Garmin - epix (Gen 2) Sapphire Edition

[The Garmin Epix Gen 2 is on sale at slightly above your budget.](https://www.basspro.com/p/garmin-epix-gen-2-gps-smartwatch?hvarAID=shopping_googleproductextensions&ds_e=GOOGLE&ds_c=BPS%7CShopping%7CPMax%7CHunting%7CHunting%7CNAud%7CGoogle%7CNMT&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=19856022628&gclid=Cj0KCQjw0erBBhDTARIsAKO8iqS3tLPdLpBQmqWoGh7iR9yHF81EXJ-3xG5we8_2vS-FHr91E8VraeoaAmgsEALw_wcB) This is an $800 watch that's on sale for a hair under $450. I got mine on sale at Cabelas and have no regrets.

My 1mo experience with my Epix Gen2 has been positive so far, no issues whatsoever, will a new watch motivate you? Depends on what you want to improve but the watch in my experience will help nudge you towards healthier habits. for me examples such as my sleep schedule, sleep recommendation, stress management ( breathing exercises). Info on my stamina “levels” to see where I’m at performance wise. Workout routines and motivation was a big plus for me, ^ this includes yoga, stretching, upper body exercises, again all depends on how motivated you are to meet your goals. Ohh also to edit, I get 7 days of battery life with my watch + activites my friend who is a AWU user has to charge his daily, his jaw dropped when I told him my charge cycle was once a week.

His watch is a 51mm mip so as similar as you can get to the Enduro. Garmin doesn’t make a solar amoled watch. I would expect longer battery from the Enduro but something sounds wrong with his Fenix. Heck, I was getting almost 3 weeks out of my 6x pro and get about the same as he is getting with my 47mm Epix so something must be wrong.

I have the Epix with sapphire, been climbing/bouldering with it for a few months now - really like it. No issues with chalk, my wrist never gets caught, I always take my ring off though. I don't know how degloving could happen, I have a velcro band.

You can try and grab a Garmin Fenix / EpiX line...comes with a price but this developer made a 'cross-training' app and its pretty cool that I use for the workouts. Obviously that's not the number one selling point but if you also hike/bike/run/bike etc...the Fenix line and Epix line are far superior than the Apple Watch.

This guys results never line up with people like dcrainmaker and desfit who actually use the watches how they are supposed to be used. I think people dont realise that sensors just need to be fit for purpose , after than it's makes no real difference to what you get out of wearing the watch, that comes down to other things like features and battery life. I currently wearing an apple watch ultra , before that an epix2 before that Samsung watches and other Garmin's , honestly the sensor accuracy differences between them have little impact on anything for most people. That said I would rather it be more accurate than less , need to at least keep up with your direct competition.

