Santa wants to give me a sportswatch -- oh but... - Couch to 5K

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Santa wants to give me a sportswatch -- oh but which one?

pinkaardvark profile image
pinkaardvarkGraduate
12 Replies

I'm very lucky to have been given some money as a gift for my birthday and xmas. I keep teasing myself over the thought of buying a running/sportswatch but i'm confused which to go for.. if any?

I do have an older android wear(Sony SmartWatch 3) which has gps and can run standalone(I really hate taking a phone as mine is a S6+ ie huge).

Have been considering a few, fenix 5, forerunner 235, fitbit ionic..

Any recommendations?

p.s. I really have no need for this at my sporting level.. but i find the gadgets help me get enthusiastic about the subject matter which helps get me out the door :)

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pinkaardvark
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I had the Ionic and had to send it back. Sluggish, wouldnt track my swims and was a nightmare to synch with my android phone. However, the Fitbit community is fun. I had aGarmin Forerunner 735XT 18 months ago which I bought cheap on ebay. It was brilliant, tracked swims accurately and seemed a lot more accurate for steps than Fitbit. What I really wanted wa the Garmin Fenix 5s but couldnt justify the expense. However, after sending the Ionic back and getting a refund, I put the money towards a used Fenix 5s on ebay and am really happy. I like the way Garmin tracks and logs runs, so for me Garmin is the best. I did briefly try a Polar 600 whatever it was, and that was a really good tracker, but so bulky and ugly. For running, I think Garmin has it sorted.

pinkaardvark profile image
pinkaardvarkGraduate in reply to

Thanks Flick.. the reviews seem to suggest the Garmin is best excluding the price. May just have to treat myself :)

in reply topinkaardvark

I would. It may be an initial expense but you will have it for years. I dont have much money myself usually, and can only afford things at the moment because of having an inheritence, and also selling up moving to a cheaper area, but I think it’s false economy to skrimp on something that is going to be central to your running. I would rather have a good running watch and save elsewhere. Though many people would say just stick with the gps in your phone to track runs.

HeleneCorsa profile image
HeleneCorsaGraduate

I recently got a Garmin Vivoactive HR largely as there was a really good offer that brought it down to a far more manageable price. The ones you mentioned are higher ranges I think, but can certainly confirm that my Garmin is fab, seems reliable, and the Garmin Connect app is very good. It is also good for other sports such as cycling and swimming (and a lot more besides) although I haven't been using those functions.

I understand that Suunto are also really good but have no direct experience.

Happy shopping!

PS Step tracking seems spot on too; it doesn't seem very hot on sleep tracking though. Apparently I can go to bed at midnight, get up at 6, and still manage to sleep 7 and a half hours. I wish it were true...

pinkaardvark profile image
pinkaardvarkGraduate in reply toHeleneCorsa

I go to be at 10, get up at 6 and manage only 1 hours sleep. The joys of having a 1 year old in the house :)

HeleneCorsa profile image
HeleneCorsaGraduate in reply topinkaardvark

Ha ha, yes, that sounds about right!

Hubs has the garmin fr 235 which he really likes but the wrist heart rate does seem out on him but works ok on me! My fr is a basic one so I like the cadence and heart rate on the fr 235 which are extras to my fr10. I like the look of the newer fr 30 too.

misswobble profile image
misswobbleGraduate

I do like the bog standard Garmin Forerunner 10

mixindave profile image
mixindaveGraduate

i just went for a refurb tomtom runner. looks like a new watch! only paid around £60 doesnt do steps, or receive calls or anything. its made for running but has gps and is great for pacing. can also set intervals etc, use as an alarm and....it tells the time!!!!!!!!!!!!! omg ;) as the post above says.. its the bod standard.

also lasts 30 days as a watch and up to 8 hours in gps mode

amazon.co.uk/TomTom-Runner-...

The Forerunner is cheaper than the Ionic on Amazon

amazon.co.uk/Garmin-Forerun...

pinkaardvark profile image
pinkaardvarkGraduate

Santa has decided on the fenix 5 :)

in reply topinkaardvark

Missed that at the time. Excellent choice. Too big for my skinny wrist, which is why I got the 5s

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