Garmin Forerunner 201 Waterproof Running GPS
by Garmin
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Our Price: $299.99 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $99.95 (click here) Category: GPS or Navigation System See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Garmin Forerunner 201 Waterproof Running GPS
Customer Review: Forerunner not adequately tested
Summary: 4 Stars
This is the best running and riding accessory I have ever purchased (I have given it as a gift and used it for over six months), but it was definitely released in not-quite-ready-for-prime-time condition.
It locks up (won't respond to any command including "off" and stops recording data), and when it does the only solution I know of is to allow the battery to then run down so that it reboots on recharging. My first lock up happened during a ride without any user input, and the ride data was lost, not included in the history function and not included in my weekly total. (Both the logbook and wrist unit need a correction function.) The second time it locked up when I told it incorrectly that I HAD moved more than 500 miles since using it (one of the questions it asks you when it cannot get a satellite fix). The next two lock ups happened when I tried to delete runs older than three months. It scrambled the whole of my history for six months, deleting some laps and inserting wrong ones. On subsequent downloading to the log on my computer it changed all my previous log history in a similar fashion rendering it worthless. (The logbook is primitive but usefull.) It also locked up when I drilled down to a particular lap and tried a delete in this alternate method, and the delete was also wrongly executed: Runs that were not to be affected were changed with more nonsense data inserted. When I reset the unit to "factory settings" and deleted everything it did the job without a lockup, leaving me with no history or logbook record of six months of workouts and a wrist unit to re-customize. If you are a nut for looking at monthly and weekly totals and average speeds, this is maddening.
Other gripes: the velcro wrist strap is already losing its grip. A total altitude-gained history would please the biker in me--and maybe the runner too.
On the plus side, I have never had it lose the satellites once it got an initial fix, as some report, and I run in the canyons and under large trees in Balboa Park and ride all over the place, up to fifty miles from and in downtown San Diego. The display is very clear to baby boomer eyes. Setting up custom displays is a thrill. With a button touch I can know my distance traveled, real-time per mile pace , run time elapsed, elevation, grade, and time of day (and other things if I were to select them instead). The logbook is great for showing you a graph of elevation and speed.
If my unit died tomorrow I'd probably go out an buy another one. Even imperfect it does a lot of great things.
Customer Review: Makes bike riding even more fun
Summary: 5 Stars
Just received the 201 today. Charged it up, about 3 hours as per the manual, during which time I read over the manual. Turned it on, took it out in the yard to allow it time to "lock on" to satellites, took about 15 minutes (manual said 15-30), this is only required on it's initial out of the box lock on, afterwards it only takes about a minute or so. Played around with it a bit and then felt ready for a ride. Mounted it on the bike mount I had already received a couple days earlier (very well designed mount, easy snap off and secure, but I use the wrist strap to snug it even more) and headed out for a "test ride". Too cool, this little device is gonna make my bike rides even more fun, especially rides in unknown areas like parks and forests, or anywhere I am unfamilier with. I will be able to ride anywhere I please with little or no regard to where I'm going, just ride and enjoy. Time to get back, this is where this baby really shines, the "back to start" feature. Laying so called bread crumbs as you go, the Hansel and Gretel technique :-) What really impressed me was it's ability to "see thru" my zig zag route that I purposely created. The large arrow to the right of the map, a side bar, showed me the SHORTEST way back, not retracing my original route turn by turn, WOW!!! Of course the other features are very nice, marking map locations and saving them for later "goto", you can save upto 100 of these and name them whatever you want. I also liked the Logbook software that loads your workouts in to your PC for history and charting, very nice. If I didn't already have a heart monitor, I would have gone with the 301.
As far as accuracy goes it is right on, matches my bikes computer distance exactly, short rides and long rides alike. You folks having trouble with accuracy, guess what, it's all based on satellites, which are wayyyyyyy up in the sky :-) and if it can't "see" them, no signal, not too tough to figure out! And the guy complaining about low graphics quality, it's a little man running, looks fine to me, even bends over for a rest when you stop lol, if you're looking for high res graphics, go play with your play station.
Just a side note, day 2
I again tested out the SHORTEST route "back to start" today. Looks as though it does this but only after alerting you to an upcoming turn that would take you back the full route you initially came. A quick glace at the map itself tells you you don't need to make such a turn and the arrow quickly follows suit and recovers.
Customer Review: An Unbelievably Good Training Tool
Summary: 5 Stars
I've owned multiple heart rate monitors, bike computers, an assortment of wrist watch timers, including the Time & Distance GPS system by Timex, and I've tested a variety of GPS units for various applications. The Forerunner 201 is by far the best for running and biking. Why is it so good? It collects everything you need to know to train effectively, pace, speed, distance, time, lap time, altitude, and collects it all for you in a log book as well as in the unit itself. The unit itself holds about 2 years worth of data, and you can sort and view it in variety of ways, on a map, weekly, daily, by lap, etc. On top of the training features you can use the Forerunner 201 for simple navigation tasks. Need to find a trailhead? Just enter the coordinates and press GOTO, and the unit points the way.
Using the Timex GPS you had to write all your data down between each run, and the unit would not do any navigation or mapping. I liked the Timex unit, but the Forerunner 201 is superior in a number of areas. The heartrate monitors don't tell you your speed or distance, so you have to have a separete unit. You can get specialized GPS units, that have base maps, and other specialzed navigation features, but they are not very well suited for running.
