Garmin - Venu 2

The newer garmin watches do both, only issue for me is the battery life on the golf course. YMMV, but if mine doesn’t charge to full the night before golf there’s a good chance it won’t make it through 18. I have the Garmin VENU 2, if you have any questions ask away

If I’m not using mine for golf, even with workout tracking, then it lasts about a week, but there’s something about golf that just kills the battery in mine

I used to swear by fitbit. My mileage and pace was RIGHT where I wanted it to be. Then I was due for a new watch and chose garmin. My pace was off by about a minute per mile and my fitbit was about half a mile off per mile. It frustrated me immensely. I assumed it was a watch issue. It was a me issue. I only use garmin. I used a pre-owned garmin venu 2 forn2 years since I had never used a garmin. I bought a new venu 3 and looove it!

I've just switched from a Garmin Venu 2 a couple of days ago and I love it so far. The best surprise has been that I'm 48 hours in from a first full charge and still at 22% battery. Plus Fitbit premium for free.

Agreed, switched from Apple to Garmin and am never going back! The difference in battery life is wild - I couldn’t even do 5+hrs of through hiking without my Apple watch dying. I also like that there are tons of activity options bc I also lift, paddle, cycle, do yoga, etc. I went with the Venu 2s gold, swapped for a stainless steel band for every day wear with a little more of an elevated look. Plus all the activity metrics and analysis Garmin provides is awesome. ETA: I don’t miss having to charge my Apple watch daily

I have a Venu 2, I tend to agree with QS results: mine does a terrible job in HR measuring, sometimes I'm standing and it measures ~40bpm, below my rest HR (50bpm). The sudden changes it fails miserably to detect, it usually takes 1 or 2 minutes to actually increase its readings, I'm a road cyclist, when I do interval training (short sprints) it simply keeps constant, sometimes even decreases. It also tracks sleep very badly, once I had a terrible insomnia (took ~3h lying in bed to sleep) and it registered that time as sleep, sometimes even when I go to toilet or to the kitchen grab a water it doesn't register as awake. It came to a situation in which I simply ignore the data shown because I can'tknow if it's correct. According to QS, the new sensor array that's on Venu 3 didn't improve much. So I'm currently choosing a new one, and won't be Garmin.

I had no problem with the Garmin Venu2 in the pool. Although there may be better for competitive swimmers. I'm an old guy, and just want lap count, which like step count isn't really steps it's wrist movement computed to steps. You have to know the length of the lane. But it in works. :s

As a counterpoint, I was about to post my own thread asking for recommendations that aren't Garmin. I have had a Venu 2 for about a year or so, which is about a year or so too long. I wear it primarily during weightlifting. The app itself is clunky and frequently crashes on Android, and the watch constantly registers my heart rate incorrectly. And I don't use it for music because it drops my earbuds (or headphones, I have tried many different pairs) every 10 minutes or so, where I have to stop and reconnect, and, if I am lucky, it will reconnect. Sometimes it doesn't even do that.

I can see that, for sure, but 200 is a lot to spend for a device that doesn't really work very well (for me)!

My Garmin Venu 2 has been a staple on my wrist for years and is excellent for long distance hiking. Battery life of a week, amazing data and accuracy, I’ll never go back to Apple Watch. Any Garmin is a winner really, mine is a smart-sport hybrid but there are way sportier ones out there.

I have that same watch and have none of those issues, everything works just fine. I also use it for lifting with which it sometimes misses a few reps or counts a few too many, but that's not all that weird to be honest.

hmmm strange indeed, mayb you got a faulty one somehow.... don't know. If you still have warranty mayb contact garmin or the reseller to exchange it ??

Wow thank you for such a comprehensive review! I tried both Apple Watch SE and garmin venu, for me garmin venu 2 was more comfortable in daily use as the battery needs to be charged every 5 days or sth, not everyday like Apple Watch, the draw back was the less fancy options on the display, and that sometimes you had to click a lot of options to get the information you need from garmin! I unfortunately don’t have any of them anymore but I have a nice smart watch for daily use and no swimming, I was thinking if it’s worth it to spend some money on a new garmin, or since I have another smart watch, I just buy a swim tracker on its on! I was hoping the built in workout helps you follow it up step by step in smart watches as I haven’t tried this feature before, at the moment I also use the pencil paper approach like you said!

I wouldn’t use maps on a watch for hiking. I went Venu 2 that does all my health and tracking of activities. For hiking I use my iphone with outdoor active providing the mapping. You need to carry a phone in case of accidents etc so may as well look at a big screen where you can look at route options if reqd.

I never have had any issues with swimming with the Venu 2 & Epix 2. The distance is almost always correct. Sometimes it's 1 lap off but that's quite rare. That said, I've been swimming all my life and am quite quick with 1:30/100m over long distances (2k-4k). So maybe I am more predictable and easier to track than a less experienced slower swimmer

I went to the gym with my OP3 yesterday for first time. Untill now been using a Garmin Venu 2, and the heart rate was always very close to when I tested on the machines with the hand sensors. The OP3 yesterday was WAY OFF!!!  About 25/30 beets lower. It was recording about 100 calories less burnt during a 45 mun cardio workout. Absolutely love the watch, but if it can't get the basics right it's pointless. Sending straight back tomorrow.

UPDATE , I WAS WRONG!!!!!!! Didn't want to give up on the watch because it's looks so great. I tried a few more workouts starting with some walks. I wore a polar H10 chest strap also and my Garmin. Turns out the OPW3 was very close to the H10 with HR accuracy. So today I went to the gym , did a mixture of treadmill running and cross trainer. Again wore all 3 options and again OPW3 very close to the H10. Always within a couple of beats and mostly spot on. So, I'm keeping it for now

Good point. My Venu2 does broadcast, but I have a Garmin heart rate strap that's more accurate (but the initial reason I got it is because it's more convenient for cycling).

Most people coming from apple go vivo active or venue. Venue being closest to a smart watch. Personally, I'm a instinct guy. Although I'm wearing a Fenix today since I didn't charge my Instinct for 2 weeks and it died before bed. I've swam tens of thousands of meters (more like hundreds but..) in pool, open and salt water with my Garmins. Done free diving (only to about 40ft, I'm not very good) and press the buttons regularly sub surface. I've also done cliff jumping with every watch, and haven't lost a garmin to water intrusion. I would definitely select a 100m rated model for water sports. Any watch can fail but I've had 6 garmins and none have. I also had a bunch of Casio and Timex over the years and not one failure.

From what you have written, budget is not a constraint for you. I'd go for a watch. Tracking sleep is very useful. I am implementing small changes to improve sleep and the data from the watch is helpful. Eventhough it's not perfect. If i could afford it, I'd buy a Garmin Venue right now. Also, while a chest strap may be a tad bit more accurate for heart rate tracking, it is not something you want to wear for hours at a stretch every day. There a watch is useful.

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. 😂