First things first, this thing is a GARBAGE smart watch. If you are buying it on those merits, turn back now while you can.
However, as a fitness running watch, this thing is absolutely awesome. I switched to start using this from an Apple watch namely bc I realized the real value that I personally wanted was for running and fitness. Here are the three key strengths that made me switch from Apple watch:
1. Always on screen with always current data - raising your wrist and waiting for screen to turn on and load data fields while running is not fun. The garmin is always ready for me to glance at my current pace or any data field. Changed the precision and intensity of my training.
2. Battery life with GPS and built in Heart Rate- I run about 18-25 miles and cycle about 6 hours per week. I can do all of that 1-2 charges of my Garmin watch. Insane. By comparison, my apple watch would not be able to handle any runs longer than 10 miles, and had to be charged daily or twice daily depending on my fitness activities.
3. Data Export - Apple watch's native fitness app is the most performant and quick to use, but the data is locked away. I use strava, so it was really important to me that this device could directly share to my various fitness apps and it does this in stride. Everything syncs up great and I have no complaints.
So what about those "smart watch features" that this Garmin has?
Like I said above, as a smart watch, the Garmin loses miserably to the competition. However, it has just enough functionality where you don't feel the need to switch watches to a more robust smartwatch during the day. I thought that I would use my Apple watch during normal day, and switch to Garmin for sports, but the ability to view push notifications, calls, and texts on my Garmin is just barely enough to not need to do that.
So that's my review. If you can relate and this helped your decision, great!
I got this watch for my first spartan race and it’s supassed all expectations. I’m a fire fighter and needed a sport watch that could stay on my wrist and “handle the heat”, literally. This watch is very tough and basic which is what I like about it. Extremely comfortable sport band for your wrist and the watch itself is pretty low profile and very light. The connect app goes above and beyond as far as tracking all your activities, and the watch monitors heart rate 24/7, does sleep cycles, and tracks all your steps and you can put in how many minutes of hard workouts you want to achieve. Another plus is that it automatically links up with Strava when you finish an activity, which for me was a huge plus. The charge on the battery lasts for days too. All in all it has so far passed all my expectations in all categories. Oh and the water proofing is great, I can shower with it, and it survived a lot of mud and sand in my spartan super race. If you’re looking for a tough watch that can hold up and do it all then this is the one!
This is the third Garmin watch I've owned after the past 5 years - not because they keep breaking, I just keep upgrading. I started with the Forerunner 10, moved to the 15, and am now using the 235.
After all of the positive reviews, and wanting a device that would deliver notifications to my watch for easy reading, I decided on this one (over the VivoActive) since it's designed for runners and has testimonials of high durability (is truly waterproof, provides relevant running stats, etc.).
Things that make this upgrade worth it:
-VERY fast GPS signal location
-Provides time for fastest mile, even if that was between miles, i.e. mile 1.3-2.3
-Stays connected to phone, uploads data automatically and quickly
-Lots of great, FREE watch faces to choose from
-Very long battery life (lasts a week, even with about 4 runs logged)
The only cons I've had:
-Some of the watch faces mess the device up - I started with one that had tons of data on the main screen and, after the watch completely froze to the point of being unusable (can't restart, no buttons work, etc), I narrowed the culprit down to being the watch face. After switching to a different one, I've had no problems.
-I don't like wearing it to bed, so I turn it off at the end of the day. This seems to throw off the BT connection and sometimes I have to re-add the device. I'd say this is typical for BT devices, however.
As usual, Garmin packs a ton of high-quality, low-maintenance functionality into a great product once again. To me, they are the gold standard for fitness devices.
I bought the certified refurbished and could not be happier! The watch came looking like new, not a mark on it. The battery is extremely long lasting and the performance of the watch has been excellent. Great purchase.
First things first, I was a little skeptical to buy a refurbished watch but I can assure you that Amazon takes the time to make sure you get a quality product so no worries there. This is my first experience with a running watch but its been easy and fun. Its a very stylish watch in my humble opinion. I considered an Apple Watch first but I just couldn't justify the cost and they just don't do the same things. I only use the GPS during my runs, typically 5 days a week. When I'm not running I use the watch in watch mode with the bluetooth connected on my iPhone 8 and it works perfectly fine! Changing the watch face was a little confusing at first but once you get it all synced up and registered on your computer its quite easy. I couldn't be happier with the battery life, especially coming from a Fitbit that I was only getting 2 days charge out of. So far, I have gotten a full 9 days on one charge even while using it mon-fri for running. It acquires GPS signal within a minute or less of turning it on and its pretty accurate too. I mapped out a normal running path with my truck and then ran it and I got the same distance on both my odometer and watch. Two thumbs up!! Just buy it.
Feature Product
- Tracks distance, pace, time, heart rate and more. sync your device to the Garmin Connect Mobile app using your
- Connected features: automatic uploads to Garmin Connect, live tracking, audio prompts, smart notifications and social media sharing,Display size 1.23" (31.1 mm) diameter,Display resolution 215 x 180 pixels
- Activity tracking counts daily steps, distance, calories and sleep. do not damage the heart rate sensor on the back of the device
- Download data fields, watch faces, widgets and applications from Connect IQ. do not damage the heart rate sensor on the back of the device
- Battery Life - 11 Hours for GPS Training; 9 Days for Watch, Activity Tracking, Notifications + Heart Rate. Water rating: 5 ATM.Strap material:Silicone
Description
Stay on pace for your next personal record with Forerunner 235, the wrist-based heart rate GPS and GLONASS running watch with smart features. Its built-in activity tracker keeps recording steps, even when you’re not running. Pair your watch with a compatible phone for connected features like automatic uploads to Garmin Connect, smart notifications, audio prompts and live tracking. You can also download customizable watch faces and applications from Connect IQ. Measures heart rate at the wrist giving you the option to run without a strap. For more challenging runs, download advanced workouts and training plans to your watch from Garmin Connect.
