Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS Receiver With Heart Rate Monitor
by Garmin
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS Receiver With Heart Rate Monitor
Customer Review: Wow! This thing is Awesome!
Summary: 5 Stars
I am one of those people who really don't care very much for fancy gadgets...I just like to run...get the information that I want (usually just time and average HR) and write it down in a running journal and that's it.
But Wow! I can't stop playing with this new toy. I love this thing. To be honest...I really didn't expect to much from the GPS, and I more than likely would not have purchased it had it not been on sale for $149 here on Amazon. But now that I have it...I would have paid the retail price of $299 to get it.
This is my first GPS running unit. I have a GPS for my SUV but never one for my running and like I said, I didn't expect much from it. Just thought it would be another HR monitor with some features that I would never really need or use. Boy was I wrong!
I used the Polar brand HR Monitors for years both for running and cycling and never had a problem with them. When I purchased this Garmine I also purchased my wife and mother both Polars off Ebay. I am now returning both the polars to purchase them each the Garmin 305.
It is more of computer than it is a watch/HR monitor. Very cool. The GPS signal picks up in about 15 seconds each time. The distance is dead on accurate. The HR monitor works great.
What I really like, besides everything working properly, is the fact that I can change the viewing screen to whatever I want. With the previous Polar monitors you were stuck with whatever they wanted you to view. With this 305...I have it set to display four read outs - Current HR, Current distance, Stop watch time, and Average Pace.
It is so cool to be able to look down at your watch and see your average pace and the distance traveled. I am super anal about the distances I run and I end up getting in my truck and driving the run distance three or four times to make sure it is correct. Now...I can just run...anywhere I want...and how cool is that.
Man...I really love this thing.
I even signed up for the FREE Motion software thing, which was very easy and gives me all this information that I probably don't really care about but is still very neat to look at.
The only negative thing I would say about it...and I don't find this a negative at all....is it is big. Looks like something out of star trek..while on your wrist. Doesn't matter to me though...I never actually wear the watch part anyways. I always carry it in my hand...easier to look at that way as I run.
If you are someone who must have it on their wrist....it is big and bulky.
If you have lots of experience with various GPS brands than there might be some things that I am missing but if this is your first GPS/HR monitor toy...than buy this thing...you will love it.
Hope this review helped.
Customer Review: Great multisports Workout Tool
Summary: 4 Stars
I bought this watch based on serveral triathlon friends' recommandation! My major concern was the waterproof when I am doing the swim. My friend assured that the watch can handle the swimming part of the tri event so I ended up getting the watch. Following are my finding of this watch after two weeks of use.
Likes:
* The watch tracks the route/distance very accurate(Swim, Bike, Run, walking, ski, and other sports).
* The workout can download to P.C and upload online via Garmin Website (Share your workout with friend).
* The graphics for the workout displays your heartrate, cadence, and speed(Use on P.C after downloaded).
* Customization of the watch is easy and fast(Show speed, average speed, distance, time, lap time etc).
* The GPS route tracking allow easy to navigate back home in case you are lost.
* The waterproof (Only submergable in water no more than 3 feet of water for 30 minutes).
* The instance overall track speed (Virtual compititor) keep me motivated.
* Elevation compensation function(on/off) for hill training run/bike to ensure more accurate distance.
Do not Likes
* Heart rate reading failed/not acurate during firt half of my swim (90bpm then 130bpm).
* Slow GPS signal acquisition.
* Bulky
* Did not show Bike Cadence on the watch during bike training (Only shown in P.C afterward)
------ This feature only if you order the Cadence Sensor with the package which I had ------
* Tall buildings or big tree can block the GPS signal and caused misreading.
* Wildly reading speed
----- (I hit a bump for cycling so the reading was 70mph shown on P.C screen) -----
----- (My swim speed was 2.7mph then 28 mph when I hit waves generated from boats this could be caused by
turned on "Elevation Compensation" function) -----
* Small heart Rate reading like font size 4 or something on the watch on upper right corner.
Overall Rating
I would give 4 1/2 stars overall rating for this watch Garmin 305 and it is much cheaper than Garmin 705. The Garmin 705 seems to tracking the watt output unless you are cyclist but for twice the price tag-no thanks. Others warmed about this watch for short battery life and I found out that 7 hrs is good enough. I am trying not to charge the watch as many time as I needed to because it could shorten the life of the lithium ion battery just like any other batteries. The idea is charge once every two workouts since my typical workout is about 2-3 hrs.
I paid about $220 for Garmin 305 with Heart Rate monitor and Cadence Sensor. You can add a footpod if you are a runer. I hope my overall review helps. Happy training!
Customer Review: Much better than expected!
Summary: 5 Stars
First, let me say that I am obsessive when I buy electronics. For a few days I will do research on various forums and consumer electronic sites in an effort to make sure that my hard earned money will go to the best product. Most of my research lead me to the Garmin 305, and I couldn't be happier.
When I received my Garmin I was waiting for all the problems that some of the reviewers had; band didn't fit, battery had problems, screen was too small, and performance problems. Let me just say, after spending a few weeks with the 305, that I believe most of the bad reviews are based on the reviewers not understanding how to change or manipulate the features on the 305. Almost all of the poor reviews I have seen--minus the actual faulty machines--could have been fixed by either reading the manual or just tinkering around...even the dreaded "erratic" pace count can be smoothed out.
The Good:
1) Does even more than I thought it could! Whatever you want this little machine for, it will blow you away with its versatility.
