Garmin Forerunner 405 Wireless GPS-Enabled Sport Watch with USB ANT Stick and Heart Rate Monitor (Black)
by Garmin
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Garmin Forerunner 405 Wireless GPS-Enabled Sport Watch with USB ANT Stick and Heart Rate Monitor (Black)
Customer Review: Replaced my Timex, training partner, and coach.
Summary: 5 Stars
Bottom line up front: I wear this watch every day, and it meets my form, fit, and function.
I have only owned a Timex so I cannot compare the 405 to the 305. However, I will say that this watch meets all of my requirements of having to train on my own and without a coach.
I read through all of the reviews before I finally decided to purchase this watch. I almost purchased the 305 after reading all of the reviews, but decided to take a chance with this watch. So let me address my experience of using this watch for the past 30 days in regards to specific comments made in other reviews.
Bezel- I must say this was one of the things that concerned me the most. A lot of reviews stated you could not use the bezel while your fingers were wet. In my experience this is a non issue. If take the time to set up the watch, then you should never have to mess with the bezel. I have set up three screens that my 405 scrolls through while I'm running, much like what you see on a treadmill or stationary bike. Garmin gives you the choice to customize these screens with over 40 different information fields. So I'm able to see my over time, distance, time of day on the first screen. The second screen I set it up to show my current pace, and overall pace. The last screen shows my current heart rate and avg hart rate. You can even set how fast or slow the 405 scrolls through your customized screens. So for me there is no reason to even touch my watch while I'm running unless to record a lap or to stop/start the training session. If you have bad eyes then you can select only one output to be displayed on the screen so it takes up the entire screen. You can select one to three outputs to be display on a screen. I really enjoy this functionality, because I can customize it, and have changed it for different types of training. Of course you want to do this before you start training. Who wants to mess with their watch during a training session?
GPS- It takes about 3-5 seconds for my watch to acquire a satellite signal. Additionally, my 405 is able to continue to track satellites while in a large canvass tent. I don't have many tall trees where I'm at, Bagram Afghanistan, but it seems to be able to track a GPS signal pretty easy. I have not taken a ruler out to measure the accuracy of the GPS, but it gives me a one mile signal at a one mile marker. So it is close enough for me.
Watch Band- I can understand the complaint regarding the watch band. Unlike other watch bands that are flexible up to the face of the watch, the 405 is hard plastic about 1" on the top of the face and 1.5" on the bottom of the face. For a small wrist I can see why this might be uncomfortable. The reason for the hard plastic is to give a good location for the GPS antenna to receive the signals. I'm 5'8" 190 pounds and the watch fits my wrist fine. Like I said before, I wear this as my everyday watch now. For a female the black 405 might be uncomfortable. I think Garmin has created a green 405 specifically for smaller wrist.
Water in the face of the watch- I wear my watch when I take a shower, and have not had any issues with water or condensation under the face of my watch.
Battery life- I ran for an hour and half today on a full battery. The battery is now at 75%. I think the manual says you can get 5 hours of GPS training with this watch, and over 100 hours of regular use. It takes about 20 minutes, at 25% battery, for the watch to charge back up to 100%. Compare to other GPS devices I think this is par or above par for a GPS device of this size.
My favorite things about the watch
You can set up specific training. You can set up a tempo run with specific pace times. The watch will alert you when with specific beeps if you are going to slow, too fast, and when you are in the training zone. Basically you can set you any specific training you want to do so your coach... I mean the 405 can guide you through the training.
The garmin website is nice. You can download all of the training runs to the gramin website. My wife can check out the training that I'm doing half a world way. See loves using the satellite map to see the terrain I'm running in. I did have an issue were the watch would download the training information to my computer, the Training Center program, but would not download to Garmin Connect. I sent an e-mail to Garmin and receive a response with the fix within 48 hours. I followed the instructions and the problem was fixed.
Things for Garmin to consider in the development of the 505.
