Garmin Forerunner 305 Reviews

Awesome bit of kit .. think the watch is the best out there and def recommended. .....J.M.P

Never run without it! .......

I've recently taken up running and thought I was being extravagant when I bought this (top of the range and all that) but its been a fantastic investment, even for a relative beginner. ..... Mr. A. D. Parnell (London, UK)

I bought the Forerunner 305 about six months ago and I never run without it now. It has helped me to focus ..... Liane

It is quite a large watch ...

Found all the other buttons on the watch very difficult to press whichwould have been near impossible if i had been trying to use these functions whilst running. ...D.J. Major

Garmin Forerunner 305 Review 1

I work in the GPS arena and have to say this is a lovely little device. Ive used it to get in shape for my first Triathlon last Sunday. I never bike or run without it.

Good points:
- SiRF III = Accurate GPS
- Quite a fast fix (*most* of the time < 60 seconds)
- Very easy to use
- Comfortable heart rate monitor
- Light and not very big considering whats inside
- Lots and lots of options - If you're into that sort of thing...

Not so good points:
- Only 10 hours battery life when GPS is on - I'm training for the IronMan, so would be nice if it was longer!
- Its not water proof, so I cant wear it in the swim :o( - Although some people put it in a sealable plastic bag and put it in their swimming cap.
- Bundled software is not very good (in my humble opinion). But there's lots of free stuff out there thats really good.

In all I'm very happy with it and would recommend it to anyone!

Garmin 305 Review 2

......had the product for a year now, in fact I have bought a second one for my wife to use with her training. I've started to use the Workout function for my marathon training.

You can design your whole training programme, upload it into the watch and then it tells you how fast you have to run and for how long. This is really useful if you are doing interval training for example, run 2Kms fast then ½km slow to recover, repeat 4 times.

You get audible alerts if you are too fast or too slow or if your heart rate goes outside of the desired training zone. I've downloaded an entire marathon training schedule from the Runners World website and I just do what the watch tells me. So yes, I'm a raving fan of the Forerunner 305.

Garmin 305 Review 2

I've been using my Forerunner 305 for over 2 weeks now and I am very, very happy with it. Although I know it is sad, but this little device was one of my main motivations to get back into long distance running after a 5 year break.

Since Garmin has updated its GPS watch range choosing the latest model (Forerunner 405) would have been obvious, but I am glad I followed the advice of some reviews on here and elsewhere to go for the older and bigger 305 instead.

Why? Well, first of all I have a very nice everyday wristwatch and do not need a running watch that I can also wear at work or in the pub. Yes, the 305 is quite a biggie, but when I am out and about on a run then I don't really mind. After all: I'm out there to pound roads and not catwalks! With roughly 77g the watch is -despite its size- not too heavy and does not disturb me during my run.

The user interface (ie the way how to move and navigate through the screens and menus) is very well done and cleverly thought through. The accompanying software from Garmin is -well- sub-optimal. Thank god there now is a Mac version of it, but the overall functionality is nothing to write home about. As a Mac devotee, I am currently trialling a log software called Ascent (for Mac OS X), which seems to fit the bill for me. However you'll still require the Garmin software to upload your own workouts or courses, so you can't replace it 100%. But Ascent is much better in graphing your progress and displaying your route on Google Maps, for example.

What I love about the watch are the aggregated History screens. You can see your total weekly milage and average heart rate for a week. The 305 stores up to 1000 laps, which should enable me to store a whole marathon preparation training onto the watch - maybe even 2.

Another very good aspect is the fact that I can now see my current pace and heart rate on 1 screen, which really helps me to pace myself during a training run. I also love the Virtual Partner function, although I still haven't understood which time and pace the VP takes (the last run or an average of previous runs on the course?). The manual does not reveal any details on this.

Satellite aquisition is relatively fast. You basically need to be outside for a minute or 2 before you start your workout in order to get a satellite fix.

On the whole I can only recommend the 305. The 405 might be smaller and newer, but I've saved roughly £80-90 by purchasing a 305... that's a pair of new running shoes in my book!

By  Grantino "G"(Glasgow, Scotland)