Garmin Indoor Foot Pod Accessory for Forerunner 305 by Garmin
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Digital camera reviews of Garmin Indoor Foot Pod Accessory for Forerunner 305
Digital camera Review: Product Works Very Well
Summary: 4 Stars
I finally purchased this to add to my ForeRunner set and am very happy with it. Although there is a slight error factor (as mentioned on the Garmin site with information on calibration), the data is perfect for my needs.Digital camera Review: Why not save us a run?
Summary: 4 Stars
Great product, it's almost everything I expected from it. Its size is not bad, even a little smaller than the Polar S-625X's foot piece and also runs on a AAA battery that seems to last at least as much as the S-625X's. Its precision is very good as long as you calibrate it correctly, "fine tune" it carefully through the first 5 to 10 runs, and then keep your pace somewhat steady. I should clarify that the only other inertial sensor I have used before is the previously mentioned Polar S625X which behaves very similarly, that is, it accumulates some error if you change your pace or inclination (climb or downhill) significantly. One drawback is that in order to attach Garmin's Foot Pod to the shoe, you have to almost completely remove the shoelace. This is because unlike Polar's sensor, it's all one piece; this makes it very impractical to move from one pair of shoes to the other, if like me, you have 4 or 5 pairs of running shoes which you "rotate" during the week. What I did was chose one pair to always use indoors. Lastly, I want to comment, that it would be VERY VERY nice if you could use the Forerunner 305's GPS functionality to calibrate the Foot Pod and not having to run a known distance on a track or somewhere else. Since the Forerunner 305 is so precise and reliable, why not automatically use its distance information for calibration? As a matter of fact, when I calibrated mine, what I did is use my Forerunner 305 to mark an 800m track and then ran it again while calibrating the Foot Pod. Why not do it automatically? That would have saved me a run! Well, those are my 2¢ worth... PabloDigital camera Review: Work well
Summary: 4 Stars
Works really well. Easy to set-up and is very accurate. Only negative is that it is a little big.Digital camera Review: Works as advertised
Summary: 5 Stars
Was easy to setup and get rolling. Have not calibrated yet, but I use it on an indoor track and I get the same mileage each time, so it is at least reliable. Will have to calibrate to see if the mileage is on target, but I can say that setup and use were as advertised.Digital camera Review: Works fine, but you may want the newer model
Summary: 4 Stars
I have used this product for over a year with my Garmin Forerunner 305 so that I can track my running indoors on the treadmill at the gym.
This is easy to calibrate, and works flawlessly in conjunction with my 305. You do need to remember to replace the single AA battery periodically (there is no low battery warning light) to avoid finding yourself on the treadmill at the gym and having the unit just stop working due to a dead battery.
I gave this only four stars instead of five since you need to lace it to your sneakers, and it cannot be easily or quickly taken on and off. However, I don't even feel it when I run outside, or care what it looks like, so for me this is not a consideration. But for some people it might be.
You should be aware that Garmin now has a newer version of the footpod that will work with the 305, but was introduced for the newer 405 and 405cx. I just bought one for the 405cx that I ordered, but have not yet had a chance to test it. However, it is smaller and lighter than the older model (it uses a "button" battery rather than an AA battery), and also has a lace clip for easy and quick removal from your sneakers.
Bottom Line: if I were buying a footpod for the first time, I would buy the newer unit (which has received mostly positive reviews).
Update November 12, 2009: I have been using the newer unit now for several months (and reviewed it on Amazon) and am very pleased with it. I definitely recommend buying the newer version of the foot pod regardless of which model Garmin Forerunner you use.