- A countdown timer. This is what I miss the most of my Timex. There are things I still need a countdown timer for an everyday watch, like how long to down a beer.
- The time default screen. It needs to show the day of the week and date. You have to push one of the select buttons to see the time and date screen. The time and date screen should be the default screen.
- Combine all functions of the Training Center and Garmin connect together. Garmin connect is more astatically pleasing and I prefer this to the Training Center program, but I can only create training programs on garmin connect.
Bottom line if you take the time to learn the 405 and set up your training screens then you should not have any major issues. Expect to spend about an hour to learn how to set up the 405 for your specific training needs. Once you set it up then you are good to good and should only need to adjust for different training i.e biking vrs running.
Customer Review: Update with Mac Support!
Summary: 5 Stars
When I was trying to decide between the 305 and the 405, I read every single review from a couple of different websites...it seemed that there was a lot of negative reviews on the 405, but also some hidden gems that make regular use of the watch a pleasure. I was shocked by how much Mac users seemed to hate the thing...since I own a Mac I knew I was going to have to work a bit harder to get the data to my Mac. For me, the deciding factor for the 405 ended up being the usability of the watch as an actual watch....it does look pretty sharp...and for $350 it better get more use than for an hour a day on a run...
Here is what I've seen with my own use over the last couple of weeks:
The set up on my Vista PC was actually pretty simple...I followed the directions to the letter and went to the Garmin site which helped me get everything set up pretty quickly. There are some pretty good directions there...I can't see how anyone could screw this up honestly...but it seems that some folks have had trouble with it...I was able to update the firmware right then and that went well also (just be patient as it seems to update one firmware version at a time and not all at once)...
Once I got my PC all set up, I downloaded Trailrunner on my Mac...which supports the .tcx files of your runs that you can export out of the Garmin Training Center software (which really isn't good)...I don't know if there is a similar software package for the PC, but since I rarely use my PC, I really didn't take the time to look...
After I got done with some runs, I came home and was amazed at how easily the Ant+ stick picked up my watch...it even picked it up once when I left the watch downstairs...which I thought was pretty cool (but I haven't tried to see if I could do it again, I just bring my watch upstairs)...I would assume that if you have your watch in the same room as your computer it would pick it up pretty easily...
From this point I really wanted to get the data back on my Mac and into Trailrunner...and this seems to be the difficult part for most Mac users (the Garmin site says to get VMware and run it through that way-which is insane, but some might not have a PC box in their house like I do, so it would be the only way at this point)...What I end up doing is importing the data wirelessly, then pull it into Garmin Training Center...then export it as a .tcx file which I email to myself and pull up from my Mac...then save it to a folder and "open" into Trailrunner from there...sounds like a lot, but takes maybe 5 minutes at the most...and the newest version of Trailrunner is awesome...
I also have seen some reviews where the watch is not responsive to the bezel touching...what I ended up figuring out after watching the video on the Garmin site, is that when the watch is in powersave mode you actually have to wake it up before it will respond...which can be done by clicking either side button...then the bezel responds to touch etc...this is really a much cooler feature than you would think...it really helps avoid draining the battery during regular "watch" use...
As far as getting going on runs and using the HRM...it picks the HRM and Satellites up really quickly...which is surprising based on what I've seen in some reviews...it actually picked them up while I was in my house...and as of yet, I haven't had any trouble with using it on my runs...it shows my Heart Rate in huge numbers and the first screen shows pace/total time/total distance big enough that I can see it while on the move...I don't really need it to do much more than that as I am not what you would consider a fancy runner at this point with sprints or crazy heart rate work...I just have it auto-lap my time at a mile and call it good...
The GPS has been darn near 100% accurate so far (I live in Houston TX)...and everything that comes through on Trailrunner is also within 1%...
