Is the Epix 2 still a good buy?

I don't recommend honestly. Garmin has a serious gap on customer transparency and even lack of reaction on customer satisfaction. I jumped from a Fenix 5 in march to Epix 2 Pro, watch is really amazing, but has plenty of annoying bugs (crashs, crazy heart rates during sleep time (220+), not recording some times the HR on Connect App, Training Score sometimes out of any reality (marking zone 2 trainings as anaerobic), etc... and garmin is not concerned into fix it. On top of it, the ECG is not available in Europe and no communication on when it would be available. fanboys always try to transfer the responsibility to UE regulation, however Samsung, Apple and many other have their gadgets with ECG in Europe. The only reason (real only one) I didnt return my watch and replaced to an Apple Ultra 2 was the battery life, that at least is one of the strong points of this watch. If I would buy a new garmin device? If remains like that, sure not. 

@John, It is interesting that you completely disregarded significant bugs that I mentioned (HR, crashing, DSW) as well as issues in last 3 software versions but claim that bugs are being fixed. 

No, they are unfortunately not being fixed. Having same issues in multiple consecutive software versions is not called bug fixing.

Bugs I mentioned were reported by many users in beta phase and in previous stable versions. Why do you think Garmin issued last software versions so quickly? It surely did not do so because bugs were present only in few isolated cases. 

You mentioned indor swimming, which I did not mention at all, but that seems to be another bug.

@Vizi, thank you for making this a personal issue now.

I do not experience the issues you have. That suggests that it is not hardware related, although it may be related to some devices. I do not know, since I do not have access to any marketing data.

My Garmin Epix works very well and I am a very happy customer. I do not recognize any issues you claim to be bugs.

Shall we keep it factual now and not blow issues out of proportion?

Gardez votre argent. J’ai dépensé plus de 1000€ pour un epix pro peu fiable. J’ai acheté un Apple Ultra qui est au plus haut niveau de précision.
De plus, le service après-vente est une catastrophe.

Many thanks for your contributions, they were very helpful. Essentially they confirm what I have already read here and on the Enduro 2 forum: The software is being developed further, but new, annoying bugs are being added that affect components that worked in an earlier version. That would be a no-go for me.
I will definitely take a look at the software, but I will also test the Apple Watch Ultra 2, as there is supposed to be great software specifically for my navigation application. There is also a good body battery according to YouTube tests. I like Garmin's mindset and the product's message, but it has to work for the price without any ifs and buts.

no watch is clean of issues for all users unless it super simple. Going to the AWU2 you may find that its inflicted with the sporadic touch bug, which cropped up sometime around Feb. It is now May and there are users with updated beta software that still have this issue despite numerous udpates.

This is the reality - these watches are highly complex and with so many users there are bound to be issues that are difficult to virtually impossible to fix due to settings and other dynamic and unique ways people use these watches.

Most important you should go for something that is comfortable for you and does what you need.

I recommend you to watch DC Rainmaker, Desfit or Chase the Summit channels on youtube to look for a unbiased comparison between watches such as the AW and Garmin Epix2. Focus on what each product has to offer given your use case and select based upon that.  

Hello community, thank you very much for the many contributions and the honest and helpful answers.

I ordered the Apple Watch with the Ocean Band as my first watch, but sent it back after just 2 days. I didn't like the following things about the watch, although I have been a Mac user for many years and have always had iphones since the iphone 3G (to emphasise that I would have already seen and used the added value of the Apple Watch Ultra 2 in combination with all Apple services)

- Uncomfortable on the wrist after 36 hours of continuous wear (only short charging break when showering).

- I didn't like the general operation via touch with the many small apps,

- also that the built-in maps are total rubbish, the Topo maps are currently not available for Europe, but they are probably not particularly differentiated either. I now prefer to use the Outdoor active map in conjunction with their Openstreetmap if I want to compare the map information. GaiaGPS is too confusing for me at high zoom levels, and there are sometimes errors when merging the topo contour lines, especially in Austria or Switzerland. I also have Komoot Premium, but depending on the zoom level, the individual trails are sometimes difficult to recognise visually, and official hiking and MTB trails are not marked, which is much better with Outdooractive

- The Outdooractive app on the AWU2 is rubbish, Komoot can't display a map. Footpath is good, but the map looks like a toy to me, I'm looking forward to Garmin Topo Pro with HD Relief (from the Maps+ subscription).

- I had to charge the watch every day, yes of course, at the beginning you play with it more, but the battery runs out quickly, -

- the watch gets slightly warm, like an Iphone when in use, I find that unpleasant.

But what bothers me the most is the rather aggressive target achievement.
Many things can be switched off, e.g. the reminder to get up once an hour or the breathing exercises in the morning - but the focus is very much on achieving personal goals and general activity.
The Body Battery developed by Garmin was tried to be copied by Bevel, an app with a subscription fee, which according to various YouTube tests also works very well, but I myself found it very tedious during strength training (primarily to strengthen my intervertebral discs) to always activate the correct exercise on the AWU2 via touchscreen for each individual exercise in order to complete the plan.
Yes, it's not directly to do with the watch, but with the overall package and I didn't like that.
I could list a few more reasons, but I just wanted to say a quick thank you and also give some feedback on how I see things and that I have now also ordered a Garmin Epix 2 Pro 51mm, let's see how I feel about the watch and the overall system.
As a new model is coming soon, I got it new for 660 EUR from the dealer in the sale.
I'll get back to you with my experiences with the watch and how I personally like it.