Talkback: Garmin Forerunner 910XT: Preview

For a full review check out the one and only DCRainmaker really in depth look at the 910xt, and just how AWESOME it is.
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Comments

  • This blokes reviews are the dogs cohones honestly, well worth a read
  • Was actually looking at the exact article last night it,  has every bit of info you could ask for before deciding to invest in what is a costly bit of kit. Compares and contrast with other makes and models and even has piccies of the function screens, and if it dont do what it is supposeed to do he says it doesnt.

    IMHO one of the best reviewers around

    someone will now pop along and tell me he works for garmin  image  

  • I don't think the OP is the writer of the blog so is not breaking the T&Cs.  I've had a quick peek and, as our blobby friend says, the reviews are really good.

  • I thoroughly doubt the OP and DC are related esp considering Sonny looks to his own blog in his other post on here.  DC Rainmaker's site is greatl image
  • Reported for what?  Pointing out a well written blog that has help me made a world of decent equipment choices, how very  ridiculous.  That will teach me for being so helpfulimage

    I think the guy that writes the blog is involved with Garmin from a consulting type point of view, but he is always open and honest in his reviews etc. 

    Nice bit on there a few days ago on the new Timex running thing that is coming out.

  • Have just pre ordered a forerunner 910xt this morning

     Its a great watch, i actually ordered after reading this article so thankyou to the person who wrote it

  • I have one thing to say on the matter.......................I WANT ONE
  • TJ1004TJ1004 ✭✭✭
    Ditto looks amazing.

    Question is do I buy this or a garmin 800?
  • I got one and I love it, although the indoor swimming metric software in the watch needs improvement - a lot of it, compared to the Finis Swimsense. I absolutely love it but Garmin's stock answer (at the moment) of basically "swim better if you want it to work properly" isn't really good enough. We don't all have the stroke quality of the olympians who were no doubt used as testers and guineapigs. It has a tendency to greatly over read your swum distance (I wore my Swimsense and the 910XT the other day to compare them). I am racing this weekend so I can test the open water swim mode then, and I can't wait to see how awful my track is!!

    HOWEVER - in every other respect it is absolutely superb. Far easier to read and operate than the Forerunner 610 (which I'm presently selling), the strap is far softer, battery life is unbelievable (easily 20hrs), the ability to double tap the screen to turn on the backlight is great, the bike metrics are spot on, and the ability to upload courses to follow is really useful too.

    The best GPS watch I'd owned before this was the Forerunner 305, which I had for over 5 years. This absolutely thrashes it! 

    Definitely worth buying.

  • I currently have a Garmin 405, with a bike sensor.

    It used to have a crap battery life (less than 3hrs), but a few months ago it went back to Garmin for repair cos it wouldn't charge up, and the refurbed one they sent back as a replacement has a excellent battery life, I reckon at least 7 or 8 hours - which is plenty for my training.

    I really like the sound of the 910xt, and want one, just cos!!, but can't justify it on cost when what I have works absolutely fine. The only bit I'm missing out on is the swimming, and from what you say, it's not great anyway, especially for crap swimmers like me. That makes me feel better image

    What does it give out of the water that you don't get on the Garmin 305/405 to make it that much better??

  • So to dig out, but those of you who bought this, can I have an update on how you are getting on. I am considering investing.

  • Love it. Well worth the investment especially if you are into swimming. For running and cycling I imagine its much the same as any other garmin watch. I had the 310XT before this and the 910XT is so much better.

  • Straps are awful, mine has packed up, no HR data, can't find problem.

  • Is it low on memory maybe Dustboy? I've had strange problems with this and the 310XT that were fixed by deleting old activities? Personally I have no problem with the straps at all.

  • No, won't link to Edge or Forerunner, HRM not present. Yes battery changed, yes voltmeter tested, yes reverse shorted it as recommended, yes, tried with Polar strap, yes tried rescan on both 910 & Edge, now fresh out of ideas. However, I will try and empty both and see if it makes a difference. Hasn't worked since new battery. 