2) It is very light! I wear a stainless Submariner which is twice as heavy as the Garmin 305.
3) The 305's GPS is accurate...extremely accurate. I have 3 courses I run on a regular basis. I know the exact length of these courses and was anxious to see if the 305 could perform. I was astonished that it was exactly right! I would have been happy with a 50-foot+ standard deviation...but it was exact!
4) No problems with the heart rate monitor. Once again, let me state that most of the people that have problems with the heart rate monitor are probably plagued by user error.
The Bad:
1) I wish I could put more that 4 items on the screen. I know people have complained about not being able to see the screen, but I find it easy to read...I just want a few more items on it.
2) Should have a color screen.
3) I would prefer that it comes with a Velcro athletic band. I know they can smell after a few workouts but I like the convenience.
Lastly, I have only written a few reviews on Amazon as I feel that can't make that much of a difference in a consumer's opinion...but let me say this; if you want a watch that will keep track of your location, distance, speed, heart rate etc., then you need this watch. You can't go wrong!
***Update as of April 29, 2009***
So, 5 months of ownership later I'm still in love with my 305. I ran with it all winter, and a fairly rainy spring with no problems. I was skeptical of the garmin being able to handle runs in almost zero degree weather (my mp3 player didn't make it), and the rains of the previous month...but ZERO problems!
Customer Review: Finally the instrument all runners have been waiting for!
Summary: 5 Stars
I couldn't be happier with my Forerunner 305. I have used it now for over three months in all kinds of conditions. I have owned 2 other running GPS computers before, one of Timex' first GPS models, and Garmins' Forerunner 201 and they don't even come close to the 305. The 305 REALLY works great. Its precision is astonishing! It has never lost coverage on me and I have used it in the city with high buildings, under very leafy trees and any other conditions you can think of that could interfere with its operation. When I run indoors I use it with Garmin's Foot Pod and it works great (except for some inconveniences and considerations [See reviews]).
I love how reliable, precise and feature-rich it is. There's no room in this review to mention all its features, but they all work very well and show that it is a mature product where experience form designers, as well as users has been taken very seriously into account. Battery life is great and I love how quickly my 305 recharges on my Mac's USB port. (less than 30 minutes).
I also love, that opposed to the way the Polar monitors work, once you match your HRM waistband and your Foot Pod to your own Forerunner 305, you don't have to pair them again anymore. This allows you to turn it on while in the middle of a crowd without worrying of picking up somebody else's signal or not being able to get a "coded" transmission. It recognizes your accessories INSTANTLY. If you have used other monitors for years, you know what I'm talking about.
Another thing, this is the first wrist GPS I have that includes full Navigation features, something really good if someday you want to take it out while trekking or mountaineering. I do!
I have some comments on how to improve it: one is that I think it could be a little more ergonomic, Sometimes, after running a LONG distance (10~20 miles) my wrist gets sore (for which I wear it very tight to keep it from bouncing and helps). I would recommend to add a way to scroll while on the map view, not only to zoom in and out. Also, I think it could use more memory. I prefer to use it to its maximum recording capacity, which is one reading per second, and in doing so, I am limited to one or maximum two days worth of data. That forces me to download the information into my Mac at least every other day. And while talking about computers, I wish the Mac version of Garmin Training Center software had the same features as the Windows one. But don't take me wrong, it's not bad at all, and not many companies that make this kind of running computers support the Mac yet. Still, it would be nice if we could get all the latest features.
That's it, I suggest you run out (or click in) and buy one now. I'm glad I did!
Pablo
Customer Review: Where has this been all my life?
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had this 305 for a couple of months and I love the thing.
Three of the routes I use have been measured with a surveyor's wheel and I've run the three routes many times since purchasing the Forerunner 305 and in all cases the 305 has been within 20 feet, often within 10 feet, of the measured finish line. One course is the perimeter of a school, another is an out and back, and the third course is a loop through a neighborhood.
There are those owners speaking of problems when running under trees but I cannot address that; there aren't enough trees to worry about in my part of the world. Once, when the weather was really bad, heavy overcast with rain and snow, the 305's distance function was off by about 100 feet. I don't know if that was caused by the weather or because it was under the sleeve of a thick sweater I was wearing that day. (Maybe it was a combination of the weather and the sweater.)
The Heart Rate Monitor is fantastic. My previous monitor was a Polar and I had constant problems with it, even when I didn't run with my cell phone. The Forerunner's monitor has been problem-free even when I purposely put my cell phone in a shirt pocket next to the chest band. Cool.
The software though is a bit simplistic and has a minor bug. The graphing function is okay but I prefer more complexity. Transferring data from the 305 to the software is kind of buggy. There are three ways to transfer the data: automatic transfer when the 305 is connected to a computer and two methods within the software. Often all the data does not transfer when I connect the 305 to my computer and I may have to try both methods in the software. It's kind of annoying.
The really, really great thing about this thing is I no longer have to worry about measuring distances. I work in the oil fields of eastern New Mexico and western Texas. If I am going to be far enough from home that I must live on site for a while, it's always been something of a pain in the ass to measure a distance with my vehicle. Now, with this GPS device, I just set out on my run, get to the turn around point, and return, with complete confidence I've run my desired distance. Very cool.
If you are considering this product, get it. I'm not a techie, having to get the latest and greatest. I am only interested in items that actually do the job for which they were designed and the Garmin Forerunner 305 does exactly that. I highly recommend it.
Note: I don't participate in any sport other than running so I cannot address the additional functions of the 305.