The log book is great. It's simple you can view graphs on speed & altitude and basic weekly stats. It even has a little map so you can view your various courses in the log book. If you need a better map you can upload your run to a utility like GPS Vizualizer ( http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/index.html ) and get a nice color map to print out or load on your web page.
The GPS signal will cut off if you get under a thick tree canopy or inside a building, this is a problem with all GPS insturments, they don't work inside. It leaves a little blank spot in your map between where you disappeared and where you reappear, I suppose you could estimate the blank distance if you really wanted too.
The accuracy is pretty good overall. I ran a half marathon and programmed it to beep every mile and it was within feet of every marker, and the end of the race showed 13.08, so I must have cut some corners. You'll probably want to turn on "smoothing" so things don't jump around too much. Obviously, if you maintain a steady speed and direction you get uniform readings. If you start and stop a lot, make lots of 90-degree corners, it jumps around more, and takes a while to smooth your pace out, but it's no big deal.
Buy it you won't regret it.
Customer Review: Good running aid, but frustration with out-of-the-box issues
Summary: 4 Stars
Garmin has created a good device here. I had been waiting for a GPS manufacturer to come out with a device for runners. I figured a company like Garmin was more likely to nail the chronograph aspects of a device than a traditional chronograph company (e.g., Timex) could grasp all the GPS nuances.In large part, I feel like my patience has been rewarded. It takes a while to settle in to Forerunner 201 usage, in the sense that there are a series of custom settings you can control. I've just completed my fifth run with it and I feel like I've finally got the settings where I like them.
One fear I can put to rest: I have very small wrists (6" around) and I was afraid the 201 would be uncomfortable or otherwise unwieldy. Despite a band that is not as supple as you'd find on a real watch, I've never once - despite being a classic fidgeter - re-adjusted the 201 during a run.
The other thing worth noting: you're buying a piece of software as much as hardware. That means you'll want to keep up with new software releases. The model I bought last month shipped with OS 2.1. The current release on the Garmin support site is 3.2. There have been at least four revision levels since my unit was packaged. If you read the list of changes that Garmin provides on its support page (and credit goes here for providing good info), you'll realize that it's very important that you stay up-to-date. Many of the problems you may experience have probably already been encountered by others, reported, corrected and the fix released.
So why four stars instead of five? Chalk it up to my out-of-the-box experience. The documentation frankly is just plain horrible in describing the following reality: these units are assembled and unit-tested in Taiwan. As others on these pages have noted, when you have them delivered to you anyplace 500 miles away from that factory, you have to reset the device in order for it to relocate the GPS satellites. This is *not* intuitive and when I contacted Garmin they sheepishly explained the problem and admitted that they really fumbled it.
This IS NOT a small issue. I was *this close* to either returning the unit or smashing it to a million pieces in frustration then telling my 50 running friends here to stay away at all costs. It amazes me why a very intelligent and capable company like Garmin would jeopardize customer goodwill with an obvious shortcoming that could be easily addressed with a single explanatory paragraph.
Customer Review: Runners Opinion
Summary: 4 Stars
First of all, I only give 5 stars to a product that is extraordinary, so my 4 star rating for the G-201 is a very good rating.I have now used it on a couple of 10M runs and here is my summary:
OVERALL
A very good product, but enough kinks to not get the "great" vote from me. I would certainly recommend this to anyone that is a runner.
PROS
Captures a great deal of data during a run and the history function should be great once the software is available.
Price point is outstanding for what the unit offers
Mapping function is very cool, but not of that much practical use for my needs
Virtual partner is a great feature (allows you to pace against an electronic partner). I see this as a major benefit to individuals who generally train alone.
Auto lap is another good feature that automatically starts another lap after a predetermined point (i.e. 1M). No more remebering to hit the lap button during a race
There is also a custom screen that allows you to track 3 of 15-20 variables (calories, hill grade, elevation, etc)
CONS
The GPS signal had a bit of trouble locking while in my semi-urban neighborhood (lots of 3-5 story buildings) but once I got to more of an open space it worked very well (even maintaining accuracy when I went under a bridge that blocked the signal for 30 yard or so). No leaves on the trees here, so I can't comment on that aspect of coverage, but I could imagine trouble running under a thick tree cover.
The auto pause feature (automatically halts the timing if you drop below a certain pace) sounds cool, but it has way to much lag time (i.e, you stop for 10 seconds at a light, but the unit doesn't kick back in for 25 seconds). I ended up turning this feature off in a hurry.
I think the distance is consistant, and fairly accurate, but potentially a bit short. I ran two loops that had been wheel measured at 3.65M and it read 3.59/3.61. Could be variance in my running tangents, arm swing, etc. At 1% + or -, it is fine for all but the most technical runner.
Another little thing is that the lap pace function seems to do a weighted average rather then current pace. For example, if you run 7:00pace then stop for :30 seconds and start running 7:00 pace again, the readout will be 8:00, and slowly move down the longer you hold the 7:00pace. I guess it is technically accurate, but a bit annoying.
This unit will also be more impressive when they add a HR function.
Just my opinion for what it is worth.