Garmin - Descent Mk2S

>I had the mk2i and upgraded to the Mk3i. The flashlight is amazing for getting around the house at night or finding something under the couch.  I use it to get dressed for runs in the dark and not wake my wife up lol. Also BATTERY LIFE.

Had the mk2i for a couple years as my daily driver, the thing was absolutely bulletproof. I was a stone mason by trade and that watch kept up unbelievably well. Dove with it several times and loved its simplicity with the garmin dive app. When the mk3i came out, I got it and gave the mk2i to my 18 yo nephew who is probably harder on it then I ever was! I’m 100% sold on the durability of the design, and I love the always lit up feature of the mk3i, not to mention the 11 day battery. Not sure what they’ll have to do for me to upgrade next, but I’m totally here for it. The new Fenix’s have a pretty legit depth rating now as well.

I have the Garmin Mk2i and it is awesome. I run, shoot, fish, snowboard, hike and swim. The Mk3 is only better. The dive computer rocks too!

My Garmin has been accurate. I have an mk2i because I also dive, but I learned the swimming features from a you tube video teaching a Forerunner. The software appears to be the same. My watch is most accurate when I complete lengths without stopping. If you're stopping in the middle of a length to do something other than swimming, I think you're going to get poor accuracy. But if you punch through your lengths wall to wall it will be great. You mentioned ecosystems. Trying to upcharge folks that might feel somewhat locked into an ecosystem is unfortunately de rigueur on Wall Street. Apple is doing it and that sucks (my wife is locked into their ecosystem big time), but Garmin is doing it too. They've introduced subscriptions to Connect and Explore, two of the Garmin apps my device uses, in the last year. They're easing into it, and people are complaining, so hopefully it doesn't get too bad, but when you're comparing Apple to Garmin I wouldn't give one company the advantage over another in terms of treating customers well who have sunk costs in the ecosystem. As a Garmin owner obviously I hope to be able to say something different in a year or two, but for now my opinion is that they're both trying to screw people over. In the meantime if you're you're concerned about ecosystems I've heard Suunto is finally back in the game and treating people right. I haven't run one since the '90s, so I can't give advice, but maybe do some research on that if ecosystems are a big concern.

After owning several Suunto dive computers, I’d recommend looking elsewhere. They are fine computers but they’re overly conservative and their custom service is atrocious. They also had several hardware issues with some of their console computers that left a bad taste in my mouth. For what you’re looking for, the Garmin Descent product line would be a better match.

People have to stop comparing these. These are for two different people. I would never wear an Apple Watch based on battery life alone. I specifically got the Garmin for a wrist based gps and mapping tool to track and orient myself. You buy an Apple Watch to use smart features and be connected to your phone. Garmin has never been in that market. It’s a whole company based on gps systems for outdoor activities . You buy an Apple Watch to have Apple ecosystem. you can’t use half the feature of the fenix on an iPhone bc they only want you to use their watch… Garmin are all specifically made for their audience even down the the model . Apple watches are just to keep you plugged into your phone and have no bearing on actual outdoor activities despite calling it ultra. The Millitary has been orienteering with Garmin wrist based gps systems forever. You’d never catch an Apple Watch on patrol in Afghanistan. 😂