Garmin Forerunner 405 Wireless GPS-Enabled Sport Watch with USB ANT Stick and Heart Rate Monitor (Black) by Garmin
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Digital camera reviews of Garmin Forerunner 405 Wireless GPS-Enabled Sport Watch with USB ANT Stick and Heart Rate Monitor (Black)
Digital camera Review: A Brilliant Fitness Tool
Summary: 5 Stars
One of the reasons I always hated exercise was feeling like I wasn't getting results. This watch, along with Garmin's website, helps me a lot because I feel like I am getting instant feedback. I mean, after a run I sit at my computer and without me doing a thing, the watch automatically uploads its data to the website. I can instantly see my progress. With the GPS data, it generates a Google map and plots my route. If I was wearing the heart rate monitor it generates a graph of my heart rate. I can see my times improve, my speed improve, and my average heart rate compared to previous runs. I also use the Footpod. So it shows my cadence. This is an amazing training tool. The Garmin Connect website has a lot of great features and is easy to use. This is a pricey watch but it has helped me get serious about exercise and nothing is more important to me than my health.Digital camera Review: A Lot to Like
Summary: 4 Stars
The Garmin 405 is not my first HRM watch, but it is my first that has integrated GPS functionality. This watch is slightly complex as mentioned in an earlier review, but not too complex to get used to, and once you work out your process for using the watch it is not complex at all. What makes it initially seem complex is that it has so much functionality you can use it can be overwhelming. To turn on the light simply requires you to touch the bezel with 2 fingers rather than one, same motion for turning it off. They are attempting to match the user friendliness of the iTouch/iPhone with the touch bezel interface.
I have probably the most complex setup for this watch that is possible. I have the HRM, footpod (so I can use it on a treadmill indoors) and the GSC-10 for my bike (a carryover from when I had the Forerunner 50 which does not have GPS). So far pairing and using the various ANT devices including the USB connection to the PC for data downloading has worked very well with no problems.
This watch does not currently work well with Macs. I have many computers at home, including 3 Macs, my main computer being a Al iMac. I just use Parallels and XP for data transfer and analysis for the 405 currently. My hope is that Garmin meets their promise of Mac compatibility in 2008, but the workaround with Parallels works OK for now.
If you are a gadget person and run/bike and love to review and collect data this is the product for you. I definitely fit that segment and love the 405. Only Mac compatibility and the somewhat complex menu system keep this from being rated 5 stars by me. If you prefer simplicity of operation and do not like gadgets much, my recommendation would be to choose a less complex watch with HRM.
Digital camera Review: A Terrible Disappointment - Stick with the 305
Summary: 1 Stars
As a long-time user and fan of the Garmin 305, the Garmin 405 was a product I was looking forward to for months as I was excited to see the next generation of the 305 I have enjoyed so much.
I could not be more disappointed with the result.
The Garmin 405 is a classic example of a good product concept and clever design gone horribly wrong as the Garmin team focused on form (looks) clearly beat out the folks worried about function. The watch looks fine (great for a HRM/GPS watch, so so for an everyday watch) but in terms of actual purpose-built functionality, it is terrible. There are multiple reasons for this which I will outline below.
(1) Useless when wet (yes, that includes sweat). The fact that you cannot toggle between screens or do anything with the bezel while the device is wet should have caused the designers to toss out this novel touch sensitive concept and stick with what works. Instead, they decided to go with a neat design concept that works great when the salesperson is showing it to you at the store, but will provide endless hours of frustration when you are out running and just want to see your heart rate. This is my first bullet point because it is the best example of the type of design failures that make this a terrible device.
(2) Use of built in functions/screens - The makers carried over the capabilites of the Garmin 305 and added a virtual training partner functionality, but the display can only show three fields at once and the fields themselves are too small for good viewing while in motion (ie running). Cycling between the displays is easy to do while sitting on a couch, even fun when you run your finger along the bezel, but when you are out running you quickly realize that it is very difficult to accomplish anything with the device. With the 305, if you wanted to change fields on the fly, you could manage to do it while keeping a reasonable pace. With the 405, you need to press buttons and run your finger along the bezel to switch fields - again, great on a couch, nearly impossible on a run.
(3) GPS Accuracy. I have traded messages with people who disagree, and I will say that I sometimes have great accuracy, but have also had multiple experiences where the accuracy of this device is off by so much as to make the pace and distance benefits of a GPS useless. The best example is running a measured mile with typical neighborhood street tree coverage and having the device show I went a total of 0.70 miles (the 305 on the same stretch showed 1.01). I have had this happen multiple times in various locations and therefore have stopped using the watch in races when I want to know my true pace and distance (I am using the 305 again).
(4) Silly things that might (or might not) drive you crazy - There are two buttons on the Garmin 405 - both on the right side of the face as you look at it. These buttons perform some useful functions, including locking the bezel so that you can wear the device in a non-GPS mode and avoid running down the battery needlessly while still using the device as a watch. The problem is that if, like me, you actually own a daily wear watch and when you travel you prefer to put the 405 in your bag or suitcase, having the two buttons on the same side means that if they press against anything they will unlock the bezel and the GPS will start running (or try to). The result will be a dead battery when you pull it out of your bag. It may seem minor, but pulling the 405 out of your bag after you arrive and want to go for a run, only to see it is dead, again and again, is annoying. The positive offset is that the watch actually charges at a pretty decent speed. Oh yes, and when the battery does, in fact, die, you will need to go through all of the intro screens again to get it going which will sometimes freeze on you (check message boards for solution to this as some people have posted them).