  • I love mine, I think I use about 10% of what it is capable of.

    Did have problems uploading data the other day (some did upload and some didn't) but might be because I need to delete some old activities..which (a) I haven't done since I got it in February and (b) I don't know how to do as I am a complete technological idiot.  Can anyone help?!

    I don't have a hrm but need to invest - that is my next PB gift!

  • Dave Cochrane wrote (see)

    , the bike metrics are spot on, and the ability to upload courses to follow is really useful too.

    Is this the case? Makes it much more cool for me if you can upload a route. How does it tell you where to go, because I understand that it doesn't have any base map function? Cheers.

  • Big Up for B_Kins. Deleted the lot in history and HR working again on both, though the Forerunner put up a fight. Curiosuly, with the old Garmin strap which are apparently notorious for their unreliability

    Mwah!

  • slowerthanilook wrote (see)
    Dave Cochrane wrote (see)

    , the bike metrics are spot on, and the ability to upload courses to follow is really useful too.

    Is this the case? Makes it much more cool for me if you can upload a route. How does it tell you where to go, because I understand that it doesn't have any base map function? Cheers.

    My understanding is that there is a little arrow on the screen and a very basic sketch of where you're going. It is this feature that appealed to me to help me explore new routes (with the assistance of "back to start" when I get hopelessly lost - please tell me this garmin still has this function?!). image 

    I'm also the worst directional open water swimmer ever, so I thought this might help me to see what I'm doing a bit clearer (at the moment, I just look up and realise I'm not going in the direction I started in...).

    I also do a lot of swimming in an endless pool in winter - would this be able to measure the distance I'd swum even though I'm technically in one place or is the ows distance purely on gps route distance? If it can't do this I may settle for an older garmin.

  • Dustboy wrote (see)

    No, won't link to Edge or Forerunner, HRM not present. Yes battery changed, yes voltmeter tested, yes reverse shorted it as recommended, yes, tried with Polar strap, yes tried rescan on both 910 & Edge, now fresh out of ideas. However, I will try and empty both and see if it makes a difference. Hasn't worked since new battery. 

    Have you asked Garmin whether this is warranty-able?

  • Yep that 'Back to Start' function is still there. I have yet to put my trust in it but i plan to one of these days! As for the endless pool you won't get any kind of distance reading off that. All it could potentially tell you is your stroke rate, stroke count and the type of stroke you are doing. In indoor swimming it works of an accelerometer so a sharp change in direction means you have finished a length. Outdoor is GPS. I guess you could use the stroke count as meters to estimate a distance in the endless pool. 1 stroke is roughly equal to 1 meter...

  • Hmmm, I can count strokes though: that's what I'm working off already. I found this which seems to confirm what you are saying https://forums.garmin.com/showthread.php?29132-Swimming-in-Endless-Pool-with-the-910XT. Only that's wrong in that the settings on the endless pool are measured in pressure, not in mph, so there would be no way to compute using s=d/t, you would need to know stroke rate to compute unless the pool company can tell me. Aaah, I don't know what to do now! image

  • B_Kins wrote (see)

    I guess you could use the stroke count as meters to estimate a distance in the endless pool. 1 stroke is roughly equal to 1 meter...

    Not if you're trying to be efficient, hence the whole point of the SWOLF setting? I know I get a LOT less than 50 strokes in a 50m pool... usually 28-30?

  • Okay yeah, i was counting both arms and the watch obviously only counts one. So one stroke is approx 2 meters by the watches count.

  • B_Kins wrote (see)

    Yep that 'Back to Start' function is still there. I have yet to put my trust in it but i plan to one of these days!

    Back to start worked very well last December in Germany on my 305! I expect it will save your bacon just as efficiently!

  • B_Kins wrote (see)

    Okay yeah, i was counting both arms and the watch obviously only counts one. So one stroke is approx 2 meters by the watches count.

    Nope... 28-30 strokes total = both arms... Guess that means the stroke length varies massively from one individual to another?

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