Garmin - Forerunner 405
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Reddit Reviews:
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Based on 1 year's data from Feb 24, 2026 How it works
Liked most:
17
3
"Oh, and the battery lasts days even when exercising a lot (weeks without excercise)."
"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" :)"
"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."
11
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."
26
0
"it has a lot of additional activity features I like (e.g. tracking outdoor swimming, biking , training plans etc)"
"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 tracks my sleep, workouts, stress - a whole lot more than my old Apple Watch!"
7
1
"I specifically got the Garmin for a wrist based gps and mapping tool to track and orient myself. ... The Millitary has been orienteering with Garmin wrist based gps systems forever."
"The forerunner will meet and exceed all your needs except one."
"with all the GPS accuracy you can get"
6
1
"near indestructible"
"in terms of hardware, I’ve had no complaint in over 30,000 miles. That’s a lot of time worn…"
"I used my last Forerunner for 6 years before I changed to my current Venu 3s 2 years ago. The Forerunner was still working by then, I only changed because I wanted the Venu, not because the FR broke. ... In short, they last."
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
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"
0
2
"Garmin only adds load when you are tracking an activity, so it can miss a lot if it's not a planned workout."
"a forerunner is not great for swimming, cycling, heavy trail running etc."
1
2
"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"
oscar99ta 1.0I was a Garmin user starting with the Forerunner 405 and most recently with the Fenix 6 Pro. I dipped my toe into the Apple Watch water with the S9 Cellular a couple of years ago, mostly for the cellular functionality. I hate carrying my phone on runs. I thought I would miss the stats from the Garmin like training readiness, etc., but I realized that the Garmin wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t already know lol. Now I’m on the Ultra 3 and it’s great. I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything from my old Garmin. Yes, I have to charge more frequently but it’s painless for me to toss the watch on my nightstand charger while I shower. My Garmin required less frequent charging but the process wasn’t great with that finicky connector. Nowadays the Garmins have gotten so expensive that the Ultra seems reasonably priced in comparison.
bzdriz 0.2Have a regular peloton bike (not a bike+). I tried an Apple Watch and an oura ring. Best thing I’ve done is buy a regular Garmin forerunner + hrm strap for the best output capture. The hrm can be synced to the device for real heart rate during exercises.
gorcbor19 0.2I can remember running before GPS running watches came about, but I wore my candybar garmin for years! Wish I wouldn't have given it away, because it was still working great when I decided to downgrade to a smaller/newer model. I usually keep mine until they break or die. I spend enough on shoes every year, I'd hate to have to buy $500 watches more often than I have to. My current Garmin is going on 7 years. Still works great, still wear it as my daily and running watch. Replaced the band a couple of times, but still holds a great charge.
Quercia13 0.0i 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
bonmorning 0.0I 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
Gurnug 0.0I use Garmin forerunner watch, sync Strava with Garmin Connect and sync Komoot with Strava. It works like a charm.
JonRedBeardFF 0.0I got a Garmin forerunner watch and on the mats I use the Garmin hrm pro. Had no complaints while rolling. Just makes it feel like you have a hard sternum
QTPie_314 0.0I 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.
These-Appearance2820 0.0A 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.
VincebusMaximus 0.0Runs 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.
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