Garmin Foretrex 201 GPS Receiver

Lowest Price

: 159.95

Brand

: Garmin

Model

: Foretrex 201

Reviewer: Michael J. Broom| Date:2009-06-08

I am very satisfied with this product. It is giving me what I need in my training. Th eonly negative is the battery life between charges is not as I expected.

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Reviewer: David Zink| Date:2009-06-07

Even though the pace timer is a littly jumpy I have shaved about 15 sec off of each mile. I have used the computer tracker to alter my Platoon's PT plan and all have improved. The watch is bulkie and if you want to know what time it is you should carry a magnifing glass.

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Reviewer: Lisa| Date:2009-06-01

Forerunner is amazing... It really motivates me to run faster and farther- So far I've managed to improve my times almost every run.
There's only 2 things I'd improve upon- It takes about a minute to finish "Searching for Satellites" in my area- no problem though, I just put it out on the porch while I tie up my running shoes. The other thing that gets on my nerves is inconsistancies in altitude. I've run the same route and the altitudes keep changing. I guess the satellites don't take their own elliptical orbits into account?
I specifically chose NOT to get one with a heart rate monitor- between my music, my forerunner, and my cell phone, running out the door when I'm pressed for time (always!)takes longer and longer. The last thing I need is another bit of electronics to obsess over.

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Reviewer: Weetabix| Date:2009-05-29

I kept this product for 1 day before returning it. The nike/ipod sensor had better distance accuracy than the gps unit. I live in the city and run among high rise buildings so maybe that is the problem. The provided software was archaic and the data was not mapped correctly often showing me 2 streets away from my actual location. Further, the distance readings were inaccurate by up to 1 kilometer (in the 3 runs I did whilst having the unit for 24 hours). I also tried the online interface and I was unable to upload any data successfully. I returned the unit the next day.

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Reviewer: Y. R. Wu| Date:2009-05-27

I bought the 201 when it first came out. It was head and shoulders above the Timex product with the remote arm pod and I would have rated it 5 stars back then because it was the best of it's kind. I even used it to go geocaching.

The problem is, I have to strongly recommend against anyone buying it today - I was "lucky" to have lost this kayaking a couple of years ago at which point I upgraded to the 305. It is SOOOOO much better that I have to now rate the 201 as one star in comparison. The 205 is the same but without heart rate.

First, the 101/201 had a very unusual shape. The 205/305 is a bulky watch but the looong 201 prevented you from wearing gloves - a real problem when skiing, cycling, etc.

Second - and more importantly, the 205/305 have the SIRF Star III Chipset which means it can lock on and hold the lock better.

Imagine if you will - you're all ready to run and pumped up - whoops, you now have to wait an extra few minutes to lock your position, otherwise it cannot tell you your speed, location, etc.

My old 201 locked on far faster than my running partner's Timex (He had to hang it on a tree while he was getting ready since it often took 5 minutes or more to lock.) the 305 can lock in 5-10 seconds most days while the 201 would lock in ~2 minutes *most* of the time but occasionally would take up to 5 minutes. If you were ~100 miles away from your prior location, the 201 would take up to 10 minutes to get a new lock. ARRRGGGGHH.

Also the 201 would lose lock all the time when running in even moderate tree cover or heavy clouds. With the 305 I can even get a lock in my house most of the time.

Finally, the 201 cannot lock IF YOU ARE MOVING! The 305 can lock even if you're riding a bicycle. I think I've even gotten a lock while driving.

Yes the 205 and 305 cost more but with the huge difference in functionality I find it astonishing that Garmin would continue to sell the 201 given how much better the 205 and 305 are.

p.s. Don't bother with the 405. Interesting concept but not practical. Read the reviews.

I use mine for cycling and running, the direct link to see your workouts mapped on GOOGLE EARTH is FANTASTIC!!!! (the included software is far more stable than the junk Polar included with their HRM's.) Note that GoogleMaps does work with the 101/201, it's Garmin' training center software that does the translation, though the 101/201 have less memory than the '05 series.

