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: Don't fear the Garmin 405
Summary: 5 Stars
I normally don't write reviews on purchase but I felt compelled to do based on other reviews of the Garmin 405.
Don't fear this product! I was cautious to purchase based on the mixed reviews on here and I did a TON of homework before comitting to a HR/GPS product but I'm glad that I bought this. I've owned it for one month and I couldn't imagine running without it. I only charge this watch once a week and run anywhere between 25-35 per week. I'm currently using it to help train for my first half-marathon.
It did take a little getting used to because of everything it does. I have no trouble with the touch bezel even with a shirt sleeve over it or running in rain storms (as other user have posted having troubles with). I normally hit 'start' at the beginning of my runs and then lock the bezel and let the autoscroll feautre go to work. It shows me my distance/pace, max heart rate and time spent running. You can set the autoscroll up in a lot of different ways. When I'm done running I turn the GPS feauture 'off' and it seems to save a ton of battery life. The watch goes into a powersave feature and then waits for me to go on my next run. The Garmin Connect website is great as I can upload my runs/training and then review them later at work or at home.
This is a really slick running product. Other reviews to come as I spend more time with this watch. I'm giving this product 5 stars.
Great job with this one Garmin!
Customer Review: GREAT FEATURES
Summary: 4 Stars
My husband bought this watch for running. It is full of great features and he loves it. I think the price is a little steep for a weekend watch. I disagree with the advert that this watch is sleek enough for everyday wear; it really cannot be considered a dress watch.
This watch excels at heart monitoring, pace, calories burned, run time and distance. It even keeps track of your information by allowing you to wirelessly connect to your pc when within range. We had some issues with this part but it is great when you get it to work properly since it allows you to track your progress and workouts are available for download. This watch also tracks your position using GPS and although it takes a while to lock your position, warming up before a run easily takes care of the time needed. Simply tap on the watch face to access the information needed. How cool is that? We looked at lower priced versions which have buttons instead but most of the same features Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS Receiver With Heart Rate Monitor.
Bottom line, my husband has tried many different types of devices and loves this one despite some quirks. There are cheaper versions of this watch and I wish he had purchased one of them since he only uses it when he runs. When I questioned the purchase, he reminded me of all my shoes. He won that argument.
Customer Review: Very happy with watch, but maybe I have modest expectations
Summary: 4 Stars
I have been using my watch for almost a year. I have overall been very happy with it. When I run in my neighborhood, I like to vary my route a lot. Also, I want to be able to run anywhere while still knowing my distance. The watch allows me to do both. For example, I recently dropped off my 6 year old at a birthday party in an area that I didn't know. I and was able to sneak in a run while he was at the party. Because I had my watch, I was able to know how far I ran.
I usually lock the bezel when I run, and so I've stopped having problems with moisture or with accidental touching of the bezel when I pull up my sleeve to check my time mid-run.
Customer support wait-times have been long (>15 minutes) each time I call. Interfacing with the website took a few calls to customer support, but it seems to be working just right now.
After about 10 months, I just broke my wrist strap. They're sending me a new one, covered under warranty. I don't know how much a new strap would cost, but 10 months doesn't seem like a long time for the band to last. I should mention that I use my watch as my everyday watch.
I have had a few issues with major issues with accuracy, but they are rare (ie, rate of 1 in 65 runs), and sometimes it takes more than 5 minutes to get a satellite reading (1 in 20 runs). So, now I just make sure I have the watch search for satellite while I'm loosening up pre-run.
Customer Review: Great running companion!
Summary: 5 Stars
I had asked for the 405 as a present & had second thoughts based on the negative reviews. Fortunately my wife had already purchased it... I'm glad she did. I've been training with it now for the past 5 months & believe the negative reviews that I read must have been about some other watch. I've never take the time to write a review - ever - but thought I needed to come to the defense of this product. It fully exceeds my needs in my marathon training (I don't use it for other activities so I can't help you there). First, I've found running with a GPS device to be very liberating... not having to map routes, being able to know your exact pace & distance, etc. I ran a 1/2 marathon last month & it helped tremendously with pace. I was concerned with the reports about the touchiness of the bezel - especially when wet - but I simply set it to autoscroll, lock the bezel, & never had a problem. It finds satellites quickly enough - just enable it while you are warming up. Battery life has been more than sufficient (remember to disable GPS when you're done your activity). The software interface is relatively painless. The only problem was when I had to re-load my operating system on my laptop, it couldn't see the ANT USB. There was a quick-fix on Garmin support that solved the problem. One final comment; my training buddy the other day actually thanked my wife for HIS present - since he benefits from it so much everytime we train toghether!Customer Review: Wait... what?
Summary: 2 Stars
I only had the 405 for a week and ended up returning it earlier today. Chose not to get a replacement. It's possible that I got a dud*, but I believe my comments are still valid for any Forerunner 405:
So it's a sports watch but the bezel doesn't work when my fingers are sweaty? Um, am I missing something here?
Maybe I was doing something wrong and it takes longer than a week to get used to the bezel, but I could hardly ever get the thing to recognize that I wanted to scroll an NOT select. Ironically, whenever I made the wrong choice I had to push the 'back' button on the side and thus be reminded that advanced technology is not always a good idea.
Garmin Connect (MotionBased not an option): as of 7/22/08 it's practically a joke. Mega sluggish, lacking the MotionBased features I'm used to (like 'Average Pace'), and sometimes returning server errors.
On the up side, the 405 acquires satellites much faster than the 305 and actually looks like a watch. I suppose the latter is somewhat important.
* As I was getting ready to go out for a run today and was going through the menus, the 405 froze and eventually died on me. In the next hour I wasn't able to power it on (yes, I tried charging it to no avail). I'm glad I still have my boxy and Soviet looking 305.