Forerunner 265 or Instinct 2/2x?

I was planning to buy my first watch, as I am starting to run daily, just a 43 year old beginner, nothing serious ofc, but those experiences with the unreliability of the forerunner 265 are concerning. What is more concerning is that in all the reviews I've read, everyone is raving about the accuracy of it's heart rate sensor. It is concerning because it is an expensive watch, and it seems that there are no reviews that one can really trust. Keeping all this in mind, would it be better to just go for the Instinct 2 or Instinct 2x? Will they offer a more accurate HR reading? The Instinct 2 is also quite cheaper than the 2x or the 265...

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trux over 1 year ago +1

1527850 said:
it is an expensive watch,

Well, that's relative, but the FR265 is rather the low to middle class priced watch. However, the optical HR sensor has its limitations, and you would probably experience…
trux over 1 year ago in reply to 1527850 +1

1527850 said:
Any advice on that front?

As already written here - there will be no significant difference in HR accuracy between I2 and FR265, so pick up the one wich matches your needs, and the budget…
6125703 over 1 year ago in reply to 1527850 +1

Makes sense to me, but I may be biased after making the same choice a year ago!

Some here may chafe at you saying the I2 has "less" as I think it actually has a few extra fitness metrics which are otherwise…

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0 mcbit over 1 year ago in reply to 1527850

I have a number of external HRMs including a couple Polar H10s, a Polar OH1, Garmin HRM Pro and Pro+ and of course a Polar Verity Sense and would thoroughly recommend the Verity Sense which is actually my go to option nowadays. Another good option and a bit cheaper, if you prefer the armband form factor, is the Scsche Rhythm 24 also available on Amazon.

0 1527850 over 1 year ago in reply to mcbit

Update time. Got a 255 music and an Hrm Pro plus. Couldn't be happier! My only gripe is that the Hrm pro plus is a bit redundant right now, as the 255 is quite accurate for my use case at least. Oh well, it won't spoil till I need it!

0 3254537 over 1 year ago

I have the Instinct 2 solar and have enjoyed the long battery life. However, about 6 weeks ago, I got into running and I'm noticing things I'm not happy with. Little things, but bothersome to me nonetheless. One is the step counter. In my first 4 weeks, I tended to agree with the steps. However, now that I'm adapting to running, I've gone from 8500 steps to about 6-6200 steps in the same distance being run. I'm guessing it's reading my heart rate more than my steps (not sure here, just guessing, still a newbie). I could maybe understand if it dropped to 7500-8k due to conditioning or something but a 2k plus drop just seems a bit much. Maybe I'm wrong...

2nd complaint, and it's just more preference here. The screen is dark as ***. I'm 44, wear glasses and unless I'm in a lighted area I struggle reading the screen. Yes, it has a backlit but I'm up at 2:30 am and running by 3:30. I struggle to read the screen. I am at the point where these things matter and looking to switch over to the Forerunner just because of the lighting issue. Petty, I know, but matters to me.