Heart rate strap with replaceable battery is coded and comfortable. It's better in my opinion than the Polar products (of which I've owned three)

I'd avoid the 405 unless you really want to use this watch as a normal day to day wristwatch (check out the 405 reviews)

My only complaint is that it's easy to leave it on and run the battery down - which is a bummer if you're just about to work out. I wish there was an "auto off" feature which would shut it down if it detects no movement or heart rate within an hour or so. Fortunately, with Li-Ion batteries, as little as a 10 minute charge gives you enough juice for a 90 minute run.


If you've found this review to be helpful, please let me know!

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Reviewer: K. Mcbride| Date:2009-06-14

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.

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Reviewer: Matthew Hill| Date:2009-06-08

Well to start off this review I like many others were very hesitant about purchasing this item due to alot of negative reviews. For me it was very hard to spend $350 on an electronic watch, but I am so glad that I did. I have been training with the nike + Ipod software and I will never look back. The nike + would sometimes be off by over a mile!!! Not this watch!!! When I recieved the product from amazon I unboxed it and the ant usb stick was broken so I called amazon and they 1 day shipped a whole new watch to me and told me to take whatever I needed out of the new watch in order to make my watch work!!!! Awesome customer service!!! I don't understand why so many people have so many issues locating satellites. I can locate one in about 10 seconds sitting inside my apartment. I took it hiking with me over the weekend in the deep hills and woods of Indiana on a 10 mile hike and lost the sattelite signal probably twice, but the satellites were able to track the lost distance and figure it into the total. The Garmin Connect software is alittle confusing at first to figure out, but once you get it going it is a very helpful training tool!!! I have very small wrists and it fits fine. I would highly reccomend purchasing this watch!!! You won't be dissapointed!!!!

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Reviewer: Orest Holubec| Date:2009-06-06

The one-star reviews baffle me. If my 405 didn't work whilst I was sweating, I'd send it back! That would be like an oven not cooking when it's hot! I've logged 1000+ indoor and (mostly) outdoor biking/running miles on mine, and yes, I've had problems with the uploads, but I figured them out. The solutions weren't always intuitive, but worth the time. I've found the folks at the help desk to be responsive when you can describe your problem (it doesn't upload is not descriptive enough for anyone to be helpful!) One-star folks, return your watch and buy a sundial.

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Reviewer: Bob-On-The -Go| Date:2009-06-04

I am an avid fan of Garmin's GPS devices for use in cars. They are very small, have loads of features and usually work flawlessly. The Forerunner 405 is another matter altogether. For one thing, it takes forever to locate satellites. Not good for someone who wants to come outside and start running immediately. Maybe it's because there are a lot of mature trees in my neighborhood, but so what ? If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. I also think the user interfaces are about as complicated as they can be. Try changing between them, let alone understanding the data, while running at an 8-minute mile pace. It virtually can't be done. I think this is one of those cases where technology has reached the Peter Principle. Garmin should stick to what it does best...making GPS devices for cars. I returned this after just one use. I have enough frustrations in my life that I have to deal with. I don't need to pay $350 to aquire a new one.

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Reviewer: T. Mullins| Date:2009-06-02

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.

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Reviewer: R. Sage| Date:2009-05-27

I bought the garmin 50 watch with heart monitor to help with my marathon training. I quickly learned that without the foot pod my experience was limited. So I went back and purchased the foot pod to go along with it and it has changed the way I run. The watch is comfortable, the heart monitor is not bothersome, and the foot pod is not even noticable. The watch with the associated software (and I have downloaded both the internet software and the desktop software) allow me to monitor heart rate, speed, distance run and step cadance. With this information I am able to get a better workout and determine appropriate pacing, and accurate distances. It also has pace alarms that let me know when I am running too slow or too fast. It can use heart rate alarms to alert me when my heart rate is too high, but I haven't used that feature yet. I like that I can view instantaneous pace information, time distance or heart rate at the push of a button. All in all, it was a very wise investment and I am thouroughly enjoying it.

