|
Garmin Forerunner 305 Wrist-Worn GPS Personal Training Device with Heart Rate Monitor | 
| Brand: Garmin
Category: CE
List Price: £199.99
Buy New: £130.00
as of 3/9/2010 20:19 CDT details
You Save: £69.99 (35%)
New (18) Used (1) from £130.00
Rating:  reviews
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Fragile: No
Batteries: 1
Batteries Included: No
Display Size: 1.5
Includes MP3 Player: 0
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0
Dimensions (in): 0 x 0 x 0
MPN: Forerunner 305 (With
Model: Forerunner 305 (With
ISBN: 3200584157
UPC: 753759051945
EAN: 9783200584150
ASIN: B000FMQ296
Release Date: May 5, 2006
Shipping: Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
| |
| Features:
| • | Save upto 30% on purchase from Electronics Hub Ltd |
|
| Accessories:
|
| Similar Items:
| |
| Customer Reviews:
 Seriously good gadget for serious athletes April 21, 2008
R. Cross (Brussels, Belgium)
180 out of 181 found this review helpful
OK, first looks - you are thinking to yourself "But what if someone tries to land a helicopter on it's enormous surface while I am out running?!"
Well, don't worry about it. Yes it looks bulky but when you are out running you never notice the size and it's easy to appreciate the highly configurable and easy to read display. This device is all about options. I choose to run with the four following items all simultaneously displayed:
Heart Rate, Elapsed running time, Average pace in km/h and Total Distance
I can of course choose to see other bits of information and have the screens changing at intervals I determine but part of the joy of running is getting away from it all and looking where you are going! The device just works, capturing all that lovely information about your heart, what kinds of slopes you are running on, how far you are travelling.
I once got lost in some big woods near where I live, then I simply turned the watch into navigation mode and was able to trace my way back through the forest to where I started from - absolutely brilliant gadget.
The real fun with the Forerunner comes when you get to analyze the data. The software provided with the watch is very basic. Most people I know download the excellent Sport Tracks software which is freeware from Zone 5 Software. To use this software you also need to have installed on your Windows PC a version of .NET from Microsoft (this is just some extra software for the Operating System to allow programs written in a certain way to run - again, it's a free download from Microsoft).
Now you can amaze your friends and family about how far you run, how fast you go, how big the hills are you are running up, amaze them with how many calories you've burnt off. All in lovely printed graphical format. But whatever you do, don't wear your watch out when you go down to the pub - for one, the battery (rechargeable from your PC) only lasts for 10 hours, but you might just have someone trying to land a helicopter on it!! This watch is cool for running, but nothing else.
These sorts of gadgets used to sell in Europe for about 400 but now that Garmin have brought out a new model with a fancy iPod wannabee interface (who cares - I never really touch the thing when I am out running, apart from the start/stop button), the price has dropped dramatically. For those of you like me who live in mainland Europe, the power supply has got switchable components so you can use the plug in different sockets. These days, I consider it to be essential training eqpt and I never run or cycle without it.
UPDATE - 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. The only negative point I would make is that the elevation data is not highly accurate but it does give a good impression of the kind of slopes you are running on.
A complete training package on your wrist! August 1, 2007
Mr. A. D. Parnell (London, UK)
72 out of 72 found this review helpful
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. Not being someone who like to run a set route, it has until now been difficult to know exactly how far I've run each day, or to know if I'm getting better/fitter. The 305 helps with all of that, and more. Setting the 'quick workout' to a set distance/speed and using the virtual trainer to see if you're ahead/behind schedule is very useful, and unlike a real partner who would demoralise you if they got too far ahead, you can just switch him off! Seriously though, being able to record each run is really motivatiing, especially when you can measure your increasing fitness (faster speed, slower heart rate etc). Not used the online facilities because my Mac doesn't run Tiger, but the screen shots look good. Its a bit bulky on your wrist, the writing is small if you try to display everything at once, but overall its great and I thoroughly recommend it.
Excellent September 25, 2007
M. J. Horsfield (UK)
193 out of 195 found this review helpful
This is an amazing device. I thought I would add the following to previous reviews.
Answers to the questions I couldn't sort out before purchase (as a triathlete):
1. Can you swim with it? Sadly not. Although certified as waterproof it is not sufficiently watertight to swim with.
2. Can you download routes FROM memory map TO the device i.e. brand new runs/bikes planned at home on the map? YES - but you need to upgrade memory map 2004 software to the USB supporting version via their website. The device will then guide you around the planned course.