I took the advice of one of the reviewers and bought it from a running store in our area that is known for good customer service (Luke's Locker in Houston) and they have a 30 day no questions asked return policy that covered me in case anything crazy happened...I was nervous with all of the complaints about it not working when wet...but that hasn't happened to me yet (I even licked my fingers to see if anything strange would happen and nothing did)...
I really like the watch and would hope anyone considering it would really do their homework...I really like the watch and give it a huge thumbs up!
*UPDATE*
Garmin just released support for Macs...and after using it for about two weeks - it just blows away the Windows version. My Windows PC was never able to sync with Garmin Connect automatically...the Mac version does it without a hitch. The interface is better, it is way more stable, and it actually does what is intended. The Garmin Training Center for Macs is about the same as the Windows version - nothing special, but it gives all the info you would need for your runs or workouts...
I've used the watch for almost 8 months and have had no problems...it's still as reliable as when I first got it and I still think to myself after literally every run, "What an awesome watch"...
Customer Review: Don't believe all of the bad reviews
Summary: 5 Stars
I researched this watch for a few months before buying it. I am a casual runner, between 3-8 miles on a normal run at school. I am trying to get ready for the St. Patrick's Day Parade Run here in St. Louis, a 5 mile run. I thought this watch would actually get me motivated to get outside and run! Boy does it! I ordered from Niagara Cycle Works and they had it shipped to me in a week (and it was the lowest price I could find for the watch and heart rate monitor together). Here are the pro's and con's of the watch and also a few things that worried me about other reviews that made me hesitate at first but now I'm happy I didn't:
Pro's:
-Keeps elevation, distance, pace, speed, and heart rate with the heart rate monitor all stored in the watch until you download it.
-You never have to plug it into a wire to download the information to your computer.
-Automatically uploads to your garmin account online
-You can share all of that data with friends and family online and even pick up a course from a fellow runner
-Displays everything clearly on the watch for you as your running, automatically scrolls through the screens
-Fairly long battery life (I've charged it twice since I've had it, but recently ran 5 miles on two separate occasions, used the back light for an extended period of time and used the watch for 4 other days and am just now charging it again)
Cons
-The alarm on the watch is stupid (I used it one morning just to see what it was like, never again. It is a very loud, high frequency screeching that you do not want to wake up to)
-Cannot lock the current screen while in scrolling mode
I went and ate breakfast trying to think of anything else that was bad about the watch and couldn't come up with anything. Here are a few of the reviews that scared me before buying the watch:
-The watch takes a long time to find it's position
*If you start the training mode while your stretching (which you should do every time your run) it finds it's position within a minute up to three. The average warm-up/stretching routine lasts about 5 minutes or so.
-The bezel does not work when it gets wet
* I do not know how bad those people sweat while running, but I have never had sweat on my fingertips. I usually use my shirt to dry off my hands or fingers before hand and have never had a problem with changing the screen while running.
-Hard to navigate through the screens while running
* I'm usually trying not to pass out when I'm on a long distance run and not fooling around with adjusting my pace speed or what I want to show up in each screen. ***What I did not see in any of the good reviews and noticed people complaining about was that you were stuck in the same screen while your run. I don't know if they did not take the time to figure out how to get the screens to scroll while you run, or just wanted to complain. I have my scroll set at a medium scroll rate which changes the screen every 5 seconds or so. I have my current run time, distance and heart rate on one, lap time previous lap and calories burned on the next, the virtual partner on the following, and the chart shown in the picture with my heart rate on it on the following. If I am running on a course that I previously ran it also shows me running against my previous pace and how far ahead or behind I am. Like I said before, it scrolls for you and if you need to advance to the next screen you just tap the bezel and it advances.
-The elevation is off
*I found this cool website through facebook called RunSaturday that will take your 405 data and put it on their website. When I was review the data on there it puts it in a more clean, color coordinated fashion that shows you how high or low you are in a course. When you look at the height data on that site it matches up extremely closely. I will admit that the garmin software does not do this information justice.
