133 in Fitness Trackers
Garmin - Forerunner 645
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Reddit Reviews:
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Based on 1 year's data from Mar 19, 2026 How it works
Liked most:
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."
18
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" :)"
33
1
"I pool swam, ran, trail ran, hiked, OWS, you name it, and the watch is awesome."
"Garmin is a superior fitness watch. ... Especially if you are running every day."
"it fully replaced all the recovery metrics I was using whoop for"
6
0
"The forerunner will meet and exceed all your needs except one."
"maps are in the watch offline, no need for data connection, like AW"
"with all the GPS accuracy you can get"
7
1
"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."
"in terms of hardware, I’ve had no complaint in over 30,000 miles. That’s a lot of time worn…"
"near indestructible"
Disliked most:
0
5
"What nags me most is that Garmin has x variants of their OS and you never know for sure, which watch gets which software features. Like training readiness is available on the Forerunner 265, but not on the 255 - although the hardware would absolutely permit it."
"I missed it's nice and polished apps"
"Garmin connect has bad UI"
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
2
"I used to find that wrist HR sucked for rowing"
"the HRS in the 265 is so much better than the 645 was."
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"
3
1
"their current pricing is just inexcusable. ... it’s honestly a joke."
anfil89 0.4At this point, one of the few Garmin's advantages against AW, it's the battery life and it being compatible with both Apple and Android. Taking that into consideration, Coros is becoming more and more appetizing with new Garmin's release, and it even has better battery life than most Garmin watches (I think it's better than the Fenix). For now, I'm sticking with Garmin because of their support, it has been awesome for me (they already replaced my FR645 two times for free). Don't know if Coros is similar in that regard. Either way, once my FR645 dies for real, I'm not sure if I'll stick with Garmin.
Corbixz 0.4How quickly does it charge? I've gotten used to popping my Garmin (FR645, FR945, Fenix 7s, then Fenix 7s Pro) on the charger for 10min or so while I shower and that is enough that I never have to worry about the battery. Think the same would be true of the Venu 4?
Emmy_Strange 0.4I had an Apple Watch Series 3 for many years. Then I bought a FR645 to try alongside, just for running. Loved it so much I decided to go full Garmin with a FR745. Loved that watch so much, until I smashed it climbing 🤦♀️ Decided to upgrade to a Fēnix 7S SS because I wanted maps and I clearly needed the sapphire glass. I’ve had the Fēnix maybe 2.5 years now. Recently, I thought I might prefer an Apple Watch as I am now dealing with chronic illness and have not been able to engage in any of my usual sporting/outdoor activities for 6 months. I lasted 3 weeks with an Apple Watch Series 11 before coming back to my Fēnix. I just prefer the MIP display, the battery and the buttons. I don’t really care for smart features. Also the workout screens and maps but obviously not using those much right now. Sold the Apple Watch yesterday. No regrets.
Important_Article_71 0.4Just got a 265 I am happy with
Same here. Loved my 645 but I am happy with the upgrade.
MiguelSTG 0.4FR645 is what's on my wrist, I like the screen color and contrast. I also own a 6x, but the screen was lacking, although the golf function is much better on the Fenix.
Phrexeus 0.4Yeah I've had mine for 6 months or so, it's a great watch and much better than the 645 I had previously. It gives heaps of running dynamics especially if you pair it with a chest strap. It's more than enough for most runners, assuming you don't need navigation/maps.
shadrach103 0.4Funny thing is do not carry a phone on any runs except for my long trail runs as I'll have a hydration vest for those. I've been running with an older Forerunner 645 that is more than sufficient for what you are looking for. Any of the lower-end Forerunners is what you should be looking at.
Love my 265S and I don't feel like I'm missing anything that the more expensive models offer. I no longer use the third-party arm band that I paired with my old FR 645 as the HRS in the 265 is so much better than the 645 was. GPS tracking is great and initial sync-up only takes a few seconds. I honestly ignore most of the training/recovery crap in the watch as I find it pretty useless. I thought I might not like the AMOLED after using a MIPS watch for years but it I find the AMOLED is great once you get used to the brief wake-up delay.
spe033 0.4Depends if you're into the data! I've had a forerunner 645 since 2019 and it's still going strong! I love the data and it keeps me motivated! Meanwhile my husband runs every day with no watch and zero concept of how long and fast he runs (I find that crazy, but he's a WAY better runner than I am so obviously it works for him!)
strangeMeursault2 0.4I picked up an FR970 when my FR645 broke late last year. I think a fair bit more advanced than I need but I thought I would treat myself.
pp_79 0.0I started wearing the garmin watch on my bicep using the strap I bought on Amazon and it has worked pretty well so far. https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0FMFBTJXQ?ref=cm_sw_r_cso_cp_apin_dp_AX1GEPQ4D45CWSAS3GV8&ref_=cm_sw_r_cso_cp_apin_dp_AX1GEPQ4D45CWSAS3GV8&social_share=cm_sw_r_cso_cp_apin_dp_AX1GEPQ4D45CWSAS3GV8