Forerunner® 265

My FR 255 has a classic ski option, and it looks like the 265 does too: https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/886785/#specs I change my skate sessions to skate skiing in the Garmin app (edit activity).

This is bad info. The 265 has the older hr sensor, Venu 4 has the elevate 5 sensor. Venu has all the training features the 265 has, including training readiness, and more. The 265 is a sweet spot as far as bang for the buck running watch IMO. I’m trying to decide between the Venu 4, 265 and 570 myself.

Sometimes I want to switch to another brand. Garmin have become such a behemoth in the industry it makes it less attractive to support their overpricing. The thing is the 265 is an absolute beast of a watch if you’re a runner. They nailed it. Oh and I want a web interface for data. I don’t think Suunto (which is where I’d go) have that? Also having so many years of data with garmin. But I can also see the pull of a fresh start.

I prefer the 265, due to how vibrant and readable the AMOLED screen is

Forerunner 55 for the absolute basics. Forerunner 165 is the cheapest with a AMOLED screen. Forerunner 255, 265, 955 and 965 are just discontinued. In my opinion 955 is the most value for money as it includes mapping. 965 is the same watch as the 955, but with an AMOLED screen. If you don’t need mapping, then go for the 265. It is the same as the 965, but without maps. So if you can find a 955 that would be your best bet in my opinion. Forerunner 570 and 970 introduce unnecessary features, such as microphone & speaker, sapphire glass, shiny metal bezels all of which add nothing to running but do increase the price.

Most of these calorie counters are estimates and not even close to accurate for any sport with high amount of directional changes, they're more accurate for more straightforward sports like running cycling and swimming, but even then those are broad estimates. I use a relatively high end garmin, fenix 7 pro which I wouldn't recommend for badminton as it is heavy and sometimes will smack into your racket and your racket will lose the clash. If you want to try one I would recommend the Forerunner 265, or basically any sports watch thats not too big, garmin has significantly better optical sensors but aside from hr data don't trust the calorie estimates too much.

I wore both an Apple Watch Ultra and Whoop for 3 years. Just cut both for a Garmin Forerunner 265. Haven’t missed the other 2, and I’m fully in the Apple ecosystem.