I've been trying to figure out exactly this right now.... Here's some info which may help. I have an Apple Ultra 2 and that is my everyday smartwatch. It works OK for run run tracking and there's a pretty good app for surf tracking. I just recently tried it with swim and it's OK. The auto sets feature (e.g. recognizing 4 laps as a 100) is pretty reliable, but I don't think that the automatic split times are especially accurate. HR is somewhat accurate. I've tried both the built-in workouts app as well as the [swim.com](http://swim.com) app and although the latter is generally better for "real" swimming it doesn't really fit with my training workflow which involves transferring workouts to Training Peaks. I also wear prescription goggles (-3.0) and find the display very difficult to read in certain scenarios, especially when the screen dims. Some of the data fields are ridiculously small and there is no way to change them. I also have a couple of Garmin devices (Forerunner 955 and Epix gen 2) and for the sake of this discussion both are the same with the exception of the screen technology. The Epix is AMOLED and objectively "better" but the 955 is so much easier to read at the pool. Garmin's auto rest feature (automatic lap/set vs rest feature) is almost good. The issue is that the motion detection is way too sensitive so if I move my arm at all during rest it thinks I'm still swimming. The algorithm also has trouble with rests shorter than 20s so it's common to see workout sets recorded as one big swim blob with some periods of no movement sprinkled in. HR accuracy is similar to apple... at least it was similar for the few times that I wore both to compare. I think that I've settled on wearing the 955 for swimming in the manual mode where I have to press the lap button at the start end end of each rest period. This gives me the most accurate representation of what I did for that session along with pace and HR data that makes sense within the context of the workout. The display is super-easy to read and gives me the information that I need in the pool. The transfer to Training Peaks is seamless and everything appears to be working well at this point. At some point I'm sure I'll stop caring about the exact structure of the workout that I did and just use the watch to record the whole thing. It is possible to pre-build workouts in both platforms and there are virtual coaching products that work with both. I never investigated what's available as I have a human coach who takes care of dictating my daily torture. I will say that having the watch execute the workout isn't all it's cracked up to be. Neither platform is especially good about providing visibility into what is coming up and in some cases barely conveys what you're supposed to be doing right now. If the watch messes up with counting laps then it could put you into a rest period at the wrong time and generally get you out of place in your workout. In some cases it's extremely difficult to go back and repeat a section of a workout. I've gone back to the post-it note stuck to my water bottle as the high-tech way of bringing my workout to the pool. With the workout transcribed in pencil and a rubber band as a safety it's pretty much fool proof.

I do own an Epix 2 which I love, and also a AW7. I consider the AW7 superior for most of the metrics. But 1,5 days of battery is a nonsense. It sleeps on my desk, awaiting for the time I pick it to do an Apple fitness exercise. Also, I prefer Android.

Like you, I was also looking for an alternative outside of the AW SE. My top criteria was that I needed it to last beyond a 100K, have solid integration with Strava, including getting turn by turn map navigation and I couldn’t compromise on the screen, coming from the AW. I found what I needed in the Garmin Epix Gen 2. It was at a solid price point and I have absolutely no regrets. Hope that helps!

I took my watch ultra on a run with my epix gen 2. HR was the same or 1 BPM off the whole run. GPS was .02KM difference on a 10K run. What more do you want?

I have an Epix Gen 2 and it was good when tracking simple movements (pushups, squats, curls) but not always correct with other exercises. I've found that when you build your own workouts that's the better way. Rep counts are better and it's easy to adjust it on the fly if off one. I tend to make the adjustments when the workouts complete through Garmin Connect, however. With the most recent software update, I've found that Garmin fixed how it tracks Anaerobic activity. I would always be way low despite doing HIIT workouts with dumbbell resistance, but always knew it had to be off. Now it reports more accurately and feels right based on the exercises I'm doing and he intensity. Bottom line--I always use my Epix to track weighlifting, HIIT, etc. Works great now.

I tried the Coros Apex 2 a while ago and I couldn’t figure out how to change the fields on the run screens to display exactly what I wanted to see on one screen; I like having total elevation gain on the main run screen and couldn’t add it. Great watch, not that great for some things including customization. Plus the font was really tiny and I’m getting old 😒 I have a garmin epix 2 and it’s the best multi sport watch I’ve ever owned (and my 5th). Highly recommend. I charge it once every 6/7 days. Wear it 24/7 and use it for exercise 8-10 hrs/wk. The map on it is much better than the Fēnix I had before this.

garmin epix/fenix no complaints

garmin epix + edge 130 on extended display mode. cheap cadence meters on most of the bikes, road bike has a power meter. also cheap HR strap from aliexpress wouldve jumped on garmin earlier if i knew how awesome it is - was on amazfit before because they were cheap everything goes to strava [https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2019/06/garmins-triathlon-extended.html](https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2019/06/garmins-triathlon-extended.html)

Short answer ; none Long answer ; Garmin is not an optimised at all for bodybuilding (I am nodybuil for the last 20 years and have Garmin for the last 10). So just get the one that is in your price range. Any Garmin will do hiking. One thing though, with bodybuilding the watch can and will suffer from repeated contact with the bars and gear. For that I only take Sapphire models. So Fenix or EPIX.

