Forerunner 945? Or newer version forerunner?

Getting a gift for my husband. Military so needs to be durable. Track long runs and have recovery. Text alerts/app alerts? Is a bonus. Doesn’t normally listen to music while running so not necessary. Currently has no watch so anything is an upgrade. Kind of like the satellite gps features/mapping in the 965 but the price tag is a little too high. Considering an older version, like the 945? Is the difference between the 965 and 945? Being an older watch would people still recommend? Or dropping down to a 265 to be more within budget?

  • Take a look at the 955. It is almost the same as the 965. The main difference is the screen (MIPS on 955 instead of AMOLED on 965). 945 is a little too old and lacks many of the new features. 255 is also a great watch. The main difference from 955 is that it doesn't have maps.

  • Forget the music on garmin watch. The battery consumption is very high and the connection to the headsets is lost instantly.

    Forget the maps on garmin watch. The display is very small, usage with buttons is a crutch. Maybe on touch display better.

    Optical heart rate sensor is a fake. gps so-so.

    I wouldn't buy garmin  anymore for that prices. Next watch is from coros.

  • In my opinion maps and navigation are great on the watches. I use it pretty much every day with my 945. I follow courses I've created in advance. So, no real need to pan and zoom around so touchscreen or buttons don't matter for that. I also use it without courses when I want to find my way back to start. With routable maps (9xx-series) it can find a way back to the starting position which is usually my home or the car park.

    I agree that optical heart rate is not good while tracking training so I always use a chest strap HRM, but for daily use it is good enough.

  • Fenix 7 is a little older, the price may have gone by now. It has nearly all features of the Forerunner 965, and many models have sapphire glass that is very tough - the downside is the screen is rather dim compared to Forerunners that have Gorilla glass.