Forerunner 405

I have a garmin epix pro gen 2 and a galaxy watch ultra , in past have a fee apple watch and galaxy watches and some old garming for runner 405 cx and for me the the epix for example is sturdy it look great the titanium band is awesome it have a LED light(not using the screen) the gps is precise(at least for what i need) the battery last a lot and that why it keep me plus it looks good and feel more a watch and multitool than an extension of the smart watch, not saying apple watches and samsing watches are trash but for me they still have long way to go and garmin basically would need to add a good lte and ability to add the esim and it will be perfect (for me obviously)

I 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.

I 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.

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

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

I use Garmin forerunner watch, sync Strava with Garmin Connect and sync Komoot with Strava. It works like a charm.

I 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

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.

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.

Congratulations!  I use Garmin forerunner watch.