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Reviewer: Michael S. Parmet| Date:2009-05-27

If you have any of the Garmin GPS products, this is a great compliment to those devices, especially for bikers who like to have additional feedback on their wrist.

A negative is in the operation, not the simplest to get to all the options when you are in a hurry, running, or biking, it must be set up before you start up. (i.e, you want to see your heart rate and time, it's easy to get to, but when you are running, not as easy to change as a pulsar watch).

Good device, syncs up well with other Garmin devices, but you do have to read the manual.

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Reviewer: Max Rockbin| Date:2009-05-10

I got this to replace an old Polar Heart rate mon.
POLAR was much more dependable for heart rate. This thing tended to lose the signal. The heart rate would read steadily for a while and then start jumping around. Since the EMTs never had to scrape me off the ground, I'm going to say the monitor was off (by 50 bps).

My unit came with the pedometer accessory and the battery was dead in that, so maybe it's nearly dead in the heart rate strap and that's the problem? Very frustrating to try to "mate" the watch to the sensors when the batteries are weak or dead.

It's easy to get lost in the maze of "Views" and "Modes". Since a lot of them just display zeroes it's difficult to know what mode or view you're in just at a glance (and who wants to stop?).
True, most of the time you will leave it on one view for one exercise, but what if you'd like to know your speed and heart rate? So far as I can tell, that doesn't show on any single screen.
Which sucks.

Maybe if the thing worked out of the box I would have been more tolerant of the scattershot instruction manual and not so friendly display.

On the plus side: IF you need the multi-sport, multi-sensor features, it's cheap. If you really just want a heart monitor or a pedometer or a bicycle cadence/speed display, you can do a lot better for less money.

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Reviewer: D. Dinnerville| Date:2009-05-08

I bought this to replace an old heart rate monitor. I love the wealth of features in the watch, compared to my old watch that just displayed my heart rate. The only downside I've discovered so far is that the heart rate doesn't seem to be picked up by cardio equipment at the gym like with my old monitor. Not a biggie, but nice to see it on the display instead of having to glance at my watch all the time.

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Reviewer: Kevin Boudreau| Date:2009-04-28

It should work so I'll save space and not mention what works (as it all should work and Garmin doesn't get bonus points for a product doing what it is supposed to do). The start stop button is on the side (at 3 O'clock position) and frequently it gets pushed by my arm/wristband during a workout so that it stops logging data. Now I have to frequently keep an eye on it to ensure it is running which is annoying not to mention that I lose workout data that I would like to have had logged. Data transfer often doesn't work (admittedly that might have something to do with Vista as well). Stopping and starting the service, rebooting my computer and switching the usb device to different ports is standard fare if you want to get data onto your computer. It will not pick up my heart rate until I am well into the workout (ie sweaty). This is something that is easy to correct by purchasing gel or getting the chest band wet first but this is something I never had to deal with when I used my older polar monitors. I wouldn't buy one again.

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Reviewer: Kyle de la Cruz| Date:2009-05-29

This item is the lower of the Forerunner series and it shows.

I wanted this item mainly for interval training and pacing. It is good for interval training and it is pretty easy to figure out the menu system. What I didn't like is the pacing information. If I went under a tree or a tunnel or anything blocking my view of the sky, the pacing would go out of whack.

It does take a while for the GPS signal to synchronize when you turn it on. It's a bit heavy and feels cumbersome sometimes when running.

I bought the lowest model and it shows... it does its job but at a mediocre level. If you want a more reliable training device, go with a higher model.

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Reviewer: Y. R. Wu| Date:2009-05-27

The 205 / 305 are about $50-$70 more than this but if you can afford to swing it, here is why you should buy those instead...

The 101 is identical except that is uses 2 AAA's instead of having an internal rechargeable battery.

I bought the 201 when it first came out (~7 years ago) It was head and shoulders above the Timex product with the remote arm pod and I would have rated it 5 stars back then because it was the best of it's kind. I even used it to go geocaching.

