|
| Garmin Forerunner 305 Wrist-Mounted GPS Fitness Computer with Heart Rate Monitor | 
 enlarge
| Brand: Garmin
Category: CE
Buy New: Too low to display
New (68) Used (1) Refurbished (2)
Avg. Customer Rating:  514 reviews
Sales Rank: 54
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: Yes
Native Resolution: 160x100
Shipping Weight (lbs): 2
Dimensions (in): 8 x 10 x 6
Array:
Warranty: 1 year warranty
MPN: 010-00467-00
Model: 010-00467-00
UPC: 753759051945
EAN: 0753759051945
ASIN: B000CSWCQA
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
|
| Customer Reviews:
 Be very careful when buyin forerunner 305. December 9, 2006
10 out of 11 found this review helpful
I just returned my Garmin Forerunner 305 that I purchased last September (less than 4 months ago) because it died on me. When I walked in the store, the cashier at REI told me that it's the third unit returned that week at that store.
I plugged it into the USB port to get recharged, a few hours later removed it, took it on a run only to find out that it would not turn on. Thank God I bought it at REI (at full price). They refunded my money, no hassels and no questions asked.
These are some of the other problems/issues I had with the unit:
- The altitude function does not work. It's just absolutely garbage data. I took it on a hill loop and repeated the hill 7 times and the altitude plot did not look anything like a loop.
- The calorie counter function is useless as well. It's way off.
- It takes a half a mile for the heart rate monitor to monitor accurately. Before that the heart rate is way high, usuall, in the 200+ range.
- There is a feature that is supposed to detect if you run in loops and then show loop timing/distance data. This feature does not function at all. On my unit it failed to detect I was on a loop, even though I repeted it several times in a row.
- The PC software leaves much to be desired.
- Apparently Garmin has customer service issues, although I have not tried contacting anyone at Garmin myself.
All these said, I like the unit and will consider purchasing another one if all/some of the flaws are addressed by Garmin.
Be careful when buying this abd be ready to experience some problems.
Nice Work-Out Tool, Interface needs improvement December 6, 2006
14 out of 14 found this review helpful
This is my second Garmin GPS, and my second Heart Rate Monitor (my first HRM from Garmin). I'm a light runner, running regurlarly, but only short distances (3 times a week, about 9-10 miles per run). I purchased the Forerunner because my previous HRM could not measure speed nor distance.
First of all, I'm impressed with the fact that Garmin managed to package a fully functioning GPS along with a heart rate monitor (HRM) into such a compact form factor. And it is light (which was one of my primary concerns) - so light in fact, that I hardly notice it while running. GPS reception is also surprisingly good, altough still erratic under adverse conditions.
The Forerunner is definitely not a naviagtional aid (as most other Garmin GPS-based products are) - the GPS is used to determine speed and distance, and together with the HRM can calculate calories consumption etc. Still, it's user interface is noticeably based on Garmin's previous (navigation) devices. And, to put it mildly, the interface can be improved. The various, user-configurable 'pages' are a hassle to set up, difficult to read, and the user interface is inconsistent and counter-intuitive in many places. For example setting up the Garmin to pace yourself using previously run distances is a real chore, and so far I wasn't able to reliably activate it.
On the other hand, the device does work as advertised, and is able to pick up sats where my other (older) garmin would not. The HRM works without a problem, and appears to be accurate. So does the distance measured by the device (and, as a direct result, speed). A few months ago I ran a half-marathon, and the distance measured differed less than a percent from the official distance.
Something I did not anticipate was the fact that using the Forerunner for work-outs is only half it's value. The other added benefit is that you can then download the accumulated data (samples spaced at 4 seocnds) onto your PC for further processing. I have taken a particular liking to MotionBased web service (free and commercial plans are available). You then can, for example, export the route you ran, and have it displayed in Google Earth (a cool feature, but with limited uses). You can, however, also use it to analyze your performance against environmental factores (temperatures), or speed vs. heart rate etc., making work-out planning actually fun.
The Forerunner comes with software for the PC, but unfortunately not for the Mac (there are, however, third party tools, MotionBased among them, that can read data from the Forerunner on the Mac). Using my PC I found the software to be adequate, but also slightly unwieldly to use.
All in all I am satisfied with the Forerunner. Although it's interface is more difficult to use than it should be, it's providing me with important additional information, and has helped me to increase my average speed significantly. It's work-out related features are still not as good as some other products (e.g. Polar's), but they are good enough for me. I can definitely recommend this product.
 Awesome,Awesome,Awesome!!! November 26, 2006
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
I trained for 3 months for a 54 mile trail run in VA. During my training i tried running on roads but then started to go to a local park with lots of trails. I tried assuming I was running 10 minute miles which turned out to be a bad assumption. My wife got me a Timex GPS watch but I knew Garmin was the king and the Timex had a separate antenna to wear and a watch. Researched and bot the 305. It is first off very close to wearing a regular watch, it's light and not big at all. Nobody noticed it in the park. I'ld say it's like wearing 2 Casio regular size sport watches. 2. It is very accurate. I tried it along routes I've measured by car. 3. It does not lose it's signal in the woods, I'm talking trails in the woods with leaves on the trees. Not one NO Satellites message. 4. It downloads to google earth if you search for programs I found 2 that would do it for free on my 1st search on Google. Google earth and seeing where you ran is awesome. It's so accurate it shows if you go down one side of the street on the way out and on the other on the way back. 5. It worked on my 54 mile run and it really helped. 6. It has a heart rate monitor which is very cool, but I did not use it on my 54 miler. I hope this helps.
 Great device for distance runners November 24, 2006
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I like the look of this high tech gadget. It's no small watch but the overall shape and the placement of the antenna is quite intelligent. Functionally, it gives me everything I wanted for my long distance running. Elapsed time, distance traveled, heart rate and pace. I am not 100% convinced that the instantaneous pace was accurate but it's consistant. The beauty of this watch is the downloaded data. Along with the numeric data, a trace of your path is also displayed on a map. It is very accurate as far as the route in the Houston area.
I am also using this watch in Singapore while I am on assignment there. The accuracy fell off as I ran near the East Coast of Singapore. According to the downloaded data, I was running in the sea! I am wondering if other users have a similar issue while running near the US coast line?
All in all, I love this watch, I would wear it as casual wear as long as I have the battery charged the night before. This watch is a battery hawk!
You can customize it's display and the controls are fairly intuitive.
I paid less than $300 via a mail order company on Amazon and the shipment was very quick.
I did have one issue when it was locked up and would not start once. I called Garmin and was told to "reboot" the watch by holding the mode button while pressing the reset button. Lo and behold, the watch came back to live and I had to do that one more time while in Singapore.
Hope this helps.
Garmin 305, Don't Go Running Without It November 11, 2006
8 out of 9 found this review helpful
Wonderful training aid for runners. Better heart monitor than the Garmin 301. Better signal reception than the 301. Better training software that the 301. The gadget person will love the 305!
|
|
|
Copyright
©
2006 Adminpal LLC | |
