Any Watch Recommendations for Small Wrists Please ?

[dijep]

I'm still running but for the last few months have very little to tell you about my runs so haven't posted much but I know this forum is the best place to ask for help and advice.

I have a Garmin Forerunner 45S that I got in the summer of 2020 and it needs replacing. On nearly every run it dies and when I get home and plug it in I find the battery isn't flat ! I have tried contacting Garmin who to be honest weren't a lot of help. So that's it the search is on ....

I have small wrist and don't want anything much bigger than what I've got as I think it would be uncomfortable. I don't need some highly technical thing as long as I can get the distance , pace , HR zones and cadence and be able to link to my android phone to see notifications that would be fine.

So any help would be much appreciated ...

Nothing to do with watches but I thought you'd like this lovely pig I spotted while out on a run last week.

[SueAppleRun Graduate10 60minGraduate]

That is a rather gorgeous pig 😄.I'm not going to be much help suggesting a watch though. My problem is I want all the bells and whistles, with music and call answering on top. Not sure why but there you have it.

I'm sure sensible recommendations will come thick and fast, hope you find the perfect watch 😁

[dijep Graduate10 in reply to SueAppleRun]

There are 2 very similar pigs, one of them is called Spamella 😊 In the autumn they are often one the bridle path after the acorns and crab apples

[SueAppleRun Graduate10 60minGraduate in reply to dijep]

They are a bit special 😁

[Cmoi Graduate10]

Cute pig!

This will sound like a stupid question, but are you sure the watch is charging properly? I have a Forerunner 45S bought in summer 2021. Mine used to appear fully charged when plugged in, but after about three months' use, it suddenly showed zero charge. On the morning of my trail marathon, naturally! Frantic efforts to charge in car worked, but the problem recurred within days.

Turned out it hadn't been charging properly due to a dodgy pin in the charger cable. Replaced the original with a cheapy one (from Amazon) and that sorted it. Might be worth checking.

[dijep Graduate10 in reply to Cmoi]

Interesting. I would have hoped that Garmin would have suggested this as a possible cause after all the info I had to send them but having looked on Amazon I'll buy a cheap replacement cable and try anyway

[Cmoi Graduate10 in reply to dijep]

Hope you find a solution, whether it's replacing cable or watch!

[ChannelRunner2 Graduate10 in reply to Cmoi]

My Forerunner 55 doesn't seem to charge properly when I plug it into an outlet but charges just fine when I plug it into my laptop... I suppose before I travel, I better find a replacement outlet charger!

The cynic in me is like: Of course Garmin won't tell you the cheap solution when they can sell you a whole new watch!

[Cmoi Graduate10 in reply to ChannelRunner2]

My cynic agrees with yours ChannelRunner2 . I didn't contact Garmin, decided it was worth trying a new cable once I'd spotted the wonky pin. Plus my time costs and I'm far from wedded to my Garmin, so wasn't inclined to spend a fortune on a replacement.

[Annieapple Administrator]

🍏oh what a beauty he is!!! I have an Apple Watch so won’t be of much help to you

[misswobble Graduate10]

I’ve got a second hand Garmin Forerunner 35 and it’s great for a small wrist. Simple watch without all the bells and whistles. I wanted long battery life for marathon running and it’s been great 🙂

[dijep Graduate10 in reply to misswobble]

Thanks for that.

I'm making myself a list to look up now.

[Fionamags Graduate10]

I had problems with my Garmin watch a while back. The GPS wasn't locking on and it wouldn't record runs. I can't remember exactly what I did but it involved a shutdown and updating the software. That sorted it. I found some useful tips here androidauthority.com/garmin...

Incidentally I have a Vivoactive 4S. Was expensive at the time and has lots of crap I never use. But it's lovely and small. You can still find the 3S, which is a lot cheaper. If all else fails, maybe worth a look?

[dijep Graduate10 in reply to Fionamags]

Thanks for the link, I'll take a look. But I thinks its knackered, I sent all sorts of logs to Garmin and they basically said nothing could be done. I've lived with it over the winter but its been getting worse and today it gave up when I had only run around 1k !

I've got a bit of a list now, at least there seem to be more smaller models than I thought.

[Yesletsgo Graduate10]

I've got small wrists but have always loved big watches. Why should men have all the bells and whistles while we get 'dainty'?(Sorry, rant over, I've got the Forerunner 45, not the S, very happy with it) 😁

[John_W Graduate10]

I am surprised by Garmin's unhelpfulness - they have a reputation for being the opposite - quite odd!

[damienair Administrator]

Perhaps give the contacts a really good clean. Sometimes mine stops charging or fails to charge. I think it can be a build up of salt or dirt from sweating. When I clean the charging contacts it works great. If that does not work then try buying a replacement charging cable. Garmin watches are pretty bulletproof. I have a Garmin Forerunner 35. I have it around 5 years now and it does everything I want and need from a sports watch.

[Cowladyrunning Graduate10]

Nice piggy! I loved my polar ignite for how it looked on my little wrist but the battery was not good enough for marathon distance so I got a garmin 245- cheapest option. Slightly smaller watch face but very chunky looking so I chose a new purple coloured strap for it to pretty it up! I like the features on this garmin - does me anyway. The charger has always seemed finickity and you have to balance the watch carefully to make sure it is charging but a charge lasts ages. I loved the polar for it's heart rate training importance and that sleep was so well tracked but the garmin has good info too.