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| Garmin Forerunner 301 Wrist-Mounted GPS Fitness Computer with Heart Rate Monitor | 
 enlarge | Brand: Garmin
Category: CE
List Price: $227.97
Buy New: $136.80
You Save: $91.17 (40%)
New (79) Used (1) Refurbished (1)
Avg. Customer Rating:  195 reviews
Sales Rank: 384
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: Yes
Native Resolution: 100x64
Includes MP3 Player: 0
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2
Dimensions (in): 8 x 6 x 4
Array:
Legal Disclaimer: Warranty does not cover misuse of product.
MPN: 010-00375-00
Model: 010-00375-00
UPC: 753759047290
EAN: 0753759047290
ASIN: B00077U4RU
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 I own 4 Garmin 301's and have for the past 3 years. May 6, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I actually own 4 Garmin 301's and have used this product since they came out about 3 years ago. Me and my wife are triathletes and we both have 1 mounted on our bike and we use the other for the run. Battery life is excellent at around 8-10 hours or so. Although the battery won't last long enough to get us through an Ironman race (which is why we each own 2) This unit is certainly one of my favorite pieces of technology I own and I use it nearly everyday. I also have a highend Polar (720i) and much prefer my Garmin over the Polar. Some reviewers state that the heartrate monitor portion of the device is not very good and reports erroneous heartrates. I know exactly what they are referring to but the fix is very simple. You have to wet the chest strap before you put it on. If you don't then, yes the HR monitor will occationally report incorrectly. Believe me I have put the these 301's through the ringer and they perform! I train for 8-10 months for a single race and would not show up on race day with equipment I didn't fully trust would get me to the finish line. Garmin support is outstanding as well. I had a 301 a few years back that started powering down all by itself for no reason. I called up Garmin and they swapped my old one out for a new one for free. One feature I really wish they would add though is the ability to add maps to the navigation screen. There's been more than a few times that I got lost out on a long ride and even though the 301 has a navigation screen it won't really help you navigate your way back home. It just leaves a bread crumb trail to retrace your path back home if you need to. Another really nice feature that this has is the ability to set the backlight to stay on permanently so when your running really early in the morning your not fumbling trying to find the light button. No other HR monitor that I know offers this feature. If I could give the Garmin 301 6 stars I would.
My fiance loved it!! May 5, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I bought this forerunner for my fiance for Christmas. He travels a great deal for his job and is a runner. He loves that he is able to track his route by distance and pace no matter where he is. If you want a reliable and accurate GPS for running you should definitely consider this model.
 It's great, when it works. And if it works, it's great. But when it doesn't it's not so great April 8, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I own two of these and have used them for over two years constantly. I have a real love-hate relationship with the 301. I love it when it's working properly which is most of the time. But just when I least expect it, it goes haywire. It shows my heart rate jumping up to 200 beats a minute for a few seconds. That's just enough time to throw off any average heart rate calculation I was trying to save. And the Garmin Training Center software that comes with the unit has no editing capability so there is no way to go in and fix those spikes.
When working indoors at the gym,if I walk too close to the vending machines or the electrical service panel, the whole unit has a brain freeze and wipes out all the data for that particular session, even though the display fakes me out by continuing to act like it's working. But when I get home and plug it in to use the Training Center software, the display graph gives me a dead man's flat line all the way across. The whole point of wearing this thing is to record my heart rate and other data to use later for comparisons.
Also it is a common gripe among owners that the altitude recording function is consistently screwy. I can leave my house at one elevation, go for a long run, come home, and find that according to my Garmin 301 my house has either dropped 50 ft in altitude, or gained 50 or more ft. Also, I bought the Google Earth upgrade to overlay the Garmin GPS data on their maps and while it is fairly accurate, it sometimes wildly goes off course on the map even though I was going on a straight route.
But all these things aside, it's still useful to my daily and weekly training and I put up with the quirky things it does and just move on.
Tip: Sometimes the heart rate receiver in the unit will lose the signal from the chest strap for no apparent reason. You'll see the whole screen go blank or just freeze up. Be prepared. Be sure to read your manual in advance and know how to re-set the HR monitor to find your chest strap's signal. It can save you a lot of cussing when you get home and find you've lost all your HR data.
Last thing: Customer Service at Garmin. They ... uh, ... how can I put this delicately? They suck.
Should you upgrade to the 305? I hear the 305 has the same guts as the 301 with a few added bells and whistles and guess what? People are complaining about the same problems they are having with the 301s. So until Garmin decides to really change the guts and the software of their Forerunners, you might as well get the 301.
 Unreliable - Buy something else March 20, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
This unit seemed to work OK for 6 months, then became very unreliable.
When resetting the data the distance would inexplicably jump ahead, thus rendering all data inaccurate. Customer support was not helpful, so I would recommend trying another brand and model.
 Very frustrated with the heart rate monitor March 3, 2008
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
I bought this unit two or three years ago and until recently used it very little. I had to take a break from running for a while. In any case, I think the GPS is very good. I previously had a Timex GPS (with the separate unit on the upper arm). The Garmin is more compact, loses signal less frequently and acquires the signal quicker. I love the ability to program workouts. I also like Garmin's software that tracks workout and even maps the routes you've run.
However, the heart rate monitor is causing me no end of frustration. I have tried changing batteries, using different liquids on the elctrodes, repositioning the strap, etc... But, nothing makes for a consistent signal. This really adversely impacts my enjoyment of the unit. My bottom of line Polar heart monitor works much, much better in this respect.
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