UKH

Afternoon all,

Im thinking of getting a new running watch.  I started with the original Suunto Ambit, then to a FR620 and now the owner of a FR630.  I use this watch for daily activity tracking (steps) running and tracking my hill walking activity.  I have a separate HRM for all the fitness and health stats.

Im looking at the newer watches for two/three reasons and would welcome folks' opinions. 

Firstly, I'm keen on the Strava Live Segment.  How does this actually work i.e. does it pre-load segments from Strava such that when you get to the start of the segment it beeps at you and lets you see how you are doing against your previous best effort?  How does this actually work?

The second interest is the optical HRM.  Whilst I appreciate that the straps are generally seen as more accurate, are the watch-based optical ones any good i.e. good enough for a keen hobbyist like me.  My primary reason for wanting a wrist based option is to track my calories expended during the day, not just whilst running as I need to lose a little weight.  I also need to lower my resting heart rate.  Does the device collect this type of data.

The final element I have seen which I like the look of is the mapping (only on the 5X).  Given that I take a phone and map with me into the hills (plus my 630 to measure the activity) is the mapping on the 5X a gimmick rather than being any good?  OK, getting my phone/map out when I'm on the hills is a bit of a faff and so having this data on the wrist would appear to have its benefits.  That said, is the size of the screen on the watch so small as to render it useless and is the mapping OS 1;25 000 scale or a different level of detail?  How is it updated and does it update regularly?  Is it OS mapping (or equivalent) so that it also shows the byways, footpaths etc.

I like the technology so part of me would buy this to have the newest features however as they are £440* and £530* respectively which is a major jump from the 630 I bought two years ago, I wonder whether I simply stay with map/phone/630 and save a some loot given that I can do all the things I want to now, albeit somewhat more clunkily.

Do these newer watches have anything else which would appeal that I have missed.

*I would expect to be able to get £150-200 back for my watch/strap combo on eBay to put against any new watch.

Thanks

Richard

My wife has just got some sort of mini HAL 9000 on her wrist in rose gold and sapphire crystal, I believe it is a Fenix of some sort.  Wrist based heart rate works well for her which surprised me as she has slim wrists and I thought is might struggle.  I just wish I could pair it with MY phone as well so I'd also be told when she was stressed, how much sleeps she's had, what sort and how good, not sure if it does moods but probably and that would be helpful too.  It is a technical marvel and she clutches is like Gollum holds the one ring.

You know you want it.

Good luck and enjoy.

Toby

P.S She's definitely running faster!

New Fenix watches were announced today. Why they think I am going to replace my current one after 3 years I don't know, but received several adverts by email.

This might benefit the OP though as I bet the price of the current generation Fenix5 series will drop when the new ones come out.

For the OP:

I have a Fenix 5s - I love it!  I can't comment on Strava as I don't use it and I can't contrast with the other watch you were interested in. 

The optical heart rate is not accurate but it is consistent, so for tracking relative to your own baseline it is fine - just don't expect it to be comparable with anyone else.   I can get charts of my low and resting heart rate over 1 week, 4 week or 12 month periods by default and you can extract the data to get more fancy if you want.   It will track calories burnt and divide them up into active and resting calories.  I don't know how accurate this is.  You can also link to another app to supplement this information by tracking calorie intake if this is important to you.

Only breadcrumb trail mapping is available on the 5s so I can't comment on the mapping functions of the 5x.  I installed an app on mine that gives me my current location as an OS grid reference and have used this once or twice to relocate myself on a paper map in poor visibility.  Of course there are phone apps that also do this, but I find the watch is more convenient and the battery life is better.

Can the 5s not do this without an app? My Fenix 3 can, as can the 630/635?

I have had my Fenix 5x for about a year now and I love it! It was a steep learning curve how to fully utilise the features/menus but nowadays it all "makes sense". My main discipline is road cycling followed by running, then swimming and finally "family riding/walking". The activity tracking works very well with custom profiles for each activity. This means you can have different screens etc setup for each activity that are meaningful to you. I use various ANT+ sensors and they all play nicely with the watch.

I do use the maps when I'm in unfamiliar territory and it has come it useful when I have assumed I'm taking the right route but the maps says otherwise. On holiday it is also useful for finding local attractions (pubs). The phone also does work for this but I do have periods of abstinence from my phone. You can also add 'free' maps if you need contours! The UK version doesn't come with a contour map of the UK. The U.S. version does (of the U.S.).

Battery life on the 5x is the longest of the 3 models (5s, 5, 5x). For normal day to day use it will go for over 2 weeks before it needs a charge. Charging is fairly quick. Less than an hour.

Happy to answer any specific questions you may have.

I like my 5X, though I probably don't use 90% of the features, and have the smartwatch notifications permanently switched off. The mapping is great, and I have a full set of OS maps loaded onto mine. Downsides are that it weighs a fecking tonne.

What OS version is this?

Is the mapping crisp and easy to read on a small screen?

As others have said, this is very interesting.  What are the new versions as a quick quint on the Garmin website seems to have the just the current crop?

