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Steve H.
Steve H. Sendmail

I am thinking about buying a new watch for my training. What would you suggest? All opinions welcome!

asked over 2 years ago | Report

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7 answers

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  • NicolePRO
    Nicole Sendmail

    I have the polarRS200 SD While I like alot of features on the watch and it works good. I can't get the food pod to work (this could entirely be me) If I could get that to work it would be all good. I did get it far cheaper through Amazon and HRM company. I probably need to read about it more. The chest strap is comfy and I have used it in the pool for aqua jogging and works great in water as well. I think if I wanted to spend more money I would have gone with the Garmin forerunner. Now that I can't get the food pod to work properly I should of just gone with a polar F7 or F11 as I am just concerned with my HR. I map my distances via car or on this site. Good Luck in your search

    answered over 2 years ago |Report

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  • David N.
    David N. Sendmail

    If you're just looking for a simple stopwatch, take a look at the Nike Bowerman series. I have a 100 lap model similar to this ... http://tinyurl.com/ncec37

    I know 4 or 5 other runners that use these and are happy with them.

    Pros: Large display that's easy to read on the run. Start / Stop / Lap buttons are easy to hit while moving. Can store multiple workouts.

    Cons: The bezel is easy to scratch and if you drop it, it will land on the bezel.

    answered over 2 years ago |Report

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  • Mark_Thetrigeek H.
    Mark_Thetrigeek H. Sendmail

    Had a Polar Accurex II HRM and I never use it anymore. Now it's just a Simple Timex Ironman for training and 5K races. For triathlons I don't even wear a watch. ;-)

    Good Luck.

    answered over 2 years ago |Report

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  • Clem G.
    Clem G. Sendmail

    I would suggest that you buy a Garmin 305 Forefunner. This would be the last watch you would ever need. It covers all options including Triathalons and can track Time, Pace, Heart Rate, Calories Burned, laps, GPS locations, it has course mapping and has interactive software for your computer to. The New G 405's have just come out so people are upgrading to the 405's and the 305's are flooding the market. I found mine on EBAY for half price, (usual MSRP is 300 bucks) and it only had 4 hours use on it. The 305 also offers a "Pace Buddy" option so if you want to maintain a pace and have no partner its no problem. It also has a Foot Pod option for indoor running accuracy when satelites arent readily available and it also has a cadence option add on for biking if your into Du's or Tri's. Clem

    answered over 2 years ago |Report

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  • Runs4brains
    Runs4brains Sendmail

    If you plan on swimming, the 305 is not a good option as it is not waterproof. Triathletes go to some extremes with the 305 on the swim leg... like putting it in a ziplock bag and/or stuffing it under their swim caps! But the 305 is a fantastic gps watch. FYI, over the summer, I bought my 305 new from Amazon for about $140, so buying used through Ebay isn't really necessary. Just shop around.

    answered about 2 years ago |edited about 2 years ago |Report

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  • Marcus G.
    Marcus G. Sendmail

    All of the answers here are great, depending on what you want it to do.

    I used to have the Garmin 305 and when it died, I upgraded to the new 405.

    There's only 1 advantage I've found for the 405 over the 305 - you can wear it like a regular watch and not look dorky. This matters to me because I do a lot of my workouts over lunch and often forgot to the throw the 305 in my bag. If you're not a lunchtime runner, though, I'd save the substantial difference and go 305. Like Clem says, the deals on them right now are huge.

    answered about 2 years ago |Report

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  • Joseph E.
    Joseph E. Sendmail

    As much as I love cool gadgets, I have no experience with GPS. If you want a good heart rate monitor and stopwatch, I've always liked Timex Ironman.

    I have the IronMan Race Trainer (usually goes for around or just above $100, but I got it on Ebay New-In-Box for $89) and I love it, It's got a 100 lap stopwatch, several different interval timers, alarms, you can buy the peripherals to link it to your computer and see all kinds of neat statistics and graphs, and the chest belt is nice and comfortable. It also has internal memory that stores up to 10 workouts... I think. What I DON'T LIKE is the watch band is integrated INTO the watch face. Meaning you can't detach it, so when the band eventually rips one day, the watch is useless. I wish I had noticed that in the pictures before I had ordered it, but oh well. It works great for now.

    If you just want a basic stopwatch, I have the bare bones IronMan 30-lap stopwatch, and I love that too. I found it on clearance for $25 at Big 5. It's water-proof up to 100m, and the wrist strap is fully replaceable, and is a soft, perfectly adjustable velcro. I like that because I always seem to be that guy who's wrist size is right in between two holes on the buckle style bands.

    answered over 1 year ago |Report

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