Garmin - Instinct 2X Solar - Tactical Edition

I hope you like your Garmin, I felt like the heart rate monitor was absolutely terrible on x2 tactical, no where near any of my Apple Watch’s or whoops. I’m excited To have ecg on a whoop.

I use a Garmin Instinct 2X. The lack of a touchscreen is an advantage when swimming and it does a decent job of tracking laps. Only downside is it can be quite large for some people but there are two other sizes as options in those instances.

I recorded my 2024 SOBO hike on both my Garmin Instinct 2x and also on an Inreach. The inreach was more for family and friends but I think out of all my gear the watch was definitely the least necessary but I loved having it. Not just for the stats which were cool to look at but honestly I liked the mileage/navigation component on trail. I would use the mileage on the watch while hiking to gauge how far I was from water/camp/etc. and that saved me from having to pull up Farout alot. Once again not necessary by any means but was nice. I had to charge mine around every 3-4 days it felt like but luckily it doesn't take nearly as much juice as a phone in my experience. Best of luck!

For those activities the Garmin Instinct line will work fine. It’s not the most expensive line, but honestly I prefer it more than the expensive ones. I have a Fenix 7x Pro and prefer my Instinct 2x over it. Only thing the Fenix has over the Instinct is built in map navigation, but to be honest trying to plot a course on your watch is not a good experience, I’d much prefer to plot a course on my phone and just send it to my watch for step by step navigation, and in that aspect the two watches work the same. The screen on the instinct, though less advanced than the Fenix, is easier to read and more clear than the Fenix. The battery life on the Instinct 2x is one of the best Garmin has to offer, with potential unlimited battery life if you are in a lot of sun, on my Fenix I got about 3 weeks with solar helping it along the way. Lastly I like the band/case material and how the watch feels on the wrist more with my Instinct than Fenix 7x pro. I’ve damaged walls, scratch my car, etc with the metal bezel on the Fenix, but that does not happen with the Instinct. The instinct also has a raised bezel so it protects the screen more, and you won’t get the metal on metal grinding feeling when working out. I will be selling my Fenix since I got the Instinct. That is how much more I like it.

I was hoping for a AWU3 with revolutionary batterylife. We did not get that so I bit the bullet and ordered a Garmin Instinct2x. I chose a „dumber“ watch on purpose so I could disconnect more from my phone. If I am going to keep my AW SE I will see, when I’ve had the garmin for some time. I have the feeling that all the notifications and all the connections don’t make me use my phone less as I hoped when I got the AppleWatch.

I love my instinc and am not looking back to the apple watch at all.

Garmin Instinct 2X is my current fave as it’s got almost all of the sensors of the top models, but has a better battery life and if I smash it to pieces (happens more regularly than I want to admit to) then cheap enough to replace and not fuss about.

Hard disagree here. I have had the Instinct 2X and now have the latest Rangeman (GPR-H1000) The styling is exceptional and is far in front of the Instinct. Also likely to last a lot longer given the meaty protection.

Ligther and faster - good, since Instinct 2x was chunky and very slow watch. Lack of maps, no touchscreen, slightly worse flaslight - bad. Regarding issue with strength training ("*the watch defaulted to the exercise list, rather than the summary rest page. I found this honestly infuriating...*."), that is how it works on Fenix 7, Epix and probably some other Garmin watches as well, since many people complained exactly about that since that "improvement" was introduced in some software update about 2 years ago. Garmin ignored users' requests/complaints so that will remain so on Instinct 3 as well for indefinite amount of time (or until Garmin finally recognizes how dumb paused view in strength training is). As you said *"3 Solar is a huge improvement in terms of contrast and brightness over the 2X,"* which is not surprising since display on Instinct 2 and 2x left a lot to be desired although many reviewers omitted to say that. Thanks for your review.

Does it have to be a watch? I love my Whoop because it's low maintenance and I forget it's on until I get the notification to charge it. I love my Garmin Instinct Tactical (I'm active duty military so it's dual purpose), but I have to take it off whenever I use wrist wraps or my grips during a WOD.

I am kind of surprised by the answers here. I think your request is not so weird, and it is possible to have a Garmin watch to count steps, HR, etc and not send out any signal: this is called Stealth mode and it's available on several tactical Garmin watches. They aim at military personnel, so your job would suit this profile as well. Look up online which watches offer this mode, there is at least the Instinct 2 Tactical edition, Instinct Crossover Tactical edition, Tactix 7 AMOLED / Pro

My instinct 2 has been the best watch for me since it came out...(Had the original solar tactical then too) Had never let me down ever and I'm a mechanic.

If you're already in the Apple ecosystem then an Apple Watch will be good choice that's pretty straightforward to use. A Garmin Instinct2 is also a good, relatively low cost option, but you'll need to use the free Garmin Connect app on your iPhone to view your exercise data. The Garmin is more complicated to set up.

PS, battery life is 1-2 days on the Apple Watch and up to 28 days on the Garmin

You can’t go wrong with a Garmin. The Instinct series is very rugged and reasonably priced. The fenix series is also super rugged but is at a premium cost

If you don't want to charge your watch everyday, check out the Garmin Instinct series. Amazing battery life, even with activity tracking. It'll track your laps, distance, drill logging, the works.

The instinct series is, in my opinion, by far the best. I believe this mainly due to the screen, which is not the awful LCD/LED stuff that most watches have. It's clear in all conditions, and extremely durable. I think the UI is also quite well done. Any of the instincts will fit the bill, but probably instinct 2 is the best balance of features.

My garmin instinct does a good job. Garmin also makes chest straps that sync with your phone just like their watches do

Garmin ecosystem is chocked full of goodness. Since I run and cycle, it’s great for multi sport. A lot of folks who only run seem to love Coros watches and their environment. I think either of those (with Strava integration) would be an improvement over your Apple Watch.

People have to stop comparing these. These are for two different people. I would never wear an Apple Watch based on battery life alone. I specifically got the Garmin for a wrist based gps and mapping tool to track and orient myself. You buy an Apple Watch to use smart features and be connected to your phone. Garmin has never been in that market. It’s a whole company based on gps systems for outdoor activities . You buy an Apple Watch to have Apple ecosystem. you can’t use half the feature of the fenix on an iPhone bc they only want you to use their watch… Garmin are all specifically made for their audience even down the the model . Apple watches are just to keep you plugged into your phone and have no bearing on actual outdoor activities despite calling it ultra. The Millitary has been orienteering with Garmin wrist based gps systems forever. You’d never catch an Apple Watch on patrol in Afghanistan. 😂