what fitness watch/tracker should i buy. on a budget. like to keep it under $400

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what fitness watch/tracker should i buy. on a budget. like to keep it under $400
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flag sc471a000
Posted: Mar 23, 2021 at 18:12 Quote
im a mtber and looking to buy a fitness watch, but dont know which one to buy. whats everyone have and how do you like it. pros and cons.
flag neverstp
Posted: Apr 27, 2021 at 5:29 Quote
Find a garmin Fenix 5
flag freshd1rt
Posted: Apr 27, 2021 at 5:34 Quote
yeah you should get a Garmin they pretty good quality from what I can tell
flag BenLow2019
Posted: Apr 27, 2021 at 8:53 Quote
+1 Garmin Fenix 5
PRO: Tracks my rides without issue. Shows me a map of where I'm at. Shows altitude, speed, heartrate, etc. Uploads wirelessly to Garmin Connect app on my phone so I can see it all in more detail - add photos, compare rides and see my fitness performance. Garmin Connect lets me automatically sync rides to Strava and Trailforks for fun with those sites. Garmin Connect website has even more stuff to let me unlock the power of the watch. The Fenix can be used for active tracking/recording of multiple sports or just for counting steps. It can be used for navigation in the wilderness or in a city. It can be used with free maps, personalized maps or you can buy Garmin maps if you want. It can be used for turn-by-turn navigation. It is compatible with different vendors. You can download / use customized watch faces and other Garmin compatible apps and such. It can be used for swimming or other water activities reliably - waterproof to a certain depth.

CON: You need the Garmin Connect app to completely unwrap all the features. Confusing menus / big learning curve with use of multiple menus and buttons - not intuitive (for me). Instructions are practically non-existent - found better on YouTube by other users. It has features and utilities buried in it that may be hard to navigate to. Example: the button that is used to illuminate the watch face will do something completely different if you press and hold the button. There is a system to it, but it isn't immediately apparent. Customer support may be very general or vague. The questions to problems you have may just be posted on a Garmin user forum without any resolution. You may have to chat or call to get answers to specific issues.

BOTTOM LINE: it is a very capable device and by watching some YouTube videos, playing around with it and learning it's idiosyncrasies I don't see any reason to replace it - it can do more than I need it to do reliably. I haven't had any technical challenges or problems; however, with a wide user base if you experience a problem or issue the likelihood is high that somebody else has figured out the solution.
flag oathead
O+ FL
Posted: May 5, 2021 at 17:51 Quote
Anyone ride with one of the Coros watches? The price on the Pace 2 is pretty reasonable and the reviews seem good as well.
flag MattyBoyR6
O+
Posted: May 28, 2021 at 11:26 Quote
[Quote="BenLow2019"]

Those of you that have the Fenix 5 did you put a face protector on it? Which kind glass or plastic self healing? I just picked up a 5 and its going to sit right where I have some fresh scratches from a granite rock so I know I'm going to knock this thing around.

Also the mapping feature, I know it can now do Trailforks segments, one of the reasons I chose it, but are there other map widgets to get better map features with multiple trails showing, not just the planned course?
Thanks.
flag naptime
FL
Posted: Jul 21, 2022 at 7:12 Quote
I was in the same boat recently. Heart Rate/metrics was my biggest concern. I went for garmin. I did read online that apple and garmin have the best heart rate recording, an I'm not an apple fan. Another plus for garmin with me is everything is free after the price of the watch. fitbit (and I think? suunto) require subscription. Was looking into whoopstrap as the most/best metrics but 100% subscription put me right off.

Happy so far with my fenix 6 pro especially as I got £50 off
flag naptime
FL
Posted: Jul 21, 2022 at 7:14 Quote
[Quote="MattyBoyR6"]
BenLow2019 wrote:

Those of you that have the Fenix 5 did you put a face protector on it? Which kind glass or plastic self healing? I just picked up a 5 and its going to sit right where I have some fresh scratches from a granite rock so I know I'm going to knock this thing around.

Also the mapping feature, I know it can now do Trailforks segments, one of the reasons I chose it, but are there other map widgets to get better map features with multiple trails showing, not just the planned course?
Thanks.

I got the screen protectors and a little rubber cover for mine from Ebay for a couple quid, no effect on GPS to report
flag MrMentallo
O+
Posted: Mar 6, 2023 at 4:49 Quote
oathead wrote:
Anyone ride with one of the Coros watches? The price on the Pace 2 is pretty reasonable and the reviews seem good as well.

I know it's a bit late, but this watch is great. It's mostly run oriented as has only one selection for cycling as "biking", not mountain biking or road biking. But I've noticed that no matter what you select, it does great metrics and mapping. I even had it map a drunken pickleball game, that was a bit of a rats nest. Uploads to Strava and TrainingPeaks and has great battery life. The heart rate monitor works but is a bit slow with recording spikes (punchy climbs.) There are a few selections for straps and colors if you order it from Amazon, the nylon one I got is fine a year later. There's no touchscreen, but the buttons are good to work with. The app is intuitive and is easy to connect to unlike the Garmin app from my last watch.
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