Seconded, Fenix or Epix are great. I have an Epix but tbh a Fenix suits my needs better

I agree, Garmin Epix 2 and Whoop owner here. Garmin is pretty shitty at sleep… I’ll be awake for an hour in the middle of the night and it will tell me I had continuous sleep all night. Whoop captures all those wake-ups, even the little ones to roll over. Whoop is convenient because it auto detects activities. It just thinks my heart rate is way higher than it is. No, Whoop, I’m not in Zone 4 playing pickleball. Garmin with its 6 lasers (to Whoop’s 2) is more spot-on (like within 5-10% of wearing my Polar chest strap), but you have to remember to start your activity manually if you want to look at graphs and stats. Garmin is a good watch, with flashlights and altitimeters and compasses and other useful things. There are a lot of customizable watch faces, so you can make it as useful as you like. Whoop is just simple and easy. So far I can’t get myself to get rid of one!

Garmin Fenix and Epix Series are far better than this. https://preview.redd.it/cpxhwtjkuuje1.jpeg?width=1440&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b4d50186d95b15e90086bfa4491d354424f3c0bd I am glad. Haha

My Garmin (Epix Gen 2) measures total volume (type, sets, reps, weight) or else lets you correct anything not automatically detected and then gives you an overall recovery metric that takes into account sleep, calories (of syncing with MyFitnessPal), and stress. It's not perfect and has some annoying constraints (you either lock into a Strength or cardio event when you start working out, so if you go strength you lose some cardio granularity, and if you go cardio, you lose the weights stuff entirely), but it's the best I've experienced so far coming from many years of Fitbits.

I'd take advantage of a sale on the Epix 2 or Fenix 7. Garmin's last, and think of it more as an investment and not a purchase. I'm not sure what your long-term fitness goals are, but a Forerunner or Fenix/Epix model will be able to cover anything you throw at them long-term. The biggest thing I've been telling my friends is, if you ever have dreams of doing a triathlon, get a Forerunner 255/265 and above since that's when the multi-sport/triathlon mode starts.

I have the Epix which is equivalent to the Fenix 7 and I'm on my 8th warranty watch. Water keeps infiltrating the bottom right button and even now my bottom right button is disabled and keeps re-enabling when I'm in the water (which sometimes disables my woo/surfr apps).

> I do not want 1000$ Garmin tbh that's not the competition to the race s, but really the epix 2 (cheapest amoled with maps) which you can get for $300-400 i think it's fair to say that the race s has ok HR accuracy, but not best in class. i personally didn't have issues with the HR tracking but i did have a bunch of other issues: https://www.reddit.com/r/Suunto/comments/1itwkov/suunto_race_s_review_and_why_i_am_forced_back_to/ > I'm a little weary about the Race S, as I have a 7 inch (177.8 mm) wrist and this may be on the smaller side? i'm not quite sure whether you're referring to your wrist or the watch being small, but i have 160mm wrists and it was about the right size. wouldn't want it any bigger, but the larger strap balances it out.

I have had both and don’t disagree with what you say. Still, there are a couple of reasons why I prefer my Epix over the Apple Watch: 1. The Garmin Connect app is far from ideal, but once you figure it out you have everything in one place. You will need a handful of iOS apps to organize and display AWU data in a usable and helpful format. And you will need something like RunGap if you want to send AWU data to third party sites like Smashrun or Runalyze. 2. Buttons, buttons, buttons. Sweaty fingers, gloves, and even long sleeve shirts and jackets create all kinds of problems with Apple’s touch interface, especially when precise timing is desirable for laps, intervals, sprints, etc. I will make a few compromises, but a running watch has to Start, Pause, and Stop exactly when I tell it to. 3. If your disappointment is based mostly on a cost/benefit analysis, you might do better to look at a 965 or even a 265. You’ll get many of the Fenix functions at a much lower price.

