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Not sure which model of Garmin watch to get

AndyM1972
over 8 years ago
I want a health and fitness oriented, waterproof smartwatch that has an on board 24x7 heart rate monitor

Really, I should get the Vivoactive HR, as that is targeted at general health and fitness, not running (I do dancing, hiking and swimming to stay healthy). But I've got good experience of touch screen devices, and they all stop responding when they are covered in rain! And it rains a lot here (I'm in the UK). I also wear thermal gloves a lot, and they make touchscreens useless. Then theres using it while swimming, I've already read on the VAHR forum that people have to get out of the pool and wipe it with a towel before they can control it (!) I've basically discounted the VAHR as an option because I'm not looking for a touch screen device.

So I'm gravitating towards the Forerunners, the 235 or 735xt, because they have a hardware button interface that will just work. The 735xt seems like complete overkill for my needs, but it has swimming and hiking activities built in, a proper custom activity option instead of "Other", has better battery life and has UltraTrac mode that would push the battery even longer on a hike. The current moans and groans about FW 4.6 on the 235 aren't helping it's case. But I'm wondering if the 235, with the Hike and the Generic Recorder apps loaded would be enough to cover what I'm looking for.

Decisions, decisions...
  • 0 over 8 years ago
    Have you had a look at DC rainmakers site? Full of excellent info.

    I wouldn't worry too much about rain and touch screen. Technology is better than it was in the past, generally speaking. I think there's videos in his website of him using a touchscreen in the shower without problems.

    I had a 620, used it many times in the rain without any issues, remember nearly always, you mainly just start/stop an activity once started, ie when I run, I press start, and only press stop when at traffic lights, then start again.

    I've switched to a 235 and overall it's a huge improvement, don't miss stepping down to a non touch screen. HR can take a while to lock, which can be frustrating, but don't miss chest straps and the rash whatsoever.
  • 0 over 8 years ago
    The 235 is fundamentally a watch for runners with no swimming support (except for being waterproof) so if you don't run not an obvious choice...

    Agree that the Vivoactive HR sounds the most logical choice.
    I live in the UK too and don't have any great issue with the touchscreen on say a 630.

    Otherwise, if you can afford it, then the 735 sounds better than the 235 as you can use it for more of the things that you do do.
  • 0 over 8 years ago
    I have a va-hr as well as a 230, and the only problem I have with the touch screen is when I try to do swipes on the 230 (its like trying to push non-existent buttons on the va-hr :) )

    On the va-hr, when in a native app, the only touch screen actions that do anything are up/down swipes to change pages, the two real buttons control what's really going on. Since it's only up/down, if you get too much rain of the face,wipe it off right/left. There's also a screen lock on the va-hr. Activity wise, it sounds like the va-hr might suit your needs better, but I do know of a CIQ app for hiking that runs on the va-hr and the 23x watches :)
  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 8 years ago
    Forerunner 235

    I love the 235 for running, however, I am not able to sleep with it because of the strap material. The material is too flexible and gets caught on the pillow when I move around. Just a thought. Otherwise, I highly recommend it.
  • 0 over 8 years ago
    Originally I had VAHR, then gave it to my nephew, switched to Fenix 3 HR, didnt like it (buttons to hard to press, painfully pulling my hair at the same time). So returned it, now I have 735xt (imho looks better than 235) and am happy with it. Except the fact, that it is not possible to answer the phone call from connected Android smartphone.
  • 0 over 8 years ago
    I have a va-hr as well as a 230, and the only problem I have with the touch screen is when I try to do swipes on the 230 (its like trying to push non-existent buttons on the va-hr :) )

    On the va-hr, when in a native app, the only touch screen actions that do anything are up/down swipes to change pages, the two real buttons control what's really going on. Since it's only up/down, if you get too much rain of the face,wipe it off right/left. There's also a screen lock on the va-hr. Activity wise, it sounds like the va-hr might suit your needs better, but I do know of a CIQ app for hiking that runs on the va-hr and the 23x watches :)


    Yes, that app is called Hike (the version for the VAHR is called Hike2 because that watch has more runtime memory so the developer used the extra space to add more features, but he's still developing the original Hike as well in parallel)