Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS Receiver With Heart Rate Monitor
by Garmin
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List Price: Our Price: $234.99 You Save: $65.00 (22%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $150.00 (click here) Category: GPS or Navigation System See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS Receiver With Heart Rate Monitor
Customer Review: So far, so great...
Summary: 5 Stars
FYI: I am a pretty casual runner (9½ min miles), hitting the road 3-4 times a week averaging maybe 4 miles a run. I bought the Forerunner primarily as an electronic diary, and to compete virtually with friends too far away to meet up with. I've only had the Forerunner for a few months.
This is one of those products that I have never regretted buying, not for one second. I would give it 4½ stars if I could as the Training Center (TC) software is so weak. Why are the TC maps so bad when the Garmin Connect maps so good? However, it does all that I expected of it and has helped me in ways I did not expect (thus the 5 stars). I find myself watching my pace to make sure I'm not overdoing it at the beginning of a run which helps me feel much better at the end of a run. And it's been a great motivator as I love to see new runs posted on the Garmin Connect web site. I've also enjoyed the Autolap feature that breaks my runs into 1 mile segments (customizable) allowing me to compare the early and late miles.
Pluses:
' While there is no doubt that it is big, I don't find it annoying or bothersome (this concerned me prepurchase).
' Tracking is great - I can see where I cross a street, etc.
' HRM data seems pretty good. No weird dropouts, but very very occasionally there is a small spike near the start of a run (I wonder if I properly prep'd the HRM strap).
' Price - Amazon was asking ~$150 when I got mine - that's not too much more than some higher end HRM's.
Minuses:
' The Garmin Training Center software is horrible - fortunately there are much better freeware/donationware programs out there like SportTracks.
' Sometimes the elvation data can be... off. It had me 40 feet under water once while kayaking.
' Under solid canopies of trees (one trail I use in particular) the pace data can be off a bit - has me running 8min then 12min miles when I've been pretty steady. As I'm not trying to win races, it's no big deal for me.
As a casual user, I haven't tried the more advanced features like intervals or target zones, etc. All things considered, I love it.
Customer Review: Forerunner 305 for Mountainbiking
Summary: 5 Stars
I just started to track my exercises with a training devise; therefore I cannot tell you too much about what expectations a professional might set. However, after doing an extensive market research and reading many customer reviews I finally bought the Garmin Forerunner 305. So far I was using it just once but this allows me best to give a feedback on my first impression.
When I opened the package I was positively surprised by the size of the devise. It was smaller than I expected. As I am not a big fan of reading for hours user manuals I tested how difficult the set-up of the Forerunner is by not looking into the handbook at all. I have to tell you, that it is really self-explanatory and easy to set-up. The buttons are a little hard to push, so both hands are needed. My first exercise was on the mountain bike. Finding the GPS satellites took me about 3 minutes, much longer than described in the handbook (I looked it up later...) which says 30-60 seconds. Slightly irritating to me were the altimeter results which jumped 20-30 meters up and down while standing and therefore I have my doubts on its accuracy. When I later looked up in Google Earth the route I was doing it was shown accurately including the off-road parts. Also all the other training results seem to be accurate enough for my needs. Bottom line I am very happy with the functionalities this devise is offering. It is a very compact tool and I am looking forward to take it out again soon.
Now after using the Forerunner 305 for some weeks on my mountain bike tours I have to add some experience I made. Very positive turned out the battery life. According to Garmin, the battery lasts for 10 hours. I made the experience that my battery works longer than 15 hours which is 50% longer! What I do frequently is discharging the battery completely and re-charges it afterwards.
This weekend I have noticed that the rubber coated part of my Forerunner is starting to peal of. This might come from as on hard trails the Forerunner is shaking constantly against my hand. I am now thinking to buy the handle bar mount and hope that this will stop the ribbing.
Customer Review: The Garmin 305 is an excellent tool - very recommended
Summary: 5 Stars
I have had my 305 for a couple of months and I love it. This is the best tool I have ever used for tracking runs with heart rate, mileage, and pace statistics all right there at your finger tips. When you combine this device with the Motionbased web site (free) you really can not beat it. Yes it is expensive but for what it does it really rocks!!!
