Garmin - Forerunner 35

you've been lucky with the battery. The Forerunner 35 is now at an age where the battery capacity is diminishing and the battery isn't readily replaceable. Before buying a used Forerunner 35, be sure and look at a photo of the battery charge indication on the watch face - if you don't see all or almost all the segments lit, don't buy it. My Forerunner 35 now only shows one segment lit after charging

I have a FR 35 and a FR 955 both work great. I got the 955 at launch in a contest. It’s a watch that has way more features than I think anyone can use.

I run a forerunner 35; I really miss having 4 data fields though, but then, I'd need a cadence meter. But if you want "GPS as in mapping" it won't work for you. I suppose my pricing is also deceptive because I had an old ant+ HRM lying around

I had a Garmin Forerunner 35 for ages. Had all the basic functions I wanted, and kept going for years. The heart rate monitor eventually died, and could not be mended or replaced, so I upgraded to the Forerunner 955 (then the top of the range) and I’ve been completely happy with it. I was dithering about getting a Fenix, but decided against it because it looked wrong on my wrist (they are chunkier) However when I was trying to decide based on the specs, I couldn’t tell them apart. I don’t think there’s a wrong choice here

Forerunner 165 is an excellent watch, and I love it. I upgraded from the FR 55 model. I currently own three FR watches: 35, 55, and 165. I was previously an Apple Watch user.

I use a Garmin Forerunner 35 that I got on Facebook Marketplace for like $20. I figured I was better off getting an old watch for that cheap and just running with it for a couple of months while I figured out if I even liked running with a watch. And I love it! It's exactly enough for me - tracks my time, mileage, and pace. I wouldn't wear a watch all of the time anyway, so I really just put it on for runs. The battery lasts literally forever - I've charged it once in 6 weeks. The only thing I'd change is that it can't control my music, and that's only because I don't have an iPhone.

OP don’t go out of your budget for a Garmin; unless you *really* need the features, it isn’t worth it. You don’t say what your needs are but assuming you’re a runner (as you’re planning on a forerunner 265), why not look also at the forerunner 165 or even the forerunner 55 (currently on offer here in the UK direct from Garmin at £140)? I started with a forerunner 35 which took me through Couch to 5k and beyond. It was great, did all that I needed and nothing more. I only upgraded to an Instinct (Solar v1) when I decided to swap my daily G-Shock for a Garmin. And I still now wear it all the time.

>Its a Vivoactive by another name. ironically i've been looking at the FR series to upgrade my old vivoactive. lack of altimeter is deal breaker for me.

I second this. Exact same use case run 3x/week and weight train 3-4x/week. I found the epix pro gen 2 sapphire to be best utility and bang for buck. I tried the FR but was too run focused and I preferred the more tactical look. The fenix 8 was nice but at double the price with same sensor technology it didn’t felt worth it. You do forgo the mic and voice features but I didn’t need it and didn’t want a true smart watch but prioritized a fitness forward watch. 3 months in and I love my Epix pro gen 2 47mm

Garmin - They have a lot of watches at different price points. There is built-in GPS and the battery lasts for several days, unlike a smart watch that you typically need to charge every night. The Garmin app easily syncs with other fitness apps, if that's important to you. If you have a smaller wrist, go for the "S" models that will look and fit better.