my 1st GPS/HRM??

Looking to purchase my 1st GPS/HRM. Amazon are selling a Garmin forerunner 410 for £144. Is this a good buy? What are the pros/cons of this watch?

Comments

  • lots of mentions of this watch on the forum on various posts. I use it and am happy with it, but some people find the bezel operation tricky.

    The best review of this watch is on the website of dcrainmaker.com its very in depth and will tell you all you need to know and much more. Or go to the Garmin website and download the full operating manual

    This watch has been on Amazon at around this price for a while and it is way cheaper than most other shops. The older 405 is still around but the bezel, waterproofing and GPS signal have all been improved on the 410. The 610 is also down in price at Amazon and its a much better model with touch screen instead of the bezel but the price is a good bit higher. The lower spec 110 and 210 are not much cheaper than the 410 so I would give those a miss.

  • I got one for Christmas and am enjoying using it, though I do think the bezel operation is quite annoying (hard to distinguish between sliding, tapping and holding), and some of the menus are arranged a bit stupidly too; to shut down you have to get into 3 separate menus which is not ideal if you're not that good at operating the bezel in the first place. Otherwise I still think it's worth having and it does everything I need it to.

  • I got one for Xmas and have sent it back to Amazon. Did try it out but just found the bezel thing just made it way more complicated than it needs to be. It has way more things than I need which I thought would be ok but I found the whole thing was just not intuitive at all. Going to go for the 110 or the 210 (which is actually more but no bezel and better review from rainmaker).
  • i got a 110 for christmas, cost about £109, with HRM, easy to work and no problems so far!

  • Go to dcrainmaker.com. Unbiased, in depth reviews of any piece of kit you should be looking at. Personally, as a first sat nav/hrm  I'd go for the old skool forerunner 305. The functionality is better than the later 4 series and is easier to use. You can get them for less than a hundred quid on ebay with an hrm strap included. I've used mine on average 4 times a week for nearly 4 years. Never missed a beat. Good luck

  • Thanks Guys! I will check out dcrainmaker.com before jumping in!!

  • Yup - I was about to say dcrainmaker (great blog!).  He reviews the best of 2012 at various budgets - I don't think the 410 featured for some reason - FR10, FR210 or FR610 at his three price levels.  The 305 is great if you can get one and ike its square shape, several of my friends went that route.  I'm happy with my 610 (don't quite use it to its full, mind) for the last 18 months and it is still going fine.

  • Plumped for the 410. Got it today and have to say I think it will take some time to get used to. Will try out tomorrow! Fingers crossed!
  • I went for the 410 as it seemed a bargain on amazon but now I know there's a reason why it's so cheap... It's utterly unusable. Yes the bezel is random, yes the menus are unintuitive. And this is while you're sitting in the armchair, when you're running its impossible to navigate using the touch bezel. Garmin have made a huge mistake with this and they're not admitting it. I sent it back and went for the 210, similar price, fewer flash functions but works superbly. Fast signal, intervals, pace, history, analysis, all easy to find and easy to use. The 210 is a total joy.
  • I love my 410. Wish i'd bought on years ago.
  • I got a 410 just after Christmas and I have to say I love it. The bezel does take some getting used to but not much playing, works with gloves on. Some reviews (on other sites) have complained about clothes activating the bezel but you can lock it by pressing the two buttons.

  • The bezel is as everyone agrees the big weakness. I have one and as I configure everything before I set off and set the screens to scroll I have never needed to use the bezel when I'm running.

    'Garmin have made a huge mistake with this and they're not admitting it.' -Rosrunner

    I think the newer 610 with touch screen is their way of admitting it.

     

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