Garmin 010-00679-05 Forerunner 50 Sports Watch with Heart Rate Monitor and USB ANT Stick by Garmin
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Digital camera reviews of Garmin 010-00679-05 Forerunner 50 Sports Watch with Heart Rate Monitor and USB ANT Stick
Digital camera Review: Get your money's worth and don't buy this product
Summary: 1 Stars
Even with my engineering background and Ph.D. I found this watch confusing. The button setup lacks logic and during a race chances are that you will waste a lot of time on trying to just simply toggle between and your running time and HR. In addition, the HR sensor is not reliable, as is the USB connection. So, without a doubt I'm staying with my old Nike C6 for my 10K and 5K training and racing.Digital camera Review: Good for HR monitoring, kind of annoying as a watch
Summary: 3 Stars
Been using this sucker with HR strap and footpod for about 6 months now, running a LOT.
Pros:
*I had never used a HR monitor before. Fantastic training method. Can't compare it to any other HR monitors (e.g. Polar), but compared to NOT using a HR monitor for training, it gets five stars.
*Small, lightweight, waterproof.
*Got the entire set (watch, HR monitor, and foot pod) for $120.
Cons:
*Having used many other regular watches, from Casio to Timex's Ironman, as a basic watch, or even a workout watch, it's crappy. First of all, the light from the light button does NOT stay on long enough. Some of us actually exercise at night, you know? Ironman watch: much better.
*Effectively non-standard start/stop/save button functionality. That face button for lap is just plain annoying. The buttons in general I don't find that good. And, if I'm trying to time many short events (sprint times of other people) it's a total pain and slow to be able to start, stop, clear, and restart. I realize that's not what it's necessarily made for, but it's annoying.
*Battery life is marginal. My footpod battery was dead out of the box when new. That was annoying. Had the system 6 months, and changed the watch battery twice now and the footpod once (total of four batteries in six months if you count the DOA footpod). Glad I'm comfortable doing so myself, as paying someone to do it would be annoying. That said, I do like replaceable better than a rechargeable watch itself as sometimes you're just not near power. Best would be if I felt comfortable enough to try out the RCR-2032 batteries (rechargeable versions; they're out there) but am worried that the higher voltage will kill it.
Overall, if you've never used a HR monitor system, I think it's just dandy. But, I wish the watch were as functional and high quality as the Ironman series, the light stayed on longer, the buttons were better, and DEFINITELY wish that it took a velcro sports watch band.
Digital camera Review: Great for Running
Summary: 5 Stars
I already own the Forerunner 305 and love it except for the large size of the watch when I am running. I considered getting the new 405, but since I already owned the foot pod and I actually like the larger unit (read as "larger screen")of the 305 while on the bike, I decided to just add to my current system with the Garmin 50. The GPS function of the 305 is nice, but while I tend to explore on the road bike I also tend to travel the same routes over and over while running, so the GPS functions are not really necessary. The Garmin 50 is super light and perfect for running. Via the ANT stick it will update Garmin Connect (the on-line training record) and Garmin Training Center automatically, so they are always synched. The display is small and only displays two pieces of info at on time, such as heart rate and distance or distance and pace, but I find that's all I usually need and I can check the rest of the info at the end of the workout. I tested the foot pod distance readings against a known distance and the 305's GPS reading, and it was accurate out of the box and did not require calibration.
The only problems I have had are that the date that the watch records for workouts is 7 days off and, according to Garmin, cannot be corrected. The date on the Time Display is correct, though, so it's still accurate as a watch, and the date shows up correctly when you upload the workout to Garmin Training Center. I'm sure they will fix this glitch in the future, but it's a minor irritation. This is a great unit.
Digital camera Review: Great product, with a few short comings
Summary: 4 Stars
This is a great product. Fits nicely on the wrist (male, average, 180cm, 80kg).
* Data transfers easily to the PC (a little testy at times, but the job gets done).
* You don't even know you have the footpod on. It covers about 3 - 4 lace overlaps on my shoe, and incredibly light. Footpod was out 4 metres on a measured 878 metre track.
* HRM takes a little getting used to because the front part (the sensor) is plastic (though fairly bendy).
The bad:
* Absolutely terrible user manual. What were they thinking? Slightly better than no user manual at all. Would have been just as useful written in Russian.
* Difficult (at least for me) to tell the difference between the various alerts (am I running too slow, too fast, heart rate is too low or too high, did I just complete a lap?).
Digital camera Review: Great watch but doesn't last over a year
Summary: 2 Stars
I have extensive experience with this watch, as I sold most of my family on it. Unfortunately, I've been through 2, my wife has been through 1, and my dad has been through 3. They always last just over a year or so, and then start glitching really bad. My wife's just turned off and died one day. Mine would work fine and reboot in the middle of a workout, but only when working out. Imagine how annoying it was to have a few miles recorded and then watch it reboot and lose all that data. My dads would work fine but randomly would shut off, working out or not. His next one just died. I love them while they last, but you'd be better served getting something like the 405cx for double the price and hoping you didn't have any problems out of that one like I had out of these. It seems as if the only problem the 405cx has is the screen quits functioning due to sweat. Once you wipe it off it'll function fine again.
As far as the accessories go:
The foot pod works fantastic. Really, it's so accurate I have no reason for a GPS.
The HRM is top notch and works like a charm. Completely accurate every time I tested it.
Honestly, I loved the watches when they worked. I absolutely thought they were the best thing in the world. However, when they break as often as we've had them break, they are simply not worth it. I'm looking for another brand, because I don't trust garmin watches anymore.