-The virtual partner is way off
* I haven't had this problem yet. As I stated before, I did not know that I could run against myself from a previous day and it would keep pace with me. I thought that was pretty flippin sweet. It flashes at you if your behind and if your lap pace is behind your previous runs it will flash when it gives your lap time.
I will try to come back and add a few more things in the near future if I find anything wrong or cool about the watch. I have told everyone I know that the watch was well worth it and am trying to get several of my friends to buy the watch so we can all compete against each other. I would recommend this watch for probably the younger generation because it is a tech device that has a lot of bells and whistles that the younger kids tend to enjoy, myself being 23. I think the people that have given bad reviews for this watch are older and not as familiar with tech gadgets like the I-pod or I-touch. If you love those two items you will love this watch!!! Now go run!!
Customer Review: Fantastic watch despite bad reviews
Summary: 5 Stars
I had been looking to buy the Forerunner 405 for some time, but was reluctant because of all the bad reviews on here. I had the Nike+, which was terribly inaccurate and quit working after a couple of month. I went ahead and purchased the watch, ignoring the bad reviews.
First, I read reviews that said the bezel is hard to use. No, it's not. You have to sit there and play with it to learn how to use it. When it goes into sleep mode, it's not responsive, so you have to hit one of the side buttons a couple times to wake it up. Not a big deal. Personally, I sweat a lot, and have not had any problems with the bezel not responding when I run. It has never locked up on me either. You can adjust the sensitivity of the bezel. It's preprogrammed on medium and I haven't had any problems with this setting. People complain that the bezel is easy to hit accidentally, thus leaving it on and draining the battery, or whatever they complain about. You can lock the bezel so that this doesn't happen. If you lock the bezel and this still happens, then don't throw it in a gym bag or somewhere it can get knocked around. Personally, I wouldn't be throwing my $300 GPS-enabled sports watch around anyways.
For the people who say that it's not accurate, I have had no issues with it's accuracy. Actually, I think it's very accurate. I was worried about it picking up satellites because when I had satellite radio in my car, it would frequently lose signal on a road that I run on. The Garmin has never lost signal during my run, and I live in WV and my route is right near mountains and trees. For those who complain about the way it displays information during your run, you can program it to show you what you want, and you can turn off autoscroll so that it stays on the one display. If you want to see the next page, just tap the bezel. It's really easy. I found that having 3 items on the page was too crammed and small to read, so I changed it to only show 2 items. I have it set to show my pace and distance.
For those people who complained about how long it takes to pick up a satellite signal, yes it may take a couple of minutes. Do some light stretching while it acquires the signal. For those complaining about the battery life, I ran 14 miles with it over the course of a week and it got down to 38%, so I threw it back on the charge just in case. It's simple to check the battery life, so check it now and then, and if it gets low, charge it. Just like you charge your cell phone every night or every other night. Just be sure to turn the GPS off after every use to save the battery.
Somebody complained that it doesn't read a steady speed/pace the whole time. No, it's not going to read that you are running a 10:30 pace exactly the whole 5 miles you run. Naturally, you are going to speed up or slow down and not realize it, and lets face it, it's a tiny electronic GPS device and may not be 100% in tune with every step. Mine will generally bounce around 15-20 seconds above or below my goal pace. What matters to me is that I know within 15-20 seconds what my pace is exactly when I'm running, and at the end it gives me very accurate pace averages for each mile. I have had no issues with transferring my data to the computer. The ANT stick quickly links to the watch, and it may take a minute or so to download. The software does what you need it to do. If you need something fancier, there's more software out there. Lastly, this watch is large. For the men that may not be a problem. I am female and I found this watch to be rather large, and I am not a tiny person. This isn't a watch that a female can just wear fashionably. If you think this is a small sports watch, it's not. But, the strap has plenty of notches to adjust to just about any size wrist.
