Garmin - Forerunner 255S

Nice choice! The 255 Music is solid and honestly perfect for getting into serious running. I've got the regular 255 (non-music) and it does everything you need - the pace/distance tracking is spot on and battery life is great. 255 euros sounds like a decent price too The 965 is nice but probably overkill if you're just getting started with outdoor running. You can always upgrade later if you get really into it, but the 255 will handle anything you throw at it for a good while

How long are your activities? I like my FR255 non-music for hiking, but think its battery life would be insufficient with the extra demands of the music function. The 955 may be a wiser choice if you really intend to use the music offline during many activities. And if you didn't need music or could do it from a phone instead, I'd say the Instinct 3 might be a good option to cross-shop. I chose FR255 over Instinct 2 a couple years ago, but if making the choice today I can see the value in the Instinct 3 models. I like the MIP screen and would go for the solar model, but I can see why some might be happy with the AMOLED model.

The FR 255 internals are a bit more like the Instinct 3 AMOLED (and FR 265) with a faster CPU and more storage. But the software has the limitation you mentioned with some metrics left out. The FR 255 MIP screen is also larger and with more pixels, but not as much contrast as the Instinct's monochrome MIP. I think it is a very personal choice as to which is better in practice for readability etc.

Yeah, with all the people whining about how Fenix 7 and Epix software have been abandoned unfairly, I wonder if Garmin will decide to be fair by also killing support for FR 255/955. But if the current features satisfy, hopefully they will not degrade in some way and then suffer from lack of bugfix updates. I've been using my FR255 24/7 for 2 years and wonder how many years are left in its battery.

My wrists are also wide and should fit a 51mm just fine. But, I already cringe when FR255 glances off of door frames and other fixed objects. So, I wonder if I would regret replacing it with a bulkier watch...

Have you had issues damaging watches in the past? How often? I'm happy using my FR255 for wilderness hiking. It is about 2.5 years old and the only wear and tear I get is the texture rubbing out of the band in spots. But third-party replacement bands are affordable. Most likely, it will still be fine until the battery eventually fails. I did get a cheap TPU bumper case that I can put over the bezel. I only do this for hiking trips to the mountains where I will be around a lot of exposed granite. It does not cover the screen but wraps around the outside so it becomes like a soft, raised bezel.

The cost-effective device is going to be some kind of running/outdoor adventure device where you just learn to ignore the other functions you don't care about. I have used a Garmin Forerunner 255 watch for a couple years now for hiking. I edited the menus to simplify my typical interactions, hiding most of the running, fitness, and health monitoring functions that are irrelevant to me. In theory, you can get what you asked for with just a barometric sensor and a pedometer. But, it won't be very accurate and will have frustrating calibration requirements. These types of devices are becoming obsolete since it works so much better to use satellite positioning (GPS) for both distance calculation and to automatically calibrate the barometric altimeter. Then, any modern consumer device that uses GPS will want to sync GPS ephemeris (almanac) data to make the GPS receiver operate more quickly and reliably. My Garmin watch needs to sync about once per week for this reason. If I let that almanac data expire, it will get noticeably worse at getting an initial position fix and maintaining it during a hike. Mine requires a companion smarthphone app to do this sync. Some others can use WiFi directly and avoid the need for the phone. I started with goals like yours, but found that I do like the navigation function. My model doesn't have real maps, but I can load a course in advance for a backcountry trail, and it will give me "upcoming turn" notifications and "off course" warnings. It also shows my path relative to this course on a more primitive map, which can be helpful to orient myself if the trail becomes faint.

Never regretted buying my 255 (non-music).

Don't know about Polar but I've got the Garmin Forerunner 255 (non music) and very happy with it. It's the lowest model that has full tri functionality. 

Garmin Forerunner 255 is available at that price point if you look. It's a good watch, will easily do everything that's needed. 

255/265 are the lowest model with a full triathlon mode. I'd say the 965 doesn't have anything with the extra money if money's tight

Ehh, you pay a lot of money for extra features on the higher-end models that realistically just don't matter. My FR255 does everything I need it to. 

