Garmin Forerunner 405CX GPS Sport Watch with Heart Rate Monitor (Blue)
by Garmin
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Garmin Forerunner 405CX GPS Sport Watch with Heart Rate Monitor (Blue)
Customer Review: Buy a 305 instead
Summary: 1 Stars
I bought one of these to replace my old 305 which was stolen, and that in turn was a replacement for my original 205. The 205 and the 305 were brilliant devices that worked very intuitively and I was expecting the same standard with the 405.
But no. Unlike its predecessors, the 405 is annoying, hard to use and buggy.
These are my main gripes:
1. There is no "off" button.
Seriously, you cannot turn it off. So if you go for a run then toss it in the drawer the battery will go flat. The only solutions are to leave it on the charger, or plan your exercise long enough in advance to give this time to charge.
2. The screen is too small.
When I run I like to know my distance, time, speed and average speed. The 305, with 4 data fields, was fine for this. The 405 has only got 3 data fields of which only one is big enough to read on the go, which is not enough because;
3. The controls are completely useless.
The touch bezel is incredibly frustrating to use even when you're sitting on the couch. Trying to use it while running is like trying to thread a needle while running. The only way to manage it is to set the screen before you go and then don't touch it. So no scrolling through data fields on the go (and auto-scroll means you have to wait for ages to fleetingly see the data you are looking for). I've also heard that wet fabric will trigger the bezel if it comes in contact. I don't run in long sleeves but if you do it's one more thing to be wary of.
4. The backlight only stays on for 30 seconds. If you run at night or in the mornings with such a small screen you cannot read the display without the light. Turning it on requires touching the bezel which means you're just as likely to stop the clock or turn off the GPS as succesfully turn on the backlight. Doing that every 30 seconds is not practical or fun.
5. The speed readout does not seem to be accurate. Sometimes when I speed up I look at the screen and it says I've slowed down, and vice versa. It usually corrects after a minute or so but that never happened with the 305.
This is one of those rare situations where you can get a much superior product for a much lower price by just getting a 305 instead.
Hopefully the next generation will be better.
Customer Review: Major disappointment!!!
Summary: 1 Stars
This new 'touch bezel' feature is the most frustrating experience with ANY piece of technology that I have ever dealt with. Just setting the watch after my wife tossed it at me after trying to set it up herself took over a half hour to change the gender to 'female' and her birth date. I totally gave up on the weight setting after trying multiple times to change it. The 'experience' is so awful that I wouldn't recommend this to anyone. It *might* have some usefulness as a training device but the bizarre 'touch bezel' is so frustrating that I'd give up on the whole thing and toss it into a drawer. I was particularly disappointed in this product as I have several other Garmin products (Forerunner 50, Nuvi 1390t, Vista cx, GPSMAP 76) and love them enough to upgrade and recommend them, but not this thing.
Too complicated, too random, pushing 'technology' for technologies sake. She got this thing to help her log her progress. The upfront frustration could spell doom for its future around here. She usually hands down technology that she can't/won't use. I don't want this thing. Maybe this is defective, but tapping the four areas does work, the 'scrolling' feature is the bit that doesn't work. Something like one scroll happens out of every dozen or so times it's attempted. FRUSTRATING! Like adding one more button to scroll the screens would have killed it... Sometimes I don't understand product designs. Sometimes the execution is just so bad...
For a company that usually makes such well thought out products, this one was released too soon in my opinion. Two thumbs down... (We'd return it except that she has had it unopened too long to be able to return it.)
EDIT: I was thinking of how Garmin could fix this product or should have made it better. Make it able to be setup from the computer that it's linked to. Simple. You have to connect it to download the data, right? Garmin uses a USB cable to charge the thing and provide updates, right? So how 'revolutionary' would it have been to allow for setting up the thing through the USB cable? I imagine such a product. Ahh, the simplicity... The joy of using such a more simpler and well thought out device... Come on Garmin. I know that you can do better... (Now I'm hoping the ANT system works as well as it does for my Forerunner 50. (She got the 405 because I raved about the 50, ironically))
Customer Review: Great Device, Small Annoyances
Summary: 4 Stars
Let me start by saying that I've been a fan of Garmin and the Forerunner since the early days. That being said, I am reviewing this product not independently, but in comparison to other Garmin models. Here's what I like:
-The design is greatly improved. It fits like a watch, albeit a very large watch. This is a dramatic improvement from previous models.
-The GPS connection is nearly automatic. I used to set my old units outside, get a cup of coffee, and return to hope that the signal had been found. With the 405, it's connected as soon as I'm outside my door. In new places, it takes a bit longer to lock on, but once it's done it's strong.
-Accuracy. I don't have quite as many inconsistencies in pace/distance as I did with previous models.
Other than that, everything else works just as well or the same as other Forerunners I've owned.