Overall, this is a terrible product and if you really want to get a GPS enabled running device, I would highly recommend you buy the Garmin 305. It is much cheaper and while it does not look as good, the size will not bother you after a couple of wears and it will work flawlessy for you. I suspect they will eventually correct the failings of the Garmin 405 but until they do it is not a good use of your money.
Digital camera Review: A dismal product planning and design failure
Summary: 2 Stars
This product incorporates features inappropriate for its purpose. Start with the very erratic capacitance switching (touch bezel). You cannot sweat and depend on reliable switching. It either starts insanely jumping around from bogus command to bogus command, or freezes until you dry it off. Try lowering the sensitivity and this partially alleviates the problem, but makes it more difficult to control. This feature is more appropriate for an I-phone but not a product that experiences this level of service. The old fashioned "watch face" is a legacy of ancient times when watchmakers used gears and mainsprings. What the heck were the designers thinking here? A round face does not support rectilinear readouts such as my predecessor 305 did pretty well. The only trouble with 305 was its satellite reception, not as good as 405. The decision tree in the electronics leaves something to be desired since the engineering geniuses tried to cram so much into it. I would like to program my 405 through the computer to get rid of junk like "calories" and other extraneous stuff and, rather, be able to set up my screens with the info I need.
In summary, this product has failed as a dependable training and racing device and should be scrapped in favor of an advanced son-of-305 that works more intuitively and reliably.
Digital camera Review: A great training tool
Summary: 5 Stars
As a triathlete, I am always looking to improve my skills and my tracking of my progress. This tool is ideal for that.
Before I bought the Forerunner 405, I was using a Timex Ironman Heart Rate Monitor and a Sport Brain pedometer to track various data. While I really like both products, I found they didn't track enough of what I needed and the pedometer, while I did calibrate it, wasn't super accurate in tracking my mileage or pace. Thus, I wanted something that would do everything my existing two gadgets did, only more accurately and with more functionality. The Forerunner 405 is that training tool!
I absolutely love the Forerunner 405 and feel it is the best value on the market for what it does (as some of the other similarly priced products don't have near the capabilities and functionality and some of the more expensive products don't offer enough added capabilities to justify the much higher price.) I also love that the GPS is in the watch unit...not a separate gadget you have to hook onto your waist like most other products with similar capabilities.
What I love about this product is how many things you can program it to track and how you can customize it for your specific needs (and you can change those custom features as your needs change.) For example, I do a lot of hill running. I know the hills I run are fairly steep, but never knew how steep and really wanted and needed to know that. The Forerunner can be programmed to include grade that tells me just that. Now I know the exact grades of those hills. I also love that you can program up to 9 things it tracks while you are on the bike or run (up to 3 items in each of 3 fields) but you don't have to program it to its maximum potential. I don't have the foot pod or the GSC 10 for the bike like another reviewer as I have a computer on my bike already. However, the Forerunner and my bike computer are identical in their data, which just tells me how truly accurate this unit really is. Granted, because I don't have the GSC 10, I don't know my speed by looking at my Forerunner until after I sync up with the ANT stick, but since I have the bike computer, it's not an issue. Another really cool custom feature is that you can program your specific heart rate zones into the Forerunner (which sends that data to the ANT stick and the software programs). I know some other reviewers mentioned it was a bit complex to program. Yes, it takes some time if you're going to really use all its functionality, but if you read the owners manual (the bigger one, not the quick start one) and follow the directions, it's really very easy. Also, if you have questions or problems with anything, the Garmin customer service representatives are super helpful and can help you do or fix whatever you need (I know this as I've called them twice and they were great!)
As for the ANT stick and the tracking software that you download to sync to the Forerunner, it's awesome. The Garmin Training Center shows you line graphs of your heart rate and which zones you were in for each workout, which is very helpful. The Garmin Connect software has much more detail, including pace, mileage, average speed, average heart rate, max heart rate and so much more. I know another reviewer said he wished it was USB vs. the ANT stick, but if you are like me and you only use one computer to upload your data from the unit, this won't be an issue.
Another cool feature is that the the Garmin is compatible with Training Peaks. So if you use that product too, you can upload your data to TP in minutes. What's nice is that when you do that, TP's software figures out how long you were in each HR zone so instead of only knowing your average and max HR (which is what the Garmin software tells you, for the most part), you can see exactly how much time you spent in each HR zone, which I find very valuable. The Garmin Connect software links with Google maps too, so you can see where you went on your bike or run, which is kind of fun, but not really a training tool necessity. That data also transfers when you upload to TP.
My only complaint is that this product is not supposed to be used in the water. So, you can't use it to tell the distance you swam in open water. But, since this is something I don't do that often, it's not that big of a deal.
So, if you're looking for a great training tool that is highly accurate and customizable, I think you will love the Forerunner 405 and feel it is a great value.