|
| GARMIN 010-00375-00 Forerunner 301 GPS Receiver Personal Training Device | 
 enlarge | Brand: Garmin
Category: CE
List Price: $227.97
Buy New: $137.25
You Save: $90.72 (40%)
New (80) Used (2) Refurbished (3)
Avg. Customer Rating:  204 reviews
Sales Rank: 1255
Media: Electronics
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: Yes
Native Resolution: 100x64
Display Size: 2
Includes MP3 Player: 0
Size: Garmin Part #010-00375-00
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2
Dimensions (in): 3 x 9 x 6
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
|
| Customer Reviews:
 Great device for the price September 7, 2005
15 out of 15 found this review helpful
Let me start by saying I use the forerunner mostly on my bicycle. I don't have the mount as I just wrap it over my old bike computer.
I have had it about 3 months and I can't leave the house without it. I ride my bike to work, which is about 3.5 miles away. I also ride three times a week at a nearby college since they have a nice mountain in the middle of campus.
On the road it is very accurate. In about 50 sessions I have had it lose a satelite once. I also don't get a lot of cut off corners, but I think streets lend themselves well to GPS. For each ride home I use the Training Assistant and essentially race against my best time. It's not perfect since it only shows you how you are doing against an average speed, instead of how you were doing during a sepecific leg. This has really made beating personal records a lot of fun.
Next often, I use the device in the woods. Here it is still invaluable, but it's recption does suffer a little. I usually will lose the satelite several times during an hour ride, but often times I don't notice it. It polls often enough that a few missed point has a minimal effect.
For climbs, it is excellent. It polls the satelite enough to provide an accurate detailed map. For downhills it polls the same amount, but my speed increases 10 fold and critical corners are missed during the polling. Downhills aren't near as detailed as they should be.
I have used the device for running a few times, and really liked it. I am a stats freak and record every run and bike ride. This really eases the burden.
As I mentioned, I have had few problem with picking up the satelite. Even under trees, it's reception is acceptable.
Battery life is excellent and when the battery dies you don't lose all your data. It shuts down with enough power left to store the data.
Garmin is also pretty aggressive with their updates. The last update I installed actually improved my battery life and added new features.
Another feature that would be nice is to save routes with the personal trainer allowing you to save and use different times for different routes.
The Garmin PC software is very basic and the overlay maps stink. I do use it, but in conjuction with some freeware called SportTracks. It downloads maps from the USGS and they are much better than what garmin provides. You can also save images and upload your route to Google Earth. It will also figure out what the temperature was at the time you rode/ran.
The Forerunner has a very large memory. After at least 50 rides, I still have not had to clear the memory. I think I read that it can store up to two years of data.
The heartrate monitor has been a little flaky recently, but i suspect I just need a new battery. Once I break a sweat it works great. It could also be my chest hair causing poor conduction.
Support is not that great, at least via email. I asked a real simple question, but never got a reply. It wasn't important enough to call, so I didn't.
The forerunner is well made and waterproof, although make sure the USB slot is covered before you dip it in water! It is very feature rich and can be adapted to different styles of use.
Garmin is coming out with a new GPS just for bikes that fixes most of the flaws I pointed out.
If you keep track of every run, I think you can't go wrong. if want to use it on a bike, wait for the bike specific one to come out later this year.
Where am I? September 5, 2005
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Awesome training tool for those data freaks like myself. Don't ride the subway and expect the thing to track. It is otherwise an awesome training aid as it links to your computer to tell you how things are progressing. Not too bulkey as I've run about 1000 miles with it on my wrist. It makes a liar out of my cyclometer while riding the bicycle but the truth is painful no matter how ya stack it. Read the reviews from the pros and they say the same thing. Get it. Use it. Love it.
Excellent Product September 5, 2005
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
The Garmin Forerunner 301 is an excellent product.
I have used a Pharos GPS unit (negative fifteen thousand stars) and DeLorme Earthmate LT-20 (point zero zero one star). This product far surpasses the Pharos and DeLorme in every single way.
The Forerunner worked flawlessly from the moment I removed it from its packaging. The heart rate monitor gave me no problems at all, unlike some other reviews I had read. The unit quickly acquired the satellites (takes about two minutes with a partial southern view, thirty seconds with a clear southern view), and it was very accurate in mapping my position.
It works in buildings as long as you have an occasional southern window. It works on my dashboard. It works in my trunk. It even works under the driver's seat. Yes, I purposefully tested those locations.
This is a great product that works flawlessly. Good job, Garmin!
 Forerunner 301 vs Polar 725 Heartrate Monitor September 5, 2005
16 out of 17 found this review helpful
I'm an avid cyclist who loves gadgets. I purchased the Forerunner 301 several months ago and overall I'm disappointed. The Forerunner 301 is not particularly good at any of its tasks. As a GPS it frequently looses its signal. This may seem tolerable but if like me you like to keep records of your cycling performance (ie average speed, top speed, distance, etc) the 301 is mostly useless. The signal drops will result in loss of top speeds and very erratic high speeds when you are standing still. Mine has recorded speeds as high as 60 mph. The graphs indicate that I achieved this speed vertically while waiting for a traffic light. To be fair, I tend to ride roads that often have a lot of tree cover but comparatively my Magellan Gold GPS generally will keep its signal much more solidly than the 301. As a heart rate monitor... well read the other reviews - it too can be very erratic at times. And last but not least - the software. Garmin's Training Center software is woefully inadequate. As a result I signed up for the MotionBased subscription service. The folks at MotionBased are I believe truly dedicated to trying to provide a quality service. It just isn't there yet. Further, why do I want to upload my result sets to an internet based subscription service for analysis? I'd rather purchase PC software that runs on my local PC and avoid the common upload and connectivity issues associated with MotionBased or any other WEB based service. If you are looking for a great tool for recording and analyzing your cycling performance then buy a Polar. I own a Polar S720i and a Polar 725. Both have performed extremely well. Polar's software, while not perfect, is light years ahead of Garmin's Training Center and well ahead of MotionBased. So in short my recommendation is buy a Polar S725 for cycling and heartrate analysis. For GPS capability, take a look at the Garmin eTrex series or the Magellan Meridian series.
Buy this, then get better software September 3, 2005
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I can echo the positive reviews so far. For the price given the technological constraints of GPS this little unit is awesome. I have never had a problem with the HRM, and never had a problem with GPS reception. It is quite an amazing tool/toy.
As soon as you get it home do yourself a favor and download the FREE software SportTracks which is a much better alternative to the Training Center or Motionbased.com. It really blows the other two away and is being continuously improved. Check it out:
(...)
|
|
|
Copyright
©
2006 Adminpal LLC | |