Swapped my Epix 2 for AW ultra when I changed to iPhone. Mostly because I never had a AW. It’s nice but preferred Garmin. Next watch will be a Garmin again.

Do you enter what you're actually doing in that app? I have an Epix, but mostly for running. For CrossFit I just start a HIIT activity at the beginning of class and stop it at the end.

I wore my Apple Watch series 5 while climbing. I had a bumper cover around it so no worries there with scratching. Chalk definitely got around it but I’d wipe the whole watch/band with a damp towel when I got home. I have a Garmin Epix now and still wear it while climbing. I have the sapphire glass and have taken some hard bangs with it on the wall and it’s going strong *knock on wood*.

I use the Apple Watch Ultra but I also have a Garmin Epix 2, both of them work fine: * Garmin: * Health and fitness metrics: Garmin will give you a lot of metrics (maybe too many if you are not training a lot) (Body battery, HRV, stress levels...) * Physical buttons: works better with sweat and rain than a tactile screen. * Haptics: very useful for running series. * Battery: 10x the battery of an Apple Watch * Android: if you do not have an iphone this the one to go * Apple: * Apple Ecosystem: works great with your Iphone, Airpods, Apple Pay etc * Health and fitness metrics: with the new update it gives you some metrics that will determine how tired you are, how was your sleep etc (for me these are more than enough)

<--- Epix gen 2. Will NOT go back to Samsung. I evolved from the instinct and fenix series.

Well, my Garmin Epix 2 sucks at measuring HR when doing high intensity workouts like Bodycombat. I need to wear my HRM strap for accurate HR measurement.

Went from Epix 2 to AW Ultra 2 and then back. For me the biggest difference is that almost everything in Garmin is much better integrated. Morning report, training readiness etc. combine all the collected data nicely, where with AW you have separate apps.

I think that we can't really believe anything on internet anymore. When i wanted to get my first Garmin(after being unsatisfied with my Fitbit Versa) i was a bit worried regarding the sleep tracking as many reviews were talking bad about Garmin. Decided to go with a VA4 and never had any big issue with it but didn't like the MIP display(was my first MIP watch). Decided to switch to Venu, Venu 2 and, now, Epix 2. GPS with Venu was not that good but Venu 2 was a lot better and Epix 2 is on another level. No issues with sleep tracking at all...some small weird stuff from time to time but nothing different from Fitbit or from Oura for example. I'm aware that some people have more problems than me but that's why you should try personally and then decide. Quantified scientist looks a lot apple pro and while it can be accurate i don't believe it's perfect. A friend of mine has an apple watch and we did some runs together and the HR data was not that good with some weird stuff here and there. Not saying apple is bad but you still need to wear it correctly and it still can give you some bad data because that's how optical sensor works...there's no way that apple can catch everything perfectly when the optical sensor itself can't be perfect. I'm not following him anymore but i remember that. at a certain point, he started to do double reviews of the same watch(one of himself and another one with another person) and the data from the other person were much more different than with him meaning that it's not only about the tech but also about the person. You can't know if Garmin's algorithm work well, with you, without trying.

Garmin does not do weight training well. I used a Forerunner 935 and recently replaced it with an Epix Gen 2. The Epix does allow you to edit reps and add weight, I don't remember that from the FR 935. Both are great for rest period timing. It makes a best guess at the exercise you are doing. Given the watch is on your arm, it gets some exercises better than others. ie recent upper body split day, got bench presses right (though did not pick the incline sets), the rows, did not pick the lat pulldowns and the tricep pulldowns first set a row and second set as curls. However it go the reps right. Lower body split, it picked squats for 2 of the 4 sets and no other exercises. Got the reps right for the squats and step ups. But no reps for hip thrusts, leg press, hip abduction or calf raises. As for effect on training status, the two six minute bike ride to and from the gym, impact more than 60 minutes of weight training according to Garmin.

