Having recently destroyed my latest Forerunner (645), I'm looking for something more robust. Seriously. I destroy, on average, one Garmin Forerunner watch a year and have since 2016. Garmin has always hooked me up and replaced them, but I'm sick of the treadmill considering how long it takes me to set up their replacements how I like. I'm looking at the Titanium model with the orange band, hoping it will be lighter? I know it's not going be as light as my 645, but I just want something that will last for years without self destructing. With my 645, the pin in one of the bands actually tore a chunk out of the watch chassis; I tried to upload a picture, but the forum software isn't letting me. Thanks for any and all opinions!
I had a 935 for a year, loved it, sold it, and bought a Fenix 5 S+. I use an Apple Watch 4 as my daily driver, and thanks to a great app, Workoutdoors, I have full color maps when I hike. I bought the Fenix as a more long-lasting mapping source for multi-day hikes. Unfortunately, after three full cycles, I never got more than 3 1/2 days from a charge on the Fenix 5 S+. I never used music, turned off all notifications, and had a maximum of 6 hours of GPS tracking. I liked everything about the watch, except for the battery life, which for me, was a dealbreaker. I returned the Fenix and bought another 935. I just charged the 935 after 13 days that included 15 hours of GPS tracking and 5 hours of indoor workouts. If Garmin would add mapping to the 935, it would be a perfect watch for me. I don't use music when I hike or run, and when I cycle, I have a bluetooth speaker connected to my phone.
Having said all that, I am considering the Fenix 5 +, in the hope that battery life will be longer. Has anyone compared the 5S+ to the 5+?
I had a 935 for a year, loved it, sold it, and bought a Fenix 5 S+. I use an Apple Watch 4 as my daily driver, and thanks to a great app, Workoutdoors, I have full color maps when I hike. I bought the Fenix as a more long-lasting mapping source for multi-day hikes. Unfortunately, after three full cycles, I never got more than 3 1/2 days from a charge on the Fenix 5 S+. I never used music, turned off all notifications, and had a maximum of 6 hours of GPS tracking. I liked everything about the watch, except for the battery life, which for me, was a dealbreaker. I returned the Fenix and bought another 935. I just charged the 935 after 13 days that included 15 hours of GPS tracking and 5 hours of indoor workouts. If Garmin would add mapping to the 935, it would be a perfect watch for me. I don't use music when I hike or run, and when I cycle, I have a bluetooth speaker connected to my phone.
Having said all that, I am considering the Fenix 5 +, in the hope that battery life will be longer. Has anyone compared the 5S+ to the 5+?
Mark
I think the battery drain you saw was a bug. In the last firmware, the specifically fixed a battery drain bug. Because that amount of battery usage you saw is WAY too high. I can tell you I charged my 5+ on Sunday (almost exactly 48 hours ago), and even with minimal GPS use it's only down to 90%. My 645 would lose 10% a day with zero GPS usage, or 10% an hour with GPS usage. There's no way it's normal for a 5s+ to be worse than that. Equal, maybe, but definitely not worse.
I'd love to try an Apple Watch at some point; I reassess each generation that they make it more of an athlete's watch, but they're just not there yet. You want to talk about atrocious battery life; the Apple Watch is just putrid, and the whole Garmin Connect ecosystem really helps set their watches apart. I have tons of athlete friends who use Garmins, and it's really fun to compare against each other and see what everyone's doing. The leaderboards and such are a blast too. Additionally, I *hate* touchscreens on watches. I had a gen 1 Apple Watch paired to my phone when I ran, and in the winter or rain it would just straight up kill runs if the screen got brushed, or I mis-tapped something. I need physical buttons on sports watch, full stop. I won't buy one with a touch screen anymore.
I think I'll jump in again and give the 5+ a try. I probably should have gone with that in the beginning, rather than the S. My son will eagerly grab my 935.
As for the Apple Watch, I've been using it since version 2. The current version 4 is worlds better than the original one you tried. The touch screen is not as "touchy" as earlier models. I do a lot of back country hiking with layers of clothing in the winter, and pushing through brush in the summer. Occasionally I'll inadvertently change the watch face, but I've never lost a workout. Of course, the smart watch features are amazing, but what has kept me in the fold is the $4.99 app, Workoutdoors. It has full mapping with loads of features. And, the Apple Watch 4 battery is much improved. I get almost two days of normal use with workouts, or 7 hours of GPS tracking. Obviously, not competitive with the 935 or Fenix, but it handles all my daily workouts.
Thanks for your observations. If I can get close to Garmin's battery life estimates for the 5 +, it will be a great addition.
I think I'll jump in again and give the 5+ a try. I probably should have gone with that in the beginning, rather than the S. My son will eagerly grab my 935.
As for the Apple Watch, I've been using it since version 2. The current version 4 is worlds better than the original one you tried. The touch screen is not as "touchy" as earlier models. I do a lot of back country hiking with layers of clothing in the winter, and pushing through brush in the summer. Occasionally I'll inadvertently change the watch face, but I've never lost a workout. Of course, the smart watch features are amazing, but what has kept me in the fold is the $4.99 app, Workoutdoors. It has full mapping with loads of features. And, the Apple Watch 4 battery is much improved. I get almost two days of normal use with workouts, or 7 hours of GPS tracking. Obviously, not competitive with the 935 or Fenix, but it handles all my daily workouts.
Thanks for your observations. If I can get close to Garmin's battery life estimates for the 5 +, it will be a great addition.
I have been thinking about a Apple Watch 4 for a while but have stuck with my F5+. I already own the Workoutdoors app when I had an earlier Apple Watch which I returned owing to the poor battery life. The app is fantastic and developer very responsive.
How do you find the general toughness of the watch for trail running, racing and general every day use (outside of an office)? Whats the touchscreen like really when say racing and you are very sweaty?
nadotrainer whilst not a disaster the battery life on the 5+ is not great I get a week maximum with about 3 hours of GPS activity that's about 1/2 what I got with my 935 - the watch is also slower to charge than the 935. I have BT and WIFI on constantly (as I did with the 935). I do not use music so I imagine if you do that would shorten the life still further. If the main thing pushing you to the Fenix range is the maps wouldn't the 5x be better as it has a larger face and (in theory) better battery life than the 5+
I've been impressed with the durability and consistent performance of the Apple Watch 4. I don't race, but I do long, sweaty hikes in the summer, and I haven't had a problem. I'm a personal trainer, so I have exposed the watch to various environments, exercise equipment, and high intensity workouts. No issues to report. The optical heart rate is the best of any of my watches, with the exception of indoor rowing. I have yet to find an OHR that can handle that movement. Battery life has improved, although it is still far short of any Garmin watch. With multiple workouts and GPS use, I consistently get a day and a half, although I always charge it overnight. I wear an Oura ring which does a great job on sleep data and readiness/recovery.
jsrunner Thanks for the suggestion. I like the smaller form factor of the 5s or 5, but I may end up with the 5x to get the maximum battery life. Either way, it's tough to give up the battery life of the 935. Yesterday I had two 1-hour GPS workouts and the 935 is at 89%.
I came from a 735XT Foreunner to my fenix 5s Plus. I would never do that again. I still often use my 735XT instead of the Fenix, because everything works perfect. Sleep with Garmin is a mess anyway. GPS with my Forerunner is better. And even it may not be as beautiful as the Fenix it fits my wrist a lot better.
