Garmin - Fenix Chronos

1-2 gen old garmin fenix should be around that much new old stock, or see if you can find a refurb epix 2. I used an Apple Watch 4 before I got the epix 2. It’s fine for heart rate and mileage if that’s all you want. In fact any watch that has a hr monitor will be fine for basic training.

"The Fenix 8 on the other hand feels built for people who spend serious time outdoors. " It definitely **looks** like it, anyway. And I suspect that it's biggest selling point besides the battery life is that "I look like I run ultramarathons." I know this because I run ultramarathons and for years the Fenix has been almost a required part of your ultrarunning kit. I started with the 3rd Fenix and switched to the AWU from my 7 a few weeks ago. Running my first 50k with the AWU day after tomorrow. For me, the battery life is irrelevant now that the Ultra can cover races up to 50 miles (and I am sloooow). If I were a regular 100 miler, the battery difference would have been a bigger factor in my decision. But, in the old days (like pre-'18 or so) unless you were very fast, you were charging your watch in a 100 anyway, and if you were as slow as me you charged in a 50 as well. But I am not a big 100 runner, so this was not really a factor for me. Weeks long battery life is a nice feature to have if you backpack frequently etc. but I don't. And when I do, I carry a battery bank to charge my headlamp etc. I lived in the Garmin Connect world for a long time, with the workout analyses, sleep scores, stress scores etc. One thing I learned when I branched out to look at the Ultra is that while data reporting is very handy, data interpretation is the wild west and nobody (including Garmin) has The Right Answer. So both Apple and Garmin can tell me my hrv at some point, but how that figures into my training readiness is a matter of interpretation. Sometimes these are helpful, but after years with them I mostly ignored them, especially metrics indicating training readiness etc. My fav example: on a 100, my body battery was 5 (they don't go to zero) according to Garmin before I got to 50 miles. So I did 50 more miles on an empty battery. If you want a Garmin style interpretation of your metrics, there are options for Apple land: Athlytic, Bevel, etc. I have gone back to a simple TSS model via HealthFit for workout load monitoring. I also like looking at Athlytic, but like Garmin I take its interpretations with a big pinch of salt.

I find two things useful enough about both that I continue to use them over a timex and a polar heart monitor (besides the fact that they track my runs which allows me to post them on Strava, which is the whole reason for running of course) 1. All the interpretative metrics are to be taken with a grain of salt, but the good ones DO show patterns. So is my Vo2max whatever Garmin says it is? Who knows, but if that number goes up or down substantially, if the model is decent it probably means something is actually changing. When my Garmin suddenly indicated I was under lots of stress, I was usually getting sick (or recovering from a hard run). 2. Because they measure HR while you're exercising, and they know both your resting and max HR, they can quantify the work you're doing. This is useful if you're interested in performance as this can guide your progress. Garmin has a model for this, and with the Apple watch you can select from a few options to model that. If you're plugging your data into Strava, it does this as well (though you need to be a subscriber to see that). If one is interested in only those things, Garmin has no particular edge over the Apple ecosystem. With Apple, you can try out different models (Bevel, Athlytic etc) whereas with Garmin, you've just got theirs.

I wear a garmin phenix and use when I race harescrambles for 2+ hrs. It’s pretty accurate and battery life is top notch

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.

Alot of us that do multiple training sports are trapped a little in the ecosystem and have data that syncs together just like apple tries to do. For instance: Fenix watch: runs, walking, movement, hiking, rowing Garmin edge: MTB, road and gravel biking Multiple sensors on bike and Varia radar/light I haven't looked but maybe if there are 3rd party apps that are as good or better at syncing multiple device brands and spitting out metrics then people would be more willing to consider Amazfit which needs to be noted is a Chinese company which is different than USA company mfg in China.

I keep my Garmin for workouts and sleep & I am using my Apple Watch through the day for notifications and iMessage.

If you bike, then Garmin probably the best option if you want a dedicated bike computer. I also like that as an eBiker my Fenix watch shows all my bike status specs, watts etc for the one that is able to send the data.  Went back to Polar since I like Polar's overall approach to activity instead of steps+intensity minutes+floors etc fragmentstion. Plus now I can wear a smartwatch as a phone on one wrist and screenless Polar on the other when not working out.

I am a triathlete and training data 📊 📈 is the most important thing to your health and improvement! I’m fun of garmin products and I have been wearing Fenix watches for many years! Since this year I started running long distances and and I noticed watch is big, heavy etc and few times damaged my wrist also, so I decided to jump to Forerunner series but couldn’t decide should I buy forerunner 965 or 970 🤔 there is always 200 euros 💶 between 2 watches! And also as I know 965 has more longer battery 🔋 life…

For me, it’s the sleep tracking that makes Whoop a good option. Lots of devices can get the same metrics, but Whoop is comfortable and the easiest (for me) to wear all the time. When my subscription ends later this year, I’ll check other options based on my needs and interests then, I use a Fenix watch for training. Looking into Apple Ultra when the time comes. But I’m hoping one of them comes up with a comfortable overnight device. Until then, I gripe about the subscription like everybody else, but I keep using my Whoop.

If you are using a treadmill I’ve had good results with the HRM-Pro strap combined with my Fenix watch.