The problem is, I have to strongly recommend against anyone buying it today - I was "lucky" to have lost this kayaking a couple of years ago at which point I upgraded to the 305. It is SOOOOO much better that I have to now rate the 201 as one star in comparison. The 205 is the same but without heart rate.

First, the 101/201 have a very unusual shape. The 205/305 is a bulky watch but the looong 201 prevented you from wearing gloves - a real problem when skiing, cycling, etc.

Second - and more importantly, the 205/305 have the SIRF Star III Chipset which means it can lock on and hold the lock better.

Imagine if you will - you're all ready to run and pumped up - whoops, you now have to wait an extra few minutes to lock your position, otherwise it cannot tell you your speed, location, etc.

My old 201 locked on far faster than my running partner's Timex (He had to hang it on a tree while he was getting ready since it often took 5 minutes or more to lock.) the 305 can lock in 5-10 seconds most days while the 201 would lock in ~2 minutes *most* of the time but occasionally would take up to 5 minutes. If you were ~100 miles away from your prior location, the 201 would take up to 10 minutes to get a new lock. ARRRGGGGHH.

Also the 201 would lose lock all the time when running in even moderate tree cover or heavy clouds. With the 305 I can even get a lock in my house most of the time.

Finally, the 101/201 cannot lock IF YOU ARE MOVING! The 305 can lock even if you're riding a bicycle. I think I've even gotten a lock while driving.

Yes the 205 and 305 cost more but with the huge difference in functionality I find it astonishing that Garmin would continue to sell the 201 given how much better the 205 and 305 are.

p.s. Don't bother with the 405. Interesting concept but not practical. Read the reviews.

I use mine for cycling and running, the direct link to see your workouts mapped on GOOGLE EARTH is FANTASTIC!!!! (the included software is far more stable than the junk Polar included with their HRM's.

Heart rate strap with replaceable battery is coded and comfortable. It's better in my opinion than the Polar products (of which I've owned three)

I'd avoid the 405 unless you really want to use this watch as a normal day to day wristwatch (check out the 405 reviews)

My only complaint is that it's easy to leave it on and run the battery down - which is a bummer if you're just about to work out. I wish there was an "auto off" feature which would shut it down if it detects no movement or heart rate within an hour or so. Fortunately, with Li-Ion batteries, as little as a 10 minute charge gives you enough juice for a 90 minute run.

If you've found this review to be helpful, please let me know!

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Reviewer: Jason Distel| Date:2009-04-08

This thing is great. There were some reviews that bashed it. I have had it for about 2 months & haven't had a single problem yet. The day I got it, it was overcast. Some reviews said it doesn't work with overcast. It worked fine. I got rechargeable batteries for it & they last for about 8-9 hours, then I change them if they are down to 1 bar. Very accurate too. No matter the distance, when I turn around & stop where I started, it is almost right on, give or take 10 feet. This is close enough for me when I am doing 6-10 miles each run. Love it.

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Reviewer: Reuben A. Waters| Date:2009-04-02

this thing eats batteries every 4hours when it did work. now it only searches for signals and the only way to turn it off is to take out the batteries. i tried to get in contact with garmin but they dont respond. leave this thing a lone.

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Reviewer: JMW in OKC| Date:2009-03-13

This is a great, low-end priced product to use for keeping time and pace on long runs. It's a great training tool and very easy to use. The only trouble I've had with mine is that it did not catch the satellite signal in the midst of tall downtown buildings during the beginning of a 1/2 marathon. Therefore, my timing was off by just a few minutes when it caught the signal about 1/2 mile into the race. Also, be sure to have fresh batteries on hand - the batteries only last about 10 hours or so. Otherwise, I would highly recommend this product for the serious (but not over-serious) runner!

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Reviewer: C. Payne| Date:2009-05-06

I bought this in Nov 2008, and had to send it back in Feb 2009 because the rubber buttons fell off. Turnaround was very quick and efficient, I must admit.

