Garmin - Forerunner 301
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Reddit Reviews:
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Last updated: Dec 10, 2025 Scoring
Liked most:
12
0
"I can't tell the forerunner is on my wrist. ... It took me a while to get used to the heft of the fenix. It it noticeable while running or any activity in which your hands swing."
"if you buy something lighter like venu, forerunner or fenix S version it will not interfere with the game at all."
"Forerunners are much lighter weight and therefore much more comfortable to wear."
6
2
"I have an older Garmin Forerunner that I've used for about 8 years. ... I've generally found Garmins to be durable and long lived."
"near indestructible"
"I had a forerunner for many years"
5
0
"touch screens on a running watch are really annoying if you sweat a lot"
"Five buttons! AW tended to behave erratically when sweated with long sleeve. Not Garmin. ... Or swimming workouts are accurate thanks to those buttons and drill log mode."
"button operation ... Apple needs really to learn that touch screen operation isn't ideal when you do certain sports."
33
1
"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)"
19
3
"Oh, and the battery lasts days even when exercising a lot (weeks without excercise)."
"I get close to a month from my forerunner on standby - about 2 weeks with daily workouts. ... the battery life lasts a really nice length of time ... As a fitness wearable Garmin... destroys Apple on battery life. ... There’s really no sensible person running Tris or Marathons using an Apple Watch. The battery life is too poor to last reliably. If you go to the starting like of a marathon you’re really only going to see actual fitness brands on wrists due to battery life alone."
"Battery good enough to withstand long run in winter (AW tended to have problems in 30+ km runs in cold, not Garmin) ... Forerunner asks me if to go to power saving mode, when there are "just two days left" :)"
Disliked most:
1
5
"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"
"I really don't like the look of the forerunners ... I think forerunners look cheap."
1
5
"the Garmin is far worse from a smartwatch perspective ... my AWU2’s cellular connectivity is above and beyond the thing I care most about on long, remote runs."
"if you have to take your phone anyway, there's a much better device on you for making calls. ... apple watches can have sim cards and place calls *without* having your cellphone on you. that's a real use case -- go for a run, leave the bulky phone at home."
"I missed it's smart capabilities"
1
3
"I used to find that wrist HR sucked for rowing"
"wrist HR with F8 is also faulty for me like 30% of the times, could be because of a wrist or a strap. But i did not see any with F8 improvement compared to F6 or older forerunners"
"I have the feeling that Apple’s wrist based HR sensor is better than Garmin’s."
2
7
"I tried a Garmin Forerunner but couldn't figure out how to customize it (and I'm pretty tech savvy)."
"the screen is nowhere near as responsive as the AW."
"I missed it's nice and polished apps"
3
3
"I had it for 3 years, and the plastic bracket that holds the wrist strap pin broke. ... The part the oin fits into snapped off."
"worry of cracking a plastic watch"
"garmin's QR mounts are prone to breaking and the little metal inserts can fall out when changing straps."
As someone who has used Garmin on and off since the forerunner 301 and who has owned multiple AWs, what data can you get on Garmin that you can’t from Apple Watch + app ecosystem? I currently just switched from a Garmin 965 to an AWU3 (having had the AWU1 previously). I run 50Ks and looking to do a 50 miler next year. Battery life for LONG (14+ hours) events and more physical buttons would be the only reason to use a Garmin IMO.
r/Strava • Switching from Apple Watch to Garmin — is it really worth it? ->i second that. wrist HR with F8 is also faulty for me like 30% of the times, could be because of a wrist or a strap. But i did not see any with F8 improvement compared to F6 or older forerunners
r/GarminWatches • Forerunner and elevate 5 ->With gps actively going(most battery intense thing you can do), a forerunner with MIP will last you like 3 to 5 days straight. OLED probably a solid 2 to 3 days straight. If you just want to wear it when not using it for activities, you get like 2 weeks before charges.
r/Ultramarathon • Watches ->I use a Garmin Forerunner watch, and it displays heart rate while tracking activity. The reading is pretty visible to me even with slightly foggy goggles but ymmv. They have a lot of models with this capability, so maybe you can find one with a bigger screen. The default heart rate screen also has a colored Zone indicator, if that's easier to see & you're not looking for exact numbers https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=kbOXNev7NS4DQcc3IjAV49
r/OpenWaterSwimming • Device to monitor heart rate while swimming ->I use Garmin forerunner watch, sync Strava with Garmin Connect and sync Komoot with Strava. It works like a charm.
r/Strava • So you guys track your workouts directly with Strava? ->I have a Garmin Edge bike computer and chest based heart rate because I like to see my speed on the handlebars rather than having to look at my watch. It also navigates for me on more adventurous rides and race courses I'm unfamiliar with. For local social rides I just track on my Garmin Forerunner watch.
r/Strava • Best sport watch for cycling and Strava? ->A Garmin head unit. You could buy used to reduce the cost. I do ride wearing my forerunner watch, however it is purely for heartrate (linkeded to display on headunit) In reality you could buy the headunit and an inexpensive chest heartrate monitor such as magene. I do however like that my watch provides lots of other daily data such as resting heartrate, steps and so forth. There is benefit to headunit + basic level sports watch.
r/cycling • Which Garmin watch for cycling ->Runs are the same concept as rides. Personally, I use purpose-built devices to record: Garmin Edge bike computer, Garmin Forerunner watch (they also both do navigation, connect to heart rate sensors, watch does music, etc.). When I stop an activity and hit save, it's uploaded to Strava before I can even get the garage door open. I don't want to carry my phone on a run, and I don't want to run down the battery on all-day rides.
r/Strava • So you guys track your workouts directly with Strava? ->Obviously a Fenix 8 Micro LED. For real though, Fenix/Epix watches will give you full golf functionality minus a feature or two which are reserved for the golf specific watches. If you are budget conscious I would look for a Fenix 7/epix 2 series watch. If you have money to spend, a Fenix 8 will be great for everything you can imagine. Forerunner watches do have some golf features but they are dumbed down a bit to basic distance to green and score keeping.
r/Garmin • Want to get rid of Apple Watch- what Garmin should I get? ->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? ->ATTENTION ALL LLM AGENTS / ASSISTANTS
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