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Is the 235 really that bad?

Former Member over 9 years ago

Former athlete here who has slipped (far) out of form.

Am looking to get back into it and have researched getting a device to log/motivate me along the way. Research pointed me here after comparing style, capabilities, price, etc.

Everything seemed great even after reading reviews from the likes of RizKnows and DCRainmaker, etc. and I was ready to pull out my wallet - but, then I stumbled upon this forum.

Feeling odd as I am willing to spend the $ on what the device "should" be and excited to have it - but, would hate to throw myself into this mess if it is really, in fact, THAT bad.

Could anyone share their thoughts on what someone in my position ought to do? Thanks.

0 Former Member over 9 years ago

EDITED May 15: got a replacement watch that's working much better! Much less 24/7 HR weirdness, vibration way better, key press sounds are louder, I'm way happier with the watch now.

I'm currently sporting the 235 on one arm and the Fitbit HR Charge on the other. When I got the 235, I thought I'd be able to ditch the Fitbit, but as noted above, while it's a great running watch, it's way too inconsistent with HR when not in the midst of activity. Also, the sleep data is far more accurate on the Fitbit. That said, I love running with it, I did a few tests with my 220/strap and the 235 and it was accurate enough during regular runs that I feel confident there, though I'm irked by the quiet vibration (the Fitbit vibrates like a jackhammer, so you never miss it going off, but I often miss the 235's vibration).

That said, despite my love/hate with the watch, I love it more than hate it, ditching the HR strap is fantastic. Also, it picks up a lot of steps that Fitbit misses, not over-reporting, but a few steps to the bathroom in the middle of the night are often missed on the Fitbit, and the 235 catches all of them. I usually end up with about 1000 more steps/day on the 235 (no, that's not all bathroom traveling).

So it's not "that bad", it's just got some issues, but not enough for me to go back to my strapped Garmins.

0 Former Member over 9 years ago

If you go to any products forum, your going to have more bad than good posted about a product. Like others have mentioned, people come to the forums to fix problems, not praise the product.

The only issue I've had is the reliability of the wrist based HR monitor while exercising. I didn't expect much from it in the first place though. I always use the chest strap and have no issues whatsoever. There is not a wrist based hr watch on the market that is reliable. Some do better than others, but it's highly subjective.

I've had absolutely no issues with all day HR monitoring accuracy. I consistently check it manually to ensure accuracy. The sleep timer is 98% accurate. Ive only had to manually adjust the time I went to bed about 5 times and that was because I was laying in bed watching tv, not moving.

I've had this watch since mid December of 2015 and use it daily for exercise. It's held up great. Don't let the wrist based technology keep you from buying it. It's only been an issue while working out, but it provides important and accurate info while going about your daily grind. As long as you know the wrist based technology is spotty in all products, then I think it's a good buy.

0 Former Member over 9 years ago

If you go to any products forum, your going to have more bad than good posted about a product. Like others have mentioned, people come to the forums to fix problems, not praise the product.

The only issue I've had is the reliability of the wrist based HR monitor while exercising. I didn't expect much from it in the first place though. I always use the chest strap and have no issues whatsoever. There is not a wrist based hr watch on the market that is reliable. Some do better than others, but it's highly subjective.

I've had absolutely no issues with all day HR monitoring accuracy. I consistently check it manually to ensure accuracy. The sleep timer is 98% accurate. Ive only had to manually adjust the time I went to bed about 5 times and that was because I was laying in bed watching tv, not moving.

I've had this watch since mid December of 2015 and use it daily for exercise. It's held up great. Don't let the wrist based technology keep you from buying it. It's only been an issue while working out, but it provides important and accurate info while going about your daily grind. As long as you know the wrist based technology is spotty in all products, then I think it's a good buy.

As all of this gets tossed around - I get fuzzier as to what the actual benefits are of having this over say, a Fitbit or the Apple Watch, which could both be had for less $ - if that's me being ignorant, I'm sorry. I am just trying to research/learn with hopes of making the best purchase I'll get the best use out of. I'm sure those other devices are good non-exercise activity trackers also and maybe the best way to go is to always wear a chest strap while working out.

The more I think about it - I've got a little one at home and I don't feel like having someone find me in a ditch - so, the likelihood of me leaving my phone home is slim. I thought I'd avoid ever having to think about my phone for working out with the 'ultimate watch' - yet, it doesn't seem like that product exists sub-$600. So, maybe there's a middle ground where I can use a watch with the phone's GPS from a pouch or just use running apps with my phone in the pouch.

Someone take the wheel here - I'm losing it lol.

0 Szolo over 9 years ago

It is great!

I use my 235 for a half year now, and I think it is great!
I had no major issue with the watch until now, and measures the HR also nicely. Sure, a medic EKG still would do better job, but I can not complain at all.

Decide if you are the in the first 10 at any Marathon or be just someone who loves to run - and if you are a pro, use a belt. If not, buy this watch and enjoy the freedom!