Epix 2. Zero issues as you’re stating. Once in a blue moon I will have to edit reps or type of work out, but mine for the overwhelmingly most part is accurate.

Fenix has always been dead on accurate for me. But I’m using an Epix now. Basically the same but my old Fenix didn’t do HR

I use a Garmin Epix 2 to track my runs. You can set up custom runs and intervals. But I also use the Interval timer app on my phone. I like the app better for a few reasons. It keeps me from obsessively looking at my watch. It is louder, especially when I run with friends. It makes the post run data easier to interpret as it doesn't show 100 different stages. The cons of the app for me are that I sometimes lose track of if I am on walk or run. Since I run with my phone in a run belt, it takes some fumbling to get it out to check. For the same reason, it makes it harder to adjust on the fly.

I use a Garmin Epix 2 to track my runs. You can set up custom runs and intervals. But I also use the Interval timer app on my phone. I like the app better for a few reasons. It keeps me from obsessively looking at my watch. It is louder, especially when I run with friends. It makes the post run data easier to interpret as it doesn't show 100 different stages. The cons of the app for me are that I sometimes lose track of if I am on walk or run. Since I run with my phone in a run belt, it takes some fumbling to get it out to check. For the same reason, it makes it harder to adjust on the fly.

Personally I turned off most of the “smart” features of my Apple Watch last year. I found 95% of it was just some garbage spam notification from a social platform or some other app vying for my attention, like having a 2 year old with me everywhere I go grabbing at my wrist. Once I disabled them all, at that point my watch just became a health tracker with the ability to pay for things (and occasionally tell me the time). Garmin watches are superior to apple in that regard, so it made sense to switch. Also, and this is purely subjective, I think the garmin epix and Fenix line look infinitely better than apple stuff. The chunky bezels and circular shape make it look like an actually fashionable watch instead of a toy screen on my wrist

Bro, it's literally a fitness tracker first, then 2 miles of data sheets from all that tracking...then all the "smart" gibberish as a barely visible dot on the horizon. At least Enduro/fenix/Tactix/Epix line are like that.

I second epix 2. It's a fairly sturdy watch too. Personally, I don't do much about setting up the strength workout. I just start the strength workout and make sure I log sets and rest periods properly. Garmin also let's you make all the edits after the workout in the app, including changing the exercises.

I never have had any issues with swimming with the Venu 2 & Epix 2. The distance is almost always correct. Sometimes it's 1 lap off but that's quite rare. That said, I've been swimming all my life and am quite quick with 1:30/100m over long distances (2k-4k). So maybe I am more predictable and easier to track than a less experienced slower swimmer

You can use a garmin watch for just about any activity possible. There is so much you can do with them. As someone who switched from apple to garmin, i absolutely love my watch. There is a wide range of watches and price ranges. You often can find deals on amazon as well. I have an epix 2. Their big line of watches is the fenix. Battery life is wild too. I probably charge mine once every 10 days or so and i wear it day and night.

you can sync wifi-capable Garmin watches to the Garmin cloud (to backup, for example) w/o a phone, but i think you need a phone to set up the wifi-connection. my vivo4 and epix both can do that and there are others too.

Garmins with music do that too - my Epix pairs with my Apple ear pods so I don’t take my phone. Listen to music from the watch and get the training voice over the top.

Currently in the same boat, have a Epix and a GW ultra. The heart rate is fine. Sometimes it spikes tho. But the overall health features are just very very bad. Recovery score is 80 every day, even after 7 insane workouts in a week and everything hurts. It improved alot and HR is finally good enough. But the health metrics together with the app is still lacking

If you value getting notifications/google maps etc. Ultra is better yes, everything health related they are pretty far behind. Having both the Epix / GW ultra.

