The black sapphire 5 is back in stock at REI online. Just pulled the trigger and received a shipping date of March 28th.
I've been torn between the 5 and 5s. Aestheticly I prefer the size of the 5s, but at a practical level the Fenix 3 with titanium band that I currently wear has never bothered me, and I wear it 24/7. I figured the 5 is smaller than the 3, which is a plus, and the 5 has a bigger screen and longer strap over the 5s, plus longer battery life. It seemed like I was giving up too much to get the smaller look of the 5s. Regardless, I think they are both fantastic watches and can't wait for mine to arrive.
How is back in stock and then shipping date is the 28th? Shouldn't it ship right away? I love REI and buy a bunch of stuff from them but just saying.
The whole process Garmin uses to roll out their products really seems a bit haphazard.
I preordered a Fenix 5s black sapphire from Amazon really early on, and Amazon still lists it as "Product has not yet been released" .. when obviously that is not true.
I find it kind of curious that Amazon (one of the largest online retailers in the world) has seemingly received so little stock from Garmin when other retailers have received quite a few units.
You would think that a lot of orders/preorders would flow thru Amazon and that Garmin would ensure they got a proportionate amount of stock.
I was getting a Fenix 5s to replace my Apple Watch 2, but I honestly think I might just cancel the Fenix preorder and stick with the Apple Watch.
First world problems I know, but you would think Garmin could to a better job with their inventory.
Case in point .. you can pretty much buy a white 5s right now from a multitude of shops. Surely, Garmin didn't forecast higher volume for the white 5s vs the black? Granted the white is probably available because it is less popular model, but seems a bit odd that practically no one has received a black 5s sapphire yet.