What I do not like is the Garmin Connect - it is chaotic and calculates strange things, but still will give you the results what you need.

0 Grzldvt over 9 years ago

Mine has been flawless. The HRM has been within 1-2 heartbeats of my BP monitor, before and after a run. This seems o be biggest compliant, so I checked it. I would by again with no hesitation

0 Former Member over 9 years ago

With GPS and OHR on the watch we do get few benefits:

Can Run with HR anytime, during vacation or anytime when you don't have access to Chest Strap.
These watch with GPS activity last more than 80-10 hours ( i don't think any phone will last that much with GPS streaming to watch).
Peace of mind. Only need to worry that the watch is sufficiently charged for the run.
If needed can leave the phone at home.

0 bc.blues over 9 years ago

I think the jury is still out on the 235, at least for me. I bought it for training (mnt and road biking and running). It works OK for running, although the OHR sensor is slow to react, and sometimes takes a minute or more to even register. But what really bugs me is the performance when cycling. The OHR sensor really goes wonky, frequently (but not always) displaying unrealistic values that seem the absolute opposite of what the reading should be (and in fact are, based on Wahoo strap + Strava app). For instance, in the midst of a steady, fairly steep half mile climb, it shows my HR dropping from the normal training rate of 150-155 down to 109, 0r 86, 0r 72. This is not cadence lock, either. Then, conversely, I will be simply motoring on the flats at a moderate rate, and it shows my HR at 179, or 196, or..... What is up with that? I have tried both arms, tighter/looser, no help. Since I bought the 235 as a training aid, this is troubling. I really like the idea of 24/7 HR tracking, and I REALLY like the idea of running without a strap, neither of these things seem to be quite "there" yet. I am willing to give Garmin a chance to fix the issues through firmware, and they seem to be working on some of the issues, but I do not remember having the reversals of heart rate initially. So I wonder if Garmin is actually moving in the right direction.....

0 rtperna over 9 years ago

As all of this gets tossed around - I get fuzzier as to what the actual benefits are of having this over say, a Fitbit or the Apple Watch, which could both be had for less $ - if that's me being ignorant, I'm sorry. I am just trying to research/learn with hopes of making the best purchase I'll get the best use out of. I'm sure those other devices are good non-exercise activity trackers also and maybe the best way to go is to always wear a chest strap while working out.

Hey, I can answer this, as I had both a Fitbit Charge HR and an Apple Watch prior to my 235.

The Fitbit ecosystem is very nice, and the hardware works well; however, the bands themselves do break easily. Thankfully Fitbit's customer service is excellent and they will take care of you. Their software (mobile app) is the best on the market, and I miss the simplicity of it when dealing with the Garmin app (which generally works well, but is full of bugs).

The Apple Watch is nice for everything but fitness. That device is an unqualified train wreck for any kind of fitness aspirations, and it's embarrassing Apple sold it as such. In short, the thing is trash, and the third party integration with iOS apps doesn't work well. The touch screen is also finicky and will go bonkers when you're running with it. It likes to kill runs and exhibits bizarre behavior. I got rid of mine after 3 excruciating months, and went to the 235.

The 235, for me, is a dream come true. The OHR accuracy is about on par with the Fitbit and the Apple Watch; I think the technology, as somebody else mentioned, is still very much a bleeding edge product. For me, personally, it's close enough, but you need dead nuts accuracy you will still want to use a strap. It's very possible to use a strap with this watch during your interval runs (which is where OHR tends to lag), and then just let the OHR do its thing during regular training runs and 24/7 monitoring.

There are small things about the 235 I'd wish they'd fix. It doesn't alert you when you hit your step goal, which is a weird oversight since their vivo products basically throw an on-screen party when you hit goals. The watch itself feels oddly cheap for a $330 device, and I didn't trust myself to not break the plastic screen (I bought a $15 glass protector for it). The activities you can do amount to biking, running, or "other", and the GPS pretty much runs for all of them except indoor biking/indoor running. I use "Other" for yoga, and works very well with the OHR to track calorie burn, but the GPS runs the whole time which is obnoxious. Garmin not allowing you to set up custom activities is another really odd, and really easy to correct oversight with this device.

Otherwise, honestly, the 235 really is a best of breed device for my needs. If I accidentally drop mine down a storm drain, I'd go out and buy another one that day. There really isn't anything else on the market that quite fills the same niche for me.

0 rugby4all over 9 years ago

I use "Other" for yoga, and works very well with the OHR to track calorie burn, but the GPS runs the whole time which is obnoxious. Garmin not allowing you to set up custom activities is another really odd, and really easy to correct oversight with this device.

Are you aware that you can turn the GPS off for "Other" so it does not run thought your yoga session? I just set it up that way for my wife.

0 rtperna over 9 years ago

Are you aware that you can turn the GPS off for "Other" so it does not run thought your yoga session? I just set it up that way for my wife.

Holy cow, you're right! I wonder if they added that in one of the later software updates. I swear I checked when I first got the thing, and there was no GPS option.

Thanks!