerunner 235 and I love it even though it does way more than I use it for. I always like to have my phone on me for emergencies so I didn’t choose a music model.
You might get some deals, as they’ve introduced new models recently. Have fun choosing, they’re great watches. 😀
Thanks it’s fun looking
I can't help, apart from.... I would always want my phone 😬
Well i thought i did but we run as a pair so maybe don’t need mine
Ooohhhh, I shall look forward to hearing how you get on, I’ve been eyeing up the ones with music.....as I currently have a forerunner 10 (yes 10......it’s still going....) some old iPods with wired aftershokz (love them) but when the iPods die I fancy the Garmin with music.....then i’ll need a new pair of Bluetooth aftershokz.......ooohh the money I could spend!
I’ve never used my phone for music, and only carry it when I have to.....e.g if I’m out on my own.......OH usually takes his, or we run together....
Mx
I run with one wireless ear bud so i can hear and Willow used to use the other one but he’s a musician and found he had to run to the beat whereas i might run faster to a fast song but might not
I can’t run without music! Unless I’m at club! I’ve just got the 645 music. So far so good. Upgraded from the 35. £200 on amazon. Bear in mind that you’ll need to pay for Spotify premium too £10 a month first 3 months free. Touch screens are a nightmare in the rain.
Can’t i just play my own music?
No idea. I thought you’d have to subscribe to something?
I will research that
You can upload your own music (takes a bit of time) or use Deezer, Spotify or Amazon services
I love my garmin forerunner 35. It doesn't have the ability to have music but that's ok as a like taking my phone in case of emergencies as I run on my own it sits nicely in my armband.
Goodness me maybe I just need an arm band
Before i had my garmin i used Strava to track my runs . But now I've got a garmin i think I need it 🤣🤣
Garmin Vs Strava? Pros n cons?
The free version of Strava is great. I used it when doing c25k and in July I got a garmin.
Strava gives you distance, average pace , elevation gain.
The garmin gives you distance , pace, average pace, distance , speed average moving speed, run cadence, calories burned , heart rate and lots of stats and graphs.
I keep mine on 24/7 and it also tracks sleep.
I'm still linked to Strava through the Garmin, it transfers over when you've completed a run.
You don't need a garmin i just find it all interesting .
Strava is less accurate. I use garmin and sync to Strava do use both. Mainly garmin to keep a running total but garmin does it too
You can have both. Garmin downloads to Strava automatically if you set it up.
Does the forerunner 35 have the “send emergency alert” and does it show “v02” stats? Xx
Not sure about the emergency alert. But it does show vo2 max
Thanks buddy, do you use the vO2 results for anything?
I take my phone and put it in a flip belt which I can also carry my keys in. Much cheaper!
Yes you are right i’m almost talking myself out of it
But running with a phone is a complete pain 🤣
I don’t really mind running with my phone in my hand as i have always done it
I had this dilemma a few weeks ago.
In the end, I went for the fitbit charge 3.
My reasoning was simple in the end, although I spend hours doing research.
Truth is, i would never run without my phone, just in cases i need somebody or somebody needs me!
So my music comes from my phone. It also means I dont need a tracker with built in GPS as again, it just uses my phone.
For exercise, I only want it to track my running stats. It does that perfectly. I wanted a heart monitor. It does that. I wanted something to nudge me when I'm sat too long. It does that.
It also syncs with my RunKeeper app and let's me connect with my wife, who also has one.
Now, I also spent a long time looking at Garmin and also a Samsung smart watch.
In the end, I decided that for all of the wonderful and very clever functionality the other devices have, I would never use it.
So Fitbit charge 3 now sits happily on my wrist, looking good and doing everything I need it to do. :-).
Ask me again a year or so from now and I might be head scratching and spending more hours on Google doing more research 🤣
My original choice would be fitbit because i’ve had several over the last 5 years or so i’ve just been tempted with garmin but i run a bit for fitness i’m not ever going to be that serious and in our sixties we might not be able to one day
Thank you that has put it into perspective
My biggest challenge by far, was focusing on buying what I NEED, not what i WANT 🤣🤣.
I nearly bought a Samsung smart phone! I nearly bought a Forerunner 645
In the end, I bought what I need and I'm very happy with. For my next birthday, I might buy what I want 😁😆🤭
Trouble is i have a fitbit charge 2 which suits my very well but fancy something more, what i’m thinking now is stick to fitbit Willow can use the charge 2 so we have the same make
I hear you.... and now I'm wanting more 🤣🤣🤣. Maybe I cant wait until my birthday after all 🤣. 1st world problems hey?