HOWEVER! Today the faceplate popped off, exposing the GPS aerial! I have asked Suunto for a refund, but God only knows how successful that will be.

I would rate this product as zero stars if that were possible. I heard Suunto has a good reputation. Maybe their other watches are great, but I can only speak for this one, and it's rubbish.

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Reviewer: M. Johnson| Date:2009-03-27

Don't have much to say as I bought this for my nephew going to Iraq and figured it was the best all around mobile navigation tool I could get him. We'll see . . .

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Reviewer: CC| Date:2009-03-24

I have been researching this watch since the X9i(first model) . I guess I expected too much. The first watch that I had was sent back because the barometer went out as well as the face steaming up. All I exposed it to was a car wash and normal shower. Not what I expected for $400+ watch. Sent it back and got another one. Within a week the coating used on the black part of face is flaking off. I looked at every review and still ordered the watch. I love the look of the watch and make no mistake it is very cool. I wanted it to wear everyday because of the large face and it looks cool. I would just like to caution everyone else. It is not very durable, and this was a lot of money for me. I really thought because of the high price and the rugged look, I would not have to worry about it. That is not the case. I find myself constantly checking it after it gets wet to make sure it is not fogged up. I like the watch it just lacks some durability issues for everyday wear. If you are a gadget guy or girl you will like the watch, just be aware that it is not a timex and does not handle be bumped and beat around very well. I also forsee some issues with the seals, they do not fit well. If you are even remotely hard on watches, I would not purchase this watch if you are looking for an everyday watch. Hope this helps someone else.

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Reviewer: Tatiana| Date:2009-01-14

I bought this watch for my husband who is a total weather buff. He LOVES being able to monitor the barometric pressure as storms roll in.

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Reviewer: Homero Barros| Date:2009-01-09

I Needed a precision GPs, easy to use and thought this would be the one.
then I tested it again my Garmin Zümo 550 and the Forerunner 305 and the Suunto was the least precise one. If you need it for keep tracking of your path and precision is not necessary, it is a nice gadget. I am sure new models should improve accuracy.

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Reviewer: Kenneth G. Semans| Date:2009-05-22

I ordered a Garmin 405 because my brother had one and it looked like a great tool for tracking all my runs. Once I got pass the initial setup, the watch works like a charm. It tracks more than I could have imagined. Great watch.

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Reviewer: Running Free| Date:2009-05-14

I struggled with the set up and getting the touch for the bezel, but I was guided by the Garmin support team to get set up with my computer and watch. The online training videos are excellent. I used the email help, phone support, and the on-line videos, and I am impressed by the support!! As a training tool, I am extremely happy. It is the training piece I was missing!

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Reviewer: Zsuzsanna Francia| Date:2009-05-04

Excellent product. Very sleek and easy to use. Even my technology-challenged boyfriend figured it out easily. Also, it's very accurate and I love to use it!

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Reviewer: L. Knight| Date:2009-05-01

I've had my 405 for about a year and have trained for and run a marathon, several half marathons, and a few triathons with it. It has stopped working for no reason twice now. It has gotten moisture inside it. The buttons are very sensitive and that is quite annoying. AND..... I have rarely been able to actually transfer the workouts from the watch to the computer. It has a lot of bugs and that is extremely dissapointing.
BUT- when it works, I love it! I like the size, the cool factor, the touch bezel, and all the features. But the drawbacks have me wondering what to get now that my 405 is dead. I can't train without my satellites, but this thing is very annoying.

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Reviewer: GI Joe| Date:2009-04-16

I've used the 305 for two years and recently purchased the 405 for my wife. It is smaller and easily fits her wrist. After running with it for a few months we can give an honest report. The touch bezel has a mind of its own, sometimes it just make selecting the different screens a frustrating experience. I find the buttons on the 305 much easier for screen selection.

On the 305 there a various alerts such as the distance alert. I have yet to find this feature on the 405.

It is difficult to download the 405s log using the Garmin Training Center. I also cannot get the Garmin Updater to connect with the 405.

I'll stick with my 305.

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