
Garmin - Instinct E
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Based on 1 year's data from Feb 25, 2026 How it works
Liked most:
1
0
"reasonably priced"
5
0
"the screen, which is not the awful LCD/LED stuff that most watches have. It's clear in all conditions, and extremely durable."
"Can take hard knocks like G-Shock and still function."
"very rugged"
1
0
"GPS tracking for hikes including good ascent tracking"
"Exercise tracking and actually decent approx calorie burn estimates (I did the math with my CI and weight loss and found it lined up within a pretty good margin)"
7
0
"30 day battery life ... solar option I'd like to upgrade to which will net essentially unlimited battery life if you're outside or in bright light often enough"
"The MIP display watches have the best battery life. ... With AOD on and a few hours of GPS activities per day, the OLEDS need charging almost as much as an Apple Watch! I know I've tried an EPIX 2 and they are crap compared to MIP Battery life."
"max battery life ... it gets up to 28 days of battery with notifications turned off"
Disliked most:
2
1
"less accurate on hr reading"
You could look at an instinct 2S or a Garmin instinct E, both are 40mm
Honestly your best bet would be a Venu or an instinct, Venu is Garmin's health and fitness while instinct is there more traditional "G-Shock" style (best way I can describe it) watch, they don't really do the fitness tracker it's mostly all smartwatches. I have the Venu 4 coming from an instinct 2 solar. The vivo moves might also fit you well but they are older in comparison. If you are set on not having a smartwatch you may have to look into another brand, hope this helps, if you have any questions about the Venu or instinct let me know!
I would go for either the Instinct 3 or Vivoactive 6. Both new watches are great, no issues. Vivoactive 6 is just in your budget range but isn't very 'rugged', which is the perfect desciption of the instinct 3 (which is a bit more pricey). You can go for the black and white screen of the Instinct E ($299), but the tech is a bit more dated, and if you are coming from an apple watch, im guessing you like the bright screens. Another option is the Epix 2 (refurbished) from amazon for $349 (what I would go for). This is their top of the line watch from a few years ago, but still very advanced with most of the new features. [https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/1316397/pn/010-02936-00/](https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/1316397/pn/010-02936-00/) [https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/1555457/](https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/1555457/) [https://a.co/d/fs1SPqL](https://a.co/d/fs1SPqL)
You are not vastly overweight, but smart to get in shape Re: recommendation- so many options between $120 (vivosmart 5 on Amazon sometimes) and $1200+. See the Garmin website. Without knowing what your aesthetic is, I would guess either Venu 4 or Instinct E. You get a lot of value from an Instinct E, if you like the looks. Venu has a different style and also suggested daily workouts for walking. Tracking the ‘training status’ on that and higher end watches is motivating too. Warning- Garmin does not make it easy to use incline % with treadmill workouts. Not sure about Apple https://www.reddit.com/r/Garmin/comments/p1oux5/is_there_a_way_to_log_treadmill_inclines/ If you are someone who is good at charging a watch every day, an Apple Watch might be better for you- Garmin is not as good for weightlifting or swimming, in my experience. Might be close call for sleep (debatable). Among iPhone users, Garmin is better for (1) people who insist on decent battery life (me) (2) training for running, biking, triathlon. Also golfers. Better GPS if you are wanting that for hiking. If you like to walk outside it is probably a wash. (3) Apple fitness might be really great in your situation, which (obvi) is way better with an Apple Watch than a Garmin
Garmin Instinct 3 solar, 50mm, or Instinct E if you are tight on budget. Works with Healthy365 and has impressive battery life. Expensive, but long lasting. (I got my first gen instinct lasted for 5 years before switching to the current Instinct3)
I snaked an edit in on you, sorry about that. They're good, but they're the main reason why I recommended going smaller and lighter. I had an old generation fenix, the largest model, and it was impossible to sleep in. A few years ago I got a lightweight instinct and I can wear it a lot easier.
The MIP display watches have the best battery life.
If you want max battery life and don’t care about smartwatch features other than fitness tracking get the instinct series. There’s several options based off of your preferred display and it gets up to 28 days of battery with notifications turned off
Garmin instinct series, they're tanks. Crashed mine straight into rocks, face survived with just a deep scratch
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
Not sure how long are your runs and hikes. If you are going for long hikes, can consider the Instinct series. Can take hard knocks like G-Shock and still function. The basic models with monochrome screen suffice for your needs and the battery is way more than enough.
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