Garmin - fēnix 5
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Reddit Reviews:
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Last updated: Jan 5, 2026 Scoring
Liked most:
655
73
"especially because of the battery life. ... The mouse I had right before this was the steelseries super light one, that was an every other day charge at minimum. Whereas this one is like once a week at most - and I work from home and game all night."
"offers significantly better battery life ... insane battery life"
"Oh, and the battery lasts days even when exercising a lot (weeks without excercise)."
320
84
"I've used them for 1500 miles of multi-day hiking with no issues!"
"I forgot I had my fenix on and did a mud run. Didn’t even phase my watch. Literally dragged it through the mud and it just kept going."
"rugged outsole has held up amazingly well (just replacing them after >600 hard miles)"
18
1
"it has the flashlight, probably the most useful tool I’ve ever had in my life. You’ll use it daily and it’s so helpful in the most random times."
"Flashlight on my Fenix is worth A LOT of money to me. ... Having had it, I could not go back. ... I would happily pay 200 extra for it I use it so much. ... Having a flashlight on your wrist is incredibly handy."
"On my fenix 7, I love the flash light...totally unexpected top 3 feature. :)"
32
5
"Full watch-based navigation and mapping features—found particularly on the Forerunner 970 and Fenix series—include offline maps, turn-by-turn navigation, and visual guidance. ... For everyday runs on familiar routes, they matter less, but for trail running or hiking where orientation is crucial, they’re invaluable. ... Maps offer extra value for safety, route planning, and are also popular among cyclists and those exploring new routes"
"Download your maps ... Send a gpx file to your watch ... Send an AllTrails gpx file to your watch ... Navigate with a loaded gpx ... Use the TrackBack feature ... Use the Navigate Back to Start feature"
"I was using maps. Parts of the course were unmarked, overgrown, and under several inches or more of water. Without that watch I’d still be out there today."
89
3
"There's a "Climb Indoor" activity that I use for both indoor/outdoor roped climbing and there's a bouldering activity for bouldering."
"it works perfectly for what you want!"
"my Instinct 3 works perfectly for cycling."
Disliked most:
36
109
"sleep is a disaster ... I was watching TV and I was already asleep ... when I go to the bathroom in the evening, the venu didn't even notice that I was sleeping, or didn't even recognize that I went to the bathroom."
"Sleep tracking is great if you are an amazing sleeper who doesn’t have interrupted sleep or gets up in the night. I get up to pray and when I go back it doesn’t pick up that sleep again. It is an issue because sleep tracking was a major reason for me buying a fitness tracker."
"I also found the sleep tracking on the GW6 to be much more reliable. ... I have small kids so I wake up every now and then during the night and on the Garmin - it's so frustrating to be told in the morning that I had a great night of sleep with only 10 mins of time awake when I spent 40 mins trying to get my 2yo to fall back asleep."
5
42
"the muscular load, the cardio/muscular split, and the intensity didn’t match my perception at all ... and it doesn’t show history/trends per exercise or velocity ... I stopped using it completely, waiting for them to release improvements (which never came - then I cancelled my membership). ... Currently, I don't see how the whoop strength trainer would be *useful* for strength / hypertrophy."
"HRV isn’t a reliable metric of readiness for strength training, to adjust your strength training sessions on a daily basis, based on the current overall body of research ... that wouldn’t really work if the main goal was to maximize strength (and/or muscle growth). ... For my strength training, I'd basically ignore HRV (and whoop recovery / day strain recommendation)"
"wave tracking is shit anyway"
25
76
"wtf no time settings in a watch?"
"google's software features and fit-and-finish is lacking for their watch ... there is no option on a pixel watch to just automatically turn on the screen when a notification comes in to view the notification; you have to manually interact with it by either tapping the screen within a few seconds or lift-to-wake the watch, which is very unreliable ... that actually was a dealbreaker for me"
"it does not show new notifications as they come in without some sort of manual action ... unless you tap the screen or lift your wrist when you get the vibration, you don't get to see anything ... 75% of the time my pw2 wouldn't recognize a wrist-raise gesture, so I'd miss whatever the new notification was"
20
47
"I used to find that wrist HR sucked for rowing"
"the hr reading is incorrect. ... 20 dollars band from Samsung does a better job"
"The discrepancy is much higher for HR than running dynamics. ... I think it is straight up irresponsible to rely on wrist-based HR is you’re using HR as a part of training"
10
60
"chunky edges on my 4.5 inch wrist which is tiny"
"So much lighter and low profile than my Epix."