Added suggestions:
Everyone should check out SportTracks software (shareware - zonefive) which is vastly superior to the Garmin packaged applet. SportTracks integrates with google earth and automatically generates satellite images of your route.
The pre-loaded advanced training packages are good for turbo sessions. Obviously the GPS is useless but the watch will monitor your heart rate & cadence (with attachment) and instruct you through a pre-set or custom pre-programmed workout e.g. Cycle in zone 3 for 5 mins; Cycle in zone 4 for 2 mins etc.
Other bonuses over my old GPS and heart rate monitors:
It charges via USB while connected to the computer.
It has a coded heart rate belt - no cross-talk in the gym.
It has excellent GPS reception in the woods (much superior to my Geko 301).
All in all: For £150 a bargain. It has virtually replaced my old HRM and my GPS.
Downsides? £150 is still a lot. The large unit might put you off. It looks a bit retro. Can't swim in it. I now *know* that I run as slowly as I thought!
Very happy September 25, 2007
Tripod (London, UK)
44 out of 44 found this review helpful
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!
 Great Gadget March 31, 2008
R. J. Hole (England)
37 out of 37 found this review helpful
This is a good gadget, one that is getting plenty of use. It has certainly made me change the way I run and encouraged me to find out more about different methods of training. The first time I used it I set it to alert me whenever I dropped below a certain pace and I ran my best time for that course. The heart monitor works well but I recommend that you set your own heart rate zones as they were too low initially. There are plenty of links on Runners World to help you do this. I used the formula 214-(0.8*age) to get my estimated maximum heart rate which seems to work well enough for me. Working out the zones was not immediately obvious so take bit of time to understand how they are calculated. You have to apply the percentages to the Working Heart Rate then make sure you add your resting heart rate otherwise you find your zones are much too low.
The Training Center software is reasonable for looking at the recorded data on your PC. The map is only useful to identify whereabouts you were, e.g. I can see that my maximum heart rate was near the top of a hill that I decided to run up quickly. The map is just a dotted line and the elevation is not all that accurate. From Training Center you can also view the route in Google Earth.
I also load the data into MapMyRun which gives a proper map with satellite pictures (similar to Google Earth but without the fancy stuff like 3D) which makes it easy to see off road routes. It also shows the elevation profile which seems a lot more accurate. The best feature of MapMyRun is for inputting new courses you are considering. It makes it easy to design a route that will be the distance you require. You can load these back into your Garmin and use them as routes. I am not sure how practical it is to switch between the normal data screen and the navigation screen while you are running. Probably too difficult. I have used it for navigating for a fell walk which worked well and it alerted me when I went off course. It can show you an elevation profile but I forgot how to find that mode while on this walk. I would be nice to be able to show the direction you should be taking as one of the 4 data fields while you are running. I got lost when trying a new course through areas I didn't know and being able to navigate and monitor pace, heart rate and time at the same time without having to change modes would be a great feature.
This is my first GPS sports watch so I don't know how it compares to others. I like it a lot but also see that it will probably seem very dated in 5 years time. To be honest if I use this for two years without problems it will have been well worth the money.
[Addendum]
I've been using this for three months now. I've found that my maximum heart rate is well above that suggested by the age formula. I wasn't aware of the power of Sport Tracks software when I first tried it. There is a lot more to it than meets the eye on first look. Having used MapMyRun and Training Centre I was wishing for software which combined the mapping features of the former with the statistical features of the latter. I have found that Sport Tracks does all this and more and it is a free download. My final wish was accuracy of elevation from maps instead of the inaccurate elevation data from GPS. My latest discovery is that there is a plug-in for Sport Tracks that does this too. There are numerous other plug-ins that expand the functionality too. All this can be accessed from within the "online" view in Sport Tracks. Now I only use MapMyRun for planning new routes and I hardly use Training Centre.
|
|
|
|
CERTAIN CONTENT THAT APPEARS ON THIS SITE COMES FROM AMAZON EU S.à.r.l. THIS CONTENT IS PROVIDED ‘AS IS’ AND IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE OR REMOVAL AT ANY TIME. | | Gift Certificates | |
Untitled Document
|
|
|
| Twitter | |
Game Deals Twitter
|
|
|
| Game Deals Blog |
Game Deals Blog
Read Our Latest Review Here!
|
|
|
|
