Well, so much for the awesome deal that my $20 Ebay Garmin 305 was. It's dead. Or at least, well on its way to dying.
First of all, it has no battery life to speak of. If I take the fully charged unit on an eleven mile run, with no button-touching except to restart laps at the end of the warm-up and workout, then it's beeping "low battery" by mile 10. I haven't tried, but I could probably get 16 miles out of it. Just barely. Obviously, that's a problem with a 26 mile race coming up. I have already been thinking about replacing it due to battery life, and David advised me to buy a new one, since battery life was the most important thing I was looking for. 305s are so old that all of them available right now risk minimal battery life. But the new models - the 225 and 230 - have a lot of activity tracker features that I don't want, and don't have enough data fields for the run. The 630 costs more than I spend on my monthly rent, but the older versions - like the 620 - don't have the most recent connectivity.
But it must be replaced, so I have to make a decision - and soon.
Decisions, decisions! What's your recommendation? Keep in mind that - for someone who claims to never really use a Garmin - I insist on seven data fields (pace, average pace, lap pace, lap time, lap distance, time, distance). And hopefully time of day, too. That's the minimum to do races, intervals, and regular running without having to change data fields!
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I think it is wise to spend the money and get a new one! When you consider the cost per mile, it's actually a great investment and they usually last for years! I have a 220 which I love but that wouldn't have all the data fields that you need.
ReplyDeleteI have the 235, which I think has 7 data fields if you don't mind flipping screens. I think one screen has to be heart rate, though (not sure -- I typically don't look at my watch much during workouts unless doing intervals and I otherwise keep one screen to distance, time and time of day for all long and easy runs).
ReplyDeleteI love the 235. I have no need for the bells and whistles of the more expensive models. Goid luck in your watch hunt!
Agree, I'm loving my 235. They are not cheap ($330ish on amazon right now) and probably still have a bunch of features you won't use, but you can fit all your data screens (if you don't mind scrolling between) which was my problem with the 230. (Mine does not seem to require HR as a field.) They've been out long enough that you might also be able to find one refurbished. Good luck!!
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