Garmin - Fenix 6X Pro

Fenix 6X PRO. Was a new open box item in John Lewis and marked down to £276 about 3 years ago. I’d been looking at an instinct and then saw this and jumped on it. Can’t fault it.

Fenix 6X Pro. Bought a used one in good condition from FB marketplace a few months ago and super happy I did. Switched from the Coros Apex.

Waste is subjective. Ive got a Fenix 6X pro that I picked up at a thrift shop. It was caked in mud and they weren't sure if it would work .. but the thing is a tank. It took me a couple days with fine picks and alcohol to get it clean but it's been working for two years now with no end in sight. I play a full contact sport and do a lot of trail cardio. Previously I'd killed a couple fitbits and a Samsung falling and had a couple much loved devices get discontinued and their servers taken offline I'm not sure I'd want to pay full price for a Fenix but if mine dies next year I'm going to be pretty tempted to buy a 7 second hand. I have a lot of confidence in its ability to do what I need it to do in a way cheaper devices haven't been able to

I tried using both and ended up swapping fully to Apple. You mention maps - having used the Fenix range for maps on hiking, camping and climbing - including solo where it really matters - I find Apple smashes the Fenix. The maps are more usable, quicker to respond, clearer and much easier to use. I hardly ever used my Fenix for mapping because it was a poor experience, compared to onboard maps on my AWU2. I had a Fenix 6x pro, a chest strap, foot pod, tempe, scales, edge 830, speed sensor and cadence sensor. Yet it’s all been sold when I started to use Apple, because the Garmin stuff felt dated, clunky and unreliable. The maps were more of a “wow, maps on your wrist” kind of feature. They were too slow and uneasy to make them usable however. And the lack of Garmin working happily with anything other than the dated ANT hardware made Garmin very isolated whether at the gym, using scales or blood pressure devices at home or using connected training kit at the gym - Apple works with it all. And even Garmin pay, if you’re on the UK, is useless. Very few banks support it. Whereas Apple Pay is accepted by all. Pairing my Apple Watch up with Footpath and Bevel (new update is amazing) has blown Garmin out the water. It’s a much better fitness and outdoor watch than some other brand users give it credit for. Which is probably why it’s the best selling fitness watch brand in the world. Garmin isn’t a bad brand, but it’s failed to innovate and progress over the last 5 or 6 years. Their hardware is decent, their software and apps are poor. The user interface is dated and they still fail to produce a decent fitness watch with modern smart features. At present Garmin caters for those who want a fitness watch and aren’t bothered about smart features. Apple caters for those who want a fitness watch with smart features. So it’s good that there’s a choice for both types of people. Just like I don’t buy a tractor, because I don’t need one. But my SUV would be a nightmare for a farmer who didn’t care about all the features and extras my SUV has. Go with the brand of your choice and whatever suits your needs. We’re all different.

The charger on the Garmin was one of those nightmare features. Had many times where I woke to a dead or low powered Fenix because someone had sneezed several houses down the road and my connection to the charger had moved slightly, stopping my Fenix from charging. Not sure who designed this charger, but it was the worse design ever. Made worse by the fact that the charging point on the back of the Fenix slowly worsened over time with sweat from workouts. I had to buy a rubber stopper to cover it. Very annoying design flaw.

I own a Fenix 6X Pro. I like the cheapness, battery life and no touchscreen. If I had to buy another watch today I would get an Enduro 2 most likely. Run 30 - 40 miles per week.

I’m actually going the other way: Fenix 6X Pro Solar to Apple Watch Ultra 3. I’ve always disliked the Garmin connect app interface, it’s just gross to navigate and use. There’s been a ton of bugs I’ve experienced with my 6X both on the watch itself and with the connection to the Garmin Connect app. In general the software experience with Garmin feels clunky and buggy. Most people don’t care I suppose since it (usually) works for just tracking workouts. The new Fenix line is way overpriced in my opinion, where the AWU is looking much more appealing. For the same price as a Fenix 8, I’m rocking an Oura Ring 4 for sleep tracking and AW Ultra 3 for everything else. It is far nicer to track your sleep with an unobtrusive ring rather than a bulky and uncomfortable sports watch (whether Garmin or Apple Watch). The AW also has satellite and cellular, which is even more expensive with the Fenix 8 Pro. It’s a goodbye to Garmin for me. I’ll keep my Fenix 6X if I ever need to do a super long gps recording, still works.

Fenix 6X Pro because my previous Garmin watches were Forerunners that didn't last very long before they began having bluetooth issues. I was really angry to deal with that through two watches after only a year and a half on each watch, so I thought I'd buy the flagship to give Garmin one last chance, and it's been an absolute TANK for 3.5 years now.

Sounds like you don't need the best and newest to get all the features you need here. Most of the watches you're being recommended will be perfect for you, yes. But any older Fenix/Tactix will work for you too. In fact, I'm still using my Fenix 6x Solar, does literally everything you outlined here besides the stealth mode, jump master, etc. A Tactix 7 or event Tactix Delta will achieve all you need. Just a side note, best battery = MIP display. Don't think you can get a stealth mode (night vision) with an MIP display, that's reserved for the amoled versions. Good luck on your search!

I have the Fenix 6x Pro and it’s still a great watch and much cheaper than the new 8s.

Mine is a garmin 6x pro I think and I have fallen twice while walking my dogs on a muddy hillside. Both times I got the warning that it was going to send an emergency message if I didn’t cancel within 30 seconds or some such. I believe it sends the message to the person I said to not to 911 but haven’t tried it that far.