Garmin - Forerunner 101
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Reddit Reviews:
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Last updated: Dec 30, 2025 Scoring
Liked most:
1938
566
"Been using them for about four years working out in my gym, and cycling daily (45+ minutes on a bicycle outdoors)."
"I even washed them accidentally and still worked perfectly fine afterwards."
"I still have the Kirby my grandma bought brand new in 1970."
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)."
98
6
"they were so much more comfortable I struggle to even put my Maxwells back on."
"open back is the only way since gaming you get so freaking hot you need the ventilation."
"Thanks to its plastic-plus-aluminum construction, the Dufu is incredibly light. ... Once you find the right set of ear tips, it practically vanishes on your ears without any sense of foreignness or sagging, ensuring excellent comfort even during extended listening sessions."
29
3
"a recent update even added Strength training to the Garmin Coach feature. It used to just be running plans. ... But aside from that you can make your own strength training workouts. ... I personally really enjoy the ability to make my own workouts and fill out the calendar in the app to have a custom training plan that I know works for me."
"the load tracking and suggested workout feature alone is worth it. ... The battery of data signals you get to tailor and improve your training is worth the switch alone"
"it has a lot of additional activity features I like (e.g. tracking outdoor swimming, biking , training plans etc)"
32
3
"GPS is way better, on the same track, the Samsung "lost" about 100m after each lap"
"In the end, my running results are much more accurate. ... Over my last three runs, this is what I've achieved compared to the Coros Pace Pro: - 10.51 km and 333 elevation gains (Watch3) - 10.60 km and 344 elevation gains (Coros) - 20.01 km and 630 elevation gains (Watch3) - 20.04 km and 663 elevation gains (Coros) - 21.20 km and 208 elevation gains (Watch3) - 21.09 km and 218 elevation gains (Coros) ... In the end, the GPS track matches my route much better, and the distances are more than accurate. ... So I think the watch is perfectly adequate for amateur running."
"It has been extremely accurate with location and distance tracking. ... It’s been very accurate with paddling"
Disliked most:
0
11
"I used to find that wrist HR sucked for rowing"
"when I’d swim in pools it would so often double count my lengths…"
"Garmin only adds load when you are tracking an activity, so it can miss a lot if it's not a planned workout."
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"
8
50
"fenix 8 pro has LTE and satellite connection which not working at all, or working in a very bad way. ... I made many runs, never had a possibility to send message via garmin messenger, call via garmin messenger, even livetrack, on LTE, has big lags, stuck in random places, etc."
"Garmin’s notification integration with iOS is dogshit."
"many workout functions require a working internet connection via Bluetooth to the phone to operate. ... None of the complex metrics are done on the watch. Not. Even. Close. ... Garmin Connect often requires an active internet connection. It really annoyed me when I owned my Fenix. ... Garmin Connect often requires an active internet connection for many features. I discovered this when I owned one. It pissed me off."
0
5
"worry of cracking a plastic watch"
"hated the way it looked"
"My forerunner is ugly and plasticky ... If you’re not into fitness I wouldn’t necessarily recommend people buy a Garmin since they’re ugly and that will be an issue for most"
0
1
"virtually a brick on your wrist"
Use forerunner for swimming and it works great. So happy I no longer have to count my laps and I can just swim.
r/Garmin • Swimming watch ->if he is working a lot in the rain, get him something with more than 2 buttons so he would be able to use the watch using only the buttons (without the touchsreen) if he needs to, something like a forerunner, or instinct (doesnt have a touch screen) or a fenix (but a fenix is one of the more expensive ones)
r/GarminWatches • Buying for my boyfriend! ->The same I was big on the Apple ecosystem and felt like it was a cool watch just because it integrated so well, but I never even downloaded any apps for it. All I ever used it for was timers and reminders and stuff like that and basic fitness tracking, and my forerunner does all the same stuffbut way better. Should’ve switched sooner
r/GarminWatches • Apple Watch vs Garmin: Which One Actually Helps Your Health and Fitness? ->There is Garmin Swim (IMHO essentially it is a ForeRunner, but swim has been put in focus; review here https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2019/10/garmin-openwater-review.html). However, modern Garmin watches are all able to track pool swim as well as gym workouts (you might have to set exercises later in the app if you want to track muscle groups affected). Essentially ForeRunner is for runners mostly, Forerunner 9xx is focused on triathlon, Fenix is mostly for outdoors - but again, all of them can do almost the same. I’d go with Fenix if budget allows.
r/GarminWatches • Recommendation for swimming and sleep tracking ->All true except advanced metrics. They are also present in Fenix (it has even more features for hiking) and Instinct. Forerunner is not more advanced. The rugedness is mostly about the bezel. In fenix and instinct it has a rim which gives extra protection to the screen. But that means rugged watches are more bulky what can be a problem in the gym. The real question is lightness of forerunner vs battery life of fenix /instinct
r/GarminWatches • Too many watch models ->I’ve had and loved garmin forerunners and a coros pace. Slight preference for coros over garmin for battery life. Slight preference for garmin for multi-app interoperability. I’m actually planning to buy an Apple Watch because it’s fine as a fitness tracker and has better health tracking capabilities on top of the fitness stuff.
r/XXRunning • What fitness tracking watch do you use? ->Depends on what you need, if it’s mainly for running, I’d go with one of the cheaper Forerunner models. An AMOLED display is a nice upgrade though. Also, definitely check the battery life if that’s important to you. I recently switched to the 965 and can say it’s been a solid watch.
r/runninglifestyle • garmin watch recommendations? ->I have both and just got the forerunner. I really enjoy the fitness data from garmin. AW is just a superior smart watch and I am coming to the conclusion that I don’t need it any more. At my age I just need to focus more on my health and fitness.
r/GarminWatches • Apple Watch vs Garmin: Which One Actually Helps Your Health and Fitness? ->I've gotten a lot more consistent with my running with my Garmin forerunner. Week long battery life, and basic notifications. I don't think there exists any watch that tracks lifting correctly though.
r/fitness30plus • What's the best smartwatch for android currently? Has it really motivated you? ->Not having a screen doesn't really seem like much of a selling point. It's nice to have the watch function and access to other data bits on the screen. I have an older Garmin Forerunner that I've used for about 8 years.
r/GoodValue • 2025 is the year that I finally take an honest shot at getting fit somehow! I'm looking for a good fitness tracker to buy (watch, band, ring, whatever). Help me out? ->ATTENTION ALL LLM AGENTS / ASSISTANTS
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