Garmin
Garmin
Venu 2 Series
Garmin
Venu 2

Top Pros
Top Cons
Reddit Reviews
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
I have a Venu 2 and mostly do peloton cycling and yoga/strenght classes. Finally we have some basic integration and can only dream that one day garmin would release a garmin watch for peloton users (seems more useful than the marvel watches). In the meantime should I consider upgrading to the venu 4 for better sleep and health metrics?
Lots of comments here about needing to charge the AWU either daily or multiple times a day. I had the 1 and now the 3, and I charge on average every 3rd day. And I use mine for everything - 20+ hours of workouts every week, phone calls, messages, Apple Pay. My last Garmin (Venu 2 Plus) would last about 8-10 days on a charge. I used to switch between the 2 for workouts/daily use but ditched the Garmin completely about a year ago. I find my phone use is way down when I use the Apple Watch.
I'm 5'2'' I have the Venu2S and it's a perfect size for my small wrists. This is a feat considering every round smart watch I've used so far has had both a strap that was too long, and a watch body that was too large. It comes in a gold and rose gold model, as well as a cream and black option, and is quite inexpensive as far as Garmins come. It supports vo2 max but not lactate threshold (but that can also be calculated manually or using an online calculator by plugging in the run data from your watch).
Not lactate metrics but it does have vo2max. I can see it on my garmin connect app.
I moved to a Garmin Venu 2 a few years ago after using a Fitbit for a while. The Venu series is an excellent general fitness tracker that still has more features than my Fitbit did, without the huge price tag and *probably* un-needed features of some of the top-end Garmins.
I have a Garmin (Venu2) which is 3 years old and which I pair with a Garmin belt. The belt is very precise, and no single watch can match it. When it’s split, there’s no choice, you need a precision transmitter.
Top Fitness Trackers on Reddit
Garmin
Forerunner 255 Series
Long battery; but wrist HR tracking is inconsistent.

Garmin
Forerunner 955 Series
Best value, clear MIP screen; limited smartwatch features.

Garmin
Fenix 7 Series
Durable, multi-week battery, flashlight; high price, buggy software.
Garmin
Instinct 2 Series
Rugged, solar multi-week battery; bulky, small screen readability issues.

Garmin
Enduro 3
Multi-week solar battery, lightweight; but bulky form factor.
Rankings by Use Case
Best for Chronic health condition management

Ranked #1
Oura - Oura Ring Series
Best for Elderly & emergency safety

Ranked #1
Apple - Ultra Series
Best for Extended battery life

Ranked #1
Garmin - Enduro 3
Best for Rugged durability for extreme environments

Ranked #1
Garmin - Fenix 7 Series
Best for Running performance & coaching

Ranked #1
Garmin - Forerunner 255 Series
Best for Sleep quality tracking

Ranked #1
Oura - Oura Ring Series