I'm sorry to complain about other people's experiences with the watch, but I just don't understand how they are having these issues and I am not. The issues that some complain about seem to be easily resolved by simply becoming more familiar with the watch or thinking ahead a little. This isn't a watch you can just throw on and run with right out of the box and it be perfect. It is highly customizable, and everybody is different. Once you customize it how you like it, it is a very accurate, useful tool to aid in your training. I am saddened that the negative reviews almost prevented me from purchasing this item, when it has been the best purchase I have made in a long time. I love this watch and highly recommend it. If you are not good with electronics, then maybe this watch isn't for you.
Customer Review: A great training tool
Summary: 5 Stars
As a triathlete, I am always looking to improve my skills and my tracking of my progress. This tool is ideal for that.
Before I bought the Forerunner 405, I was using a Timex Ironman Heart Rate Monitor and a Sport Brain pedometer to track various data. While I really like both products, I found they didn't track enough of what I needed and the pedometer, while I did calibrate it, wasn't super accurate in tracking my mileage or pace. Thus, I wanted something that would do everything my existing two gadgets did, only more accurately and with more functionality. The Forerunner 405 is that training tool!
I absolutely love the Forerunner 405 and feel it is the best value on the market for what it does (as some of the other similarly priced products don't have near the capabilities and functionality and some of the more expensive products don't offer enough added capabilities to justify the much higher price.) I also love that the GPS is in the watch unit...not a separate gadget you have to hook onto your waist like most other products with similar capabilities.
What I love about this product is how many things you can program it to track and how you can customize it for your specific needs (and you can change those custom features as your needs change.) For example, I do a lot of hill running. I know the hills I run are fairly steep, but never knew how steep and really wanted and needed to know that. The Forerunner can be programmed to include grade that tells me just that. Now I know the exact grades of those hills. I also love that you can program up to 9 things it tracks while you are on the bike or run (up to 3 items in each of 3 fields) but you don't have to program it to its maximum potential. I don't have the foot pod or the GSC 10 for the bike like another reviewer as I have a computer on my bike already. However, the Forerunner and my bike computer are identical in their data, which just tells me how truly accurate this unit really is. Granted, because I don't have the GSC 10, I don't know my speed by looking at my Forerunner until after I sync up with the ANT stick, but since I have the bike computer, it's not an issue. Another really cool custom feature is that you can program your specific heart rate zones into the Forerunner (which sends that data to the ANT stick and the software programs). I know some other reviewers mentioned it was a bit complex to program. Yes, it takes some time if you're going to really use all its functionality, but if you read the owners manual (the bigger one, not the quick start one) and follow the directions, it's really very easy. Also, if you have questions or problems with anything, the Garmin customer service representatives are super helpful and can help you do or fix whatever you need (I know this as I've called them twice and they were great!)
As for the ANT stick and the tracking software that you download to sync to the Forerunner, it's awesome. The Garmin Training Center shows you line graphs of your heart rate and which zones you were in for each workout, which is very helpful. The Garmin Connect software has much more detail, including pace, mileage, average speed, average heart rate, max heart rate and so much more. I know another reviewer said he wished it was USB vs. the ANT stick, but if you are like me and you only use one computer to upload your data from the unit, this won't be an issue.
Another cool feature is that the the Garmin is compatible with Training Peaks. So if you use that product too, you can upload your data to TP in minutes. What's nice is that when you do that, TP's software figures out how long you were in each HR zone so instead of only knowing your average and max HR (which is what the Garmin software tells you, for the most part), you can see exactly how much time you spent in each HR zone, which I find very valuable. The Garmin Connect software links with Google maps too, so you can see where you went on your bike or run, which is kind of fun, but not really a training tool necessity. That data also transfers when you upload to TP.
My only complaint is that this product is not supposed to be used in the water. So, you can't use it to tell the distance you swam in open water. But, since this is something I don't do that often, it's not that big of a deal.
So, if you're looking for a great training tool that is highly accurate and customizable, I think you will love the Forerunner 405 and feel it is a great value.