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Garmin 735XT GPS distance accuracy

cfimarco
over 8 years ago
Hello,
What's your experience about 735's accuracy in measuring courses?
I own the Garmin 610, Polar V800, Apple Watch 2, iPhone 7 and of course, the Garmin 735XT which seems to be the least accurate in measuring courses.
The most accurate GPS watch I've ever seen is the Polar V800, which shows +/- 30 meters the same distance of a certified course or Google Earth. The same level of accuracy comes from the iPhone, then the Garmin 610 and the Apple Watch 2 and last (by far) the Garmin 735XT, which is usually off by ~ 150 / 200m on a 1/2 Marathon. Many Garmin's fan will say it's ok, because it's ~1% error, and it would be ok for me as well, but I don't see why the competitors are doing better...
(I run ~ 5000 to 6000km per year and i compare watches on most of my runs)

Any input is greatly appreciated.

Happy runs!
  • 0 over 8 years ago
    If it doesn't do what you want it to do within the parameters that will satisfy you, then the best thing to do is to get rid of it. But of course, to get the best comparison, you need to wear/carry everything on the same course at the same time.

    I don't have the luxury of having many different devices to train with. I use the 920XT solely for all my training. It works. Maybe if I compared it to something else I might be less than satisfied. But since I don't, and it meets all my needs, then I'm quite happy.
  • 0 over 8 years ago
    If it doesn't do what you want it to do within the parameters that will satisfy you, then the best thing to do is to get rid of it. But of course, to get the best comparison, you need to wear/carry everything on the same course at the same time.

    I don't have the luxury of having many different devices to train with. I use the 920XT solely for all my training. It works. Maybe if I compared it to something else I might be less than satisfied. But since I don't, and it meets all me needs, then I'm quite happy.


    It isn't such a luxury, all combined don't make the cost of the band of a Rolex and anyhow it isn't what I wear on my wrist that makes me run slow or fast or eventually enjoy what I'm doing, I was just asking an opinion to anyone who have had time to test the accuracy of the 735 and compare it to other watches. An opinion that may have the same value of the personal taste of a Scotch.
    I try different watches just for fun, I kind of like new technologies, but honestly I could run with a Casio stop watch from 1978 and it would not make any difference, since I know the distance of the courses I run for training, no matter what the GPS states.
  • 0 over 8 years ago
    Well it would probably help if you gave us some actual examples!

    I have had pretty much zero problems with GPS accuracy on a 735.
    Last 10K road race https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1479612678 came up within 0.01 miles of the advertised distance on a certified course.
    A 5K on Xmas day https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1494986108 again only 0.01 out
    Another 10K in Nov https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1462784680 only 0.02 out

    Good enough for me!
  • 0 over 8 years ago
    Can't say I noticed any issues...

    Do you wear 2 different watches at the same time during a run? That's the only way to really compare of course as even though a course might be 10k the distance you actually run isn't.

    I'll see if perhaps I can measure my standard route(s) in maps and check if they match the reporting of my watch.

    Well it would probably help if you gave us some actual examples!

    I have had pretty much zero problems with GPS accuracy on a 735.
    Last 10K road race https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1479612678 came up within 0.01 miles of the advertised distance on a certified course.
    A 5K on Xmas day https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1494986108 again only 0.01 out
    Another 10K in Nov https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/1462784680 only 0.02 out

    Good enough for me!


    Btw, are those heartrates real? Impressive for those paces! :)
  • 0 over 8 years ago
    Can't say I noticed any issues...

    Do you wear 2 different watches at the same time during a run? That's the only way to really compare of course as even though a course might be 10k the distance you actually run isn't.

    I'll see if perhaps I can measure my standard route(s) in maps and check if they match the reporting of my watch.



    Btw, are those heartrates real? Impressive for those paces! :)


    I usually wear 2 devices - one on each wrist and the "other" one is never far off the 735.

    As for low HR - sadly yes. When I was in my mid to late 20s and first started with Polar HRMs (about 1992) I got to 193 once in a lab VO2 Max test. Now some 25 years later and just turned 50, I rarely get over 160 now and indeed have set my watch max HR to 160 to get more accurate VO2 Max readings.
  • 0 over 8 years ago
    I usually wear 2 devices - one on each wrist and the "other" one is never far off the 735.

    As for low HR - sadly yes. When I was in my mid to late 20s and first started with Polar HRMs (about 1992) I got to 193 once in a lab VO2 Max test. Now some 25 years later and just turned 50, I rarely get over 160 now and indeed have set my watch max HR to 160 to get more accurate VO2 Max readings.


    Ah, didn't realize it was a 'sadly'... Sorry bout that.
  • 0 over 8 years ago
    I guess I meant if I could push my HR up higher I might go faster!
  • 0 over 8 years ago
    HRMax is, like age, just a number and we each have our own. The difference is that age goes up and HRMax goes down. The good news though is if you stay fit and active you can slow down how much it goes down as you age.

    Two people of the same age and fitness level can have a race where they virtually tie. Both putting in a max effort and crossing the finish line abreast of each other and yet have peak and average HR numbers be different by 10 or more bpm. So you can't look at what your HR at a given pace is in relation to someone else but rather what your HR is at a given pace compared to a week, a month, a year ago.
  • 0 over 8 years ago
    Yeah know it is very "personal". Sometimes I wonder if I can't push myself as much as I might have been able to in years gone by although I do usually feel I am "trying" when I am "trying"!
  • 0 over 8 years ago
    Hello,
    What's your experience about 735's accuracy in measuring courses?
    I own the Garmin 610, Polar V800, Apple Watch 2, iPhone 7 and of course, the Garmin 735XT which seems to be the least accurate in measuring courses.
    The most accurate GPS watch I've ever seen is the Polar V800, which shows +/- 30 meters the same distance of a certified course or Google Earth. The same level of accuracy comes from the iPhone, then the Garmin 610 and the Apple Watch 2 and last (by far) the Garmin 735XT, which is usually off by ~ 150 / 200m on a 1/2 Marathon. Many Garmin's fan will say it's ok, because it's ~1% error, and it would be ok for me as well, but I don't see why the competitors are doing better...
    (I run ~ 5000 to 6000km per year and i compare watches on most of my runs)

    Any input is greatly appreciated.

    Happy runs!


    Just curious how you measure "accurate" as no one runs the exact course line and therefore almost always your race distance should be higher than the certified course?