Garmin Forerunner 405CX GPS Sport Watch with Heart Rate Monitor (Blue) by Garmin
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Digital camera reviews of Garmin Forerunner 405CX GPS Sport Watch with Heart Rate Monitor (Blue)
Digital camera Review: Bezel flat out doesn't work
Summary: 1 Stars
I wanted to love this watch and I'm normally an easy reviewer. I bought this for use while deployed as a simple, consolidated way to get GPS grids, tell time, and monitor work outs. The bezel is the least enjoyable user interface for any device I've ever used (at any of the three sensitivities). I may in fact have a lemon because the light used to constantly turn on and off without me doing anything (whether it's on my wrist or not). I wish I could blame the poor performance on the dust, debris, heat, or a rough tumble but this is not the case. I received this watch during the winter (above freezing though). Still haven't even broken the seal on the plastic wrap for the heart rate monitor etc. I've worn it for maybe 3 weeks now. The charge is weak, but I read the specs prior to and accepted that. If I did in fact receive a bad copy, the only functional mistake with the watch is the inability to change the units for the GPS coordinates (you can change all other coordinates but the GPS, I'd prefer MGRS obviously). We'll see what Garmin says, I'm about to contact them- currently the watch bezel never works, locked unlocked. The buttons work great though. Tried and true (much like my trusty $20, Casio 1846). Man I wished this watch worked.Digital camera Review: Big Design Flaw
Summary: 2 Stars
The touch bezel feature is a joke!
After locking multiple times (including one in the middle of a marathon), I finally contacted customer service and this was their response "Perspiration will affect the bezel of the Forerunner 405Cx, causing it to become unresponsive to your touch and sometimes causing the unit to randomly switch screens or beep". Their suggestion was awesome "lock the bezel during training".
I'm not sure if they know, but perspiration HAPPENS during training.
How come they didn't see this one coming? Who's the brilliant design engineer that didn't design a bezel perspiration resistant?
I was partially disappointed with the product, but I'm am EXTREMELY disappointed with customer service trying to insult my intelligence with their solutions.
Will not buy EVER again!!
Digital camera Review: Big disappointment
Summary: 2 Stars
First, the positive: I am quite pleased with the GPS performance of this watch and with and the computer interface (the ANT+ stick and agent). The watch reliably connects with my computer when it's within range, downloads the data to the computer, and the software automatically uploads the data to Garmin Connect.
Now the negative: I purchased this watch in February 2010. By April, the rubber strap broke and the buckle came off. I contacted Garmin and they immediately send out a replacement strap, though in the meantime I had switched to the velcro strap which comes with the watch (and I've continued to use that strap ever since).
About a month after the strap broke, one of the spring contacts on the charging clip failed, so I could no longer charge the watch. Again, I contacted Garmin and they quickly sent me a replacement.
Some time after that, the watch started behaving erratically. Specifically, the screen would occasionally go blank (while I was running), the watch would refuse to charge or would begin charging and when I was ready to use it, I would find that it was completely discharged, the watch would lock up and require a reset, and other frustrating behavior. Tonight I spent about an hour cleaning the charging contacts, jiggling the charging clip, and basically playing around with the watch until I finally was able to get it to start up again and begin charging, only to find that it had once completely discharged, despite having been in the charger all day long.
Needless to say, I am very frustrated.
Beyond my particular problems, there are several other issues with this watch which would keep me from purchasing it again. First, the touch interface is lousy; sometimes it's a hair trigger, other times it completely refuses to respond. Second, while getting data to Garmin Connect is fairly easy, Garmin Connect itself leaves much to be desired and despite the fact that Garmin upgraded Garmin Connect once while I've been using this watch, they've basically ignored customer requests for fixes and features (obvious things like having the Activities Map default to your location instead of random places around the globe).
I'm sorry to say that this will probably be the last Garmin product I purchase (I've been a loyal Garmin customer for over a decade, but their quality seems to have deteriorated now that they've moved to consumer electronics).
Digital camera Review: Bought after the negative reviews
Summary: 5 Stars
I had serious doubts about buying this watch based on all of the poor reviews and I'm so glad I didn't listen. I honestly can't figure out what all the complaining is about regarding the touch bezel. I sweat a good amount and live in a warm climate - most of my runs with this watch have been in 75+ degree weather with 80%+ humidity. I usually soak through my clothes within minutes and I've never had a problem getting the bezel to work. Today was my ultimate test and I ran in a heavy drizzle/light rain. It took a little longer than normal (about 5-10 minutes) to get satellites due to the very heavy cloud cover, but once I had them I never lost the signal. The touch bezel still worked fine with rain on the face of the watch. It also didn't interpret the rain as a "touch" as some of the previous reviews stated. I'm a quite small person (5'2", around 110lbs with a small frame) and this fits me great with the included velcro strap.
I use the Garmin connect system with no problems from a Mac and usually only have to charge the watch every 5 days or so (I run about an hour per day with longer runs on the weekend). I consider this very satisfactory for my needs. To the reviewer that said a 9+ hour charge wasn't satisfactory for his long runs, I assume this is only a concern for ultra-marathoners.
Update 10/17/2010: I just wanted to add a note for Mac users. I did encounter a problem with the upload software that seems to be annoying. I purchased a new MacBook Pro this week that is running Mac OS X v. 10.6.4. Apparently to upload using this OS you have to reboot your machine in 32 bit mode. Annoying because you would essentially need to reboot twice (once to get into 32, then once to get back into 64). This isn't an issue for me since I still have my old computer that I use, but a bit frustrating otherwise. They are apparently looking for a solution, but it seems that this has been going on quite a while.
Digital camera Review: Bought it as a gift - Now I want one!
Summary: 5 Stars
Got this for my boyfriend as a Christmas present. He's been getting more serious about his running, and has trouble knowing how far he's been/pace/etc. This was the perfect gift! The website feature that the information uploads to is great. It shows exactly how far/where he ran/walked on a map and how fast he was going throughout the workout using graphs and gives your pace based on time running/miles run (vs. factoring in things like time where you're not moving because you're waiting for a stop light). The maps feature is just awesome. Also, he uses KM and was able to change it to that without looking at the directions, so its quite easy to use. Its supposed to have workouts programmed so the watch will beep to help with interval training, but I don't think he's tried this feature yet. Its also nice because it works anywhere in the world, it uploads wirelessly and you can log on from anywhere and look at your runs. I looked at my boyfriends runs and saw where he was going/how fast he was going - so you can compete...and you can't lie about it! Needless to say - my birthday is in two months and I've asked for this.