Love this watch. I recently replaced the band to give it a classier look so I can wear it when I am dressed up as well. It does everything as advertised. My one complaint is that the display could/should be brighter.
I bought both the Forerunner 235 and the Vivoactive 3 Music. I ended up returning the Forerunner 235, though I think both watches have their merits. As background, I'm a distance runner (half marathon to 50k) but have also dabbled in triathlons and actually cross-train most of the week.
Why to Pick the Forerunner 235:
- The Forerunner 235 latches onto GPS signal immediately, while I've had to wait several minutes with the Vivoactive 3, especially if I've changed geographical location (like one country/state to another). After that initial GPS signal search, the Vivoactive 3 still takes 30ish seconds to find signal.
Why to Pick the Vivoactive 3:
- Watch feels more "modern," probably due to the touchscreen and sleeker design (Forerunner 235 feels very plastic-y and bulky). The Garmin Vivoactive 3 Music was released in 2018, while the Forerunner 235 is from 2015, so the Vivoactive 3 is newer technology for about the same price.
- The heart rate monitor of the Forerunner 235 actually juts out a little, and it sticks into your wrist, which is uncomfortable if you're wearing the watch for an extended period of time. The Vivoactive 3 HR sensor doesn't jut out, so it's much easier to wear.
- The Vivoactive 3 can track more activities; I was particularly interested in the swimming stats (pace per 100m, average number of strokes, etc). Note that in swimming mode, HR is disabled. Also, the swimming function is currently pretty inaccurate. Despite changing pool distance settings, I've gotten total distance numbers more than twice as long as I've actually swum! In a 25m pool, numbers were spot on, however. Hopefully this function improves with updates though.
The Bottom Line:
If you're a hardcore runner who wants fast GPS signal and doesn't care to wear the watch for extended periods of time as a fitness tracker, I recommend the Forerunner 235. If you do other sports too and want a comfortable watch to wear all day, go with the Vivoactive 3.
I was originally in search of getting myself a Garmin Fenix. However after the extensive research that I have carried out, I found the Forerunner 235 to suite needs much better. The Fenix would have been overkill for my lifestyle and needs.
This light weight sport watch efficiently tracks my steps, running and cycling as good and in some cases much better than my TomTom Runner 3. It does fall short on multisport tracking and ruggedness. Understandably it is a light watch made from plastic, making it easy to wear day and night. The battery life is excellent, giving me between 5 - 6 days of usage with ease even when I make use of the step tracking throughout the day, bluetooth for notifications and sport / fitness tracking of around 1 hour on a daily basis. Charging times are respectable.
The elevate HR monitor is good, however when cycling on a bumpy surface or running intensely the HR monitor does fall short by missing a few beats due to your arm shaking. This can be resolved by paring an external HR Monitor.
I would gladly recommend this to anyone looking for an all round fitness tracker. Although refurbished, I received this in NEW Condition.
Pleased with my purchase.
There only problem is if you don't rinse it under water and occasionally clean it with a brush, it will cause abrasive dermatitis under the watch band.
Burt I love all the features. I have occasionally had Bluetooth connection issues but nothing like what others have written. There have already been two firm ware updates in there last 6 months so Garmin seems committed to fixing issues and keeping the product running great.
Been wearing Garmin running watches for 8 years and this is by far the most functional of them all.
There heart rate sensor isn't accurate enough to beer useful to me. I just don't think it's ready for prime time. If I could go back I would have saved the money and gotten the 230 without the on wrist heart rate monitor and would have been just as happy.
I love this watch! Unfortunately, my review is going to be based on only using it for a month, a month that was February in Iowa, ie I haven’t had a chance to take it outside yet to run with. I’ve been using it on my treadmill for heart rate and I use it all day to count my steps and continue to monitor my heart rate. I used a chest hr monitor prior to this and the numbers between the two seem to jive. I will say that until I get outside and calibrate it, it is absolutely worthless for distance and speed on the treadmill. That’s not really an issue unless you use the Garmin app to record that stuff. I really don’t care as my treadmill workout is just for breaking a sweat and to keep me enough in shape for running outside when the weather permits (if it ever permits this year!). The watch arrived to me in flawless condition. It pretty much looked brand new to me. I did buy a silicone sleeve and face protection for it and I recommend everyone considering any workout watch to do that as there’s always opportunities to bang these things around. I’m surprised by how comfortable this watch is on my wrist. Normally, I like to not wear a watch tight against my wrist, so initially I was a little concerned knowing that I’d have to do that for accurate hr measurements but it’s really not that bad. And sleeping with it on (to measure sleep quality) isn’t bad either. As I said, I have yet to turn the gps on so battery life is great right now. I go 4 or 5 days before I put it on the charger, and even then it’s still showing around 50% juice. I’m sure it won’t be so great when I’m outside and have the gps going but I’m optimistic that it’ll still be pretty good. Overall, I’m very pleased with this watch. This one is a refurbished unit and I believe I got pretty lucky in that it seems like a brand new unit. I can’t wait for warmer weather so I can get outside with it and put it through its paces. I would definitely recommend this, heck, I’d recommend the brand new one if you can afford the extra amount, this watch is definitely worth it in my opinion
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