Edit: just done a general search rather than on their website (I'll go to DC Rainmaker shortly too) and there are suggestions of next Feb for a smaller, less bulky replacement for the 5X.  They seem to be heading in the Garmin Pay/music direction which would not be of interest to me.  Perhaps a scaledd down version without this would be less costly.

Thanks for that, Kathryn.

This is what I was sent:

f?nix 5 Plus series — off and running

Beat yesterday is your mantra. And it’s ours, too. We’ve enhanced our f?nix® 5 series of premium multisport GPS watches to help you push new limits — with Plus versions that bring TopoActive Europe maps, music and more along for the adventure.

The link however does not work this afternoon!

Garmin website has the new ones. They are the "plus" models and cost ~£150 more.

eg. 5X Plus https://buy.garmin.com/en-GB/GB/p/603229 

Ah, I see, so the Garmin Pay plus music ones, which wont be useful to me.  One commentator has suggested that Feb next year is a likely release of the new 6 series.  Im wondering whether I make do until then.

Has anyone used the Strava Live Segment?

They also have maps on all of them instead of just the 5X, so if you fancy a smaller watch.....

DCRainmaker has the the extras, as always:

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2018/06/garmin-fenix5-plus-5s-5x-in-depth-revie...

In newer models, they have removed some of the functionality that was only used by a small subset of people and turned those things into apps that you can install if you need them.  I guess the aim is to prevent the watches from becoming too bloated as they try to cater for every possible desire.  The apps are easy to install and use so I don't have a problem with this if it prevents my watch becoming overly slow and complicated to use.

Now that's interesting. I bought OS branded maps 'Discoverer' for my Fenix directly from Garmin, but now these only appear to be available on an SD card, which won't work.

Garmin now sell what they call 'Topo Pro' and 'Birds Eye Select' which appear to be rebranded OS maps either regionally or by tile.

I do use the Strava Live Segments. It works by using either the Garmin Connect website or the Garmin Connect app and you "favourite" a segment. When you are then performing an activity the watch will then give you a notification and countdown in time/distance to the beginning of the segment. This allows you to 'get ready'. The data screen then changes as you hit the segment to allow you to gauge your progress though the segment. A nice feature is that rather than having to look at the numbers to gauge your progress the background will be 'white' if you are either on pace or ahead and black if you are behind. It also flashes up the name of the current segment record holder. It's quite motivating if you know the person Live Segments only alert if you 'star' them. Segments don't 'work' if you are navigating on-top of recording an activity.

You asked whether the map was crisp. It is but it is also reasonably small. The pan/scroll/zoom implementation is surprisingly good and I have even managed to plot a course whilst away from my phone/computer. It took a bit longer but it was easily doable and I wasn't cursing. I would say the course plotting is a 'get out of jail free' type feature. For normal course plotting I would use a PC/Mac (or/and a paper map).

Here are some very quick screenshots - https://photos.app.goo.gl/mQZLDh1F17U88Cmh7

You can see the 'dots' on the top right button which switch between pan/scroll/zoom and then the 2 bottom left buttons move the screen around.

I dont understand this, Kermi.  If its Strava Live Segments, why do you do it through the Garmin Connect app.  I look at both Garmin and Strava and the segments dont match.  Is there a way of starring the segments in Strava for the same effect as this is the app I use the most?

Does it not sync the segments when you connect for a data transfer or would that be too difficult given the huge number of segments created on Strava. 

This feature isnt that clear to me.

Can you pull it in as a field in an activity? I have it as a field on one of my screens when out and about, it's quite handy just to flip to the second screen and have it there.

I guess with all the plus models having maps this would be a built in function again.

When using segments you use either Garmin Segments OR Strava Segments. This is set on the Garmin Connect Dashboard (website) as to which you would like to use. You can't mix them.

Just re-read your message. Yes, if you are using Strava segments then you favourite through Strava.

Gotcha

Yes, you can - I have it set as a field on the profile I use for hillwalking.

I am not sure.  The version of the 5s that I have will give you GPS coordinates as standard and the app just converts those to OS.  I guess that in addition to preventing software bloat, this means that Garmin don't have to worry about setting up watches differently for sale in different countries - if you live in or visit the UK you can just load the app (and take it off again when you leave if you are visiting).  Of course with maps this is more complex and I don't know how this would work for different countries - but if they are setting the watches up differently out of the box for different countries then OS coordinates could well come back for watches sold in the UK.

You can customise all fields in any of the profiles (Bike, Walk, Run, Swim etc.)

Because location was mentioned I have changed one of the screens to show both Lat/Lon and OS

https://photos.app.goo.gl/dB9zULy4KZ6ims928

I use mine to supplement and enhance my time outside but at the end of the day a paper map doesn't go flat (but it can get wet/blownaway )

Edit: The photos make it look bigger than it is.It is big, but not THAT big.

Good stuff.

My Fenix 3 just has a big list of all the international coordinate systems and you pick whichever one you want, so if I'm abroad, I just change it to the appropriate system.