Garmin Forerunner 201 - shall I upgrade?

Envious plodder

I am looking at upgrading my garmin 201 to a Garmin 110 (no hrm for now). I have got a really old garmin, cant seem to get a great signal . .never could. I seem to lose a signal near tallish buildings and trees. Sometimes it has a perfect signal.

I am wondering about upgrading to 110 and hope the signal might be better. Ive had my old garmin for 4  / 5years but havent been using it much until recently. I do appreciate it when it works. Love its simplicity and on / off qualities.

Can anyone help please? I have put a link to the old model I currently own

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Garmin-Forerunner-Wrist-Mounted-Personal-Training/dp/B0007W5LK0

Thanks in advance

E.P

[Deleted User]

Depends what you want. the 110 will definitely have a better signal, however it also has a lot more limited functionality compared to the 201. Depends what you use it for.

I upgraded from the old 101 (same as yours but with replaceable AAA batteries and no upload to pc) to the 305 last year. I know the 305 is "old" but it does everything I want and more, without costing as much as a new 110 which would not do what I want. Compared to the 101 the signal is way better. I know that the newer ones are supposed to be better still, but although it can sometimes take a while to lock on (my cousin's 110 does that too), I've never lost a signal once I've had it unless I've gone inside a building.

Envious plodder

Thanks so much Exiled Claret - I have just read your response and checked out the 305. They look good and I have always seen them and admired them. I do like my 201 but I can never fully rely on it . Otherwise its been brilliant.

The 305 seem to be quite expensive now in comparison to the Garmin 110, although the refurbished ones are nearer in price. To be fair, I have just logged on to Amazon again and the 110 seem to be reduced in price. The unisex 110 is still just off £109 but the women one, with a heart rate monitor, which was (Im sure) a good £20/£30 more expensive is now the same price at £109. Mmmm. Dont think I need a HRM but if its extra . .

Thanks for the advice about the better satellite reception too. 

Cheers for taking the time out to reply 

E.P

Muttley

The 305 is discontinued now and prices are exorbitant because very few places still have them. Rarity value I suppose.

Consider a 310xt if you want the various functions like virtual pacer, intervals etc. These are coming down in price and can be had for £160 or so new or cheaper factory-reburbished (look on satnaveasy or handtec, for example). A lot of kit for the money.

The 410 is also discontinued and can be had at major discount. Lots of functions but the bezel is controversial.

If you really just want distance and time, the 110 or even the 50 should do the trick.

Edit, adding: I remember my old 201. RIP. The newer models have much better satellite reception but can still be fooled occasionally by very thick tree cover or high buildings.

steve brooks 7

just got a 110 from a mate at work at a bargain price and after 2 runs I think its great.

as a technophobe newbie I was amazed at how easy it was to set up, use and transfer onto my laptop. the signal is quick to pick up and hasn't been lost so far and it's no bigger than a 'normal' watch.

downside is that it doesn't show current pace, just average, but now I have found the autolap function I can at least see my average for each successive mile.

have also found that it can take a few attempts for laptop to 'find the device' but no real hassle and I believe this is common to all garmins, whatever the price.

Envious plodder

Thanks too Muttley. The 310xt looks brilliant, lots of functions. Its a great little watch. I agree with your comment about the 410 though as I am not sure about the bezel myself! I am more and more being drawn to the 110 and the heart rate monitor plus price does make it a great bargain. Cant belive its gone down in price since this morning!! I am also amazed at the features my old 201 has . .I thought it was pretty entry level but it has the features the 310xt has . .which would be brilliant if it worked all the time and didnt lose its signal.

Thanks too Steve Brooks. Its great to hear a review of the 110. Reasuring to hear about the signal too.

Thanks again for all the time and effort you have made in replying. I will let you know what I decide . .though looking at the 110 more

Regards

EP x

[Deleted User]

Yes - I got my 305 secondhand from ebay - £85 and not looked back. Wouldn't dream of getting one new as the few that are around are ridiculously priced.

Personally I took the view that I'd rather have an older slightly chunkier watch with all the features I wanted rather than a new one which didn't - the 310xt was way out of my price bracket.

Envious plodder

Cheers Claret, second hand / refurbished is the way to go. I agree about the older model however I have only used my 201 for distance and time so a basic model should suit me, I bought a110 with hrm last night and looked on Amazon since then . .its gone back up to £128 so not sure if there was an error or I was just lucky.

Thanks again for taking time out to reply everyone

Muttley

Prices move on Amazon on a daily basis. The day when genuine bargains could be had there are long gone, it now just uses an algorithm to track others' prices and then undercuts them by a couple of quid. I use Amazon as a price check and hunt for what I want elsewhere.

I now try not to buy from them at all, but the tax avoidance is a conversation for another thread

Envious plodder

Muttley - cheers for that. I was wondering if Amazon cookies caught me looking at their page a few times and adapted their pricing especially . . . certainly would be an amazing pricing strategy in future . . 

As for the tax avoidance,I am sure that cant be. Next you will be suggesting Google and Starbucks are doing the same 

Thanks  

[Deleted User]

Steve, I wouldn't really consider not showing current pace to be a disadvantage - it varies so widely as to make it next to useless. Virtually everyone I know with a Garmin has done exactly what you did and got it to show average pace for the current "lap".

[Deleted User]

Check out Bryton Cardio 40. It works much better for me than 210 or 310. Light weight and water proof (30m) and full of gadgety features!