IGX

I sold my Polar 625 and bought this on Sunday after much handringing and Google reading. I wanted something a little better than the Polar and I've only had it a week but I'm very pleased with it. The watch has a jillion features which I haven't worked my way through yet. Basically it will do just about everything from a GPS standpoint as well as speed, distance, pace, averages of these etc. It will also break all this info down lap by fucking lap if you want it to. It tell you it's accuracy based on how many satillites it's acquiring...for me around 15-18'. It also has a complete heartrate monitor that will give you all that information...high, low, average, average as a percent of you max etc.

There's four screen that you can scroll through with up to three fields in each screen that you can pick and arrange as you see fit. The cool thing is there's only two buttons. All features are accessed by touching the bezel of the watch. It takes a little getting used to but it works. For once a watch that has serious backlighting for view in the dark. You can see everything while running full out. The whole face lights up. It's rechargable...no batteries to change. A full charge lasts supposedly a couple of weeks...full use of the GPS function is good for eight hours or better. The GPS function I haven't fully figured out but it's got a bunch of features for setting navigation points...it'll bring up a compass, tell you elevation changes etc. It's not something to wear around though when your not actually using it...not that I'm a slave to fashion. Take a look here.

https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?cID ... 59&ra=true

Hey Shape,

There's an app on the iphone that'll sync with the net and put your route onto a map. But the iphone GPS is kinda wimpy and that app has screwed up too many times (also, you can't receive calls, listen to music, etc if the app is running)

does this thing do anything like that? I've been thinking about getting something like this for a while now...

Yes it will...but I haven't fucked with it yet. It comes with a zipdrive like thingy that you plug into a usb port. You download some software from Garmin's website and this fucking watch will automatically download all your data as soon as you get within 10 feet of your computer. It will plot your course on Google map (I think, just skimmed through it once). Check out the website and if you're interested stop by one of the running stores in Tyler and there'll be someone working in there that has one. That's what finally did it for me. I stopped by a Luke's running store in Southlake and one of the employees had one and then a random dude shopping in the store had one.

I forgot to mention...it is not waterproof. They say it's splash proof but that's like saying the withdrawal method is an appropriate method of birth control. I've got two knucklehead kids following those guidelines.

shape,
did you look at the 310xt? If so, why did you opt for the 405?
I'm looking at the 310 cuz it's completely waterproof...

The only reason I didn't opt for the 310 was pure vanity. I just didn't like the way it looked. I don't know what features it has compared to the 405.

I've been wanting one of these for my endurance training episodes. I had one of the ealry Timex system where the GPS unit was the size of a 1990's cell phone and you had to strap it to your arm. Didn't work more than half the time, especially in the city where buildings would block the sat signals. But what would piss me off is that trees on trails would fuck it up as well. Then I switched to my current Polar system that uses a accelerometer you wear on your shoe to back track into your pace. I've found it highly inaccurate. Time to find something better.

I'm guessing Garmin has all of the bugs worked out for the most part. And I LOVE that everything is done with just the watch. I checked one out at the local running store and the watch isn't any larger than the Polar I wear now.

Couple questions before I put this on the birthday wish list:
When you say it's only splash proof, how well do you see it holding up to someone who sweats like a whore in church. I can out sweat a field negro even when it's 60 degrees out.

And how easy is it to set up? That's one thing I hate about my Polar. You need a PHD in computer science to program the thing for intervals and such.

AEN, the deal is they don't want the watch "submerged." Anything else is fine. The setup/fuckwith is very simple and intuitive. All you have to do is move/touch your finger on the bezel ring. I had the Polar 625X and that fucking thing was a complete bitch to figure out. I was always forgetting how to do stuff on it. And even though I thought it was pretty accurate, it wasn't as accurate as this gps based watch. Now after a week I can't rave enough about the 405 but...and there's always a big butt, there's one small issue I've run into so far. Since you access all features by touching the bezel ring, it gets touched accidently. This doesn't shut off the watch or anything, it just moves the screen to another setting. You can correct that by locking out the watch...pushing the start and lap button at the same time. If you don't want to do that it's just a matter of tapping the bezel ring a few times to get back to where you set it. That really is the only issue I've had. I run on a very shaded, tree canopied trail and the watch has no problem keeping satellite contact. It's hard to beat 15-20 foot accuracy in a watch on your wrist.

As I mentioned earlier, you've got four screens that you can fully program yourself with up to three pieces of information on each screen. Then when you're done you can go to your history for all the other info you may want. I haven't even fucked with the wireless computer link. Get that bitch then figure out that shit.

Cool

This is now on the birthday list.

Thanks

Shape,
other than the clunkiness of the 310, they have almost identical features. The 310 can be submerged to50 meters.

Since I won't be wearing it as a watch, I may end up going with the ugly one...

I've been looking at the 305 GPS/HR monitor for my birthday, so I'm glad you posted this info.

Show your appreciation and kick me five bucks prick.

Shapecharge wrote:Show your appreciation and kick me five bucks prick.

No five bucks and no camping trip cocksocker.

Some youtube clips of shit you can do with this watch.

Goal setting: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BxvTgPp ... re=related

training with the heart rate monitor: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWBOMqEV ... re=related

Garmin Connect on-line training: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0GTJoeK25U

I have the Garmin 205. Does everything the 405 does, but costs $150. It is big and ugly, no doubt.

The reviews on the 405 keep saying that the "touch bezel" navigation is cool, but doesn't work when your hands are wet. Like when you sweat. As one tends to in a workout.

Shape: is it so?

I thought the Garmin 205 didn't have a HR monitor.

RyanH wrote:I thought the Garmin 205 didn't have a HR monitor.

You're right. I have the 305 with heart monitor. It did cost $150 from Amazon. Had it for several years and it still works fine.

seeahill wrote:

RyanH wrote:I thought the Garmin 205 didn't have a HR monitor.

You're right. I have the 305 with heart monitor. It did cost $150 from Amazon. Had it for several years and it still works fine.

Cool. That's the one I'm looking at.

seeahill wrote:I have the Garmin 205. Does everything the 405 does, but costs $150. It is big and ugly, no doubt.

The reviews on the 405 keep saying that the "touch bezel" navigation is cool, but doesn't work when your hands are wet. Like when you sweat. As one tends to in a workout.

Shape: is it so?

I've not had a problem with it even when sweating. Like I mentioned before the only irritating thing is accidental touching of the bezel ring that switches it to another screen.

Does it have a "Time" feature?