Now, the not so good:
-The battery life is awful. If you travel with this device, forget leaving the charger at home. I used to charge my 305 to 100% and run for a week. With the 405, it's always ON, apparently, and the battery will drain to nothing within a couple of days, even if you aren't using it.
The touch bezel. I don't like it. It isn't "intuitive", it is over-sensitive and "buggy"when it gets wet (anyone else sweat when they run?), which can be a major annoyance. It took me about a month to finally get the feel of it, and I still don't always get what I expect when I use it.
-The menus. Again, not intuitive. Things just don't seem to be located where they should be. I had to go to the owner's manual to find out how to pull up run history. I am a gadget geek, not a technophobe, and I usually figure things out easily. Not the case with this device.
-The software. Others have done a good job telling what a nightmare the Garmin Training Center software is. I personally don't use it because I don't always run with my Forerunner (treadmill, etc.) and I want my training log to reflect all my runs. That's why I use paper. If Garmin ever figures out how to let runners manually enter training, I will use the Training Center.
All in all, it's a very good device, and I'm sure it's the best in the market. However, I can not give it a 5 star rating because I see all the things that Garmin can do better.
Customer Review: Good companion for tracking workouts
Summary: 4 Stars
Overall I like my Garmin 405cx. I've had it for just about a year.
Pros:
ANT+ is fantastic, no more interference from other monitors! I also like the display on the unit and how configurable it is. It's somewhat smaller than other GPS units and I can use it for running or cycling. It has more features for the runner than the cyclist, but overall it still has what I need. I get about 6 hours of logging with the GPS turned on - not bad. They should make more mention of Garmin Connect, the place where your workouts are tracked. It's a great way to see what you've done and also check out what others are doing. I found several new places that I didn't know about. And it's really cool when it can export your data and you can do flybys of it in Google Earth! I have a heartrate monitor and cadence sensor sending data to it. No issues at all.
Cons:
The touch bezel was a novel concept, but it needs work. Sometimes it's super sensitive, other times I circle the entire bezel twice before I can get anything to advance. By pushing both buttons on the side you can activate a locking feature so the bezel is inactive, but I frequently bump the bezel when trying to get it locked - this can be maddening when you're trying to concentrate on your workout instead of fiddling with what's on your wrist. The GPS is also pretty slow when you first turn it on, I frequently wait about 3 minutes for it to get a lock. That doesn't sound like a long time until you're standing at the end of the block waiting to start your workout.
The other point of frustration is the Garmin ANT Agent software that you use to get your workouts off your Forerunner. The software is awful. I am using it on a Mac and every time I put my computer to sleep, the Agent cannot see the dongle when it wakes up so I have to unplug and then plug it back in again. Also after about two weeks of sitting in the dock the agent eats up over a gigabyte of memory. No, that is not a typo. Sure - I can stop and start the agent but why should I have to? I'm hoping the Windows folks don't have these issues. Thankfully once your workouts are on Garmin Connect, it's pretty awesome.
There are now several places that carry this unit in store, my advice is to go and see if the bezel is right for you before you buy.
Customer Review: A great example of a lousy implementation!
Summary: 2 Stars
I had very high hopes for this watch, as I had the predecessor (the 305). I primarily bought this watch because I was looking for a sleeker profile, and the enhanced calorie calculation. While I can certainly admit that the two features I wanted are nice, the bezel on this watch mitigates anything good it offers. Seriously, it is that messed up. I saw the reviews that warned about the bezel control. But then, I saw a few that said it wasn't that big of a problem. Maybe it isn't for them, but I can say that the bezel is a HUGE problem for me.
Changing between functions on this watch requires that one makes his/her selection using the bezel. It is supposed to be touch-sensitive. It even has a setting for the sensitivity. Alas, the sensitivity is little more than eye candy. I can be in the middle of a run, and look down at the watch, and it has arbitrarily moved from one function to another on it's own. Depending on where it is, it isn't often as simple as touching the bezel again to get it back to the screen I desire. Sometimes, the watch ends up in a menu that requires a long touch of the bezel...somewhere in the neighborhood of 3-5 seconds. Other times, It refuses to do anything. Still other times, it buffers each touch...so it switches screens, back to the original, back to the other, etc.--commensurate with the number of times it was touched when it was "hung."
For a casual runner, this might not be a problem. But for people who want to have an ability to track progress (distance), time, heart rate, calorie burn throughout the run, it's a pain. It is particularly frustrating on a treadmill (which I am forced to use when I travel), and running at a relatively fast pace (12.5 km/h). Having to look down at the watch while trying to figure out how to get it back to where it should be distracts one from the primary goal of remaining balanced while on the treadmill.
The positives of the watch are the number of data points one can monitor, and its ability to upload the data to a computer. I also really like the foot pod, and soft-strap heart rate monitor. (Both sold separately; the watch comes with a rigid heart rate strap.)