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HR is way off compared to chest strap on new 265s

8652911
8 months ago

I've used my new 265s for trail running a few times since getting my new watch.  Very sad to see it is seldomly close to the chest strap HRM that I am using.  I've tightened the watch and am using the correct "activity" selection, and am wondering if the watch is defective?  The thought has crossed my mind that my HRM is off, but it seems like the more accurate, based on my efforts.

I noticed a similar thread on this, but it didn't seem to have any solutions.

Disappointing, as I was hoping to use the HR data for my training.

  • 0 8 months ago

    265 (and all other garmin watches as well for that matter) loves to cadence lock, it is an ongoing issue for many years now

    for this reason, I use this when I don't want to bother with a chest strap: Polar Verity Sense | Polar Global

    i    t has some lag (comparing to a chest strap), but that is normal for optical sensors, otherwise, it works perfectly and basically unnoticeable when wearing 

  • 0 8 months ago

    This is immensely frustrating. I've used an Apple Watch for years, through various iterations, and when I check it against a chest strap HR monitor, it's always within just a few beats or lagging 5-ish seconds behind (which makes sense given that it's more distant from my heart). Still, I'm training for my first marathon and wanted a running specific watch with a longer battery life. I tried my husband's old Coros Pace 2 first, but the HR was so inaccurate as to be useless. I was hoping to go with the 265 instead, but it seems like it's going to have the same problems. Chest straps are annoying to wear, and I don't want to pay for an expensive running watch that necessitates another piece of gear or tech to be accurate. 

  • 0 8 months ago

    Garmin introduced change in HR algorithm in some software update in 2024 and from than HR is slow to react to increase in HR during workouts in some scenarios (including running). Many people complained, they Garmin said they would investigate the issue but did nothing afterwards so it remains unresolved. So, yes, it will stay like that. If it does not work for you now, it will not work later neither.

  • 0 8 months ago in reply to Vizi
    Vizi said:
    If it does not work for you now, it will not work later neither.

    exactly

    I have this issue from day zero (2023, maybe March? - I bought it after the release)

    what has happened since is that this issue creeped - gradually - into all other garmin watches. what is worse, that now it is not just a cadence lock anymore, because it happens when my wrist does not move at all (like in cycling)

    only solution is using external HR sensor, or another watch

    since strava is pretty good on calculating training load, there is really less and less reason to stay in the garmin ecosystem

    personally, I find useful the daily stress tracking and that is very practical to evaluate the mid-term (in 24 hours) effect of the exercise - but basically that's all