Again a release of a worthless product

I was trapped again. After a lot of problems with the edge 820 (see forum 820), I bought a Fenix 5 as a replacement for my Fenix 3. Again a terrible product. What's up with garmin that they can not release a decent new device. :mad:

Main bugs at the moment:
- Non-functioning ANT connection, which makes it unusable for serious sports due to failure in heart rate recording (see image attached)
- Reduction in GPS strength compared to fenix 3, which allows me to walk over water

Please help me remember that I will never buy a Garmin product again

0 Crewone over 8 years ago

Please, never buy a garmin product again.

0 Former Member over 8 years ago

Really, my 5 is awesome, yeah, there are some things that need to be worked on but mostly an awesome watch. Give it time, Garmin is working to fix problems constantly.

I use mine for MTB , Running , Jumprope, Navigating and all kinds of other things, and to tell you the truth most of the problems that I have had are pretty minor and where fixed with the last update. There will be more small issues that will come up, i'm sure, but I am pretty sure that Garmin will fix them with future updates.

You can't expect that a device like this will come out of production working at 100%. Things will come up and Garmin will deal with them. If you call Garmin, they will try to fix the problem on the phone. If they can't the problem will be forwarded to the technical team for a fix. If something really bothers you, do your part to call them and get the issue to the tech team. If you just complain about it, noting will get done. Contacting Garmin is quick and fixes not only your issues but many others too.

0 Jwvandijk over 8 years ago

I'v owned a edge 800, 520 and 820, a forerunner 210 and a Fenix 3 and now a 5. So I know what i'm talking about. The edge 820 is a disaster please read the forum first. A simple thing as an ANT connection for the Fenix 5 must work for a 699 $ device. So please don't give me the Garmin will fix the problems answer cause normally the don't.
My advice: Don't buy the Fenix 5.
Ans yes it's my own fault,I should have know better

0 Jwvandijk over 8 years ago

Please, never buy a garmin product again.

Thanks for the reminder :)

0 PubBike over 8 years ago

You can't expect that a device like this will come out of production working at 100%.

ANT+ is bread and butter and Dynastream is basically Garmin. You really should expect this functionality to have been properly tested and debugged.

For sure new features will be delivered in the lifetime of the device that will need beta testing and might have some gremlins but stuff that is working on the F3 and part of the advertised spec. should just be completely sorted on the F5.

As for bugs getting fixed, you can't rely on Garmin to do that unless lots of people are having problems. The Row and paddlesports apps are still not fully sorted on the F3 and they were released 6 months after the F3 came out.

0 Former Member over 8 years ago

Alternative view

So just to offer my alternative view to the title of this thread.

I returned my first f5 due to Running Dynamics dropouts but this only occurred when I drop my arm to my side whilst running. Unfortunately my second f5 is exactly the same and it also seems a few others on here are experiencing the same issue and also other issues with Ant+ connectivity. Some are reporting that things have improved with recent betas but I haven't tried any since 2.96 and my current f5 is on 2.90.

So my thoughts at the moment. I have a non Sapphire silver bezel f5 with the granite blue strap, a black strap and a leather strap. I really like the look of it with the leather although sometimes I am a little conscious that it's a little bit bling (it's very shiny). I've done a few runs with it and gps tracking and pacing have been spot on. In fact the run I've just completed tonight completely matches the same run done previously with other watches, including my previous f5 and my f3. Overall very happy with pacing and gps. The only thing stopping me from being really pleased with it is sensor connectivity issues. Hopefully it just requires a firmware update to sort it and once it is I'll be first in line for a Stryd sensor. I've emailed Garmin support and the beta team but still not heard back so I'm not sure if I'm on the notification list that was mentioned.

0 Former Member over 8 years ago

This has nothing to do with military spec requirements. GPS performance troubles, ANT sensor dropouts and frequent Bluetooth disconnects all point to a seriously flawed RF subsystem. Expecting these very basic main features to work on a 600$+ device is by no means exaggerated.

0 Crewone over 8 years ago

True, it is really to be expected that this functionality works, but this is not a very constructive way to deal with the problems. It's merely voicing frustration, understandable, but ultimately not helping the owner, garmin, or other forum members.

That said, there are frequent updates coming out and I understand some real problems have been fixed already. So, I'm still confident some of the problems will be fixed. I've been around since the early GPSmap days and every time a unit comes out there have been concerns about GPS accuracy, etc. Nothing new.

0 Jwvandijk over 8 years ago

Helping the owner....? He sold me a non -working device and now I must help him to do the beta-testing. That's crazy, don't you think

0 SUSSAMB over 8 years ago

If you're that unhappy with it then return it and get your money back.

If you want to keep it and have any constructive comments or queries please open a new thread or contribute to an existing one, whichever is applicable.