Garmin FR255, Wahoo Roam v2, spider power meter (Magene P505), intervals.icu The tech is nice but all you really need is a phone. Don't even need a source of heart rate, rpe is sufficient (and for best results on race day understanding your rpe is importantly so get started now).  If I had to start over, I'd get in order: 1. watch: sufficient for heart rate[1], sufficient to record power 2. power meter 3. bike computer[2] [1] this is contentious, but IME it's good enough. Out riding/running I don't need my exact heart rate because I'm going by feel, and back home I don't need my exact heart rate because I'm looking for trends: did I plateau my HR during intervals or was it still rising at the end? My current watch actually tracks against my chest strap very well but my previous watch didn't so much and I still got good data out of it. Plus it's really nice being able to go out with just the watch and not feel like I'm missing anything.  [2] for riding for fun I'd get this first because navigation 

Calories burned won't be accurate no matter what the watch. That said I've been happy with how my Garmin Forerunner 255 counts laps, it's currently on sale for $230

Forerunner 165, 255/265 if you think you're going to get a power meter. 

I've got the 255, the strength training stuff is not great. Rep counting frequently off, HR unreliable, and the analysis is crap. Better off using another app and a chest strap or biceps band if HR is important to your (I'd argue it shouldn't be).  Calorie counting on these things is universally off 

How basic are you willing to go? Forerunner 255: has basically everything you need Forerunner 165: no triathlon activity mode (mostly saves you recording your race as separate swim/bike/run activities) Forerunner 55: pool swim only (no ows), no cycling power meter support All are available second hand, don't know at what cost. The 55 will do in a pinch, but you'll likely appreciate the extra capability of the 165. Triathlon activity mode is nice but certainly not essential; the race organisers will include all your official times including transitions in their results. 

Garmin Forerunner 165/255. I've got the 255 and when I was using it on my rides (a) the gps was super accurate and (b) I'd reliably get at least three rides worth of use out of a charge.  If you can stretch the budget a bit the Edge 540 has mapping and even better battery life and will probably be on sale soon. 

255/265 is sufficient for that

I’ve had the Forerunner 255 (non-music version) for over 2 years, I think I paid £299 brand new. I think it’s great. I wear it 24/7 and use the GPS for ~5-6 hours of runs/rides and the battery still holds out for at least a week. I’ve only had to replace the strap once in that time. I have had very occasional GPS bug outs and HR read being a bit funny but nothing too bad. I’m tempted to upgrade but don’t really feel the urgent need.

I just switched from an Apple Watch (3.5 years) to a 255. I run and was mostly using my aw as a running watch. As a running watch it was fine, but the battery life sucked and my gps/distance was always a bit off from my friends. I’d much rather a slightly better gps than a slightly better hr sensor. Also, big, physical buttons are also great when doing things when you are sweaty. I didn’t even bother getting a touch screen. From my perspective, I couldn’t find a good reason to buy another apple.

For me a forerunner was 100% worth it but I never liked Apple Watch, never used mine (hand me down from a parent), and didn’t have the same concerns about Garmin that you have. I am not a smart watch person so the fact that my garmin (255) is basically not a smart watch is ideal for me. I don’t care about look. The training metrics are a plus and a big part of why I love it but nothing anyone needs and if the battery life/24/7 wear isn’t going to be THE factor for you then it sounds like Apple Watch is your watch and you don’t need to convince yourself you need Garmin!

FR 165 may be missing some more advanced options, but it should match your needs and budget (barely). Personally I would go for second hand FR255. If you care a lot about HR, especially during intervals, buy arm monitor like Polar OH1+ in addition to a watch. It is quite cheap, easily pairs with all Garmins and tests prove it is more reliable than almost any watch on the market.

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

I switched from Apple Watch & Apple Music to Garmin 255 & Spotify. You can get a yearly Spotify premium gift card from Amazon for $120 to save money, otherwise it's $144 a year from Spotify. I much prefer Garmins watch for running over the Apple Watch. The 2 music subscriptions were about equal to me. They both have their annoyances & pluses.

Forerunner 55 for the absolute basics. Forerunner 165 is the cheapest with a AMOLED screen. Forerunner 255, 265, 955 and 965 are just discontinued. In my opinion 955 is the most value for money as it includes mapping. 965 is the same watch as the 955, but with an AMOLED screen. If you don’t need mapping, then go for the 265. It is the same as the 965, but without maps. So if you can find a 955 that would be your best bet in my opinion. Forerunner 570 and 970 introduce unnecessary features, such as microphone & speaker, sapphire glass, shiny metal bezels all of which add nothing to running but do increase the price.