I'm think about about buying the Forerunner 935, but want to know if people have had problems with the wrist strap. I gave up on Fitbit (a number of them) as their straps persih and fail very quickly, replacing it with a TomTom Spark 3. In 12 months I've had two straps perish and a promise by TomTom to replace the second strap has not been honoured. So my question, is the strap of the 935 durable or will I need to replace it within 24 months of purchase? Thanks in advance.
I've been wearing mine daily since March 2017. This includes all kinds of activities, daily wear, events, and 7-10 hours of run, bike, swim training a week. I've had zero issues with the strap, or anything else for that matter. The keeper and the strap seem to still have the same amount of flexibility as when new. No rips, tears, or hardening from continuous pool use either. It seems common for the 920xt straps to break, but I have not heard of anyone having issues with the 935 strap.
The FR935 is 11 months old. It's unknown if the strap will last 24 months. I haven't read any post about the straps not lasting, so you at least know you have 11 months with no problems.
looking at the perfect condition and look the whole unit, casing, strap, buckle, knots, glass, screws, accu is after 11 months 24/7 of blood, sweat, tears, sun, sand, snow, rain, icebears, dragons .... it will last a minimum of yet another 11 months ... minimum.
wjs123 Have had the 935 for 6 months - as per the other users the strap looks good as new - no obvious hardening etc
When I compare it with the 920xt strap it looks a better material and design - on the 920 due to the segmentation on the strap to make it flexible and also to give lots of holes to allow max adjustment this created weakspots and I found straps lasted about 8 or 9 months - I think regular pool swimming accelerated the breakdown of the strap
The strap on the 935 is a softer silicon type plastic which I find more comfortable and it also looks durable
As to whether it will last 24 months very hard to say - I can't think of any recent watch (sports or otherwise) where the strap has lasted that long - I don't think 24 months is unreasonable particularly if you are swimming regularly in a pool. The only strap I have had last longer than that is the one on the 610
In addition I purchased the tri-bundle watch which as well as coming with a nice fluorescent yellow strap also comes with a second (boring) black strap as well as the Bike QR kit and the HRM Swim and HRM Tri - I was able to find this at a price not much more than the base watch
Be aware - the quick release bike kit doesn't mean that the watch in the bundle comes with QR straps (as I had mistakenly thought) - I very much like the idea of the QR straps but at present they seem to be an exorbitant price
Overall I love the features look etc of the 935 - in the past I have had 610 920xt garmin swim some other Garmin 200 I think plus in the past a polar something!
Pros and cons from my perspective
Pro
Nice size weight appearance - not too big or heavy
Vast array of features
Wrist HR good for resting HR 24/7 tracking etc
Good alarm functionality (but some annoying sync problems down to various GC releases)
Rapid satellite acquisition
Bluetooth and wifi mean syncing is a doddle
Long battery life
Good GPS accuracy for running cycling walking etc - better (I think) than 920 but not as good as 610
Con
Buttons round the edge rather than touch screen (610) or Buttons on front (920) - this is personal to me as I wear watch on right hand (even though I am right handed) so buttons are not in ideal position for me
Less screen area than 920 - just something to be aware of - I find it big enough and the 920 is square and bulky so take your pick
Yet another different charger cable argh!!
I have also added a glass screen protector as I scratched the screen of my last 920 when falling - the protector is cheap - fits well and adds only minute thickness to the watch
Hope this helps in your decision - and overall I love the 935
My strap "keeper" (thats what a quick google search seems to think its called..) broke after 10 months. I wear my 935 24h/7 but still not impressed with it breaking. Since there is only one strap keeper on the 935 as compared to two on the Fenix 5 (my understanding atleast) then if it breaks there is a high risk to lose the watch. I have used black isolation tape to make a temporary fix and have not yet contacted the dealer or Garmin so no idea on how they will react.
Other than that I really like this watch!
Update. I have now sent Garmin an email but if someone from Garmin reads this then by all means please dont hesitate to send me two new keepers, the cost of these must be very small but not something which I can by separately,
The same happened on my 235, the keeper broke after about a year. I bought a really really cheap replacement band that had two keepers. I put one keeper on the already existing band, and it's still going strong!
The band keeper (also called a watch band loop) on my 735xt broke after 11 months. I believe they will make you purchase a whole new band. I too got a cheap replacement that came with two loops and used one on the old band. Note however that replacement loops (or loops on generic bands) don't typically have the pointy protrusion that fits into the band holes to hold the loop in place, so it potentially slides around.
Owned my 935 since April 2017--strap is still going strong. There is wear and tear on it (discoloration, scuffing, the normal stuff) but nothing that would lead me to believe the strap is about to quit on me. I might be alone here, but as a former Fitbit surge owner and found that band super comfortable, the 935's fit is also really comfortable. In comparison to my former fenix 3HR which would pinch me at times during certain workouts or movements, the 935 did none of this. No "burns," no "rashes," nothing (where as I had these a bit with the Fenix 3HR).
If you've owned other higher end Garmin Watches (like the Fenix line) you might be disappointed in the width of the 935's strap. I wasn't, I just know some people like the wider band. I kinda wished Garmin would have given the 935 the quick fit band like the Fenix 5 line.
Replacement bands (official) aren't going to break the bank either. I give the 935 a solid 9/10 in terms of functionality and durability.
I'd say $30 for a silicone strap is pretty steep. However, if just the band loop breaks, generic replacements of the loop are less than 1 USD on ebay (although as mentioned, they won't have the pointy protrusion that fits into the band holes to hold the loop in place).