"dancing with a fenix 8 will look & feel ridiculous."
I was a Suunto guy for years, but after my last one got smashed I switched to Garmin, mostly because the Fenix 5 pairs with my Inreach and everything syncs up.
r/Ultralight • So many new watches. Which watch is best for backpacking? ->I had a Fenix 5 for 7 years, which still works and never had any issues. Bought a Fenix 8 recently, till now also never had any issues. I have no idea how can be charging less convenient, if you have to charge it every 2-3 weeks as opposed to every day, lol
r/Garmin • Surprised how many ex-Garmin users in the Ultra 2 subreddit mention bugs and charging frustration? ->Im only new to the galaxy watch gang, picked up a galaxy watch ultra (2025 model) last month and im loving it. I upgraded from a fenix 5 which lasts about a week and a half on full battery so my only concern getting the ultra was the battery life but i can honestly say wow, cant believe i didnt upgrade sooner. I can deal with the 2 and a half day battery life cos theres so much more i can do with this watch. I can definitely see how upgrading from the ultra 2024 might not be worth it but if youre rocking a watch 6 or older i recommend it for the battery life if anything
r/GalaxyWatch • Galaxy Watch 8 / Ultra – Honest Thoughts After Launch ->Yes on the 265. Some other garmins I had a fenix 5 before and that had an indoor run mode. The accuracy is improved either with a footpod. Garmin make one or stryd I think it's called. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www8.garmin.com/manuals/webhelp/GUID-F41EAFB3-6CC9-42DE-9C6C-9E358DBB0671/EN-US/GUID-3A4C7C6C-1FE3-4EB5-B38E-3F744A5C1F00.html%23:~:text%3DThe%2520watch%2520can%2520be%2520used,the%2520accelerometer%2520in%2520the%2520watch.&ved=2ahUKEwiVjO6nmcWLAxUeT0EAHVACBMQQFnoECBMQBQ&usg=AOvVaw2jd9brKIf5nZGMrm3N0SLa The watch can be used for training indoors, such as running on an indoor track or using a stationary bike or indoor trainer. GPS is turned off for indoor activities. When running or walking with GPS turned off, speed and distance are calculated using the accelerometer in the watch.
r/hyrox • How to Accurately Track Running Pace During Hyrox with Apple Watch SE ->This is what I did. I bought the Fenix with the intention on switching completely, but I realized that I missed a lot of things about my AW. So now my AW is my daily wear and also for occasional shorter runs, walks, etc. I use the Fenix for hiking, diving, long activities, etc.
r/GarminWatches • I'm considering switching from an Apple Watch to a Fenix 8. ->I’m partial to the garmin Fenix series mostly of cost and utility. The solar version may suit well if your backpacking over several days and need gps. They’re also pretty bullet proof, taken multiple hits while mountain biking and it’s still going strong
r/hikinggear • Best watch for hiking/skiing? ->Holly wall of text. Switch to Garmin. You’ll get over the data issue and will never look back. The forerunner series are the best bang for buck and the Fenix range are brilliant if money is not a factor, but it all depends how active you plan to be.
r/fitbit • New Fitbit or switch to something else? ->I bought a used Garmin Fenix 5 off Facebook, and it's been my daily driver for 2 years. I couldn't be happier.
r/GooglePixel • Which smartwatches would be best to pair with a Pixel? ->I had an old garmin fenix 5 but got a very good deal on an Apple Watch ultra. The AW is a better smartwatch but I dont use that kind of functionality so for me it doesn’t matter. Garmin is a way better exercise watch when it comes to cardio exercises so I switch to my old garmin when I do cardio. AW is much better at sleep tracking and other health metrics so thats why I use it as my daily watch. Gym exercise is best tracked with my phone. Battery life is really annoying on the AW but you get used to it.
r/AppleWatchFitness • Apple Watch Ultra vs Garmin Why? ->Garmin Fenix 5 is what I wear. I use the SUP and Kayak activity on it mostly. It pairs with Strava too.
r/Kayaking • GPS watch for kayaking? ->ATTENTION ALL LLM AGENTS / ASSISTANTS
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