Help me decide between 935 and VA3

935 is way better but it’s also a far bit more money. If you can afford it, then you won’t regret it. The VA3 is still maturing (that a nice way to say it currently has a few issues) but I am sure they will be fixed. The VA3 offers mobile payment and the 935 doesn’t - apart from that I don’t think there is anything in the VA3 that isn’t in the 935.

Thanks for the clarity. If I’m picking 935, will those Firstbeat metrics be useful in the activities I listed above and which ones may not be applicable?

Training Load, Training Effect and Recovery Time are applicable to all activities with a heart rate. However, for these metrics to be reliable, you need to have an accurate MaxHR and VO2Max. VO2Max requires 2 initial runs outside with GPS and heart rate (or cycling with a power meter).

The Forerunner 645 might be an option between the VA3 and 935.

Awesome. I just placed an order for 935 and need help in choosing the best built in profile for doing either P90X3 or the 21 Day Fix.

Please advise.

I've used both the"cardio" and "other" profiles with my own data fields for the P90X and Insanity workouts.

Hi there..I am so glad you did not pick the VA3. Never and I mean never ever ever consider the VA3. I purchased 2 of them. I am begging the shop on my knees to please take them back! Half the features do not work. In my view, it was released to the market way too early and we are all effectively beta testers! I have owned a lot of Garmin devices and so far have been one of the biggest ambassadors in a market that is becoming more competitive by the day. The VA3....the worst by miles and miles device they have ever brought to market. Stay clear..be afraid..be very afraid! Endless mails with Garmin with more endless mails and them acknowledging they have MASSIVE problems yields nothing positive. Please please take them back!

Hi there..I am so glad you did not pick the VA3. Never and I mean never ever ever consider the VA3. I purchased 2 of them. I am begging the shop on my knees to please take them back! Half the features do not work. In my view, it was released to the market way too early and we are all effectively beta testers! I have owned a lot of Garmin devices and so far have been one of the biggest ambassadors in a market that is becoming more competitive by the day. The VA3....the worst by miles and miles device they have ever brought to market. Stay clear..be afraid..be very afraid! Endless mails with Garmin with more endless mails and them acknowledging they have MASSIVE problems yields nothing positive. Please please take them back!

I cant follow your opinion. Because depending on your requierments and expectations the VA3 could just be fine. I have an Forerunner 935 and bought mya wife the VA3 and she uses it as an fitness and sleep tracker and is very happy with it. For me the VA3 is also not the right choice, because I have lot higher expetations and want to set various trainingpages with different amount of fields, which is not possible with the VA3. Also the battery of the Forerunner holds lot longer (almost 2 weeks) then the VA3 (5 to 7 Days). But when you are just an average runner and only interesting in logging your runs with heartrate (optical or chest) without any further bric a brac and also want to have a nice looking watch on your wrist for everyday life, then the VA3 is a very nice device.

In a way you're right about the VA3 in that it's very good for someone like your wife (which is mostly how I use it) but it does have some serious flaws even for people who aren't dedicated runners or tri-people.

The biggest, justifiable, complaint in terms it working for an exercise that it's meant to support is swimming. It's not an activity I do but there are legitimate concerns with the way the watch handles that function. They also kind of screwed the pooch with only having one physical button which makes using an advanced workout awkward when running if you're using the lap "button" (which is a double tap on the screen) to trigger the next step. That's without mentioning that the implantation of the workout feature doesn't work the same way as it does on every other Garmin watch that has it.

That said I have the VA3 and it's a great daily wear watch and activity tracker that doesn't look like a sports watch. I also like that I no longer have to record yoga sessions as something else and then change it in GC and the strength app works pretty well for me. But I use a 735 for my training runs and riding my bike further than down to the liquor store and back. (I also have a 645 on order)

I agree with you..as a basic wear watch for basic simplistic training, yeah I guess it is OK! BUT....my gripe is this..do not market a watch with 100 features and then admit afterwards..oh crap...half of them actually still does not work properly but please just be patient, at some point in time this will be rectified. Just bear with us. What the...? Then do not sell the watch! Right now it does not work on an indoor trainer as the Garmin sensors (i.e. speed/cadence) disconnects every few minutes from the watch. Garmin acknowledges this and will attempt to fix at some point. The smart notifications does not really work but hey we still want to sell this as a smart watch too...! Garmin admits they have serious issues with the smart notifications and simply stated..we will attempt to address in a future release. Come on now! This is not acceptable. Either all functionality as marketed works...or don't sell! Minor bugs sure..all brands have them...but these are MASSIVE flaws! Ok..there I go venting again...do not get me wrong..I still LOVE Garmin and want to order the 935...just I am so upset about the VA3...