Garmin - Forerunner 245 Series

I am also using an AMOLED (epix pro gen 2), which replaced a fr245.  I had a tough time in some scenarios with the MIPS display, such as on shaded trails and around subset (both common in my users). In these cases I am happier with the AMOLED. 

A few months ago I made the transition from the FR245 to the Epix Pro Gen 2 Sapphire and have been enjoying the change, I especially like the larger and brighter screen. I hope you have a great time with the new watch!

I usually wear both a watch and a fitness tracker. For the watch, it is usually a Seiko SKX007 or a Citizen Eco-Drive Promaster. For the fitness tracker, I wore a Garmin Forerunner 245 for several years, and a few months ago, I purchased an Epix Pro Gen 2 Sapphire (47m).

Garmin Venu 1, 2, or even one of the newer Vivoactives would be great. You can get a Venu 2 for probably about $100-$130 on Facebook Marketplace right now. You can also get one of the older Garmin Forerunners for about the same price as well, if not a little cheaper

Use forerunner for swimming and it works great. So happy I no longer have to count my laps and I can just swim.

if he is working a lot in the rain, get him something with more than 2 buttons so he would be able to use the watch using only the buttons (without the touchsreen) if he needs to, something like a forerunner, or instinct (doesnt have a touch screen) or a fenix (but a fenix is one of the more expensive ones)

I recently switched to Garmin from FitBit because I wanted GPS navigation on the watch for hikes. The Garmin run coach has sucked me into running and now I have to remember to include hikes. Seeing the Vo2 Max score go up has been motivating. The GPS navigation is really neat, I can go to a trailhead and tell Garmin to calculate a hike for X miles and it will. I don't think all of the Garmin watches have that feature, but its great for exploring. Makes walking more interesting.

The same I was big on the Apple ecosystem and felt like it was a cool watch just because it integrated so well, but I never even downloaded any apps for it. All I ever used it for was timers and reminders and stuff like that and basic fitness tracking, and my forerunner does all the same stuffbut way better. Should’ve switched sooner

Dito. Venu will offer a tick “sexier” display due to oled, FR will most probably go longer. Might be a case for weekend hike ;)

All true except advanced metrics. They are also present in Fenix (it has even more features for hiking) and Instinct. Forerunner is not more advanced. The rugedness is mostly about the bezel. In fenix and instinct it has a rim which gives extra protection to the screen. But that means rugged watches are more bulky what can be a problem in the gym. The real question is lightness of forerunner vs battery life of fenix /instinct

I have been using forerunners (245 and 255) for some years and they're pretty accurate. You still need to manually enable drill mode but it's almost perfect for the basic strokes. By the way, it's worth noting that how it detects styles depends also on your technique.

I have a Fenix 7 Solar because I bought a 6 Pro Solar really cheap when they were discontinued but it broke and Garmin sent me a 7 as a replacement under warranty. However the Fenix models are generally more than I feel I’d want to pay unless they are end of line so if I needed another I’d get a Forerunner that has the functions I actually use (Fenix, for example, has gold stuff. I will never play golf)