Love my Fenix 5

Former Member over 8 years ago

There is, understandably given forums and human nature, quite a lot of critisism here about the Fenxi 5, so I thought I would redress the balance.

Having owned my F5 for a month now, have to say I just love it. Yes it was expensive, but the depth of the feature set and the sophistication Garmin have crammed into such a small package makes it worth it. It looks great for every-day wear, the battery life is amazing, it's very customisable and it's a very good all-day smart watch. But, setting it apart from most other watches, it is an even better sports / activity watch. Running and cycling, I've had no problems with sensors dropping out, or bluetooth connectivity. The GPS tracking is just as good as my Edge1000 and the running analysis and stats are far beyond what I had on my Polar.

If you are thinking of getting one, all I can say is, it is by far, the best watch I have ever owned. And that includes previous running watches and my Breitling, which is now gathering dust in a draw!

0 Former Member over 8 years ago

Like many previous relationships, this an amazing device but doesn't always behave the way it's represented.
I am a fan of design, as well as function, so because the watch is as beautiful as it is, I am willing to overlook basic flaws and have blind faith in future improvements.

0 Former Member over 8 years ago

I'm very happy with this watch as well. Def some room for software accuracy and improvement but considering I wanted a business appropriate watch that supports golf running anf some minimal swimming and cycling it does everything I need.

0 Former Member over 8 years ago

I have to agree with the OP. I have been running with Polar for the last 20+ years and was very satisfied with it, the last 3 years I have been using he V800 and never had a problem with it. But I thought it was time to try out something new and I bought myself the Fenix 5. I researched a lot on it before the purchase and was a little dubios about it going by a lot of negative critique. But I took the plunge anyway deciding to try it out and if it really is as bad as many people say I could send it back and go back to my Polar V800. But I must say, from the second I unpacked the box until now 2 weeks later I have fallen in love with it. It is more modern than anything Polar has, it has functioned perfectly on every run, daily use, sleep recording, everything. The wrist pulse HR works great, especially whilst out training, I had had some previous worries about that, but it has dropped out once, neither has the GPS. GPS connects within a minute each time, mostly within 10 to 15 seconds. In woods, overcast days and built up urban areas there is never any lost connection. I know now that I will never go back to Polar and that the Garmin Fenix is the best GPS watch I have ever used.

0 scotthunter2 over 8 years ago

Glad you are happy with it. It was a nice watch but I had to send mine back as it gave me a red blister-like rash from wearing it all day, so I had option but to stop using it. Not sure if it was from the OHR sensor or the metal.

I also found it wasn't ideal for running as it slipped around on my wrist when my wrist was sweaty, probably because of the weight.

I had no complaints about build quality or functionality, but since I could only use it for occasional hiking trip or bike ride, I simply couldn't justify keeping it.

There is, understandably given forums and human nature, quite a lot of critisism here about the Fenxi 5, so I thought I would redress the balance.

Having owned my F5 for a month now, have to say I just love it. Yes it was expensive, but the depth of the feature set and the sophistication Garmin have crammed into such a small package makes it worth it. It looks great for every-day wear, the battery life is amazing, it's very customisable and it's a very good all-day smart watch. But, setting it apart from most other watches, it is an even better sports / activity watch. Running and cycling, I've had no problems with sensors dropping out, or bluetooth connectivity. The GPS tracking is just as good as my Edge1000 and the running analysis and stats are far beyond what I had on my Polar.

If you are thinking of getting one, all I can say is, it is by far, the best watch I have ever owned. And that includes previous running watches and my Breitling, which is now gathering dust in a draw!

0 milesgilmour over 8 years ago

I concur with the OP.

Love my F5, it's been perfect for me since day 1. I really like the styling and the size, battery life is stellar and the physiological metrics are proving to be interesting and useful. The only thing that would make it perfect for me is the addition of reps to the strength app and the HRV stress via the wrist OHR (which I believe is coming).

:cool:

0 Former Member over 8 years ago

To me it was fine with FW 2.40, since then it works weirdly. I can't get a live track working, it disconnects (even if better lately) but it doesn't match my F3.

Im'm considering to sell it and return to my old F3, i would miss the daily HR measurement and it's nice to be able to run while forgetting my chest strap but i'm missing some stuff to be happy.
Not sure it worth the 488€ i paid when my F3 cost me 375 just for a WHR that is working "ok" but always delaying the update in the activity by 10s.

I'll run an half marathon next week, with both F3 and F5... that will be my test to keep it or not.

0 KEVINDBA over 8 years ago

Same here. Love the watch. So far just used it hiking once, which is what i mainly bought it for, but summer is nearing so can't wait to put it through it's paces. Run with it a bunch, indoor and out, with lots of Garmin sensors, and it has worked great for me. Miss the wifi but not enough to regret purchase. It's a superb watch.

0 mcalista over 8 years ago

Glad you are happy with it. It was a nice watch but I had to send mine back as it gave me a red blister-like rash from wearing it all day, so I had option but to stop using it. Not sure if it was from the OHR sensor or the metal.

I also found it wasn't ideal for running as it slipped around on my wrist when my wrist was sweaty, probably because of the weight.

I had no complaints about build quality or functionality, but since I could only use it for occasional hiking trip or bike ride, I simply couldn't justify keeping it.

Some people have a reaction to the nickel in the stainless steel. You might try the 935, which is pretty much the same hardware and firmware, but in a plastic case.