Forerunner 955 Series

I have it for more than 2 years now. I have the 955 solar, but the solar is not useful as it needs many hours to charge only a little. Only when really low on energy and no charger it might give you a few extra hours of life when placed in the sun. My main disappointment was the maps feature. I've tried planning bicycle routes on it but failed completely, it always errors out with no route to be found. I did preload some routes, but that's too much hassle in general. Pairing it with my phone using Google maps and the Garmin gmaps app is 1000x more user friendly though. The music feature together with the screen was the main selling point for me.

My 955 solar will easily last 48 hours and it’s 3 or 4 years old. 

I ran both a 955 and a AWU2 for a year. Used my Garmin for racing, used my AWU2 for swimming and running (using native app for swimming and WorkOutdoors for running) and a Garmin Edge 1050 for biking (indoors and out). I ended up ditching my AWU2 when the cell signal became so jenky and limiting that I was forced to download music before running, making half the use case for the watch useless. I only intermittently had cell service with it, so for biking I had to carry my phone anyway. I ran a sub 4 hour marathon with the AWU2 (charged to 100% morning of, turned off nothing) and I was at less than 40% battery at the end, so I question if it could really last a full IM even in battery saver mode. The battery was excellent when it was new, 18 months later I wasn’t getting two days including workouts. I now have a 970 and it’s wonderful. The AW is excellent, but I just got tired of having two devices and the cell service on the AW was so spotty I gave up on it. Lastly, the “metrics” that Garmin gives you are pretty stupid. Listen to your body, not some silly watch that says you should or shouldn’t train. Having 2 watches isn’t a big deal from that standpoint. If you are letting an algorithm determine your ability to do things, you’re doing it wrong. It can be a guide. It is not the answer.

I got a 955 in January and really like it. One of the main reasons I got it was for navigation on more remote trail runs so the map feature on the watch was important to me. If it wasn't for that the 255 would probably have done me.

Bro you can get a "used" (often actually still new in box) 955 on marketplace for like $300. The only complaint I have about mine is the barometer/elevation data is jacked up, but that doesn't seems to randomly occur with different garmin devices and isn't isolated to this one. The 965 is basically the 955 with OLED, which isn't a real upgrade to me. The 970 is marginally more advanced. But don't spend $500 on it, that would be crazy for a watch 2 generations behind.

Forerunner 55 for the absolute basics. Forerunner 165 is the cheapest with a AMOLED screen. Forerunner 255, 265, 955 and 965 are just discontinued. In my opinion 955 is the most value for money as it includes mapping. 965 is the same watch as the 955, but with an AMOLED screen. If you don’t need mapping, then go for the 265. It is the same as the 965, but without maps. So if you can find a 955 that would be your best bet in my opinion. Forerunner 570 and 970 introduce unnecessary features, such as microphone & speaker, sapphire glass, shiny metal bezels all of which add nothing to running but do increase the price.

Mine is the solar, and clearly the best choice TMM if you don’t care about the Amoled screen. MIP is clear all the time and better battery life What’s your quadrant model ? Mine is Linear Panel or Tronic

Mine is the solar, and clearly the best choice TMM if you don’t care about the Amoled screen. MIP is clear all the time and better battery life What’s your quadrant model ? Mine is Linear Panel or Tronic

Mine is the solar, and clearly the best choice TMM if you don’t care about the Amoled screen. MIP is clear all the time and better battery life What’s your quadrant model ? Mine is Linear Panel or Tronic