My experience is that I have no problems connecting to satellites and in fact I can even pick them up when sitting here inside my office. On two occasion since I've had the unit I have had to reboot it to get it to find the satellites but other than those two time it always connects within about 15 to 20 seconds. If fact it works so well that I've stopped sitting it on the ground and now I just leave it strapped to my arm and let it locate the satellites because it is so quick. As for keeping the GPS siginal I've had no problem. I run in the woods under trees and I have yet to lose my GPS signal and when the data is applied to the map functions in Motionbased it is spot on. It is amazing how well this thing works.
The complaint I have seen several people make about the unit not measuring altitude correctly is mostly resolved by using the Motionbased web site to correct the altitude readings. My unit is always +- 10 feet from one day to the next which is close enough for my purpose.
The one problem I have had (mostly operator error) is that when I'm done running I will press the stop button, the unit confirms the counter has stopped, but on two occasions when I've gone to up load the data I found that the unit kept tracking me all the way home and then kept running even in my house. The end result is that I ended up with about 20 hours of data which was a complete waste and of course had to be discarded as useless. Now I always make sure I turn the unit completely off when I'm done working out so that this does not happen any more. Problem solved.
Bottom line is that I'd buy it again with out thinking twice and I'd highly recommend it to anyone that is interested in tracking their performance over time. It actually makes working out more fun.
Customer Review: Watch really changes the way your train
Summary: 5 Stars
I got the Garmin Forerunn 305 about 2/3 of the way through my training plan for my first Half Marathon. It made a *huge* difference, and I just wish I had gotten one sooner!
One of the important things to know first is that there are several screens available for you to customize, depending on what kind of data you wish to see while you workout. You can choose up to 4 different data fields to see in a single screen, and you have a few screens that you can go back and forth with while you workout.
The GPS works very well, and even if it takes a few minutes for the signal initially to lock, it hasn't dropped on me during a run yet. The navigation options are great and can record several locations, so you don't have to worry about getting lost.
A few caveats, which are not covered in the manual, but which I found after trial & error and searching in forums:
-you cannot use data other than HRM or time if you are working out indoors. If the watch cannot get a GPS signal, it cannot track your calories burned or distance traveled.
-you should be careful to record your workouts under the appropriate "sport," whether running, biking, or multisport. If you record a run, for example, under "multisport" by mistake, you cannot edit it or change it so that it appears under "run." (That seems to be a unfortunate oversight in the Garmin Training Center software.)
The size of the watch is not prohibitive, but it does irritate and bruise my wrist bone, so I wear it upside down with the unit face on the palm side of my wrist. That makes it much more comfortable, and it doesn't affect the GPS signal at all--though I do tilt it upward while I am initially trying to get a signal.
The interval options are really customizable, and are perfect for tempo runs and fartleks. The Virtual Partner option is really fun and works very well--it offers you several screens of data to choose from as you race your previous self.
All in all, this watch is worth it at full price, but if you can grab it on sale (like I did on Amazon!), it's REALLY worth it.
Customer Review: Excellent training tool
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm delighted with the performance and functionality my new Garmin 305. I bought it from amazon for $100 less than the lowest price I've seen elsewhere, so I also consider it to be a real bargin.
Its very easy to use, and is impressively sensitive. When I opened the box, I pressed the 'power on' and was surprised to see it lock onto satellite signals, even though I was indoors (and my house is surrounded by trees). So, there is no problem getting a signal outdoors (at least here in N. California). I've just worn it for a run along my neighborhood streets - the GPS distinguished between me being on opposite sides of the street for the outward and homeward legs.
In terms of size, the watch is reasonably bulky, but, it fits well on my wrist, and the soft rubber strap is comfortable in use. I like that it now looks more like a regular watch than the earlier 301 model.
The software does everything I want it to do, and a lot more besides. I'm an Apple Mac person, and I've not found any problems with the software running under OS X (I belive the Mac software is a recent development).
The readout is clear, and easy to read. Especially at night when its illuminated.
Moreover, you can configure the readout to display all the information you want, and eliminate the stuff you don't care about.
I've not used a fraction of the Garmin's capabilities, such as the training partner mode, etc. But, in time, I think these will be very useful.
All in all, I'm very happy with this purchase. I'm guessing I will use it every time I run or cycle. I doubt I will ever need to upgrade to get better/additional functionality. More than likely, I will upgrade to the next (or later) generations of the Garmin when the size shrinks to that of a normal watch, and the battery can last a lot longer (it would be nice to be able to take the watch with me on vacation, and not have to worry about remembering the charger).
Bottom line: If you run, or even walk, for exercise, fun, or competition, the Garmin is well worth the cost.