Ive had the 405cx for about 10 months and its been flawless. The great thing about Garmin is the ability to upload routes from the Garmin site (or your own pre-run routes). I have found it to be very, very accurate, with the exception of elevation gain/loss of course.

Very easy to use, and I have not had one single issue with the touch bezel. Not one. Just took some getting used to. In fact, I put the bezel on high for sensitivity and can use it with thickish Pearl Izumi riding gloves still.

I found the 310 a bit big, and at times wear my 405 as a watch too which you could not with the 305 or 310.

If you have any specific questions let me know.

 

I have the garmin 305 since early December. has worked flawlessly for me. i, too wanted to know how far i have been walking. have not used the heartrate monitor yet so i cannot comment on that function. i very much like the ability to upload my walks into Garmin Connect and see where i was on google earth. the unit itself is a little larger than i would like but its perfect for my aged eyesight. one of the features i like is the ability to put four functions on the screen at the same time . you can also plot your trip on a map screen. i also take it with me to our house on the north carolina coast and clock my walks down there. works perfectly and links with satellites every time. my first gps watch. i cannot compare to any others.

Rick

 

I have been using the Forerunner 305 since November and its awesome. I was worried about the size, but its not been a problem at all. I love it.

 

I got a forerunner 205, because i don't have interest in HR monitoring and would never wear a chest belt. what can i say? it does what it is supposed to, let me know my running distance, avarage speed and where i am. it is okay if you do a lot of running but if you are an occasional runner, you are better off with a good pedometer. for travelling however, i can't recommend the 205 at all, no gps watch actually. in this case i would rather go with a handheld garmin like the GPS 60CSx for instance.


cheers

 

Thanks for all the great input. I will admit the 405cx reviews with all the moisture issues freaked me out a bit, but everybody seems to love the cx.

The big screen on the 305 for aging eyes is an enormous plus, and size isn't much of an issue on my 8" wrist. I may go with a 305 until I can see a 405cx in person. Lord nows I am not opposed to buying multiple watches lol.

Thanks again.

 

If you dont need a 'watch' I would go with the 310. Better gps, mapping, waterproofness (50m), battery life (18hrs?) etc!

I know I have thought about it.

I have had my 405cx like I said though for over a year and no problems ever with water. Ive showered with it and its been in torrential downpour workouts, AND its been on my handlebars in -2 rides, never losing clarity or speed of screen display (while my Suunto's have been grey'ing out and slow).

I dunno - my Garmin has been great. Their hand-helds are certainly top notch too!

 

I have looked long and hard at the 310XT. Since I am going to use the watch specifically for running, I am wondering what exactly is 2x the price going to get me? Improved time for sat hook up and battery life seem to be the two that would make a difference to me.

Trying to justify the price difference.

Thanks again for the great input.

 

I've had my 305 since October, and it has worked very well. I purchased mine from Amazon with the heart rate monitor. The heart rate monitor may take you a few runs to get used to, but once you get it adjusted to the right size I barely notice it.

The 310's advantages are the increased water resistance and longer battery life, both of which are very important to triathletes. Depending on the length of the triathlon it may be a 5 to 8 hour race.

On a related note I saw a post on Engadget earlier today where Timex has just announced a new GPS Ironman that will be available later this year.

http://www.timexironman.com/Products/Global_Trainer_GPS.htm

 

I got a 405 a year and a half ago, and it's still going strong. Very accurate and reliable. Someone earlier mentioned the lack of elevation accuracy. I solved that by using Sport Tracks to manage my workouts. It has a plug in that pulls elevation data from Google Maps and corrects the inaccurate readings from the watch. It's free, and it also has some other great features for Garmin watch owners.

http://www.zonefivesoftware.com/SportTracks/

 

I am wondering what the price is going to be on the Ironman. Seems to me that the Timex Bodylink with all the accessories costs as much as a Garmin 405. None the less it looks pretty cool.

That SportsTracks software looks awesome !!!! Thanks for the link.

 

I have the 305 but will be upgrading to the 405CX if I can convince myself that the extra cost is worth the extra features. I would be interested if anyone else has made the switch and how you are finding it.

 

I have the 305 but will be upgrading to the 405CX if I can convince myself that the extra cost is worth the extra features. I would be interested if anyone else has made the switch and how you are finding it.

I was 100% sure I was going to buy a 305. Now I am not so sure. The issues with the 405 seem to have been recified with the CX version. My ONLY issue with the 405cx is the size of the display. I am in the "over the hill" age catagory and visibility is a big deal for me. The 310xt could be the ticket for me, if, like you, I can justify the cost of the extra features.

 

I happen to have all 3, I bought them as they came out. I am happiest with the 310 because of ease of use, it seems to lock into satellites faster and the battery holds out for a 50K. It easily goes over a jacket sleeve and it is not as quirky as the 405. However, for warm weather running, without sleeves for a time less than 6 hours, I love the 405. I can see a point in time where reading the numbers will become an issue.

 

One other thing to consider is you CANNOT use the 310xt as a watch at all - you cant set a daily alarm to wake you up. This pushed me to the 405cx, which can be used as a daily watch and has excellent alarms.

When I go race I dont want to have to bring an extra watch for an alarm, but...in this age of cell phones etc not a big deal either.

 

I used the Nike+ Ipod thing for about a year. It was OK, but when I ran measured miles it was consistently off. Then I treated myself to the forerunner 305. Much better in terms of being able to set the splits for average pace, and setting the displays with info that you want.

I stopped using the heart rate monitor.

I also use sportracks software, which works much better than the garmin stuff.

the 305 has gotten so cheap! i would def. not wear it as a watch when not running or biking.

 

Well that only took two months to decide. I pulled the trigger on a 310xt which should arrive by the end of the week. It was a close call between the 405cx and the 310xt. The final decision point was the fact that I just turned 53 years young. And having not seen either watch in person I was concerned about being able to read the smaller screen on the 405cx.

The improved sat reception, some level of water resistance, and the fact that the 310 is just a hair less butt ugly than the 305, helped make the decision over the 305.

It should be said that I am a runner, and multisport tracking or swimming didn't enter into the equation.

Thanks for all your help, and suggestions.

 

I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Every runner I know with a Garmin GPS watch loves it. I moved a couple of months ago and it's great to just head out the door and discover new routes without clocking them in the car or on the Internet. My trusty 405 tells me exactly how far I've gone. :-!

Well that only took two months to decide. I pulled the trigger on a 310xt which should arrive by the end of the week. It was a close call between the 405cx and the 310xt. The final decision point was the fact that I just turned 53 years young. And having not seen either watch in person I was concerned about being able to read the smaller screen on the 405cx.

The improved sat reception, some level of water resistance, and the fact that the 310 is just a hair less butt ugly than the 305, helped make the decision over the 305.

It should be said that I am a runner, and multisport tracking or swimming didn't enter into the equation.

Thanks for all your help, and suggestions.