It’s the hours researching that frustrates me! Then I look at peoples’s opinions on here... and I’m still undecided haha!
I love wanting things but i may have talked myself out of it
I just have a very basic Garmin 25 that I picked up third hand in April.
I rarely listen to anything these days when I run (only occasionally listening on long runs.)*
I suppose it depends on how much you actually listen to music/coaching when you run??
*Though I am planning on doing some guided runs at some point, but I’m happy with my phone for that.
I’m as confused as ever so am shelving it for now
I think it’s one of those decisions you’ll only really make when your ‘need’ outweighs your ‘want’.
True and i don’t need anything
I always take my phone with me, ran holding it, got sore hands and it made me hunch my shoulders when running, bought an armband, but couldn’t see it (I also wear specs) and it kept slipping, so bought a belt and put my phone in that and this year I bought a Garmin Forerunner 235, with the free version of Spotify and have my favourite music in my “running library” and it syncs to Strava too. Just love it! Have become a stats bore too 😀
I've decided that in 2020 I'm going to try and help 'save the planet' so I'm going to try to stop buying stuff I don't actually need and just want. I'm going to switch off lights etc and stop buying bottles of water. How long this will last I don't know but 'every little helps'.
Good good for you! The bottled water thing is a real bugbear of mine. It infuriates me. We bought 2 two litres bottles for home months ago. We just keep refilling them with tap water and keep them in the fridge.
I bought a 500ml bottle 6 months ago for work. Again, I just keep refilling it.
It's rare that I'm anywhere for a long period of time where I cant get a pint of tap water.
If I'm away for an hour or so and I'm that desperate for water, then I've got bigger problems 😆.
Full of respect for you for your ambition. Go for it.
I might still buy a Samsung smart watch before 2020 is done though 😆😆😆
Totally with you on this one. Have been eyeballing a Garmin 35, but having managed 18 months without one am struggling to justify it.
However, Strava is massively playing up at the moment and adding (what we think) is about 200m extra per 5k. Sometimes it has us running places where we didn't even run, like across a field. We also use Mapmyrun which seems to be more accurate.
Will be watching to see what your decision is 
Hi SueAppleRun , I got a garmin vivoactive 3 music for my birthday in August and I blooming love it! I had a fitbit charge 2 that I loved before this but the gps kept letting me down. No need to take my phone (only for photos) , there’s no going back for me now. Hope this helps? I got to the “it’s driving me mad” stage too so I just took the plunge x
I was on the point of buying and Willow said wait it might be cheaper in the january sales so i’m on hold again(sighs)
I have a Garmin 35 whichIm happy with. I always carry my phone in case of emergency, you never know if you need help, good luck 😀
Thank you
I have just been given a Garmin 45s for Christmas. It's a nice size as I have small wrists. It has a GPS but not music and I still carry my phone. It gives you more information and stats than the charge 2.
Thank you, ive been looking at that one and like the idea of smaller
Hey, Did you make any decision in the end?
I've been looking at the Samsung Smart Watch (your fault entirely 🤣).
As I said before, the Fitbit Charge 3 does everything I need it to do when combined with my phone (I have the Samsung S10).
I need my phone because I dont want to be out of contact should anybody need me urgently, or if I have an accident while out running and need to get hold of somebody.
Plus, I can download all my music to my phone and listen to it offline. I've been an Amazon Prime member for years, so I just tagged Amazon Music onto it.
So, the Samsung Smart Watch...
In reviews, it comes up very favourably against the more expensive Garmin and Fitbits for accuracy. Box ticked!
It has GPS. Box ticked!
I can use it as a phone, even without my phone being nearby. It connects to Vodafone directly. I mean, this is the stuff of Star Trek. Box ticked!
So I can buy this, replace my Fitbit and go out running without my phone???
Hmm maybe. I dont see a way to be able to download my Amazon Music. It highlights Spotify which is no use to me.
I'm going to head into the shop and ask some questions. If I can get Amazon Music, this is the device of my dreams!!
Mig
Hey I’m so sorry for making you want a new smart watch he he you stole my dilemma
I ended up ordering the garmin vivoactive 4s in black, I tried to buy locally but it’s out of stock everywhere, so ordered from Amazon with Prime one day delivery last Wednesday it was coming Friday then.....it got held up in transit or shipping or something anyway i’ve been at work the last 25 hours and still no mail to tell me it’s on its way so if it doesn’t arrive today i shall cancel and buy not so locally, it’s my day off tomorrow so we can take a drive
Did you get the Samsung watch?
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