Very true, smooth watch which is 10/10 for the smart functions. However the Epix tracks my CrossFit lessons more accurate, combined with the body battery almost always reflects with how I feel and miss it more than I thought. Think I'm going to use it for a couple of more days to see if it gets better. But I think I value the health metrics more than I thought haha.

The Epix is prettier though. OLED screen over MIPS might mean a reduction in battery life, but it'll still do 30 hours of running. And when I say pretty...the screen is gorgeous. Vibrant, colours pop, it's just a different beast. The battery life on the Fenix 7 is outstanding...like crazy good. But the most I tend to do is hundred milers and if they're taking me more.than 30 hours I'm going to have a battery pack for phone anyway. So it meets my needs. Both are cracking watches though.

Not strictly true any more. Garmin seem to be resting on their laurels and stagnating with their clunky software, whilst Apple have fast been catching up. I have a Garmin Epix, my wife runs with an Apple watch ultra, which is great apart from less battery life and seems to do pretty much everything Garmin does. I also envy her subscription to Apple fit club - something I wish Garmin would provide.

I'd suggest a Polar arm band to wear, which can pair by Bluetooth with the watch of your choice. I use a Garmin Epix 2 and I run an MMA program, but the watch is in my bag and the armband up under my sleeve. The Polar arm band is great. I'd used a Garmin chest strap before and found it buggy and uncomfortable. Definitely would NOT want to be grappling with a ring or a watch on myself or a partner.

They changed it! At least for the Forerunner 265, Epic Gen 2, and the Fenix 8. You can now download YouTube music on the watch. All my playlists are on there.

I have owned both and would rate the AWU a 9/10 smartwatch and 6/10 fitness tracker. I would rate my old Epix a 4/10 smartwatch and 8/10 fitness tracker. The other big distinguisher is battery life, which is much better on garmin, about 2 times as long when settings are roughly equal. In terms of smart watch, the AWU has many more “smart” watch capabilities than the garmin and a lot of features integrating and playing off of my iPhone. The garmin has a few unique features I didn’t or rarely used and was functionally just a notification pass through. In terms of fitness tracking, garmin has better and more customizable day to day passive features like body battery and walk/workout goals, as well as tracking apps. For example native multi sport (triathlon) tracking, and gps tracking for any sport (the fact that my AWU doesn’t gps track things like cross country skiing and paddle boarding is maddening).

i think most people will recommend the garmin line up for non apple users, i use the epix after ditching the whoop and although i miss some whoop creature comforts (mostly being able to trend what affects my sleep) it does what the whoop does at an upfront price - will say that garmin has a subscription service now but it's mostly their ai stuff and additional features, nothing i had before has been taken away

Big fan of my Garmin epic gen 2. Not cheap but the battery is incredible. Just don't expect it to be a smart watch in the Apple watch sense. It's not, it's a fitness tracker with notifications. My epic lasts 14 to 16 days with no gps running constantly. If I'm hiking with gos on, I can easily get 4 to 7 days depending on settings.

I've already purchased a Garmin epix gen 2 but don't use it much until my inspire 3 breaks. I really like it's long battery and small form but when it does die, I'm off!!

It's small, amazing battery and you can forget you are wearing it. Don't get me wrong I've already purchased a Garmin Epix gen 2 as a replacement for when it breaks but, I love the form factor of the Inspire 3 and I will definitely miss it. Perhaps get a second hand one from eBay or Vinted just to try. I really do love mine.

