Customer Reviews: Read 39 more reviews...
 305 A Winner November 16, 2008
Garmin Forerunner 305 Wrist Worn GPS Personal Training Device (With Heart Rate Monitor)Took my new toy for Its first run today did not lose the signal even in a deep wood covered valley .It does every thing I wanted it to Plus a lot more .
 useful tool November 8, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I purchased one for my brother who was impressed with my Garmin Forerunner 301. The unit is nicer to wear, though with a smaller screen size and acquires and retains the signal better than the Forerunner 301. The Garmin supplied software works okay, but as others have said you're better off using Sporttracks which has more features. Although the updated Garmin software exports to Google Earth, it isn't done in a tidy way, and Garmin software still has poor mapping for the UK, and both France and Australia where I've used it. Again, as others have pointed out, only the latest versions of Memory Map will work with it, even a previous build of version 5 with Garmin USB support needed to be updated. This could be costly if you've invested a lot in maps for previous versions of memory map.
I don't like the plastic strap. Although it's thick, it's of a type that I've had on watches before that have always broken after a couple of years. I recommend getting a Forerunner 301 replacement strap and fitting that instead.
The battery life is less than the 301, but only marginally. It's not enough for a long-distance walk or run over an entire weekend or longer.
Great little device!! November 6, 2008
I bought the Garmin Forerunner 305 a couple of months ago and am loving it! Really great for motivation as it tells you distance, time, calories burnt etc. Can also set up an alarm that will go off if you're running too slow or your heart rate is too high. Brilliant!!! Feel lost going training without it now and would definitely recommend it. The only reason I'm not giving it 4 stars is because I sometimes have problems uploading the data to my computer (but when I delete the courses, everything seems OK) so don't know if this is a problem with the device or me doing something wrong! All in all, a well worthwhile buy.
Fantastic - Can't Fault November 2, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I started running about six months ago. Because of persistent injury problems it's important that I can very accurately track my pace. My iPod with Nike+ is pretty inaccurate (even after calibration) and doesn't provide constant data output. I therefore purchased a Forerunner 101 as my first GPS device. Alongside this I wore a Polar heart rate monitor. With my iPod as well, I almost clanked as I ran!
I have just upgraded to the 305 and what an absolute delight.
Advantages over the 101:
Much faster GPS locating. I live in London and sometimes with the 101 obtaining a fix was slow. It's near instantaneous with the 305.
Integrated heart rate monitor. Bye-bye Polar. One less gadget on my arm. (Now, if only it could play music).
Customisable display. I could have one custom screen with the 101. I have three with this. The unit captures a vast array of data and this allows you to have exactly what you need whilst you are running.
Re-chargeable Battery. Cheerio AAAs of the 101. Plus, don't even have to use the AC adapter. The USB cable supplies power.
Mac Support. I'm a Mac user. The upload facilities and included software (a) work! and (b) are great.
In short, I am totally loving this device. Be aware however that:
(a) You really should take time to read the full manual to get the best of it--the quick start guide will get you going, the manual really lets you tailor the forerunner and understand its capabilities.
(b) It doesn't make your legs move faster or further :-(
Good but room for improvement November 1, 2008
I've used the Forerunner for a couple of weeks now and am just about getting the hang of it. Once you've got used to it it is a superb training aid. However, to really get the most out of it you need to hook it up to a PC. The supplied software is OK but there is better (free) software available (have a look at SportTracks).
On the positive side the GPS is very good at maintaining a signal in woods, this is offset by the start up time which can only be described as slow. Switching on in exactly the same location as it was turned off 24 hours ago leads to a start up time of between 90 and 120 seconds, far longer than Garmin claim and slower than an ETrex GPS or a TomTom satnav. Furthermore, you can't use the device until its got a fix.
My only other gripe is the steep learning curve you have to go through to use it properly, and this isn't helped by the unintuitive menus. For example, the menu to set heart rate alarms on or off is not the same as the one where you set the levels for the heart rate alarm.
Although the unit records data automatically, it all ended up being recorded under the same date, regardless of what the day was when you were training. Nowhere in the documentation does it tell you that you have to press the reset button to stop this happening. That said, once you've figured it all out it works brilliantly and although there's no indication of how much memory space is left, the unit recoded a whole week's intensive training without filling up.
The heart rate belt is not as comfortable as Polar belts and Polar belts don't work with the Forerunner. The battery in the belt is user replaceable and the belts are coded.
Bottom line is its very good but keep the manual handy for the first week or so.
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