Garmin - Vivoactive HR

Currently have a Fenix 6, since June 2021. I had a vivoactive HR for 3.5 years before that.

Yep, I agree. I've been using Garmin devices since 2006 from the Forerunner 101 (where I had to manually input my data into an Excel spreadsheet) to the Forerunner 935 that I currently have and the Garmin fitness ecosystem is really good. I can tack mileage on my shoes and gear, use ANT+ devices on my bike, etc... The Apple Watch Ultra 2 I have gets closer to the Garmin (especially with Precision Start) but its still way behind. The only Garmin I've had that died was the Vivoactive HR. I think it was one too many OCR's that did it in.

This. I got mine two days ago. I love what it can do, the sizing, the weight, the price etc. I HATE the screen. I used to wear Garmin Vivoactive HR way back and it kinda reminded me of that dim screen. I returned it. I couldn’t justify having a watch that I would hate looking at.

I wear the discontinued Garmin Vivoactive HR (https://www.garmin.com/en-US/p/538374/) with a screen protector over it. (Broke the screen of my first one mowing or weedeating when I threw a rock up) It's pretty resilient otherwise and can get wet with no extra attention needed. I've used it swimming, etc. My only complaint is that when pumping chest, I tend to hit a combination of buttons that enters me into recording some sort of workout (so it's buzzing at me). Battery isn't what it used to be (it's years old!), but it lasts a week or more. (Off duty, I wear an old Apple Watch Series 6 that I'm not comfortable wearing on duty. I can't even get 20 hours without recharging.)

I flip back and forth every now and then. First Garmin was a vivoactive hr. Then Apple Watch s3 Then back to Garmin with a Vivoactive 3, back to Apple Watch s5, Fenix 6 pro, Epix then Epix pro. Currently wearing aw s10, other than for kayaking. Apple Watches are getting better and better, buttons and battery are the only major benefits for me, and with an Epix battery isn’t that much better. Training info in the Garmin app is better too but the gap is closing, and subscription apps are probably even better. Bevel is great but a bit spendy. I think I’ll probably always have at least one of each now, eying up an aw ultra 3 next, Fenix line is getting too expensive now.

I have had both the Garmin Vivo and Charge 5 and I am an android user so Apple watch is out for me. Durability wise Garmin but not sure how that compares to the Charge 6 as they fixed alot of the issues that the Charge 5 has. But wearing and comfort. Hands down the Charge 5. I have gone thru 2 charge 5 over the last 5 years and would still buy the charge 5/6 over Garmin for the comfort. The Charge 5/6 is much thinner on your wrist and surprisingly that makes a world of difference

Nice. On my Vivo a wet long sleeve shirt can change the screen which is annoying when running. You can lock the screen during an activity to prevent that but it’s an extra step to disable when the run is over. First world problems

Check the latest Vivo as it got many features of Venu 3. Eventually it’s the price point as both build quality in a way similar at least look wise and also the usage.

Vivoactive, venu, and currently have a forerunner

Just get one of the garmin watches with heart rate tracking. Their most budget one with a heart rate tracker, is their vivoactive, and it'll set you back maybe 200 bucks. But I'd personally spend a bit more and get the Forerunner 255. I currently have a 255, and it's fantastic. Battery life is about a week, but I also do a good deal of running. I imagine it'd go up to 10-14 days if I didn't use the GPS function while tracking my runs. It works with the Garmin Connect app, and that doesn't require a subscription at all. It'll also sync your activity data with Strava for additional tracking if you wanted.