Swim functions of Fenix 8 seem to be more of less the same as most somewhat more recent models, even with Swim 2 (honestly, it is fine for swimming. I swam with it for sure a while, but other functions are somewhat lacking). Fenix 8 supports diving but unless you dive, or otherwise do activities not supported by somewhat older models, I am not sure if it would be worth the extra money compared to older models because the swim functions seem to be essentially the same as the likes of Epix or earlier Fenix, more recent swim-compatible Forerunner etc. You should be able to pick up previous models somewhat cheaply, whereas Fenix 8 is quite expensive. I would have bought Fenix 8 if it was much better at swim tracking but it's not, so I did not spend the money to upgrade from Epix Gen 2 (which is annoyingly less accurate compared to Finnis goggles and Apple Watch but I digress)

You might have been unlucky with your watch. If it was under warranty, or not that long out of warranty, do contact Garmin. There are stories of people having them replaced for things that should not have happened. I am on my third Garmin - first one was Vivoactive 4s. It was totally fine with swimming until I smashed it really hard and broken the glass. It still lived for another 2 weeks of daily extended swimming until it finally died. Subsequent replacement, Swim 2, is still very much alive but I wanted other functions so bought Epix Gen 2 when it was heavily discounted. That is what I am using now and it has been totally fine with swimming. If you can, avoid pressing a button while the watch is under water, unless it is a dive watch. I do it from time to time and it copes OK but supposedly not a good thing to do too often (makes the waterproof seal more vulnerable).

As an user of Apple Watch Ultra AND Garmin (VA4 followed by Swim 2 and now Epix 2), and previously even Samsung Watch Pro, I agree with all of this. I still use my AWU for swim timing because it is more accurate than Epix 2 but AWU had a lot of displays missing even if the data is there (like swim rest timer). Even Samsung Watch Pro has auto pause for walking. Sleep tracking: I think AWU is more accurate personally, but also has its flaws.

Finis smart goggles + Apple Watch Ultra/Garmin Epix Gen 2. AW and Garmin are inaccurate for sprints timing (they often start the count late or stop the count late...), Finis is much more accurate but does not do HR. AW does not have a rest counter on display, whereas Garmin does. Not really a setup needed for normal fitness swimming though.

The Instinct 3 is perfect for you if you don’t need maps on the watch. It can load a breadcrumb trail but doesn’t have topo maps overlays. Otherwise look for the previous generation of the Fenix’s, ie. Pro or non- Pro 7’s or Epix. The other option is to check out one of the Forerunner series that has maps. Again previous versions are cheaper than the latest. The features gap between current versions of Garmins and previous versions aren’t that great in its core functionality.

100% agree with your review The problem with Garmin is simple, it is as so many say a pro sport watch and bc of that you should live with all the bugs and shitty ui, messed up settings menu bc must are a hard core athlete. At the same time any more advanced athlete just smile seeing garmin watch bc from a training perspective most of garmin metrics are just toys with some very basic failures like z3 is endurance when zones are set by maxhr but all of a sudden when you set zones by lthr your endurance zone is correctly z2, no recovery weeks scheduled pushing people to fatigue themselves to disaster, no way of editing hrv which combined with very shitty sleep tracker makes some days where your garmin forgot to track your sleep destroy whole training readiness calculation without any possibility to edit that one day etc. Don't get me wrong, I'm an Epix user but it is my first and last Garmin product and I will move to AWU next month or so (waiting for AWU 3 and IP16). Garmin is great as a simple activity tracker and if you need one just any old fr955 is enough to track everything you need. With Fenixes you jsut pay extra 600$ just for looks which some like and some not that much. PS. For me Garmin loses bc of a shitty strategy of keeping the simple stuff like new watchfaces only for new models where with any other IT product like a phone, awu, brands have learned to support fully for 5 years or so. (I know I can download new watch faces but they drain more battery and works shittier than the building ones /like no touch gestures etc.) ps. this forum is full of Garmin fanboys so your post will probably will be downvoted to oblivion, bc only positive posts are welcome here. (which is stupid bc it makes people at Garmin think their products is so amazing that they can ask 1100$ for that without solving at least some basic problems). ps2 besides watch faces (this part is for garmin fanboys) major problem was when my watch decided to burn down my house ;;) If any of you use ant+ lights or actually any sensors like a trainer, hr strap etc., your should already know that if you enter a glance menu or any settings menu for some stupid reason your watch connects to your sensors. With lights it works the same way but for some stupid reason Garmin likes to turn them on for a sec, but not always remembers to turn them off. So I was outside my house in the evening ready to start my run just to see through the window that my watch decided to Strat my light, I wanted to let it be but eventually returned home jsut to see my lights on the desk being charged and a smoke coming from desk bc it is not enough to turn on your with without any reasons (like I want to run not ride) but it sets the light on the highest strength (1300 lumen). So yeah I love Garmin and their watches 😀

