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: Excellent product
Summary: 5 Stars
I have used this watch for 2 weeks now, and I am almost 100 percent satisfied with it.
First of all, it is very easy to use. After 15 minutes I knew how to access most of its features.
The touch bezel works great. Even when it was raining I was able to use it with no trouble at all.
The battery life is not great, but it's ok. It takes about 3 one-hour workouts (5 days) to wear out the battery.
The GPS is not 100 percent accurate, but it is good too. Sometimes the map shows my route as if I had been taking shortcuts through the bushes. I would rate its accuracy as been 8/10. It's my first GPS device though, I don't know if they are all like that.
The heart rate monitor is excellent, much better then my Polar. It's more accurate (doesn't show absurd values like the Polar does sometimes) and it allows you to change the battery instead of having to buy a new one when the battery dies.
Another great thing about this watch is that it allows you to select the data fields that you want to view during your workout. So, you can configure up to 3 sets of data with 3 fields on each one to view during the exercise. You can either change the data sets by touching the bezel or configure the watch to rotate through them.
The data transmission to the computer is very nice, too. You only have to stick the usb receiving device into your computer and it detects the watch and retrieves the data.
So, after all that, I can say that it was a great purchase, and I recommend it for anyone who likes running and gadgets.
Customer Review: Good watch but you MUST by foot POD
Summary: 3 Stars
Before I start a bit of a background about my expedience: I am a web developer hence used to computer user interaction. I had the watch for over a month now and run around 75km with it. I am 43 years of age. My main usage is for running.
My observations are:
1. Hard to read while running. I recently started using reading glasses. I find the 3 field display too small to see and the other options good but I cannot read the text. So if I scroll the page (there are up to 4 pages you customize) it is hard to tell which page is it.
2. The bazzel operation while running is a bit hard.
3. The GPS is totaly off in the vicinity of any obstraction building or trees.
4. The HR measurement is a bit strange. I thought it was working fine until yesterday I run a hard trail through the woods and the GPS was off and also the HR. How they or why are these two connected I am not sure but take a look at my HR here: [...]. My HR is around 161, which is totally wrong. I am trying to figure it out with support.
5. The watch has a problem that is not covered in the manual; if you travel around the world you need to reset the satellites and reacquire in the new location. Otherwise the watch will take a very long time to acquire satellites each time you start running. Not a big deal if you are aware of it.
My conclusion is positive BUT you HAVE to buy a foot pod with this device. Unless you live are in very rural area with no trees and building are spaced really nice from each there. so the real cost is more that just the watch!
PS: just ordered the foot pod.
Customer Review: No more Polars for me!
Summary: 5 Stars
I want to start off by saying I'm a longtime user of Polar watches - I've owned about 4 or 5. Yes, the design is cooler and can easily be worn as an everyday watch but it gets really old having to send in your product whenever something as small as a battery needs to be replaced. After the last time I had to send off my watch, I decided to look into an alternative and Garmin was where I looked first. I was specifically looking for a model that tracked my calories based on heart rate and also tracked my running speed/pace. I read so many reviews on the Garmin Forerunner 405CX and was a little leery about how complicated this watch seemed to be to operate. Nonetheless, I made the purchase last week and have used it 3 times now and I absolutely love it!
Here are some suggestions based on other reviews:
* Read the manual. There was one comment about how it takes a PhD to figure out this watch - I spent about 30 minutes setting up the watch and screens I want to be able to view on my runs and I was good to go.
* For issues with the bezel - the sensitivity settings can up adjusted: high, medium, low and you can lock the bezel so that the screens don't change.
Bottom line, this watch is amazing! It's cool to be able to upload your workouts and see such detail. Not a huge plus but I do like the fact that I don't have to wear a foot pod to track my running speed/pace outdoors. The Garmin Forerunner 405CX is pricier than what I paid for my Polar R300SX but the capabilities the Garmin Forerunner 405CX has just runs circles around the Polar!
Customer Review: Awesome
Summary: 5 Stars
First and foremost, do not expect to be able to just put it on and it will work properly. Like anything that costs a bit more, you have to read the instructions. So if you cannot follow directions then you will have a heck of a time trying to use it. I took it on a test run just so I could get a feel for it.
The only problem I had with it was that it wasn't connecting to the satelites in order for the GPS to work. I had to go back in and re-read the instructions.
*Note- If you want to use the GPS, make sure the power save mode is off because that mode interferes with the satelites.*
Once I figured out the satelites, it took several minutes for the watch to locate them, which kind of sucks if its cold outside. You have to stand still until it picks up on the satelites.
Also, make sure the GPS is turned off while you are inside because it will try to connect to the satelites and use up your battery life.
There are so many neat features on this watch but what I thought was so cool was auto-pause setting. This feature will pause your watch if you get below a certain speed. This is good for when you are at stoplights.
I also liked how the watch is set up to transmit your watch data wirelessly. Once transmitted, you can go on garmin connect and view your results.
This is a complicated device, but once you have it all set up and figured out, it's very easy to use. I really recommend this watch to anyone who wants something that will help them with their training and to track their progress.
Customer Review: Garmin rebate
Summary: 4 Stars
The first point of this review is actually to let people know that Garmin is offering a (...) rebate on this unit (blue only and 405 non-CX models) if purchased between 2/1/10 and 5/31/10 (...); I only found out about this offer accidentally when price checking on another site.
Now, the actual review - note, this is the first GPS unit for running that I have used, so I don't have any basis for comparison. I also haven't spent too much time with the unit yet, as I wanted to post the above rebate info asap.
The unit is bulky, but light. I immediately swapped out the plastic wristband for one of the velcro bands, which is definitely more comfortable. The touch bezel that seems to be the source of much angst is a little flighty, and I'm still getting used to it. Controls are not immediately intuitive, but one run through the owner's manual pretty much got me up to speed. The customizable data fields that display during training are really cool. No problems pairing with HRM, acquiring GPS satellites, or pairing with ANT. GPS works as expected.
Two software options are available: Garmin Connect (online) and Garmin Training Center (downloaded from Garmin, installed on your computer). Training Center offers more detailed information and data tools for analyzing your workouts; however, the website is better with street maps (uses Google Maps), so this may be better if you do a lot of street running in a heavily populated area and you want to keep track of your routes. You can use either, or both.