Garmin Comparison

Time to curl up with a nice https://www.dcrainmaker.com/product-comparison-calculator and dream of your next watch.

Same price? Get the Fenix 3 and don't look back!

Depending on the price, look at the 935. It is basically the same thing as the Fenix 3 and 5 but with a lighter plastic housing.

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/product-comparison-calculator?type=watch&ids=57146%2C72457#results

oopsie

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/product-comparison-calculator?type=watch&ids=69229%2C72457#results

Wait until this time next year:

https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/semiconductors/design/superaccurate-gps-chips-coming-to-smartphones-in-2018

Thanks for the replies everyone! I had been on the DC Rainmaker site but didn't see this tool. Checking it out now!

Old school Timex. Measure the course with your car before or after to get the distance. Or, go to mapmyrun or usatf routes to map out your run. Problem solved and tons of money saved.

So I ended up going with the 235. I liked the 630 and Fenix 3 too but the added features really only came into play through the use of a HR strap and I wasn't interested in doing that.

Plus, getting the optical HR feature seemed a pretty good addition.

Question though, do you find that when looking at the route you've run on the map that it looks pretty inaccurate, like you've been running like a drunken sailor back and forth across the street? Is that pretty normal behaviour?

To the drunken sailor question, the answer is yes. But I think that your expectations are too high in regards to GPS accuracy. On a straight, flat road with no trees or buildings, I find the accuracy to be quite good. But otherwise all bets are off. I've used a calibrated rolling wheel to measure some of my favorite routes and the GPS is often off by as much as 200-300m (depending on the route) for a 6-8km route. I have to chuckle when I'm at a 10km road race and people go crazy afterwards about the course length: "it was 10.2km!" or "it was only 9.9km!"...as if GPS is 100% accurate, which it's not.

Smith.jeff.robert@gmail.com

wrote:

So I ended up going with the 235. I liked the 630 and Fenix 3 too but the added features really only came into play through the use of a HR strap and I wasn't interested in doing that.

Plus, getting the optical HR feature seemed a pretty good addition.

Question though, do you find that when looking at the route you've run on the map that it looks pretty inaccurate, like you've been running like a drunken sailor back and forth across the street? Is that pretty normal behaviour?

Wheels aren't 100% accurate either. Walking it in a straight line is near impossible and you'll get some side-to-side movement with bumps in the road.

What GPS is off by 200-300m in a 6-8km race? I use the Forerunner 620 and during my last three races on certified courses, it came out to be 6.23 (10k), 13.15 (half) and 26.4 (marathon).

Smith.jeff.robert@gmail.com

wrote:

So I ended up going with the 235. I liked the 630 and Fenix 3 too but the added features really only came into play through the use of a HR strap and I wasn't interested in doing that.

Plus, getting the optical HR feature seemed a pretty good addition.

Question though, do you find that when looking at the route you've run on the map that it looks pretty inaccurate, like you've been running like a drunken sailor back and forth across the street? Is that pretty normal behaviour?

the optical HRM on the 235 isn't very trustworthy for most users. might work for half your runs. for me it jumps around randomly, especially during races or workouts.

I wish you'd have bought the fenix 3 and I could've traded you my 235, lol

Smith.jeff.robert@gmail.com

wrote:

Question though, do you find that when looking at the route you've run on the map that it looks pretty inaccurate, like you've been running like a drunken sailor back and forth across the street? Is that pretty normal behaviour?

That's unusual. I can usually tell which side of the street I ran on from the readout. It does zigzag a little, and it's worse when there are tall buildings. And sometimes it's worse at the start of the run when things haven't synced.

I also have the 235 and do not notice any 'drunken sailor' like behavior on my routes. My old Fitbit would do some crazy stuff but no problems with the Garmin so far.

Oldschoolerr wrote:

Old school Timex. Measure the course with your car before or after to get the distance. Or, go to mapmyrun or usatf routes to map out your run. Problem solved and tons of money saved.

You are not factoring in the time spent doing those tasks or that some runs cannot be driven (most of my runs these days).

Smith.jeff.robert@gmail.com

wrote:

So I ended up going with the 235. I liked the 630 and Fenix 3 too but the added features really only came into play through the use of a HR strap and I wasn't interested in doing that.

Plus, getting the optical HR feature seemed a pretty good addition.

Question though, do you find that when looking at the route you've run on the map that it looks pretty inaccurate, like you've been running like a drunken sailor back and forth across the street? Is that pretty normal behaviour?

Too late now, but I am not sold on the optical HR

He did not say the 6-8K was a race

So I can definitely tell the side of street I am on. But my route does have big deviations off the street and through buildings. Sometimes even going up as far as the next block when I didn't take that route.

This definitely occurs through downtown where I do expect there to be disturbance due to tall buildings. But it's messed up that I can get tagged for Strava segments that I did not do as my actual route did not take me across them.

I know no GPS is ever going to be spot on and I am trusting these reported distances more so than my iPhone and my Nike GPS watch before it. In fact, I'd rather have it under report distance rather than overreport, which is what I felt those older devices did.

But I guess I just expected a little less deviation shown on the route, especially in areas that are surrounded by tall buildings.

Yeah youre never going to get a full accurate reading, as for HRM on the wrist most are fine for steady pace runs or resting but anything interval wise can get wonky. Besodes shouldn't be paying attention to HR when doing intervals anyway should focus on the running.

Garmin is announcing new forerunners in the next few days as well by the way.

My understanding the fenix 3 amd 235 are not continuous heart rate monitors like the 935 and Fenix 5 which are crtical for resting HR data

I'm not even that concerned with the HRM on the wrist as if it didn't have it I would be seeking out a strap. I don't like the straps and in 20+ years of running I've never really focused too much on my HR. I focus more on effort and pace.

GPS watches in general are pretty new to me, in the past 5 years or so. I use them more to log my mileage and find some of the extra features interesting.

Really accuracy is my main thing but again I'd rather have it under report than over report.

Aside from these various issues I've brought up, I do believe the total km's the 235 is recording are more accurate then what my phone and Nike GPS watch recorded before. The Garmin is lopping off around 500m from the same routes through the city centre which I think is more accurate.