I mean 400-500$ garmin watch like epix2/fenix7 is a good deal nowadays. I love the mapping, activity menus are ok, just in reality most of the metrics are a bit of BS lifted by a good marketing. Again 400$ is a good price for a tracker but asking 1100$ for a nicer UI menus (which are here only bc owners of FRs got them sooner and it would be hard to sell a much more expensive f8 with shitty menus) and a very low quality speaker and mic is a really brave strategy. I know Apple is not that amazing but it is ok for running, for cycling I use my Wahoo (apple added power meter support and thats something), I keep my music on my MacBook so it will be much easier to sync both (garmin does not support lossless format so I gave up on music bc I hate converting it every time) listening to podcasts is really troublesome with garmin etc. Maybe it is just me and my expectation for Epix I own were much higher. Overall I like it but I think it could be so much nicer with some very small tweaks (like you really need a phd to learn how the garmin energy settings works and when they overrule AOD setting and when not etc.) The thing about awU for me is that I bought Garmin to use my phone less but instead due to lack of or troublesome ui I always take my phone with me anyways just for music and messages. I hope with AWU and some basic apps like notes, reminders etc. I would have easier time leaving my phone at home. Hopefully ps. I love enduro3 and I would strongly consider it as an expedition watch (without any music etc.) jsut as a watch I take on a trip instead of AWU with good mapping etc. But that would make all the metrics obsolete and paying for that 899$ again is just not wise. (now when I think about it, I will probably switch to AWU and buy a used enduro2 just for longer trips and use it alongside my future aWU)

I will make it simple for you ;) If you want a device where you run often and you want something which is a very nice smartwatch and let's you leave your phone at home bc your podcasts and music and notes and reminders are all there with you, just buy AWU (if you use an iphone and remindrs etc. it will be amazing). If you run often but you need some kind of training support and want a feeling that you are doing more then a casual runner but music, notifications etc. will be so cumbersome that you will take your phone with you anyways and you are ok with that, just buy enduro. It's like a lack of comfort due to daily charging (which you can do during a shower) vs a lack of comfort due to crazy amount of bugs, very low quality software and milllion of funcions where half does not work, bu the battery is like crazy good. for me garmin is less usefull bc I read a lot about training and can easily set my owna training plan and I found out that what really makes my run much easier is that I can in seconds sync my book I'm listening too and go out for a run with my watch. With garmin it is just too complicated. if you add all the software bugs in garmin on top of that, yeah it is just not a watch for me PS. any even cheapest personal trainer will be better then garmins automated one and probably much much cheaper. So for me AWU plus eventualy a personal trainer is a best bet bc metrics from garmin like body battery etc are mostly just gimmicks. this guy explains t well: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEmN6JiDGF0&t=646s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEmN6JiDGF0&t=646s)

I've had Apple, Garmin and Samsung smart watches but only got "joy spark" from the Garmin Fenix/Epix. The Garmin Fenix/Epix have an intangible attraction that doesn't equate to any feature or activity. One aspect of wearing a Fenix/Epix that I have to admit is attractive to me is that it signifies that I'm a performance athlete.

Garmin ecosystem is chocked full of goodness. Since I run and cycle, it’s great for multi sport. A lot of folks who only run seem to love Coros watches and their environment. I think either of those (with Strava integration) would be an improvement over your Apple Watch.

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. 😂